USA > Delaware > History of the state of Delaware, Volume II > Part 20
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" Manor of Freith " on Little Duck creek, which he named " Duncaster." John Hillyard, a large land-owner in Duck Creek Hundred, in 1682, took up four hundred and twenty-six acres known as " Hillyard's Exchange."
James Green another large owner of land in Duck Creek Hundred owned a large tract in Kenton known as " Bren- ford," Philip Lewis took up several large tracts adjoining these and extending from a small settlement known as the "Seven Hickories," on the road from Dover to where the village of Kenton was eventually built on his land ; and one thousand acres adjoining the settlement of "Seven Hickories" were owned by Moors who came to the Hundred direct from Spain in 1710, and who settled in a village known as Moortown on the Dover- Kenton road.
In 1785 these Moors owned large estates and had a pros- perous and thriving community. John and Israel Durham were leading members of this settlement. They and their descendants refused to mingle with their white or black neigh- bors and have maintained to this day their pure Moorish blood. Several families now remain in this section as direct descend- ants of these Moors.
Clayton, the largest town in Kenton Hundred, is in the ex- treme northeastern part of the Hundred. The earliest settle- ment at or near the present town site was known as " Jin- town " on the road to Smyrna Landing. The land on which this settlement was located was held by one Richard Tibbitt, with a reversion of the fee to one William Wartenby, in case Tibbitt had no heirs. In 1859 Tibbitt sold ground for a town site, the Delaware railroad was built and a town established along the railroad a quarter of a mile from the site of the old " Jintown " settlement. The town was named Smyrna Station. In 1860 the Postoffice Department recognized the town for postal purposes as Clayton but it was not until 1877 that an Act of the Legislature changed the name from Smyrna Sta- tion to Clayton, at which time the town was also incorporated.
Upon Tibbitt's death, without issue, William Wartenby
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claimed title to the town site and after an interesting and bitter legal battle the entire tract of one hundred and seventy- five acres, comprising the town of Clayton, was declared the property of William Wartenby; and his heirs still own a large portion of Clayton at the present time.
Lewis's Cross Roads was the oldest settlement in the Hun- dred. It was built on the tract of land owned by Philip Lewis and has passed through various experiences as to its name. In the early days it was known as the Cross Roads, then later as "Grogtown " and finally, in 1806, the Legislature changed the name to the more euphonious one of Kenton. The town is now an enterprising village on the Delaware and Chesa- peake railway. The old Kenton Hotel was built in 1809 by Philip Lewis and was for years a landmark of the Hundred.
Other historic villages in the Hundred were "Blackiston's Cross Roads " built on the " Deer Park " tract, at the junction of the post roads running from Delaware to Maryland which were surveyed in 1764. The hamlet took its name from the owner of the tract, Benjamin Blackiston. Downs' Chapel was another cross-roads village, named after William Downs who built a store there in 1838 and a school house which was used as a place of worship. The chapel proper was built in 1842.
Brenford, another village of the Hundred, got its name from the Brenford farm, near the village, and of which the latter was at one time a part. Since 1866 it has been a great fruit shipping station of the Delaware railroad. The tract of land on which the town of Cheswold is situated, was owned by John S. Moore who began the town in 1856 after the com- pletion of the Delaware railroad, by the erection of a general store which he conducted for several years.
Kenton Hundred people are largely devoted to farming and fruit-raising pursuits, with the result that aside from such industries as pertain exclusively to the Delaware Railroad and a few grist-mills, manufacturing enterprises are few indeed.
The old Griffin grist-mill, on Duck creek, is perhaps the oldest grist-mill in the Hundred. It was operated by mem-
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bers of the Griffin family, in whose hands it remained until 1820. David S. Casperson purchased it in 1859, and after running it a year he was killed by his neighbor, George Buchanan, in a dispute over the boundary line of adjoining properties. It was kuown for years as Casperson's mill, and was located a mile and a-half above Clayton, but has now dis- appeared.
In 1790 Simen Kollock erected what is now known as the Cloak grist-mill, on Little Duck creek, near the Seven Hick- ories. This mill was run until 1886 by descendants of Ebe- nezer Cloak, who purchased it in 1824. Near the Cloak mill is another old mill known as Malcolm's mill. It was built by Thomas Alexander in 1806 and has been used as a grist mill, a carding mill and saw mill at various times in its history. Samuel Murphy built a mill a mile or so above the Casperson mill on Little Duck creek in JS32 which passed through the same vicissitudes as Malcolm's mill. Phosphate factories, canning establishments and plants for the evaporation of fruit exist in various parts of the Hundred.
About a mile northeast of the town of Kenton is Bryn Zion Church founded in 1733 by eight or nine families of Old Duck creek village who were members of the Welsh Tract Baptist Church of Pencader Hundred, in New Castle County. In 1747 a conveyance of one-half an acre of land was made by William Griffin to six men, trustees of the Baptist Society, for church uses after the confession of faith adopted by the Bap- tist Association at Philadelphia which met September 25, 1742. This land was never occupied by a church building, the Welsh Tract Baptists rebuilt and used the church built by the Independents and known as Mount Zion. The congre- gation and church were incorporated July 22, 1794. In the graveyard of this church repose all that was mortal of many of the old families of the Hundred.
The Methodists in the Hundred gathered for divine wor- ship in the forest about two miles beyond Blackiston's Cross Roads and it was there that the largest chapel on the pen-
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insula, for a number of years, was erected on the Blackiston tract. It was known as Blackiston's Chapel, was built in 1787, from designs furnished by Bishop Asbury, and was two and one-half miles from Blackiston's Cross Roads. The old church building which was forty by sixty feet was replaced in 1847 by a smaller structure.
On the road leading to Downs' Chapel in the town of Ken- ton in 1818, was built the Kenton M. E. Church. One of the donors of ground for this building was the Rev. John Dur- borough the grandfather of Bishop Cummins of Kentucky. Durborough was the first minister of the church.
Three miles from Kenton was erected in 1843 Downs' Chapel the oldest Methodist Protestant Church in this section. Through the efforts of Rev. David J. Ewell, was erected Ewell's Methodist Protestant Church at Clayton, in 1860, the first church in the town. There is also a Methodist. Episcopal Church and a small Episcopal Church in Clayton.
EAST DOVER HUNDRED.
Prior to January 28, 1823, all the territory embraced in what is now known as East Dover and West Dover Hundreds formed part of Murderkill and St. Jones's Hundreds. St. Jones's Hundred was one of the original Hundreds and ex- tended along Delaware Bay from St. Jones's creek to Little creek. By Act of Assembly, in 1823, Murderkill Hundred was divided so that a large area was added to St. Jones's Hun- dred and from another portion of the territory Dover Hun- dred was formed. To this Hundred of Dover, in 1831, a narrow strip of Murderkill was added by Act of Assembly.
February 18, 1859, Dover Hundred was divided into the East Dover election district and West Dover election district, by a line beginning at Allaband's mill stream and running thence with the road leading from Dover to Hazlettville to a point near Nathan Slaughter's gate; thence with the public road until it is intersected by the road near Dinah's Corner, leading to Casson's Corner, thence with the last named road
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till it intersects the road from Casson's Corner to Dinah's Corner ; thence with the road leading to Isaac Buckingham's until it is intersected by the road leading to the Seven Hick- ories ; thence along that road past George Parris' farm to the branch dividing Dover and Little Creek Hundreds. The eastern portion by this division was known as the East Dover election district and the western portion as the West Dover election district from February 18, 1859, to February 7, 1877, when by Act of the General Assembly they were constituted separate Hundreds and Old Dover Hundred, as such, ceased to exist.
Dealing then with Dover Hundred in its form since 1877 we have the Hundred of East Dover bounded as follows : On the north by Little Creek Hundred ; east by Delaware Bay ; south by North Murderkill Hundred and west by West Dover Hundred. East Dover Hundred is the more important of the two Dover Hundreds inasmuch as the town of Dover, the capital of the State, is within its limits. The Hundred is well watered, being drained by St. Jones's creek on the south and Little creek on the north.
On the north side of St. Jones's creek a little above the mouth was the most important early settlement in the Hun- dred, that of "Towne Point." This tract was surveyed by Verhoofe, surveyor of Whorekill County, on September 29, 1679, to Edward Pack and John Briggs, and consisted of one hundred and forty acres. Pack resided on "Towne Point" and Briggs on the tract adjoining, which he called " Kingston upon Hull " and upon which Samuel Dickinson resided later. It is claimed that the first court for what is now Kent County convened in Pack's house on "Towne Point." In 1688 Wil- liam Darvall was in possession of " Towne Point " and kept a noted public house and a ferry at the " Point."
The earliest date of a land warrant in Kent County is that of June 16, 1671, for a tract of land containing four hundred acres known as "Poplar Neck," and granted by Governor Francis Lovelace to Thomas Young. This tract was adjoined
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by " Mulberry Swamp," later called " Hodges Desert " and "Jones, His Valley," by " Kitt's Hammock," " Brinkloe Range," " Poplar Ridge" and "St. Jones's Landing," all of which were in the strip of territory known as "St. Jones's Neck."
Settlements were made upon tracts on both sides of Pipe Elm creek upon what was known as the "Little Pipe Elm" and the "Great Pipe Elm." tracts by William Winsmore, in 1680, and later by Charles Marim and John Nickerson. On the Little Pipe Elm tract on the northwest side of Little Pipe Elm creek was "Cherbourg," the manor of Charles Marim, whose son John, in 1807, sold the mansion and three hundred and forty-four acres of land adjoining, to Ruhamah and Cor- nelius P. Comegys. Benjamin B. Comegys, Dr. George J. Comegys and Mrs. Henry M. Ridgely were born at Cherbourg.
East of the " Pipe Elm " tracts was a tract of one thousand acres called " Uptown," surveyed to John Richardson Sep- tember 9, 1686. Samuel Dickinson, a merchant of Talbot County, Maryland, in 1733 acquired title by purchase, to a great portion of the lands of St. Jones's Neck including " Towne Point," "Kingston upon Hull," " Burton's Delight " " Mul- berry Swamp" and part of "Poplar Neck." He named a tract of one thousand three hundred and sixty-eight acres, " Dickinson Manor" and resided in a mansion built on the site of John Brigg's house at Towne Point. For several years he was a magistrate of Kent County. His body lies in the family graveyard on a portion of the tract. Samuel Dickin- son was the father of the illustrious John Dickinson, the schol- arly Revolutionary statesman.
Griffith Jones and John Glover, prior to 1680, took up a tract of six hundred and fifty acres west of Pipe Elm creek which was known as "Tynhead Court." Jones was a mem- ber of William Penn's council from 1687 to 1697. This tract was divided later and part of it was known as " Wethered Court," from John Wethered who received it by legacy. " Dover Landing" was on part of this land at the head of
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navigation on Little creek. "Tynhead Court" is also on Little creek and forms part of the Ridgely farm.
Other tracts in East Dover Hundred of importance, before mentioning " Brother's Portion," the site of the town of Dover, county seat of Kent County and capital of the State, are " Aberdeen " on the road from " Kitt's Hammock " to Dover, warranted to John Briggs owner of "Kingston upon Hull," " Porter's Lodge " surveyed in 1680, to Robert Porter, and ad- joining " Aberdeen," "Troy " warranted in 1679, to Thomas Tarrant and east of "Aberdeen," "Lisburns " adjoining " Troy," warranted to John Brickloe in 1684, and " Denbigh " on the west side of St. Jones's creek, warranted in December, 1683, to Daniel Jones whose daughter married William Rodney, grandfather of Cæsar Rodney, a signer of the Decla- ration of Independence.
" Denbigh " came into possession of Cæsar Rodney who sold it to Benjamin Chew in 1765. Samuel Chew, father of Benjamin Chew, in 1741 purchased from Nathaniel Luff a portion of "Berry's Range " and was prothonotary of Kent County. Benjamin Chew, of Germantown, Pennsylvania fame, came into possession of the Luff lands from his father in 1770. This tract he sold to Charles Hillyard, reserving only the Chew family burying-ground.
Simon Irons on August 6, 1686, received a warrant for six hundred acres on St. Jones's creek adjoining " Berry's Range " afterwards known as the Nathaniel Drew lands, and later called " The Range" and owned by Nicholas Loockerman. The "Maidston " tract of eight hundred and seventy-seven acres warranted April 19, 1681, to John Albertson and John Munford, in later years came into the possession of Charles I. Du Pont and the grist mills on the tract became known as Du Pont's mills. "Canterbury " tract of two hundred and thirty-six acres in the St. Jones's forks was surveyed to Thomas Lucas in 1738. "The Shoemaker Hall" tract was taken up by Isaac Webb and lies north of Isaac's branch. "Rochester" tract of five hundred acres lies between the forks of Maidston
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and St. Jones's creeks. All these tracts came at one time into the possession of the families of the early holders of lands in East Dover Hundred.
William Penn was the projector of the town of Dover. On the 11th of August, 1683, Penn issued a warrant as " Proprie- tary and Governor of ye Province of Pennsylvania and ye Territories thereunto belonging " directing " William Clarke, surveyor of ye counties of Kent and Sussex to lay out in ye land appointed for ye town of Dover in ye county of Kent, one high street, one hundred and fifty feet wide, and two back streets, each sixty-six feet broad, to run from ye water side throughout, and one cross street one hundred and fifty feet broad where ye high road crosseth ye said town land-also order ye Court House and Prison be built in ye cross street of ye said town."
This warrant prescribed that the town of Dover should be laid out, but contained no instructions as to its exact location with reference to lands or settlements in Kent County. The selection of the site was not made until 1694, and in reality was precipitated by the refusal of one of the Justices of the Peace of Kent County to sit at James Maxwell's Tavern on the " Berry's Range" tract on the east side of St. Jones's creek. A quorum could not be secured and a term of court was lost. The state of affairs was reported to the Lieutenant Governor and Provincial Council ; the justices were ordered to hold their courts, but the provincial judges were commanded in their next circuit to inquire into the Kent troubles and see what might be the best and proper place for the holding of the Kent County Courts. Accordingly this was done, and the recommendation sent to the Lieutenant Governor and Pro- vincial Council advised the holding of the court on some part of the land belonging to William Southby (or Southbec) on the south side of the head of Dover river, St. Jones's creek, as near the landing as possible.
The land of William Southby spoken of in the recommen- dation was warranted to John and Richard Walker in 1680,
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and was part of a tract of eight hundred acres known as the " Brother's Portion." On February 20, 1633, the brothers purchased the Indian title of this tract from Christian (Peto- gogue), for three match-coats, twelve bottles of drink, and four handfuls of powder. In 1684 John Walker, who had become the sole owner, sold the whole tract of eight hundred acres to William Southbee of Philadelphia. Both Southbee and Walker were members of Penn's Council from Kent County.
Two hundred acres, therefore, of this land were purchased November 23, 1694, of Southbee by Richard Wilson for twenty-five pounds and by him conveyed February 4, 1695, to the County of Kent. The tract extended one hundred perches along the Dover river and one hundred and twenty perches westward.
In 1697 a court house was built but no town had then been laid out. A petition was sent by the inhabitants of Kent County to the Council at Philadelphia, May 15, 1699, asking among other things that the land on which the court house stands be erected into a township, laid out in lots, with a com- mon, or market place, with streets and public landings ; that a fair may be held twice a year ; and that the place be called " Canterbury." The petitioners' requests were granted except the name, which was declared to be " Dover," on June 20, 1699.
Although Penn had provided for the laying out of the town of Dover in Kent County, and notwithstanding the granting of the petition of the inhabitants in 1699, it was not until 1717 that the town was laid out, when by Act of Assembly three commissioners were appointed to "lay out into lots the two hundred acre tract adjoining the court house in Kent County." The survey was to be completed by the 10th of March, 1718. The commissioners were Benjamin Shurmer, William Brinck- loe and Richard Richardson, who proceeded at once with their work.
The town was laid out one hundred perches wide and two hundred perches westward, an area of one hundred and twenty-
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five acres, leaving seventy-five acres for future division. In laying out the town the commissioners laid the long street in such a way that Penn's instructions concerning the court house should be followed. The King's road from Philadelphia to Lewes passed through the plot and has continued to the pre- sent time the main street of Dover. Two of the public lots were laid out, one of which was called " Church Square " and the other " Meeting House Square." In 1718 John Mifilin bought sixty-nine acres of the seventy-five, left unplotted. That tract is now known as the Ridgely farm. Ephraim Emerson purchased the remaining six acres the same year.
Early holders of property in Dover in addition to the above were Richard Richardson, Absalom Cuff, Samuel Greenwood, John Lindsay, Thomas Wells, John Bell, Thomas Tarrant, Charles Hillyard, Francis Richardson, Waitman Sipple, Joseph Booth Jr., Thomas Barle, David Rees, Robert Bohan- non, Daniel and Neil Books, William Rodney, Thomas Nixon, Robert Willcocks, John Houseman, Thomas Noxon, Cornelius Empson, Margaret Caton and Samuel Dickinson. The first addition to the town was made by the selling of a few lots north of the north road and on the King's road, and was part of " Morgan's Pasture Land " but the town grew but little for many years. By Act of the General Assembly February 16, 1829 the town was incorporated.
In 1703 the first mention is made of church needs in Dover, and this is found in the records of the " Society for the Propa- gation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts." A memorial signed by twenty-two inhabitants of Dover was presented to the Bishop of London asking for a minister of the Gospel. In 1704 they sent another memorial containing the informa- tion that fifty-five pounds and seventeen shillings had been raised toward his support. Those memorials were the beginnings of Christ Protestant Episcopal Church of Dover. That same year, 1704, Col. Robert French, founder of Immanuel Church, New Castle, donated a tract of one hun- dred and ten acres on the east side of St. Jones creek, a mile
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and a-half below Dover, as the glebe. In 1705 the Rev. Thomas Crawford was sent over from London as missionary at Dover. He remained until 1711, when he returned to England, leaving the church in poor straits. He was followed by a Rev. Mr. Henderson, who was driven out by the un- charitableness of the people, and the church at Dover was allowed to languish until 1733, when the Rev. George Frazier arrived and started the erection of a brick building to replace the decayed old frame structure.
By 1740 the Rev. Arthur Usher writes from Dover that the new brick church has been completed, and a wooden chapel at Duck creek and one at Mispillion begun. The year 1748 is the date on the earliest tombstone in the church-yard, and records the demise of "Capt. Thomas Benson from Whitehaven, died September 18, 1748, aged twenty-five years." From 1751 to 1759 conditions were miserable, indeed ; sickness, dis- sension and poverty had their effect upon the prosperity of the church. In 1759. the Rev. Charles Inglis was sent from London by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel as missionary to the County of Kent. He proved to be the most popular of the early churchmen in the State. After seven years of arduous endeavor, in which he firmly established the church in Kent County, he moved to New York city, where he was called to serve as assistant rector in Trinity church. He afterwards became rector, and later, upon his return to England, was sent out to Nova Scotia as the first missionary bishop of the Church of England.
The Rev. Samuel Magaw succeeded Dr. Inglis in 1767. It was during this year that the first documentary evidence of the name of the church appears. The inscription in the Bible, still in use in the church, presented that year, reads as follows : "The gift of Mr. Benjamin Wynkoop, merchant, at the city of Philadelphia, to Christ's church at Dover in Kent County, Delaware, Annoque Domini 1767." In 1781 Mr. Magaw went to Philadelphia, where he served as rector of St. Paul's from 1781 to 1804.
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The record is incomplete until 1736. That year the church appeared to be in a flourishing condition, and the Rev. Samuel Roe was called as minister of St. Peter's Church at Duck Creek Cross Roads and Christ Church at Dover. Two hundred pounds of Mr. Roe's salary was raised by Christ Church and one hundred by St. Peter's at Duck creek. Mr. Roe died in 1791, and was buried in Christ church-yard. From 1791 to 1859 the details are meager, and show the church in a weak and neglected condition. In 1860 the church, repaired and renovated, was reconsecrated, and with this a change for the better in the affairs and history of Christ Church began. The glebe was sold in 1859. In 1879 the present rectory was purchased, and the parish has grown steadily. The present rector, Rev. George M. Bond, has ren- dered the church excellent service.
Dover, in 1711 had a large Presbyterian or Dissenter fol- lowing, and from then until 1717, they were so strong as to venture an attempt to dispossess and disperse their opponents, the Episcopalians. The Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1714 appointed the Rev. James Anderson to supply the people with preaching once a month for a year. Supplies of this character were furnished until 1723 when the Presbytery was asked to appoint a minister to serve the people. Mr. Archibald Mc- Cook was sent to them and duly ordained and installed June 8, 1727. As early as 1717 the Presbyterians had built a house of worship, for, when the town of Dover was laid out " Church Square," where Christ Church stood, and " Meeting House Square " where the Presbyterian Church stands, were parts of the careful plot of the commissioners.
The Rev. Archibald McCook was therefore the first Presby- terian pastor in Dover and Kent County. He died in 1729. The next pastor of record was the Rev. Robert Jamison, men- tioned as one of the grantees in the deed to the lot of the old church on May 12, 1743. Jamison probably served the Presbyterians in and about Dover from 1734, until his death in 1744. He was succeeded by the Rev. John Miller of Bos-
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ton, April 26, 1749, who served the church for more than forty-two years. He died while pastor and was buried in the church yard. He rendered invaluable services to the Presby- terian Churches in Delaware.
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