Evening journal., 1910-01-18
HISTORIANS
VERY ACTIVE
Continued FROM First Page


ware men In the wars OF the country,
especially in the Revolutionary War. and
of the value and interest attached to keep
ing records Of these statesmen and SOL
diers. The former chancellor as a boy
spent considerable time IN playing in the
attic OF the State House at Dover. Here
he rummaged through the piles OF old
records and documents Of various kinds
Unfortunately these old papers were de-
stroyed and lost at the time the addition
was made to the building. The fate OF
these records emphasized the necessity of
new and safe place in which the Histori-
cal Society could keep invaluable docu-
ments. Such n place would keep in Della
ware many OF her historical records which
were now sent TO the Pennsylvania His
torical Society and other places for lack
Of safe deposit with the Delaware His
torical Society. Tho chief value OF a his
torlcal society was its furnishing center
from which actual, vigorous work could
be done.
/ The Rcv. Joseph Brown Turner. OF the
/ Dover Presbyterian Church was the sec
ond speaker. Mr.. Turner read from a re-
port OF the American Historical Assocla-
! llon AAdl ANMNi AlHiDAANGl ItiOAQ6 were 10
I be secured from Delaware than from any
state IN the Union, that only few records
were made. and only an occasional one
| kept so that it could be found. Mr.. Tur-
ner thought there were many such docu-
ments in Delaware, but it was true that
thoy were not kept where they we're OBJ
tainaole. lie thought this pointed to the
immediate taking Of steps for the erec-
tlon OF a new building. and that after this
was done the society should try to se-
cure the return of valuable papers that
had gone out OF the State, mentioning
among others sent out OF Delaware, the
papers OF Senator Van Dyke which had
gone TO Washington. lie emphasized the
value Of a working society above one that
cared chiefly for entertainment. The
speaker suggested a genealogy Of Della
ware families as fitting work TO be taken
up by the society.
Talk of Building.
Henry 3. Thompson devoted his speech
entirely to the new building project. lie
said that Judge Grubb's determination "a
have new building would come to be the
determination OF the whole membership
partly because OF the judges well-knowr
persistency and partly because when Del.
aware people found things were neces.
sary TO be done, they usually did them.
Among interesting relics presented tc
the society the last month as announced
by Francis II. Hoffecker chairman OF tn,
donation committee, was communion SCI
OF tho Welsh Tract Meeting donated b.
Mr.. johnson Of Newark. The set wa,
brought from Wales, lost a number O.
times, and the pitcher is still missing
Howard d. Ross announced that thu
account books of the Borough and City o
Wilmington extend I'm a broken line bacl
to 1860 and the minute books of the Bor
ough and City of Wilmington extend bacl
in an unbroken line TO III in the days o
Kin George III. The older records o
historic value might with propriety be de
3 posted in the custody Of the Historica
r Society Of Delaware for safekeeping 81
case OF the erection Of new freproo
{ building by the society.
G Former Senator Anthony Higgins sug
Q gested tho gathering OF old Presbyterian
q records, as he knew OF a number Of vaIu
able papers belonging to several churehe,