Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-05-09
EARLY WILMISGTON.

Some Interesting "reminiscences of the
First Settlers--Landin the First Name
for Wilmington, then Chrlstinahnm,
then Athena, then Willing1own and
Lastly Wilmington The Owners of
the Country.
In 1859 1t is Wilmington, In 1899 1t
was WillIngtown, in 1866 1t was Athena,
and in 1898 our present Wilmington was
called Chiist!naham, and when the first
small colony settled here 1t was called
Iandia on the Messap tamia, between
the Brandywine and Suspeconough or
Minquos, or Chfistiana river OF the
present time.
Soon after the fret settlement Tymans
Stldham got o tract Of land along the
west side of tho Brandywine up to RIA e.
snake Kill of some three hundred acres.
A small hamlet or village was built near
the present Spruce aud Pine streets, be-
tween Sixth and Seventh, and was named
Christlnaham, and after the Dutch got
possession of the country ia 1865 the
name Of Athena was given TO Christina
ham.
But the town soon afterwards ceased
| TO exist. Inhabited by the swedes as
they spread over the lard and took larger
tracts for their homesteads, the hamlet Of
Athena went to decay. Some tlmo after
wards, John Stallcopp, or AndrainsoD,
| (the latter his proper name) became the
owner OF the site Of land upon which
Christinaham had been built, and nearly
one thousand acres more, bounded on the
ctst by Stidham's land and on the west
branch by Deer creek, and Jonas and
Lucas Stldham, who owned all the land
out to Andraps Hill, or the present Mill
Creek, and back north to the line OF the
Rattlesnake Kill.
The present Delaware avenue, or Rat
tlesnake path was the dividing line be
tween lyman stidham and John Stall
com. On the cast OF the Brandywine
Jacobus Van dcVers had tract OF lane
OF over five hundred acres joining tn,
creek. From the Shcllpot or Skill pack
XII, up to the present Augustine Mills
and to the northeast OF Van deVere'
we've some six hundred acres claim
cd and held by Hans Peterson.
! So all the land between Mill Creek ant
the She lpot belonged to the Stdhams
Stallcopps and PleteIsons before william
Penn became proprietor OF the land.
On the few acres OF upland on th
Cherry Island marsh, known by tho In
dams as Manhattan, but called by III
swedcs Kiprrolanut or Cherry island
lived Peter Jargoe and Hendry Jacob
aud built boats for the use OF the SWsde
before the English got possession OF th
country.
The Swedes had possession of the Ian
since 1888, nearly fifty years before ih
city OF Philadelphia or Brothcrly Low
was laid out, and had considerable q
ground under cultivation and some mill
to grind grain. The consequence wa
that It fell to their lot to supply the new
settlement of Philadelphia with bread
stuifs. Very soon after that the waite
rogers of Chester and ID laware counties
which then extended from the Schuylkil
to the Susquehanna, were sought atte
upon which to build mills. But having
no good roads back from the Underwater
people began to come to the Brandywin'
and its tributaries for mill sites, whert
they could have plenty of water to GRIND
and tide-waler as highway to marke
Tor their meat and -four.
The original Del-a-war before Penn
came extended from the Neshaminy il
Bucks County to the Susquehanna cas-
aud west, and from the forks OF thu
Braudywine to many miles over Into New
Jersey, aud down the peninsula to neal
Dover or Duck creek, the latter namet
by the late Legislature Smyrna river
have in my possession the names of al
the taxable people living in the origlna
Del-a-war years before William Penn
came over. But Penn's possessions dii
not include the original Del-a-war, bu
only the radius of the geographical
twelve miles, taking New Castle as tAt
centre.
In my next contribution of reminiscen
ces of Wilmington, will tell what hay
; gathered In relation to the manufactur
of flour on the Brandywine.
A. G. BRINToN.