Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. II, Part 39

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa.
Number of Pages: 1500

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John Remington Price, only son of Edward (. and Jane I. (Long) Price, has spent his whole life in Lewes, Del. He attended the public schools both in Philadelphia and in Lewes, and a private school in Philadelphia, taught by Mrs. Williams, completing his course at Lewes, Del., in the private school of D. W. Brereton. The tuition for the two months' course in this school was paid from his own earnings. At the age of thirteen, Mr. Price seenred a position as clerk in the store of William P. Orr, at Lewes. He was a faithful clerk, but mercantile life had no at- tractions for the boy, who longed to follow in his father's footsteps. Therefore, on Feb- ruary 25, 1854, he was apprenticed to Thomas Ware, captain of the pilot boat, Thomas B.

Cropper. In the second year of his term this boat was lost, and he was transferred to the Thomas Q. Conner, on which he served for two years; he spent the last two years of the required six on the General Pike. At this time the statutes of Pennsylvania required three sneeessive examinations and issued a nine- foot, a twelve-foot, and a first class license. After passing the required examinations, and receiving cach successive license, Mr. Price became a first class pilot. He is cool and cau- tious, and has been remarkably fortunate, never having met with a serious loss. His faithfulness and ability have made him promi- nent in his profession. Mr. Price is known as a radical Democrat, but he reserves the right to vote for the candidate whom he considers to be best fitted for office.

John R. Price was married in Philadelphia, Pa., January 21, 1861, to Eliza P., daughter of Lemuel A. and Eliza P. ( Pierson) Shaw, of Cape May, N. J. Their only child, Eliza J. (Mrs. John Kelley), of Lewes, Del., was born March 6, 1862. Mrs. Eliza P. Price died of typhoid fever, October 24, 1863, in Philadelphia, Pa., where she is buried in La- fayette Cemetery. On April 23, 1866, in Milton, Del., Mr. Price was married to Emma 1., daughter of William and ITettie D. (Cul- len) Evans, of Lewes, Del. Their children are: I. William E., of Philadelphia, Pa., agent for the Pilot's Association of Delaware River and Bay, born March 25, 1867; II. John Edward, born February 9, 1869, litho- grapher, of Philadelphia. Mr. Price and his wife are members of the M. E. church. Since 1875, he has served on the board of stewards.

William Evans, father of Mrs. Emna L. Price, was a native of Lewes, Del. He was married to Harriet D., danghter of Jonathan Cullen, and niere of Judge Elijah Cullen, of Georgetown, Del. Their daughter, Emma I. ( Mrs. John R. Price), was born at Lewes. Del., February 17, 1816.

JAMES ROWLAND, JR., Lowes, Sus- sex county, Del., son of Captain James and Margaret H. (Schellenger) Rowland, was born in Queen street below Second, Philadel- phia, December 14, 1856.

His grandfather, Sammel Rowland, was a native of Lewes, Del., and was nearly all his life a pilot. With five other pilots, he was on board the pilot-boat Matthew Birens, when

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she was lost at sea, and was never heard from. Samuel Rowland was married to Sarah Win- ters, of Virginia, a lady of English descent; she died in Philadelphia. Their children wore: 1. James: II. Sarah, wife of Sheriff William Kern, of Philadelphia.

Their son, James Rowland, who was born in Philadelphia in February, 1818, after at- tending the public schools for some years, shipped while yet a boy before the mast, on vessels bound for foreign countries. Return- ing from his first voyage, he attended a night school for some time, devoting his attention especially to the science of navigation. IIe continued for forty years to sail the seas; his proficiency was early recognized, and at the age of twenty-four he was promoted to the captainey of a vessel, which rank he held dur- ing the rest of his life. For many years, ho navigated the vessels of Cope & Brother, of Philadelphia; of one of these, the Saranac, he had charge for eleven years; his last ship was the Tuscarora, belonging to the same firm, which was commanded by Captain Row- land for six years. These vessels plied be- tween Philadelphia and Liverpool, and on his last trip to that port, which occupied three months, he was accompanied by his son, James Rowland, Jr. Captain Rowland had previous- ly taken the boy, then nine years of age, with his mother and his sister Margaret, on a voy- age from Mobile, Ala., to Liverpool. The worthy captain retired from the sea in 1871, and died in Philadelphia, January 8, 1894, almost at the same time with Captain John Kelley, who had . married a sister of Mrs. Rowland's. The following excerpt from the Philadelphia Call will give some of the cir- cumstances:

"Two of the oldest captains on the river, and the husbands of two sisters, have just died at their homes in the city. One of them, Capt. John Kelly, of 339 Carpenter street, was buried this afternoon, and the funeral ser- vice of the other, Capt. James Rowland, will occur to-morrow afternoon, at his late resi- dence, 1915 Master street. Both have been ill for some time, and both died from heart disease. Captain Kelly passed away on Sun- day last, and his brother-in-law a day later. Capt. Kelly was seventy-eight years of age, thirty-five of them being spent upon the water. He was the oldest captain of the ice- boats on the river, and connaanded leeboat

No. 1 until last October. He stuck to his com- mand, although feeble in health, until he had to be almost forced to give up his dearly-lov- ed calling by his family.

"Captain Rowland was in his seventy-sixth year, and also had been in poor health for some time. The news of his brother-in-law's death was not told him. Capt. Rowland had been identified with the Cope line for years, and commanded a number of their vessels, in- cluding the Tonawanda, Saranac and Tusca- rora. He has no immediate relatives but the Kelly family, who will scarcely have laid aside their mourning garments to-day, before they will have to don them for the last sad rites to-morrow."

Captain James Rowland married Marga- ret II. Schellenger, of Philadelphia, who died in that city in 1880; husband and wife are both interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery. Mrs. Rowland was a Presbyterian, and the captain a member of the Episcopalian church. Their children are: I. Sarah K. (Mrs. Wil- liam C. Zane), of Philadelphia, where Mr. Zane is secretary of the Fire Department; II. Eliza T. (Mrs. Lewis Morgan), has one child, Sarah (Mrs. George W. Kite); III. Marga- ret (Mrs. Israel Kenton), whose husband is bookkeeper in the Kensington Bank; IV. James, Jr. Two children are deceased, Nellie, who died in infancy, and Lester S., died at sixteen years of age.

James Rowland, Jr., lived with his par- ents in their city home until he was twenty- two years old. From the age of six until he was fifteen, he attended school; first, in the primary school in the upper story of the Wee- cacoe Engine-house, on Queen street; then in the Southwark Library school, Second street, below German; and lastly at the Beck (Friends') School, Catherine street, above Sixth. His father's devotion to the life of a sailor, and his own rare experience on the water had given him a strong desire to em- brace the same profession. He was according- ly apprenticed to Pilot Captain Henry Vir- den, on the steamboat AAmerica for two years, and for four years on the Henry Cope. He had a good teacher, and made rapid advances in the knowledge and practice of his vocation. At the end of six years, hereceived a "twelve- foot," (second-class) licen-e from the Pennsyl- vania board of port-wardens; eighteen months later, he obtained a first-class license from the

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BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

same board. In 1882, he took out a Delaware license. Mr. Rowland has had the rare good fortune of never having met with any acci- dents. He is well known as a trustworthy and efficient pilot. His political views are Repub- lican.

On April 25, 1882, James Rowland, Jr., was married in Lewes, Del., by Rev. Mr. Prettyman, of the M. E. church, to Mary C., daughter of Henry and Margaret (Carpenter) Long; both Mrs. Rowland's parents are de- ceased. She was born September 14, 1857, in the house which is now her home. Their only child is Henry J. Rowland, born August 29, 1SS5.

ROBERT WATSON SALMONS, Lewes, Del., son of John P. and Ann (Wilkins) Sal- mons, was born near Georgetown, Del., Sep- tember 26, 1835.

Thomas Salmons, his grandfather, was a native and resident of Sussex county. He served as a private in the war of 1812. Thomas Salmons was three times married; two of his wives were sisters, and one of these was the mother of John P. Salmons.

John P. Salmons was born on his father's farm near Georgetown, Del., reared to the vocation of farming, and resided in the same place until Robert W. Salmons, who is his eldest son, was eleven years of age. He then removed to Oak Orchard, on Indian river, where the family lived for seven years, and after that to Lewes. In polities, he was orig- inally a Democrat, but voted with the Whig party for two years before his death. John P. Salmons married Ann, daughter of George and Mary (Warren) Wilkins; their children are: I. Robert Watson; IT. John; IIT. George; IV. Theodore; V. Lettie; VI. Wil- liam Salmons. Mr. Salmons never enjoyed sound health; he and his wife both died in 1859, the former March 2, the latter October 18. They were members of the M. E. church.

Beingthe eldestof the family, and their cir- cumstances being straitened, partly on account of the father's ill health, Robert W. Salmons was obliged carly to begin making his own living. Ilis years at school were therefore few; most of his education was acquired in the school in Long Neck. He was eighteen years old when the family removed from Old Orchard to Lewes; he continued to reside with his father until the end of 1856, when he at-

tained his majority, and was married. llis first business engagement was as farmer for Mr. Hickman, near Pilottown, Del., where he remained four years; it was a modest be- ginning, but diligence and judicious manage- ment were rewarded with success, and at the expiration of that time, Mr. Salmons under- took the conduct of rented farms. Hle first leased a traet near Magnolia for one year, and afterwards a farm belonging to Robert Welch, near Dover. While still a resident in that vi- einity, he responded to the call of the Union for troops, in 1862, enlisting as a private at Dover, August 18, in Company A, First Dela- ware Cavalry, Captain William Lord, Colonel William Knight. With his company he so- journed at Camp Smithers, near Brandywine, until the latter part of the year, when they were ordered to a camp on the peninsula, in Virginia; in January, 1863, they were moved to Baltimore, and thence later to City Point. They served throughout that campaign, tak- ing part in many skirmishes, but in no regular battles; after the death of President Lincoln, the regiment was ordered back to its camp at Baltimore, and remained in that vicinity until the close of the war. During his term of en- listment, Mr. Salmons was constantly in ac- tual service; he never passed a day in the hospital, although he was sometimes ill. This faithful and patriotie fulfilment of duty being completed, he returned home after his honorable discharge at Relay House, June 6, 1865, and was for eighteen months engaged at Dover in driving a team. He was then for nine years in the employ of the Delaware R. R. In 1876, after the death of his wife, he removed again to Lewes, and became assistant. light keeper at the Breakwater Light; in Sep- tember, 1889, he was promoted to the posi- tion of head keeper at the same light, and on April 2, 1590, was appointed to his present position, that of keeper of the Breakwater Rear Range Light. In these responsible po-i- tions, as in all others which he has filled, Mr. Salmons has made himself highly appreciated for his efficiency and fidelity. He is a mem- ber of the Republican party.

Robert Watson Salmons was married at Lewes, October 22, 1856, to Margaret Jane, daughter of Robert W. and Elizabeth (Smith ) MeColly; she was born December 4, 1833, and died January 21, 1875. Their children are: 1. Anna Mary ( Mrs. George Chase), of

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Lewes; II. John W., of New York city, mar- ried Bertha Nichols; III. Elizabeth (Mrs. Mark Clendaniel), of Milford, Del .; IV. Eva J. (Mrs. George Thomas), of Lewes, Del. On January 2, 1887, Mr. Salmons married the sister of his deceased wife, Mrs. Mary Caroline, widow of Samuel Robinson Heart. Mr. Salmons has been for thirty years a mem- ber of the M. E. church.

Mrs. Mary Caroline (McColly) Salmons was born November 7, 1840, in Nanticoke hundred, four miles west of Georgetown. She was first married September 3, 1857, to Samuel R. Heart. Mr. Heart's native place was near Waples' Mill, in Indian River hun- dred. He was reared as a farmer's boy, and began farming on his own account after his marriage. He purchased a farm near Angola, Sussex county, Del., where he died August 18, 1881, and was interred at Saint George's Chapel; he was for five years before his death a member of the congregation worshipping there. During his latest years he was afflicted with white swelling. Mr. Heart was a worthy and honorable citizen, and was much esteem- ed. He was a Republican. He left children as follows: I. B. Rollins, of Lewes, married Mary Wilson; II. Parthenia Annie (Mr -. Ed- ward S. Sockriter), of Cool Spring, Sussex county; III. Exie Heart (Mrs. William E. Rust), of Broadkiln hundred.

JOHN HENRY McCOLLY, Lowes, Del., son of Robert Watson and Elizabeth (Smith) MeColly, was born near Bridgeville, in North Fork hundred, Sussex county, Del., May 14, 1838.

Ilis grandfather, Joshua MeColly, was a farmer of the vicinity of Georgetown, Del., where he died upon his homestead at the age of seventy-two. He married Priscilla Evans, who died either on their farm or in George. town. They were members of the M. E. church. Mr. MeColly adhered to the Whig party. Their children are: I. Joshua, who when a young man settled in the state of In- diana, married a western lady, and died in or near Indianapolis; II. Mary (Mrs. Spencer Ball), of Ohio; III. Robert Watson; IV. John, married Sina Short, became a resident of Georgetown, and died in that place; V. Daniel, married Elizabeth Gosler, resides on the homestead: VI. Ann (Mrs. Gilbert

Short), settled at the head of Nanticoke river, near Georgetown, where she and her husband died.

Robert Watson MeColly, second son of Joshua and Priscilla (Evans) MeColly, was born in Nanticoke hundred, four miles from Georgetown, by the Bridgeville road. He re- ceived a fair education, and was reared to the vocation of farming, which he continued to follow throughout his life. He began farm- ing on his own account in North Fork hun- dred, and afterwards bought the Wilkins traet, in Nanticoke hundred near Georgetown. From this place Mr. McColly removed to a rented farm in Long Neck, on Indian river; three years later, he took up his residence in the town of Lewes. He died on the farm now owned by his son, John Henry MeColly, in January, 1864, and was interred upon the homestead. Mr. MeColly always supported the Democratic party. He held the office of tax collector. He possessed excellent natural ability and sound judgment. Robert W. Me- Colly married Elizabeth, daughter of William and Polly Smith; she was born in Nanticoke hundred, and died at the home of her daugh- ter, Mrs. Priscilla Calhoun, near George- town, in December, 1882. Both she and her husband were members of the M. E. church. Their children are: I. Margaret Jane (Mrs. Robert Watson Salmons), born December 4, 1833, died January 21, 1875; II. Edward .1., of Angola, Del., married first Elizabeth Hudson, and after her death Catherine Walls; III. John Henry; IV. Mary, Caroline, secon.1 wife of Robert W. Salmons, born November 7, 1840; V. Ann Elizabeth (Mrs. Isaac King), of Lewes; VI. Priscilla II. (Mrs. George ('alhoun), of Georgetown hundred.

Jolm Henry MeColly spent his early boy- hood upon the farm in North Fork hundred, to which his parents removed while he was still a child. He was fifteen years of age when they went to the farm in Long Neck, and after living there for three years, removed to Lowes and Rehoboth hundred; here he attained his majority. Hlis attendance at school had been irregular, owing partly to the distance be- tween his home and the school-houses, and partly to the need for his assistance in the labors of the farm. But he appreciated such advantages as he possessed, and availed him- self of them as far as possible. At Milton, Del., August 29, 1862, John H. McColly en-

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rolled himself in the service of the United States, as a defender of the Union. He was assigned to Company A, First Battalion Dela- ware Cavalry. He was with his regiment, doing faithful service as a private until, being on picket duty at Edwards' Ferry, Md., al mid- night on February 15, 1865, he was wounded by a pistol ball in the right lung. Mr. MeCol- ly was sent to the Douglas' hospital at Wash- ington, D. C., where he remained until May; he was then discharged from the hospital, and went home on a furlough which had not yet expired when the war ended. When Mr. Me- Colly had recovered his strength, he worked forsometime by theday, accepting temporary engagements, until he was appointed keeper of the Beacon Light, at the Delaware capes; in this service he remained for sixteen years. At the end of that time he engaged in mercan- tile business in Lewes, in which he has been prosperous, and to which he still devotes his attention. Dependent from early life apon his own exertions, Mr. McColly's success and his present position of comfort and influence, are due to the conscientious devotion of his cnergies to the task he had in hand, what- ever that might be. He has served his fim- ily, his church and his country faithfully. Hle formerly supported the Republican party, but now votes the Prohibition ticket.

On March 10, 1867, John Henry MeColly was married to Ruth, danghier of Mills and Sarah (Outten) Norman; she was a member of the P. E. church. Eight years later, Mrs. Ruth MeColly died at the Beacon light house, and was interred in the cemetery of the M. E. church. Their children were: I. Charles Monroe; II. Emma; both died at a tender age. Mr. McColly's second marriage was with Sarah Pettijohn, and took place Febru- ary 28, 1878. This lady also died; and on November 18, 1886, he married Eliza, dangh- ter of Henry and Maria (Reed) Spencer, of Milford, Del .; their children are: I. Esther Spencer; IT. Robert Trusten; both are at home. Mr. MeColly is a member of the M. E. church, and ardently engaged in its work; he is steward, class-leader and trustee of his congregation. He devotes much of his time to the study of the Bible, and also enjoys good literature, e-pecially standard scientific works.

ROBERT C. CHAMBERS, Lowes, Sus- sex county, Del., son of George P. and Ruth

( Hopkins) Chambers, was born at Leves, Del., June 1, 1849.

Robert C. Chambers received his education in the public schools of Lewes, completing his course at the age of fifteen. After spend- ing one year on his father's vessel, the William P. Orr, he was apprenticed to Cap- tain Henry Virden, pilot, commander of the Henry Cope, where he served the required term of six years. On October 19, 1571, Mr. Chambers, having passed the required ex- amination, received a license as a second-class pilot and on April 19, 1873, he was granted a first-class license by the board of port war- dens of Philadelphia. Mr. Chambers is an intelligent gentleman, highly esteemed in Lewes, where he has always made his home. Ile is an efficient pilot and has been very suc- cessful in guiding the vessels confided to his care. Mr. Chambers is an active member of the Democratic party.

Robert C. Chambers was married, Decem- Ler 25, 1872, to Martha E., daughter of Ed- ward and Elizabeth (Rowland) Morrell. Mrs. Chambers was an only child: her father, a native of England, emigrated to America in early manhood aud settled at Lewes, Del., where he married. His brother, the Rev. James Morrell, a preacher of the M. E. church, was for a time stationed in New Jer- sey. It is supposed that he is now living in Pennsylvania. After the death of his wife, Mr. Edward Morrell left Lewes; no news of him has ever been received. His daughter, Mrs. Chambers, found a home with her uncle, Jacob 1. Rowland. The children of Robert (. and Martha E. (Morrell) Chambers are: I. Louis A., born December 3, 1873, appren- ticed in his seventeenth year to his father, Robert C. Chambers, captain of the pilot boat N. W. Tunnell, received a second rate pilot's license from the Board of Pilot Commission- ers for Delaware, May 5, 1896; II. Elizabeth R. (Mrs. Henry V. Lyons), born July 28, 1857; III. Robert C., born November 27, 1878, died April 12, 1879; IV. William C., machinist, of Philadelphia, Pa., born October 15, 1850. Mrs. Chambers died at her home in Lewes, April 17, 1881. Mr. Chambers was married, June 18, 1884, to Sallie, dangh- ter of James Moulton and Eliza Paynter ( Marshall) Rench. Mrs. Chambers was born at Georgetown, Del .. April 29, 1852. Their children are: I. Clara R., born April 9, 1586,

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died July 9, 1886; II. George Edward, born October 27, 1889. Mr. Chambers is a mem- ber of the Episcopal church.

Mrs. Chambers' father, James Moulton Rench, died in Georgetown, Del., in 1561; his widow died, in 1884, in Philadelphia, Pa.

JOHN N. HOOD, P. O. Midway, Sussex county, Del., son of John and Hannah (Green) Hood, was born on the homestead in Rehoboth Neck, March 2, 1817.

Mr. Hood is widely and fortunately con- nected, both by blood and by marriage. Two of his uneles, Dr. William Hood of North Carolina, and Dr. Stephen Green, of Laurel, Del., were among the most eminent physicians oftheirday. Of hisrelatives now living, wemay refer to Judge Joseph Carey, ex-congressman, and Dr. Carey, both of Cheyne, Wyo., and Davis Carey, of the firm of Carey Bros. & Grevemeyer, booksellers and stationers, of Market st., Philadelphia, a business house in high repute in that city for more than one generation; these gentlemen are Mr. Hood's first cousins. The Hood family and the Wolfe family, with which Mr. Hood is allied by marriage, are two of the oldest and most prominent in the state of Delaware. Robert IFood, grandfather of John N. Hood, was born at Cool Spring, Sussex county; he was a farmer, and a lifelong resident of that county, in which he died. His children were: I. John; II. William, M. D., referred to above; III. Margaret (Mrs. Carey); IV.

( Mrs. - Perry).

John Hood, eldest son of Robert Hood, also a native of Cool Spring, and a farmer, boughtand formany yearsresided upon a tract of land lying along the sea-coast. A few years before his death, purchased the farm now owned and occupied by his son, John N. Hood; here he died in April, 1838, at the age of sixty-tive. John Hood was a Demo- erat. In the War of 1812, he served in the defence of his native state as captain of a company of volunteers, stationed at Lewes, Del. John Hood married Hannah, daughter of Richard Green, who had come to Delaware from Long Island, N. Y., and settled on the farm which is now the Hood homestead, and on which Mrs. John Hood was born. The children of John and Hannah (Green) Hood are: I. Mary (Mrs. Elijah Holland), died in Rehoboth Neck; II. Comfort ( Mes. David

Burton), died in Rehoboth Neck; III. Henry, married Margaret Marsh, lived for somne time in the West, then returned to Dela- ware and purchased a farm in Long Neck, on which he died; IN. John N.

The subscription schools of his neighbor- hood and the public schools, which he attend- ed later, laid the foundation of John N. Hood's education, but like all persons gifted with an active and inquiring mind, he gained far more of information and of intellectual development by observation and reading than could be obtained from oven the most compe- tent instructors. After the death of his father, Mr. Hood continued to live with his mother, choosing the homestead as his resi- dence, and buying the interests of the other heirs in that property. Ile now owns 200 aeres of arable land. After many years of steady and patient labor, Mr. Hood retired in 1892 from the active management of the homestead, his son-in-law, Mr. Hudson, ro- lieving him of that care. Although an oc- togenarian, John N. Hood enjoys excellent health; he retains his carly fondness for read- ing, to which he is able with great satisfac- tion to devote much of his leisure. He not only studies the Bible regularly and care- fully, but is interested in the topies of the times, keeping well abreast with current events and the progress of thought. His po- litical opinions are Democratic.

John N. Hood was married in 1855 to Jane, daughter of Daniel and Mary (Ball) Wolfe. The descent of Mrs. Daniel Wolfe is clearly traced to the Ball family of which the mother of General Washington was a member. It is not a mere matter of tradition that Miss Jane Wolfe was in her youth considered the most beautiful woman in her native county; such pictures of her as are extant well sup- port her claim to this distinction. Her pure complexion and charming features were but the type of the healthy and lovable nature within. Her generosity was such that it has been said of her that she would "give her last penny to the poor." One of her brothers, Joshua Wolfe, was with General Scott at the taking of the city of Mexico, and was distin- guished in the Mexican War for bravery. The family has always been influential, and enjoys high consideration. Mrs. John N. Hood, as well as her husband, was a promi- nout member of the Presbyterian church.

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Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. II, Part 39

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa. Number of Pages: 1500

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa.
Number of Pages: 1500