Evening journal., 1908-11-23
TIMES OF LONG AGO
IN BLACKBIRD HUNDRED
Article No. s5.

ATtlclo NO. 50.
When we leave the Hill family. In
Blackbird hundred. we find the old
Allston farm and home Of william G.
Allston, now owned and occupied by a
Mr.. Beath on the left and the farm
and home Of John Barnet on the right.
William c. Allston was one of the old
families of the neighborhood He raised
big family of children Mrs. Allston
was Miss Eliza Webster, Of another old
and prominent family in that section of
the courty. They had eleven children,
Ave boys and six girls. The boys were
John, William. Raymond. Thomas and
Arthur Thomas and Arthur are living.
and Arthur is here i'm this city. The
girls are Sarah Ann. Lydia, Rachel.
Elizabeth, Temperance and Emma.
Eliza, Lydia and Rachael are dead
Sarah Ann married Mr. clinton near
Still Pond, Nd, and resides there
widow Temperance married a Mr.
Webster and lives in this city, a widow
Emma married a Mr. Breton. Of this
city. John Barnet married Elizabeth
Weldon and had one son and three
daughters. The son, William Barnet
lives I'm Middletown, and is engaged I'm
the timber business. He owned, ! be-
lieve. the fast pacing horse Barnet b.
The girls moved away and I have lost
the track Of them.
Now We cross old Sandom's Branch
Robert Gestin's old home is on the left
His family has gone out. James Buckson
lives on the right. He has already been
mentioned in a previous letter. This
brings us to Backbird village. which is
composed of about nine families, with
two stores and a post office. The fam
lily of the longest standing and the most
cloesly identified with Blackbird is the
Ferguson family and one of the first
things that / remember was that Basset
Ferguson kept a hotel I'm 1910 in the old
building at the southern end Of the row
OF houses on the east side OF the road.
and built the new hotel. in 1871. Basset
Ferguson was a son Of Benjamin Fer
guson. who married Ann Basset. both Of
Kent county, Md. She had three sisters.
Temperance, who carried William Sharp,
Elizabeth married James Legg. the faith
er of Dewitt and William z. Legg. of
Smyrna, Del, and Mary married William
Currey father OF William Currey. late
Of Wilmington.
BENJAMIN Ferguson died about 1872.
Mr.. Joice. having one daughter who mar
rled William smithers. who lived at one
time near Townsend, but later in Smyrna.
Basset Ferguson married Susan Weldon.
and by that union had four sons and four
daughters. Richard married Miss Ba-
shaba Deakyne. but had no children
Colen, now living near Blackbird mar
ried Miss Cordelia Lord, OF Odessa in
hux nd
daughters. Theodore, so well and favora-
BILE known in connected with the rlgis-
ter's Office of this county. and Basset
Ferguson, a civil engineer. i'm the gov
ernment service. Miss Ella, is at home
with her parents and the youngest daugh-
ter lately Joined hands with a Mr.
Phillips, jeweler, and took up her
abode in Smyrna John died when small
and Dr. Basset married a Camden, n.
j., lady and died a few years ago leav-
ing one daughter, Martha Ann. who mar
ried DR. John A. Moore. Of Smprna, in
1856. where he practiced for several years
and later moved TO FELTON,, Del. where
still lives at good old age Of S. They
had one son and one daughter. His son
is John Basset Moore. who read law in
Wilmington and later went to New York
served on President McKinleys com
mission TO the Internatinal Conference
at the Hague. Miss Bessie Moore mar.
ried Thomas C. Roe, now State Auditor
The second daughter Of aBsset Fergu-
son, (Susan) married Charles Satterfield
She is now widow living at Blackbirt
station. Ella married Mortimer Rick
ard, a grandson Of Auley Lore. OF Black
bird mill and died recently Temper-
ance married Richard c. Brockson, a
merchant and lumber man of Blackbird
Richard Ferguson was justice of the
one term in Legislature. Colen
Senate and two terms as register ir
Chancery Basset Ferguson. theii
father. had been honored by one tern
in the House of Representatives il
1853. In politics he was a Democrat
quality which he successfully handel
down to his posterity, and one which
his children have been careful to main.
tain. He was quite a man of affairs il
his day, having considerable real es
tate possessions He kept a good hotel
store Of general merchandise. anc
was postmaster all at the same time,
man of strict integrity and command
ing the highest respect of the sur
rounding community. He was short o.
stature. but Of considerable avoirdu
pois. noted for his polite manners an,
neatness of attire. devotion to his larg,
family. and the persistent habit o
combing his hair. every hair of whicl
must be in place He always carried