Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-08-23

Glory Halleiuiani
The towering walls came tumbling down. !
Glory Halleiujah
Like thunder fiat upon the ground,
Glory Hallelujah!
In those days the ability ofthe cOlored peo-
pie to supply words to their singing or adapt
singing 10 their words, was marvellous Many
Of them were sincerely good and pious people
with a steady purpose to do right. Uncle
Billy discharged his duty a good shepherd
At the close of the meeting he would take out
his book and carefully call over the names,
marking each one present, and if any one was
absent he would inquire the reason of those
present If the reason was not satisfactory.
You would see him during the week going on
horseback in search Ofthe delinquent MEM
bers,and If in his estimation the excuse was
not sufficient, the old gentleman would then
and there proceed out of his ready accumu- /
lation of scrptural denunciations to consign
the poor fellow to the regions where a cotton |
Overcoat would be supertiuous clothing.
Uncle Billy Purnell was a useful man. with /
limited education and little opportunity to
improve his mind by travel or otherwise:
yet he was an interesting talker, though
little deaf. HI had good common sense, and
a keen sense Of humor, and could tell good
joke He was devoted to duty, adhered
strictly to principle and faithfully discharged
his duty. His honest desire to be a true chris
tian will, have no doubt, be his passport to
"the house not made with hands," His wife.
Aunt Rachel, was one of the best of women,
and many good Slice of bread and butter
with honey or preserves, have l enjoyed from
her hand Their daughter Rachel was near
my ageland when l was about four or five
years old, I would steal away nom home.
cross the branch on two poles laid side by
side for a bridge and go play with Rachel.
somehow conceived the idea that the proper
thing for me to do would be to have Rachel
for wife,so | walked boldly in one day rnd
asked Mrs. Purnell il l could have Rachel.
The old lady told me yes but that must ask
all the family, and forthwith proceeded to
carry out her instructions by going to each
one and asking their permission. The last
7 one told me il was necessary that should
, ask the colored man, Ben Lowber, which did
and received his sanction, which he laughed
about and told me of for forty years after
ward. How wildly do these little event,
come up before the mind. though IS or Il
years have passed and gone!
Mr.. Purnells moving into Murderkill Necl
was instrumental In causing his stepson JOIN
' SaXton, to seek a home and a wife and settlt
, in the Neck and become one of its substan
tial citizens. He married Miss Supple. one O
A four sisters who married the following gen
tlemeR: Richard Norris, Jehu Reed Captain
$ James Grier, and John Saxton. -Four bette
f women never lived in Murderkill Neck. The,
were recognized all over the Neck ms models
for have heard their good qualities sDokei
about by the old folks in ye olden times.
o John SaXtOn purchased the old ParsOn Hus
ton farm. He put up new buildings ant
HIr
dence in the Neck, his industry integrity,ao,
strict devotion to right and fair play, place.
him among the first citizens Of the county
and when the neighborh0od decided to bull
! a new church for the accommodation of tn
d people Of that part of the neck, it was b
q. unanimous consent named the 'Saxto
te Chapel" ! knew hina for years, and also hi
brother Thomas, who settled near Camdel
10 Delaware. For sterling integrity, SCUM
IN moral worth, and true devotion to the be,
ID rock principles Of justice and fair dealing,
mr. call to mind none that surpassed the tW
If sons Of old Aunt Rachel Purnell. When sue
men die vacuum is made in the moral a
of mosphere that may take a long time to fill.
MS think, Mr.. Editor,I have pretty well co
cred the ground which had intended when
AZ commenced these memoirs, and now mu
II bring them to close. While quite a nur
cd Der of good people came to reside in Il
as Neck as tenants, and afterwards moved on
H. some of whom were most worthy peOp
about whom much could be said to the
,vs credit, l have adhered to my original pu
no. pose and confined myself with few exec
M tions to those who were landowners, al
IRIS therefore identified with the social order al
,ar the Improvements necessary to well orga
,al lied society. Many of them wrought W,
as for future generations by clearing and drai
IN ing the branches, swamps and lowlands, CT
=. ting down the forests, and bringing the lal
~ into state of cultivation. More than hi
the land from Barratts Chapel TO BOwt
-, Beach, a distance of five miles, has be
IN brought into cultivation within my rec
- lection of siXty-five years. Marvellous, indet
-, is it to one who has lived to see the cham
e. But they have all passed "beyOnd the ri,
~ to their long home" They have acted W
~, their part,and the community in which tn
lived is richer and better for their havi
~ lived. They marked the road and laid bro
~ the foundations of integrity and moral rec
a.. tude and paved the way for the generatio
to come to reach greater heights in all IL
goes to make life more pleasant and more
'-N sirable.
he Thanks to the bountiful giver of all 90,
the the road of industry which our fathers Il
so faithfully is still open to all. Along 1
~ road lies success, progress, cOntentment q
me happiness. if sought for in the right WI
ieir The present and future generations need ]
sht fear. He that ruleth in the heavens s.
sends the sunshine aud the shower, the SCI
'eE time and the harvest; orders by his own i
mutable law the earth on its diurnal and
'he nual revolutions; operates the great law
vs. gravitatiOn that holds this planet within
sse orbit, and the more than eighty millions
a Urn systems with their suns and satellites :
kept with unerring precision within thu
prescribed limits; holds in his hand PleiaC
'"e and the Milky Way; wraps the ocean arou
the earth; makes the mountains and hi
places, and covers the earth with beau
hangs in the heavens the emblems of /
majesty and power, and in His goodn
TIC sends the rains on the just and the unjust
a For the blessings that have come to us
.ra cause our fathers wrought let us be THAI
- tul. and hope that the present generate
GU may as faithfully do their part in pushi
-W forward the car of progress and the upbui
ing of a better civilization for those to foil,
.,,+ as the old fathers of Murderkil Neck did
the long ago.
Nv, fTTTE EAynl