Milford chronicle., 1927-01-14

#nNw
SIHCe mat morning when L was an
en- 10 the depot and ! entered d ISll-
road car for the first time, bound loI
Philadelphia.
l belonged to an old and respec-
taDle Sussex County family. My an
cestors, Yeates and Rebekah Con-
well, sailed into Delaware Bay Oh
April 18th, 1899, and landed the loi-
lowing day, settling two miles souIn
OF what is now known as BroadKlih
Beach. Part of the original lana re-
mains In the family until the present
day.
1t will be nay aim in this address
10 be simply the mouthpiece Oh
small, pale, freckle-faced farmer Doy'
LOT such 1 was, when my story Oe-
gins, as the time 1 wish to cover Is
from April, 1861, famous as the year
IN which the Civil War began. 10
April, 1871, the year il which leII
home. From 1861 to 1871 were mem-
orable years in the history OIL our
country.
Let us look out over the world on
April 11th, 1861, now 60 wears ago.
was six years old. The greatest
world peace movement in all history
had interested every civilized natlOn
on the globe. The greatest states
men, scholars, and leaders OF man
kind were almost a unit in favor Oh
universal peace and arbitration.
1t was an age of statesmen ora
tors, authors, men of inventive Senl-
us. Human progress was never
more rapid and constructive. 1t was
the age of Gladstone, Bright, Cob
den, Hugo, Carlyle and Dickens; Oh
Bancroft, Dana, Greeley ana Hol-
land; of Gross, Pancoast, Morton
and DunglesOn; of Howe, Morse
Field and Mccormick; Of Forrest,
Booth and Jefferson and a legion OF
able earnest leaders in almost every
field of thought or action. Such men
would make any era great and II
required a great age to produce
them. When the sun had set at even
tide and night had settled over our
nation the people slept and were
cOntented and happy.
But when the rays of the rising
sun kissed the Atlantic shores next
morning, April 18th, 1861, the first
guns of the rebellion had been fired
upon Fort Sumpter, and a great
civil war was in progress. The World
Peace Movement vanished within a
day and war, like a master spirit
dominated everything.
One of our leading public school
IL ~, 81 fhn nnUnTAn IN
American history, for the succeeding
five years, does not contain single
paragraph except what pertained tc
the war of the rebellion. And dur
ing the entire ten years from 1861
to 1871 only three items, outside OF
war matters, are mentioned---the
purchase of Alaska, the Atlantic
Cable and the Pacific Railroad. Dur
ing no other ten years in American
history are current events Of prog
less SO completely ignored and over
s5nadUW ca.
With this background, OF then ex-
listing conditions, let us make
Journey from Philadelphia to Milton
Delaware. We go by vessel, and
embark from Almond or Christian
street wharf, this being the chic
method of travel at that time. The
craft. a two masted schooner, has
brought load of grain or wood, the
latter being used to furnish heat fol
locomotives and steam engines gen
orally. She carries back a load o.
merchandise.
On the way down the river ant
bay we meet scores Of vessels witt
sails spread arriving from Maine
BOSTON. London, Liverpool, Soutl
America, Cuba and the West Indies
Most of the smaller craft are loaded
with grain, wood or bark chietl!
from lower Delaware.
We arrive at the mouth Of Broad
kiln River on Thursday afternoon. l
is the second Thursday in Angus
and for a century has been celebrat
ed as "Big Thursday" when the peo
nile. for twenty miles around, come t.
enjoy a day and night at the sea
shore and have a good time il
friendly intercourse. A thousand peo
nIe line the shore. Bathing, musi
and dancing enliven the occasion.
Hundreds of covered wagons
drawn by oxen came down on Wed
naedav and remained over night
Hundreds of carriages drawn b
horses occupy the background.
am there with my parents o
older hrothers listening to the musi
of +ba violin or accordion and look
ino at the ''Virginia Reel" dance an
seeing the sights of the time honor
ed seaside picnic peculiar to Della
The Saturday following belongs t
the eolored people and white folk
are expected to stay away.
Perhaps it is "hay time" Score
of farmers can be seen moving, rak
ING and hauling hay giving ever
+bird load to the owner of tn
1oarsb Here too am I, for 1 hav
11ori,ed many days making ha
20 While the sun shone" good and he
and the mosquitoes were CONSTANT
in search of blood
we are now at the mouth OF Broad
,,iIn River and wide stretch
re1arsI, 49, lines the shore. Over in ths
bnTso l'', in front, or it's predecessor
Md Hazard, an honored citize
30 n Governor of Delaware was borl
nu "or,oToher Governor Hazard we
and 1ie-i1 he was approaching the age
manhood while washington was V
alive over yonder to the right m
~.ltT- ,,ntorna1 ancestors for five genera
tions % we're born and lived. On tn
oOnt ILLS si5o of the river my grandfatf
eaSt ca navid srpS Robbins, lived and serve
es es' class I@s-G leader in Whites Chapel fe
aSer aS SiIiI tbirty I've years. I have in my pos
over eUel;o-1 Hnia q - we'll preserved pledge of
7TSTiOal Temnerance a Society dated ed Februar