Wilmington daily commercial. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877, 1872-12-19
Wilmington In lSI4---The First Directory q
the City.

the City.
friend has kindly loaned us a little volumes
''printed by R. Porter" in 1874 1t is entitled
"A Directory and Register for the Year 1914
containing the names, professions, and residence
OF the heads of families and persons in business,
ETC.. etc., of the Borough Of Wilmington and
Brandywine."
This Directory, the publisher, (whose printing
office was at 81 Shipley street, and book and sta
tionery store at o. Market,) says is the " first
thing of the kind ever published in the Dor
ough," and it is interesting not only to note the
information it contains but also to compare the
little book with the Directory now annually re-
quired by the increased size and interests Of our
city. The Directory of 1914 gave, pages. (lGmo)
OF names, averaging = about 16 per page, and
making, in all, less than $50 names. The Di-
rectory Of Wilmington, for 1923, being the
latest published, contains 227 octave pages Of
names, averaging abont As per page. and max
ing an aggregate OF over 10000.
In the old Directory, the names of the "Col-
ored Inhabitants" are given separately, which
though an invidious distinction was better than
the insulting affx Of "(n)" which is still main
tanned in some of our publications. Eight pa
ges Of names Of colored people are given making
about 100 in ALL and ia names Of the "Inhabi-
tants Of Brandywine."
CHANGING over the names, we note some that
are still found in the Directory Of the present
time, though the lapse Of So years has left very
few survivors Of the eight hundred and fifty.
In the year 1920, of the. 1O,O 900 persons enumer-
ated now, how few will be on earth Among
those referred to are
Candy Charles, clock and watch maker, n Mar
ket.
Ferris Ziba, clock and watch maker. W. High
Hilles Samuel, boarding school, 1853 King.
Nobltt Dell, cabinet maker, Shipley between
Broad and KeTt.
Wollaston Samuel, bricklayer, shipley neal
Broad.
There are doubtless others, which our oldei
people would note, but which escape our obser
vltion.
The introduction to the Directory describe
the location and characteristics Of the city Th
Ohristiana it is stated, sis Of sufficient depth t.
admit ships upwards of 800 tons burthen as higl
as Wilmington wharyes.' The population wa
estimated at linear 5,OOO," there having bee
some 400 or 500 increase hince the Census O
1910, when it was 44l6. There were twenty
one schools, Of which one, located at 30 MAJ
ketst) was college The attendance c
pupils at these places OF education was stated 4
700. There were eight places of worship on
Friends, one Baptist two Presbyterian, on
Episcopal, one Methodist, and two African, ''el
elusive of second Baptist now forming A
B:andywine, there were thirteen merchal
mills"
The Clergy by which were meant only Do
tors Of Divinity, numbered five. These wei
Rev. DR.. Reed, Rev. Daniel Dodge, Rev. Villa
Pryce, Rev. George .sheetz, Rev. VIM. Week
or physicians there were eleven Drs E.
Smith, George Monro, William Gibbons, ALE
McLane, John Brinckle, Robert u.s. Smith, Ale
ander Forester, Richard L. Cochran, Arthl
Johns, DR., Degier, and Surgeon James Tito
U.S.A.
The lawyers mustered nine. At the head W
James A. Bayard the elder who was then " Mi
lister to Gottenburg," Following Iwere Quite
bride Horsey, the United States Senator c.
Rodney, Louis McLane, Archibald Hamilto
Nicholas G. williamson, William P. Brobson, al
Brown & Davis. There overwhelmingly (
the poor-only two justices of the peace.
OF Banks there were three. The Bank
Delaware was named first Its capital was S1l
0O0., and Joseph Bailey was president. 7
Bank Of Wilmington & Brandywine had 81;
90; John Way president, The Branch of t
Farmers Bank had 100000. John RUNS
president. There were three engine compani
the Reliance, the Friendship, and the Bran,
wine Col Allen McLane was Collector Of O
toms; Joseph Bringhurst was Postmast'
James Brobson was U. s. Marshal; DR.. A. Jol
was Clerk of the .. ss..District Court a
Though this is not stated in the Director
Cunning Bedford was Judge of the Court.
or institutions Of II public character, til
was the Wilmington Library, located at lis 81
ley ST., David Kirkpatrick, librarian Che was
90 collector of taxes for Christiana Hundre,
there was an arsenal" on West street abb
Broad; and the Poor House, then as now ST.
on Poor House Hill, from which, let us no
it is soon to be moved OF public societies, 4
there were An Abolition Society, a Society
the Education Of African children, a Female
nevolent Society, Female Distributing Soci
for the Relief Of the Poor, Masonic lodge,
Musical Association o. young gentlemen" a ]
mans Society, TO recover persons sppareE