History of Delaware United States of America

Delaware contributed three distinguished officers to the naval service in the war of 1812: Commodore Thomas Macdonough, the hero of Lake Champlain, was born in St. Georges Hundred, New Castle County, this State, on December 31, 1783, on the farm on which his father and grandfather lived before him. He received an appointment from John Adams, President, in 1800, as midshipman in the navy through the intercession of Henry Latimer, then a United States Senator from Delaware. For his gallant services in the bombardment of Tripoli, August 3, 1804, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, His services in the Mediterranean showed his superiors the spirit that was in him.

At the beginning of the war of 1812 he was ordered to join the frigate "Constellation" as First Lieutenant, and a few months later was ordered by President Madison to take command of the vessels on Lake Champlain. It was on September 11, 1814, that the engagement on Lake Champlain in which the great victory achieved by Macdonough took place. This was the turning-point in the war. This victory had an important effect upon the negotiations for peace which were being carried on at this time between the American Commission and the English Government. Macdonough modestly sent to his superior officer the simple message:

DELAWARE, one of the Middle States, and one of the original thirteen, is bounded on the N. by Pennsylvania, E. by the Delaware river and bay, (which separates it from New Jersey,) and the Atlantic ocean, and S. and W. by Maryland. It lies between 38° 28´ and 39° 50´ N. lat., and between 75° and 75° 45´ W. lon., being about 96 miles in length, and 37 in its greatest breadth, including an area (the smallest except Rhode Island in the Union) of 2120 square miles, or 1,356,000 acres, of which 580,862 were improved in 1850.

Population: The number of inhabitants in 1790 was 59,096; in 1800, 64,273; in 1810, 72,674; in 1820, 72,749; in 1830, 76,748; in 1840, 78,085, and in 1850, 91,535, of whom 35,771 were white males, 35,518 white females, 8989 free colored males, and 8968 free colored females, and 2289, slaves. This population was divided into 15,439 families, occupying 15,290 dwellings. Of the population, 72,351 were born in the state, 11,617 in other states, 952 in England, 3513 in Ireland, 192 in Scotland and Wales, 21 in British America, 343 in Germany, 73 in France, 137 in other countries, and 63 whose places of birth were unknown. In the 12 months ending June 1st, 1850, there died 1209 persons, or about 13 in every thousand; and in the same period 697 paupers, of whom 123 were foreigners, received aid, at an expense of about $35 each. There were also in 1850, 58 deaf and dumb, of whom 2 were free colored and 2 slaves; 46 blind, of whom 19 were free colored; 70 insane, of whom 13 were free colored, and 101 idiotic, of whom 19 were free colored, and 4, slaves. Delaware has 3 counties, namely, Kent, Newcastle, and Sussex. Capital, Dover.

Cities and Towns: Wilmington is the largest town in the state. Population in 1853, 16,163. The other principal towns are Dover, population, about 3000, Milford, Newcastle, Lewes, Smyrna, and Georgetown.

Face of the Country, Minerals, &c: There are no mountains in Delaware, but the northern portion is beautifully variegated by hill and vale, while the central and southern portions are mostly level. Delaware forms a part of a low peninsula between the Chesapeake and Delaware bays, of which the Eastern Shore of Maryland constitutes the larger portion. There is a slightly elevated region on the western side of Delaware, running N. and S., which is occupied by a swampy tract, the source of the streams which flow in opposite directions to the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. This elevation is terminated by a cypress swamp at the south. Delaware has few minerals; a fine sand for glass manufacture, is found near the head of Delaware bay, which is exported to New England. Bog iron ore exists in the southern part of the state.

Rivers, Bays, &c: The Delaware river and bay, as has been elsewhere stated, bound this state on the E. There are no other large waters. The Brandywine and Christiana creeks, the former running S. E. from Pennsylvania, and the other coming in from the S. W. unite at Wilmington, and pour their waters into the Delaware one mile below their junction. There are a number of other creeks which empty into the Delaware bay, that are navigable by coasting vessels for a short distance, and therefore important to the inhabitants. Indian river flows into the Atlantic ocean, near the southern extremity of the state. The Choptank and Nanticoke have their origin near the middle of Delaware, and flow S. W. into Chesapeake bay. The Brandywine, so well known for the important battle fought on its shores, just beyond the limits of Delaware, is a very fine mill stream, and has numerous flour, powder, and other mills on its banks.

Objects of Interest to Tourists: The banks of the Brandywine near Wilmington are very romantic and wild, and near them are the Brandywine Chalybeate Springs, much visited by Philadelphians, who seek a pleasant retreat with their families in the summer months. Lewes, or Lewistown, near Cape Henlopen, is becoming a bathing resort. Near it is Delaware Breakwater, about two-thirds of a mile in extent, with one face presented to the sea and another to the current of the river; the latter to protect vessels from floating ice. The ice-breaker is about 1500 feet long. Both are built of massive stone, at an expense to the United States government of over $2,000,000. The deep cut in the Delaware and Chesapeake canal is 90 feet perpendicular, and is said to be the deepest excavation of the kind in any canal in the world.

Climate, Soil, Productions: The climate of the N. of Delaware is severe at times, but in the southern part the air is ameliorated by the influence of the sea. The soil in the N. and on the shore of the Delaware river is good, but the southern portion is sandy; in the centre it consists of clay and sand mixed. Wheat, Indian corn, and butter are the staples of the state; besides which considerable quantities of oats, live stock, wool, Irish and sweet potatoes, market vegetables, hay, and fruits, with some rye, barley, buckwheat, peas, beans, wine, cheese, grass seeds, hemp, flax, hops, beeswax, and honey are produced. The peaches of Delaware have become very celebrated: the other fruits are apples, pears, plums, grapes, and berries of different kinds. In 1850 there were in Delaware 6063 farms under cultivation, occupying 580,862 acres of improved land, and producing 482,511 bushels of wheat; 3,145,533 of Indian corn; 604,518 of oats; 240,542 of Irish potatoes; 65,443 of sweet potatoes; orchard products, valued at $46,574; market goods, worth $12,714; live stock, $1,849,281; slaughtered animals $373,665 1,055,308 pounds of butter; 57,756 of wool, and 41,248 of beeswax and honey.

Internal Improvements: Delaware is crossed by two lines of railway, forming parts of the great chain of communication between the North and East and the capital of the Union; about 40 miles of their tracks are included within the state. A railroad is being built from Wilmington through Dover to the southern part of the state. The Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore railway crosses through Wilmington and Newark, leaving the state near Elkton, Maryland. The New Castle and Frenchtown railway forms part of a steamboat line between Philadelphia and Baltimore, much travelled When navigation is open. An air line railway is talked of from Norfolk to New York, through the southern and eastern part of Delaware. The Chesapeake and Delaware canal connects the bays of the same names at Delaware City and Back creek, and forms an important link in the coast navigation between Philadelphia, Baltimore and the ports of Virginia. It is of sufficient depth to allow schooners and small steamers to pass through: See Table of Railroads and Canals, APPENDIX.

Manufactures: Wilmington in this state is a manufacturing town, and has long been celebrated for its powder, paper, and flour mills: recently, coach-making has become a very important branch of industry in this town. In 1850 there were in Delaware 513 manufactories, each producing over $500 annually. A considerable amount of shipbuilding is done at Wilmington. Of the manufacturing establishments in the state in 1850, 12 were cotton mills, employing a capital of $460,100, and 413 male and 425 female hands, consuming raw material valued at $312,068, and producing 3,521,636 yards of stuffs, and 533,000 pounds of yarn, worth together $538,439; 8 woollen mills, employing a capital of $148,500, and 122 male, and 18 female hands, consuming raw material worth $204,172, and producing 152,000 yards of stuffs valued at $251,000; 15 forges, furnaces, &c., employing a capital of $388,500, and 300 male hands, consuming raw material worth $173,352, and producing 4180 tons of wrought and cast iron, valued at $322,462; and 16 tanneries, employing a capital of $99,350, and consuming raw material worth $99,620, and producing leather valued at $163,742: homemade manufactures valued at $32,809 were also fabricated.

Commerce: Though bounded by navigable water for nearly half her extent, Delaware has but little foreign trade, because of her proximity to Philadelphia and Baltimore. The tonnage owned by the state in 1852 was 7010.46 tons; and the number of vessels built the same year was 23, tonnage 2923.29. Delaware exports to other states considerable flour, grain, large quantities of peaches, lumber, (from the cypress swamps,) and sand for the manufacture of glass.

Education: The school fund of Delaware amounted in 1852 to $225,000; the number of scholars to 13,288, educated at an expense of $44,596.89, of which $27,507.53 was defrayed by a fund, and the rest by taxation. Newark College with 45 students, and 7500 volumes in its library, is the only college in Delaware. Wilmington, however, is noted for its boarding schools. There are also flourishing academies or high schools in New Castle, Georgetown, Milford, and other towns.

Religious Denominations: Of the 180 churches in Delaware in 1850, the different sects of Baptists owned 12; the Episcopalians, 21; the Friends, 9; the Methodists, 106; the Presbyterians, 26; the Roman Catholics, 3; the Union Church, 1; and the Africans, 2.

Government, Finances, &c: The governor of Delaware is chosen for 4 years, and receives a salary of $1333 per annum. The senate is composed of 9 members, elected for 4 years, and the house of representatives of 21 members, chosen for 2 years. These officers are all elected by the direct vote of the people. The legislature meets biennially. Every white male citizen over 22 years of age, who has paid a county tax, and resided one year in the state, and one month next preceding the election in the county where he votes, is entitled to the right of suffrage. Those between 21 and 22, not otherwise disqualified, may vote without having paid a tax. Delaware has but one member in the national house of representatives, and three electoral votes for president of the United States. This small state, however, has furnished several distinguished men to the national councils: John Dickinson to the Revolutionary period, and Rodney, Bayard, McLane, and Clayton since that period. The judiciary consists--1. Of a superior court, one chief and three associate judges; 2. A court of chancery, with one judge; 3. An orphans' court, composed of a chancellor and a judge of the superior court; and, 4. A probate court. There is at present (1853) before the people of Delaware a new and amended constitution, which is soon to be submitted to their decision by ballot. The assessed value of property in Delaware in 1850 was $17,412,640; productive property, $190,000; ordinary expenses, $11,000 per annum, exclusive of schools. The school fund was $225,000. Public debt, none. There were in 1852, 9 banks in Delaware, with an aggregate capital of $1,440,000, a circulation of $1,000,000, and $250,000 in coin.

History: Delaware was first settled by the Swedes and Finns about 1627; was subjected by the Dutch from New York in 1655; but fell into the hands of the English with that colony in 1664. It formed a part of the grant to Penn from the crown in 1682, under the name of the "Three Lower Counties of Delaware;" but in 1701 was separated from Pennsylvania, though subject to the same governor down to the period of the Revolution.

Biographies:

Cornelius Parsons Comegys, governor of Delaware, was born in Kent county, Md., Jan. 15, 1780; son of Cornelius and Hannah (Parsons) Comegys, and a lineal descendant from Cornelius and Millimenty Comegys, who emigrated from Holland to America about 1650. He was a member of the Delaware house of representatives, 1810-15, having been twice speaker, and resigned the chair to enter the army. He was major, lieutenant-colonel and adjutant-general in the war of 1812; cashier of the Farmers' bank, Dover, 1817-1828; state treasurer, 1834-36; and governor of Delaware, 1837-41. He was married Feb. 16, 1804, to Ruhamah, daughter of John Marim, a lieutenant in the Revolutionary army. Their daughter, Sally Ann, became the wife of Henry M. Ridgely, U.S. senator. His other children were Joseph Parsons, U.S. senator and chief justice of Delaware; Dr. Cornelius George of Cincinnati; Benjamin Bartis, president of the Philadelphia national bank and a director of the Pennsylvania railroad company; William; Mary Elizabeth; Maria; and John. He died in Dover, Del., Jan. 27, 1851.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Thomas Clayton, senator, was born in Newcastle, Del., March 9, 1778; son of Dr. Joshua and Rachel (McCleary) Clayton; grandson of James Clayton; great-grandson of John Clayton; and great-great grandson of Joshua Clayton, who came to America with William Penn. His father, Dr. Joshua Clayton, was president of Delaware, 1789-93; governor, 1793-96; and in 1798 was chosen U.S. senator, but died Aug. 11, 1798, before taking his seat. Thomas Clayton was admitted to the bar and practised at Newcastle, Del. In 1814 he was elected a representative in the 14th congress, and subsequently represented his district in the state legislature. In December, 1823, he entered the 18th U.S. congress as senator, to fill the unexpired term of C. A. Rodney, resigned, and served until March 3, 1827. He was chosen chief justice of the court of common pleas, and on Jan. 19, 1837, was elected U.S. senator to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of his cousin, John Middleton Clayton. He served in the senate until the close of the 29th congress, March 3, 1847. He was afterward chief justice of the Delaware supreme court. He died in Newcastle, Del., Aug. 21, 1854.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John McKinly, 1st president of the Delaware state, was born in Ireland, Feb. 24, 1721. He immigrated to the United States in 1742 and settled at Wilmington, Del., where he was a practitioner in physic. He was married about 1761 to Jane Richardson. He was sheriff of Newcastle county, 1757-60; chief burgess of Wilmington, 1759-77, and on Feb. 21, 1777, he was elected the first president of Delaware. He held this office until Sept. 11, 1777, when the British troops fresh from the battle of Brandywine entered Wilmington and took him prisoner, and he was succeeded in office by Thomas McKean . He was exchanged in October, 1778. He was brigadier-general of the state militia during the Revolution, and in December, 1782, he filed a statement showing that he had sustained a loss of ?1,055 in damage to his property at the time of his arrest. He was a founder of the Delaware Medical society in 1789; and was a trustee of the First Presbyterian church, 1789-96. There is supposed to be no portrait of him in existence. He died in Wilmington, Del.. Aug. 31, 1796.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Joshua Hopkins Marvil, governor of Delaware, was born in Little Creek hundred, Sussex county, Del., Sept. 3, 1825. After his father's death in 1834 he worked on the farm, obtaining but a limited education, and in 1845 he became a sailor. He engaged in the shipbuilder's trade 1846-53, and in 1853 began the manufacture of agricultural implements, which he continued with success until 1870, when he opened a manufactory for fruit crates and baskets, using in their manufacture inventions of his own and so perfecting the process as to make his establishment capable of manufacturing 2,000,000 baskets per annum. He was elected governor of Delaware, Nov. 6, 1894; was inaugurated in January, 1895, and died in Laurel, Del., April 8, 1895.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Delaware

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