Middletown transcript., 1896-03-07
SEVENTY YEARS AGO.

| A"Blue Book oil 1926, "a register of
officers and agents, civil, military aud
naval, in the United States on the 30th of
| September, 1925; together with the names.
force, and condition of all the ships and
vessels belonging to the Uuited States and
/ when and where built,n came into the pos
session of the TRANSCRIPT this week. 1t
contains 280 pages. The Blue Books of to-
day containing the same information are
five or six in number and are from three to
| five times the size of this volume, showing
a growth in the number of official agents
to be at least twenty-five times as many as
there were seventy years ago.
| John Quincy adams was President at
that time and a man opposed to him po-
| litically was Vice President John C. CAL
houn, the second choice for the Presidency
| secured the second place under the system
hen in vogue. Henry Clay was Secretary
tof State and he had just len clerks and
two messengers. The Patent Office appears
to have been branch of the State Depart
| ment and consisted of superintendent, a
clerk and messenger. 1t now has build
ing ofits own covering two blocks one way
and one the other, between 9TH and 9th,
F. and G. The salaries of the Patent Office
employees was total of $1,000 90. OF the
Ministers and Consuls to foreign countries
there appears to be but one chicken of the
old Blue Hen, Thomas NJ Rodney at "Ha-
wanna" The appointees are not credited
to the States as they are now, the nativity
alone being given. But of these Maryland
and Virginia, as they have to-day, have an
extra large share.
Rich ard Rust was Secretary with eight
clerks and two messengers in his immediate
office. The First Comptroller had seven
teen employees in his Office, and the Second
Comptroller nine. In the office of the First
Auditor there were twelve employees, in
Second Auditors office fifteen, in the
Third Auditors office twenty, in the Fourth
Auditors fifteen, in the Fifth Auditors
thirteen. Of the 119 persons in these offices
but one was native of Delaware, Stephen
Pleasanton, the Fifth Auditor, while 81 of
them claimed Maryland as their birth place
1t shows the taste of our neighbors across
the State line for Office. The next natives
of Delaware appear in the persons of Jos. S.
Collins, clerk in the Land Office. and
William Mackey of the Registers Office is
next.
In the Customs Department" Allen
McLane was collector at Wilmington, Sam
uel Mcdowell and David Robinett were in
spectors, Samuel Mcdowell weigher, and
Samuel Mcdowell clerk. 1t appears that
Samuel was strictly in it. At New Castle
Joseph Sawyer was inspector; Henry
Geddes was inspector at River Delaware"
and Edmun Liston. Duncan Stuart. William
Windell, Charles King, William Miller,
Jesse Rodgers, Benjamin HiIlman, Benja-
min, Garretson, Allen NJ. Robinett, John
Saunders, William Marshall, Sr., and
Thomas Rowland were boatmen John
Ware was inspector and keeper of Light
House at Lewes and Nathaniel Harney
Jacob West, Jr., and Joseph Morrix were
boatmen. S. Flanagan was the keeper of
the "Buoys." Delaware Bay. and E. Mills,
keeper of Light House at Cape May, the
latter being given in the Delaware list. In
the Internal Revenue Service, Delaware
has one clerk in the Pennsylvania depart
ment, Jacob Neilor.
James Barbour was Secretary of War. In
the Purchasing Branch" of this Depart
ment Delaware has one clerk, Robinson R.
Moore. Delaware appears to have had her
share in the list of Army officers. Charles
G. Ridgely, Joseph H. NJ. Clayton, and
Henry Bird were the cadets from Della
ware in the Military Academy. Samuel L.
Southland was Secretary of the Navy.
Jacob Jones was q navy commissioner, and
Joseph P. M'Corkle was clerk in this |
Department, the former was a captain in
the Navy as were Thomas McDonough and |
Thomas Brown, while Thomas J. Boyd |
was a surgeon. Thomas Shields and Alex |
ander P. Darragh were pursers. George |
Adams. Abraham Bennett, Joseph S. Can |
non, Richard A. Jones, Alexander F. |
Porter and Edward G. Tilton were mid
shipmen from Delaware. James Riddle |
was Navy Agent at New Castle.
Next week further examination of the |
book will be made and list of the post |
masters in the State with the salary paid |
will be given. Some of TRANSCRIPTS read
ers may recognize sold old friends in these
lists. Our reporter blusingly Acknowledges
to being too young to have had the ac-
quaintance of any of these good people,
the Delaware Federal office holders of the
good old times of 1926. seventy years ago.