Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-03-15


Burial.
would like, Mr. Thatcher remarked,
TO say few words about my old friend
George G. Lobdell, man whom have
known intimately since 1929. l can't
well pass by him as | was at his funeral
and saw him SO peacefully lying in the
casket as If he were but sleeping.
Last Wednesday week was my last
interview with him at the corner of
Fourth and Market streets. 1t was
always pleasure to speak with Mr..
Lobdell He was a man of sterling
good sense He had his own views on
politics and on religion. But let that
be as it may George Lobdell was very
moral man. have never heard of him
doing anything wrong or of advocating
anything he could not conscientiously
approve of.
Mr.. Lobdell always valued my opin-
ion on matters connected with the Scrip
lures. He habitually put questions in
wiling my comment. He would discuss
the points freely. Sometimes we agreed.
And then again we agreed TO disagree |
will say further, politically, we agreed
great deal
A few days ago when he was taken
badly some one said to me that Mr..
Lobdell had the grip. l learned at his
house that he was very sick. And the
next day when called the report was
that he was greatly improved. But ON
the third visit the answer was she has
passed away" was very, much shocked
at hearing it.
Locking on the matter in business
light, don't know any man in this com.
munity who, like Mr.. Lobdell, while at.
tending strictly to his own special bust
ness (that of foundryman), has done so
much for Wilmington. He was never
in any ones way and at the same time
was leader in all improvements. If
my memory serves me right it is his par
ticular invention of the railroad wheel
that is still in use. 1t is one of the best
wheels in existence.
For 80 years | have met him every
day either on business or as an acquain-
lance. When w. g. A. Thatcher went
out of business our acquaintance still
continued until his death.
THREE OLD CABINET-MAKERs.
/ would like to talk about three men
who lived in the days of yore and
whose business was that of cabinet
making. They are William G. Jones,
Dell Noblit and Jehn Sebo.
Beginning down town, Mr.. Jones
comes first. He lived and died at the
northwest corner of Shipley and Front
streets. His father lived there before
him. In the Revolution there was an
house and boarded there while Mr..
| nj
This Englishman did not know it and
never found it out. Mr.. Jones was
always suspected by the Tories of being
Of him. The English officer drove them
away. He expressed himself surprised
that they should suspect the man in
whose house an English officer boarded,
and he dubhed their stories as nothing
but ridiculous.
was tsld by William Jones son that
they could sit at the front door and wash
their feet at high tide. Mr.. Jones was
born in the year 1884 and died in 1873 al
the good old age of 80, like shock of ripe
corn. | don't know exactly with whom
he went apprentice, but he served his
turn at the oabinet-making business
with man named John Ferris, the
father of the late John Ferris, who
established the Ferris Industrial School
The son was an old bachelor and used
to call his boys at the school his ''juve-
niles"
John Ferris No. 1, during the time the
yellow fever was raging here in 1885,
and in 1902, did all the cabinet making
in town. The cabinet-maker was al
ways the coffin maker and conducted
all the funerals. This fact William
Jones told me himself, that his boss
John Ferris, buried all the people tina
died of the yellow fever here, and ther
when it seemed TO be that all had dice
thAt were to die, Mr.. Ferris died himsel
of the contagion and was buried by hi
friends.
William Jones left town for season
and on his return went into the business
of cabinet making and as have already
said made collins and buried people.
HE BURIED 7,777 wILMINeToNIANs.
On one occasion we lwere talking
: about the business when Mr.. Jone
pulled out his pocket account book anC
told me that it has the record of TIT
people of this city whom he had mad,
collins for and buried during his career
could hardly believe it myself as
was more than Brandywine cemeterl
contained at that time. But his own, son
Washington Jones, has since told M
: that his father had buried over ZOO
people in the years between 1906 anC
1868. a...
A REMARKABLY STRICT CHURCH MEM
BIER.
William Jones was remarkabl,
strict member of the Baptist church. II
Joined 1t in his younger days. He CAV
in his name at the old brick church op
: posite the court house, on King street
r between Tenth and Eleventh. To shov
) the young mans zeal for what wa
: right he withdrew his membership Their
/; at the time of the division between tn
/, "Hardshell" and the "New Light" Bap
/ lists. He himself was New Light. IL
!, Joined the church at Marcus Hook. II
/. used to walk all the way out from VIII
: mington, at least once q month, Away
( on sacrament Sundays, to his ncy
/ church, walking back at night. In hi
!. earnestness In church work he was mad
/ deacon at Marcus Hook. He subse
q quently, | think, Joined the Baptis
e church at Fifth and Walnut streets
i: Afterwards when the Second Baptis
d church was established at Fourth an
!. French, he became member and re
Q NAMED SO until his death.
b DEAD PEOPLE CARRIED ON A BIER.
At the funerals within the city, bac
to 1880, they had kept up the old usag
:, of carrying the dead on their shoulder
u upon bier. Irecollect in 1881 attendin
= funeral that William Jones had charg
u of. A man named John Moore had die
: of cholera. | was one of the carrier
Mr. Tones had n hearse hut a very di