Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-02-01


My father, as l said, was q miller. He
ATTENDED mill when L was very young
called Joe Grubbs mill, located mile
and half from the Practical Farmer,
near what is now called Falk's road.
Beyond that was Hanby's Cross Roads
and schoolhouse. | have seen the old
house but never was in it to remember
the place as my father left it when was
only two years old. l seem to have out
lived the old place. 1t has fallen down
and am still going.
BRANDYwINE VILLAGE.
At this time Brandywine was called
the village. The first ship carpenter |
have heard of or known there was
named Draper. He carried on business
in yard square and a half or so be-
low Lea's mills.
He built and overhauled vessels, and
when he left, John Harris, father of the
present John Harris, came there. This
was about 1916 or 1917. Harris built a
sloop called the Fanny. l, with my
brothers, saw her launched. She meas
ured about 40 to 90 tons. She was built
for the Philadelphia grain and flour
trade. There followed three or four of
the same kind built by Harris, the
eloops Cereus, Matilda, Hettie Ann
and Mary. They were used by their
owners and the mill owners and they
did big business. The trade done on
( the Brandywine with these sloops going
to Philadelphia and elsewhere was ex-
( celled in those times only by the Rich
mond mills on the James river. They
made two trips week to Philadelphia
each, and carried from 2,400 to $500
bushels of grain and 400 to 500 barrels
I of flour, together with similar amount
In hogsheads of cornmeal.
John Harris was noted for doing good
! work, and great deal came to him
from up and down the river and across
from Jersey in overhauling old vessels
and building new ones.
sHIPBUILDERs' 'pRENT1cEs.
: I come seventh in order of John
! Harris apprentices. They are all dead
now, but me. The first was Mr.. Harris'
: son, Barney, called so after his grand
father; the next was David Robinet,
who lived and died here. He was a
great Democrat. The next was Enoch
Moore, father of the present Enoch
Moore, also Democrat. Then came
Lewis Bell, whose son lost leg in the
army. Then came Charles Moore, brother
to Enoch; then William Thatcher; then
John Stidham, son of Captain Stidham,
who lost his life in the schooner Ex-
change on her way from New York
here. lie had heavy wheel on the
deck, which shifted, and caused the
laundering of the vessel. The last of
the apprentices was Albert Thatcher
(myself). l am brother of William
Thatcher, and was indentured on the
second Monday in May in 1899, at the
age of 16.
These all served their apprenticeship
for the full five years. They were all
bound to their master to serve the time
out. And they all finished it but one.
They are all dead now but Albert
Thatcher, who is the only one left, and
he is trying hard to get out of his S1st
year into his SD.
JOHN, HARRIS WORK,
John Harris built one topsail schooner
and one fore-and-aft schooner. The
latter belonged to Brandywine and carr
ried cornmeal to New Haven, Conn.
and to New York. She was lost, 1 think
somewhere between New York and
Cape May. Her first captain was
William Thatcher, who afterwards
found that he could save more money
working at his trade than in running
the small schooner The topsail schooner
Espoke Of was the Sultan. It was built
for Samuel b. Wheeler who came here
from Maine. He sent grain and corn
east and IN return got plaster and fish.
The Sultan was finally lost on the Mass
schusetts shoals and all hands with her.
Before leaving the Brandywine l
would like to- recite what L was told in
regard to a shipyard down at a place
called the Buttonwoods, about 300 Yards
above what is now the railroad bridge.
this side OF the river and adjoining
Seidel q Hastings shops.
II is said q brig was built there, and
think the man who built her was a
colored man. There was big house
near that stood up towards the brick
yards, called White Hall. From its an
pearance 1t must have been tavern. l
DO not recollect of ever seeing or having
heard OF other square-rigged vessels
built or owned on the Brandywine.
Older people may know of White Hall
or what became of it.
When Mr.. Harris left Brandvwine
village in 1896 for Wilmington lie was
followed three or four years afterwards
by Jonathan Aebley, who started bust
ness there. Mr.. Zebley did q good
business building schooners, sloops and
finishing bark of some size. The bark
belonged to Fleming Smith. 1t went
around TO California. This was before
the gold craze. She was lost The shin
yard hnally fell into the hands of w. &
a. Thatcher, who afterwards built two
new vessels there while running their
yard in Wilmington. Zebley went there
about 1910. The Thatchers bought the
property about 1913. They carried 1t
on until they dissolved partnership.
ABOUT THE BREAKwATER.
Many years ago when the Breakwater
work was started, which think was in
1851. in Jackson's time, there was a
couple OF men named ellis who came
to Brandywlne hunting a place to
quarry stone for the Breakwater. After
looking around great deal they at
length discovered first-class place. 1t
was about 300 yards below Harris shin.
yard. The Glllises were there two or
three years. Vessels came up the
Brandywine for their cargoes. There
was every facility for hosting and load
ing the stone. The vessels came up on
Hood tide and left at high water making
Two trips week to the Breakwater and
sometimes three. The Gillises did big
business for those times. There were
weighmasters there. 1t was govern
ment work. The stone was first weighed
and the vessel was marked to her load
line. The trouble was they could cheat
the government every time. They
knew well how to do it. They let water
into the hold of the vessel. They