Milford chronicle., 1930-01-03


Gently by the Public Archives Com
mission of Delaware has just ap-
peared in a neatly bound little book
let under the title Of "The So-Called
Moors of Delaware" This article,
according to a brief introduction
that appears on the cover of the
pamphlet was a sketch written by
George P. Fisher which appeared as
a communication and was published
in the Milford, Delaware Herald, un-
der date of June Is, 1895.
This sketch was discovered re-
Gently by Judge Henry c. Conrad, OF
the Archives Commission, and 1t
was through him that it has appear
ed again in booklet form.
The article is particularly inter
esting to the people of Kent county
and lower Delaware and the Ar
chives Commission has been show
cred with requests for copies of the
book AS it appears in the reprinted
form, the article is as follows:
when 1 was a boy and young
man, the general impression prevail
ing in the several parts of this State
WuGIG ILLS AdSC VI PVOPAC AetN 0NN
tied was that they had sprung from
some Spanish Moors who, by chance
had drifted from the southern coast
of Spain pior to the Revolutionary
War, and settled at various points
on the Atlantic Coast of the British
colonies; but exactly where and
when, nobody could tell.
"This story of their genesis SEEM
ed to have originated with, or at any
rate, was adopted by the last Chief
Justice Thomas Clayton, whose
great learning and research gave
semblance of authority to it, and,
like almost everybody else, accept
ed it as the true one for many years,
although my father, who was born
and reared in that portion of Sussex
county where these people were
more numerous than in any other
part of the State, always insisted |
that they were an admiXture of In
dian, negro and white man, and |
gave his reason therefor-that he |
had always understood from NOke |
Norwood, whom I knew when I was |
a small boy.
NUKE 1lNGu, away bcbGh IL bA4S /
20's in a small shanty long since re-
moved, situated near what has been
known for more than a century as |
Sand Tavern Lane, on the West side |
of the Public Road and nearly in
front of the farm house now owned !
by Hon. Jonathan s. Willis, our able
and popular Representative in Con-
gress.
81 well remember with what awe
contemplated his gigantic form
when I first beheld him. My father
had known him as a boy, and new
er passed his cabin without stop
ping. He was dark, copper-coIor-
ed man, about six feet and half IN
height, of splendid proportions, per-
fectly straight, coal black hair
(though at least rs years old, black
eyes and high cheek bones.
"When 1 became Attorney General
of the State it fell to my lot to in
vestigate the pedigree of this
strange people, among whom was
Norwood. At that day Norwood was
held in great reverence as being one
of the oldest of his race. This
learned from my father, who knew
him for many years, when they Doth
lived in the neighborhood of Lewes
in Sussex county.
81 have spoken of this race as a
strange people, because l have
known some families among them
all of whose children possessed the
features, hair and eyes of the pure !
Caucasian, while in other families
the children would all be exceeding
ly swarthy in complexion but with '
perfectly straight black hair, and {
family whose chill {
iren ranged through nearly the en- t
tire racial gamut, from the perfect t
blond to at least a kuadroon mulat- S
o, and quite number who possess +
I'd all the appearance of red-hair- C
cd, freckled-faced Hibernian. a
''My investigation of their geneal- a
)gy came about in the trial of Levin g
Sockum, one of the race, upon an in b
lictment found by the grand jury of
sussex county, against him, for o
selling ammunition to Isaiah Har- tt
non, one of the same race, who was II
alleged in the Indictment to be o
rec mulatto. h
"The indictment was framed un- Y
Ter the 9th Section of Chapter 81, of a
he Revised Statutes of the State of lJ
Delaware, Edition of 1852, page I45, u
which reads in this wise: lJ
eff any person shall sell or loan le
ny firearms to any negro or mulat- 81
o, he shall be deemed guilty of b.
and shall be fined C.
wenty dollars
"The proof of the sale of quar- Fl
er of a pound of powder and a tt
ound of shot to Harmon was given L
Y Harmon himself; and in fact, ad- We
litted by Sockum's attorney. So pl
hat the only fact had to establish, al
4 cider to convict Sockum, was to &C
3cntify Harmon as being a mulatto, tie
nd to do this I had to establish my tn
roof, by member of his family,
lannon's pedigree. ed
ITO do this, Lydia Clark, who lis
wore that she was of blood kin to ne
-armon, was permitted TO testify as su
, the traditions of the family in re- sh
1ect to their origin. Harmon was a WI
oung man, apparently about five WI
nd twenty years of age, of perfect da
aucasian features, dark chestnut Sc
rown hair, rosy cheeks and hazel W.
res; and in making comparison of Ill
Is complexion with others, con- co
uded that of all the men concern tn
in the trial he was the most per- he
ct type of the pure Caucasian, and hi
, odds the handsomest man in the AT
,urt room, and yet he was alleged
be a mulatto. isl
'The witness, Lydia Clark, his no
then 81 years old, els