Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-12-31
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Something About the Men who Dis
covered and Peopied the Diamond
state, with Some Recent HmpOr.

Something About the Men VINO Dts-
covered and Peopied the Diamond
state, with Some Recent Hmpor-
tasiomss
The American community of the present
day is made up of many ingredients, and
the typical American is rapidly becoming
o man in which tincture of the blood of
most of the Caucasian races is to be
found. In Delaware, or at least as much
of it as is embraced within the limits of
Wilmington and New Castle and the adjass
cent country districts, we have had a
generous share of the various different
elements that went to make the early
population of this country. Our fair
river was discovered 276 years ago by a
Dutchman in British boat. The
Swedes were the first to come up the
river and plant themselves on its
banks, thus bringing in the first element
of our population. The Dutch afterwards
came down from New York and wrenched
the coutral of the territory from the
Swedes. Numbers of them settled here
and made the second important class of
inhabitants. With the Dutch We're o
number of Huguenot refugees or their
descendants, some of whom, as all Della
wareans know, have been and are now
among the most distinguished men of the
country. The arrival of William Penn
brought the Quakers, who became the
third and one of the most important
classes of our people. The enterprises
of some of the New England colonists
also sent q number of men here
thus adding to the class of Englishmcn,
though not to the Quaker element.
These were what made up the population
of the ''three counties of Delaware" with
the addition of more Englishmen from
the Maryland colony, when the revolu-
tionary war was fought. There were not
any important additions to our popula-
tion after this until the present century,
when the Irish emigration became heavy
and led all others. Then we received
nnd have continued to receive large
proportion of these immigrants, who now
with their descendants of the second and
third generation form one of the most
numerous and important classes of our
inhabitants.
The last prominent addition to our
somewhat mixed family of citizens has
been the Germans, who are probably
being added to faster than any other class
Of our people. Not far from us was the
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emigrants of the last century, most of
whom came from those German provinces
along the Rhine from Switzerland to Hol-
land and settled in that part of Pennsyl-
vania now embraced by Bucks, Mont
gomery, Lehigh, Northampton, Berks,
Lebanon, Lancaster and York counties.
But few of these got down TO us, or even
into Chester or Delaware counties. How
ever, the Germans began to emigrate in
large numbers before the late war, and
Wilmington began to receive her share,
though it has not increased SO fast here
as in other sections of the country, par
ticularly in the west.
Within the last few years the country
has gotten new element in the influx of
Poles and Hungarians. There are many
of these in the northwest, and we have
got sprinkling of them here. They did
not commence coming to Wilmington
more than five years ago, and more prob
ably within less than three. They are
from the provinces bordering between
Russia and Austria, or more exactly be-
tween Poland and Hungary, nnd are to
some extent mixture of the two races.
There is more of the Polish than the Hun.
garian about them. In other words
they are members of the Slavic
race, and not the Magyar. They
all speak German, though in most
cases with an accent very difficult to
understand. There are at the present
time from 200 to $50 of these people,
adding women and children, living in
this city. They are quartered in different
parts of town. A half-dozen families
live in row of frame houses over
Eleventh street bridge; another little
colony is located in row in Christiana
street, which is between jefferson and
Madison streets and Front and Second.
Still others are living in other parts
of the city, q number of them in the
southwestern part. There are more
mechanics and artisans among them than
laborers. Some of the latter have been
employed on the b. & p. railroad, and a
number are scattered in the different
manufacturing establishments, including
Lobdel's, Edge Moor and others. There
are also several tailors and shoemakers,
who all seem to be at work. Their mode
of living does not differ from the plain
customs of the less comfortably-fixed
| Germans. In religious faith they
are nearly all Roman Catholics.
/ These people have been confounded with
Jewish refugees from Poland. There were
q number of families of Russian Jews in
this city during the past two three years,
but they have since all gone away, one by
one, or started in little business in the
downtown clothing regions. This new
| element, which seems to be permanent,
will in all probability become in n measure
absorbed in the German population, Of
least to such an extent that to the ordinary
observer they will seem as one people.
They are the last ingredient of oul
population. unless the Italians are in
cluded, which is hardly proper to be
done, as there are not more than two oi
three of all who have been here who arr
likely to become citizens.