Evening journal., 1908-10-26
LIFE IN BLACKBIRD
HALF A CENTURY AGO
Article Mo. Al.

last number the Bucnnnan larm ana
the young Armstrong;. we pass Thomas
Middleton on the left. son Of 'chomas
Middleton, a very worthy and a very
prominent man In his county affairs. who
lived and died on his own farm on the
south side Of the road leading from
Greenspring TO Duck Creek.
The entrance to young Middleton farm
is almost the precise spot where the little
log house stood. that was occupied by n
nice colored woman known as old Aunt
Bette Iockerman who made honey cake
in squares about two inches cubic mea-
sure, and homemade beer FOR sale, about
1870 And that honey cake was honey
cake / tell YOU. and n mistake And
that beer was beer that woul1 make you
recollect It and not make you drunk, or
kill a mule either like the stunt they get
nowadays which sets man crazy after
smelling a. Old Aunt Bette di1 living
making business too, IN the days Of Old
four-horse stage coaches that passed her
door twice every day to say nothing OF
oil the travel that passed up the State
road from one end Of the peninsula 10 tho
other. as there was no other direct way
to Philadelphia or New York. except by
sailing craft
Many time my father made my heart
glad and my little stomach comfortable
with some Of that honey cake and beer
Then William Goldsborough was not far
away on tho other side of the road with
his oysters and cakes and beer. which he
always had at the public venduos. on a
table which they called stall r. those
ITa 1,a LOT ~
our story 70 not recall the facs that MT
Goldsborough was succeeded by one
Joseph Hamilton. who was the father OF
naughty boy. lie was lynched for sec
reting himself IN the house of NJ. Cloak
and frightening his daughters nearly to
death, out at the old Cloak home lust be-
low Smyrna I'm 1871. I think It might have
been IN as IT was the first lynchInE case
] ever heard of and II was an awful thing
in those days. They offered the body TO
the aged man but he declined TO accept
Il, saving he could not take care of a
boy that had disgraced them.
And next we came to three iittlo farm
situated on either side Of the branch
where the Blaclxbird camp was held some
years back, and to tell the history in con-
nection with these three little farms as
I recollect # since 1S41. with the proper
embellishments. It would read like real
romance or tale of fiction. In the first
place It strikes close to home ara family
and arouses a fond recollection. and to re-
late It will necessitate the plentiful Use o.
the little pronoun ID. was the prime
mover and hauled the first load OF boards
for the first school or village picnic tha-
was ever held in that woods when lived
IN Blackbird in 1864. William smith. who
once kept a store in Smyrna, on the
north side OF the street, near 20, and east
of the old William Temples Corner, in
1857. and afterward went into the COM
mission business in Philadelphia, and
I later become widely known as William
/ Smith and Company, man OF sterling
qualities. and of strict integrity. He did
well and acquired an independent and
comfortable competency and Is the grand.
father of the Miss Smith, brought to
4 Smyrna a few months ago as a bride by
I young DIR. Comegys. OF Middletown. lie
married a pretty girl. Miss Reoecca Van.
dyke. and a daughter of Jacob Van-
dyke of the levels near Townsend. in
1871. and brought her 70 the farm on the
cast side of the State road. and on the
I south side of the branch at the camr
ground already mentioned. which belong.
ed to him at the time but afterwards
owned by Or. William Cummins. II
Smyrna. and later by his son William
and now owned by a Mr.. Isaacs. The
same William Smith was one Of the few
men OF his day who had the courage OF
his convictions to run the BIaclSLlrd Iio
tel without a whiskey bar This was ir
1866 after the passage OF the Maine law
by the Legislature during the previous
winter
One. William Reynolds. who married
Miss Jane Lore. daughter Of Auley lor,
! (whom we viii notice in a future litter
and cousin Of Chief Justice Lore. moveI
house from the interior swamps. Oi
commons. as It was known at that tirie
by means Of large wagons. drawn by ST,
or eight pairs OF oxen. with a few mule
on the lead to keep them in line to IN
farm on the opposite side OF tho roal
, from the Cummins' farm last described
which was considered quite a fea; in tha
line at that time. I was quite a smal
boy at the time. (about 1s4s) but m,
father had allowed me to go with his oil,
OK driver, Robert Simpler. and his tw
yokes of oxen 20 the house moving, whicl
was quite a frolc common IN those days
for the farmers would all turn in and he'll
neighbor do any thing that no coui
not accomplish himself. They ali gath
cred at the house that was 10 be moves
carly I'm the morning and they landed III
house ON the desired spot by star ligh
before going to their big supper whlc
was waiting in the old house on the far.
I where Mr.. Reynolds son William no.
lives, below Blackbird. In my next lette
I will speak Of the next farm on tho rort
side Of the branch which In connectio
with certain John c. MoMurphy. wh
dug II out Of the bushes n 1850 tn
story viii come as near being a romsnc
in real life az could well be
William Andrew IIubill