Daily Republican., 1880-01-14
YESTERDAYS ERws.
AN OLD DELAw WARE FAMILY.
Running Back Into the Twelfth
CentH'y-The Pedigree OF the
R0dneys-Tbe Last SnryiyOr Of
the Defenders of lie WestOWn.

Centus y-The Pedigree OF IN,
ROdneys-Tbe Last S1ryiyOr d
the Defenders Of LeWsstOwn.
Yesterday Francis Vincent took din
ner with the Rev. John Rodney o
Germantown, in company with a few
select friends. Mr.. Rodney is the oldes
Episcopal minister in the United States
and the last OF the living defenders o
the town of Lewes when it Was bonn
baried by the British in 1913 Me- Roi
ney then distinguished himself. Wher
the gallant Colonel Samuel b. Dsvi.
called Tor volunteers for difficult anG
dangerous business, (to attempt to blow
up the British fleet) the fl irst that step.
ped out from the ranks for that purpose
was the Rev. John Rodney then youth
of about II years old. We shall say
no more about this matter now, as Mr..
Vincent intends to write q sketch ol
the life of ColoGel Samuel B. Davis,
when all those matters will be given in
detail.
Mr.. Rodney has now been over fifty
years in the Episcopal Ministry. He
is now in his S5th year. His wife now
eighty years. Mrs. Vincent states they
have tde most pleasant dear old
faces he ever saw. She was a Miss Du-
val, celebrated belle, and beauty in
her day. Mr.. Rodney is a remarkably
well preserved and handsome old gen
tleman, with intellect perfectly clear
lie lives in large handsome old fash
ioned mansion opposite Duval street,
named after the family of his wife. Mr..
Rodney was son of Governor Daniel
Rodney of Delaware, and was born at
Lewes.
Whilst there Mr.. Vincent examined
the old family Bible of the Rodneys,
where the pedigree of the family is
preserved. II is in an excellent state
of preservation, and was printed in
London in 1850. 1t is therefore about
200 years old. In it is this memo
written by one of the old Rod
neys, which Mr.. Vincent copied exactly
as it was written, viz:
"But remembered that this family
bible was brought from England by my
grandfather William Rodney, when.
he came to America in the year 1852
and in the year 1872 the old cover be-
ing worn out, had it newly bound
while lived in Philadelphia, and had
blank paper placed in it for the purpose
Of registering the pedigree Of the family
in it, which have since done"
TBoMAs RODNEY.
As it may not be upinteresting to our
readers, we give the pedigree of the
Rodney family man by man, as copied
by Mr.. Vincent. 1t is probably the
most complete in Delaware, if not in |
any other country. We leave out the
titles of nobility and knightnoods, &C., J
and just give the names of the men. 1t |
will be seen that one of their ancestors |
vas daughter of one of the queens,
'iz : Jane Seymour, wife OF King |
Henry, the Sth.
The Rodney estates, which kept their
anne alive, consisted of twelve manors,
'esides several houses and tenements
n Bath and Bristol. There are also
everal deeds We emit, such as one OF
heir ancestors Overtbrowing a German
,rince in tilt on London bridge, and
'eing knighted by the King for that
Iced of gallantry. As our readers will
bserve it carries a Delaware historic
amily down space Of $50 years.
The first Rodney that came to Eng.
and was Sir Walter deRodney. He was
soldier, and 10 the year HOO he came
With Empress Maude, daughter Of Hen
y the lst, King of England
The second was Henry who lived in
1876; the third, Richard who was slain
t Acres in the Holy Land Crusade in
he eleventh year of the reign of Rich
I'd the Lion Heart; the fourth, Will
lam, who lived in 1852, who was Am
assador to the Pope; the fifth, Richard,
Tho lived in 1902. He and his eldest
oD were slain by Lincoln, Prince OF
Wales, at Hereford in the ninth year
the reign of King Henry Ill, Hence
le name of the River Abba Rodney;
le sixth, Thomas, who lived in 1921, 7
le seventh, Richard, daughter of Ed
ard II. A. D. 1851; the eighth, Walter,
10 lived in l4O9; the ninth, Thomas.
TO lived in 1873; the tenth, John, I
no lived in 1910; the eleventh, Wal
", who lived in 1868; the twelfth,
ohn, who lived in 1890; the thirteenth, I
falter, who lived in l4l3; the four
'enth, Thomas, who lived in 1887;
le ffthteenth, John, IA knight who
we'd in l4GS; the sixteenth, John,
as born in 1900, and died in 1850, =
10 18th, who married Jane Seymour, I
aughter of the Duke OF Somerset and
ueen Jane Seymour. The record said
Ie was wise and prudent woman, /
Id brought her husband three thou
nd pounds ($l5,OOW; the 18th,
lillian, father of her who csme with Z
lillian Penn to America the 18th,
lillian, born in 1910, (ths ancestors
the Delaware Rodneys) who came G
th Penn in 1852, born in 1862 and ;
ed in l7OS, was Ptnn's legal adviser q
g nineteenth, William, who came T
tn Penn embarked from Bristol. He u
ID in 1908. He was the irst speaker :
.Le House, of Assembly of Delaware.
: also he'd at different times most of
9 officers in Kent County. He ac- p
mulated large estate and left seven
rs. Two OF these were William and
Ear; the twentieth, william was p
IN in 1859 and died in 1882. His
4 was the twenty-hrst, John born in
Is died in 1892. He had a son G.
enty second, Daniel, who was born y,
1854, and died in lS45. He vas a
vernon of Delaware, and member of -
ngress and Judge of the Court. He II
Irried Margaret Fisher at Lewes in s. s.
lrch 1888. He haL sons and 2 -