Milford chronicle., 1935-11-01

T IE aAN~ RA0NAAAbf MA0 AAWAAA NAAA AAl0AAA
that can be found, seemed to have
gotten along agreeably, as they own.
ed most of their enterprises togeth.
er, have left no trace Of being Other
than congenial and cooperating bro
theirs and partners in the numerous
adventures in which they we're con-
cerned.
In 1916 the brothers owned 4579
acres OF land and acquired the
thriving general store at the ferry,
a feet of vessels plying to the Mary
land ports and especially TO Balti-
more where they owned a candle
and soap factory, warehouses and
dwellings. one appearing In the rec
ords as situated on "Dugans Wharf =
Their vessels carried wood, bark
and all varieties Of grain and cattle
which they purchased at their store
houses on the Nantcbke and which
made il an important trading post
with the same vessels bringing back
from Baltimore the merchandise
which was quickly sold or traded for
another cargo Of local products.
Both men we're remarkable in
character and makeup and despite
the large amount Of land they own
ed and to which they continually
added, no deeds are found in the
Sussex county records passing title
TO them, a fact which is explained
by the folk lore that they were too
"close" to pay out money for record
ing fees but that, they owned the
hull country between the Maryland
line and Seaford and what they
didn't own, they claimed
The two died in the prime of their
lives, passing away within a month
Of each other. Jacob, the younger,
being the first to go when he be-
came involved in a dispute with one
Owen O'Day, one of Patty Cannon's
retainers, over the ownership of a
bee gum which O'Day had found in
the woods but which Jacob claimed
because it had been found on his
land. O'Day shot him through the
head, instantly killing him and at
once escaped and went West and
was never head of since.
This was April 10, 1S43, when he
was sixty-twO years old and had
Just planned to be married and the
cid stories have 1t that he was SUI
pervising the erection Of a mansion
on the banks of the NanticOke to
which he would bring his bride, !
when he was shot as he looked out
one of the windows. This old house !
is still standing at Woodland and
despite its age is still the mansion |
house Of the settlement. Following
this murder, Isaac died in less than I
a month, and the huge estate with /
lis many business enterprises pass
ed into the hands of LuTaney Boiling, !
4 sister, who was two years older
Than Jacob and who lived in. Balti-
more in one of the houses owned by
Ihe brothers. That both brothers and
sister must have been very close in
heir relationship is shown by the
act that the wills of both brothers
left all they had to the sister. Lur-
iney quickly followed her brothers.
however, dying one year later, all
.hree. now sresting along the banks
lf the river they loved SO well In
he quaint old graveyard at the
,hurch which adjOins the entrance
D the ferry and where their resting
3laces are plainly marked by huge
labs Of stone and where others OF
heir family are also laid.
Now for the first time deeds of the
holdings of this family begin to ap-
,ear on the records in the court
louse at Georgetown under the leg
lily famous Nicholson partition
eeds when the entire estate passed
o the nephews and nieces of the
licholsOn family and were deeds
assed from all to separate individ-
ais under a general partition OF all F
he property among the several
eirs. II is to these records thai
early all deeds to land in this sec
ion are now traced as there seem to
e no records beyond these.
Among the records filed at this
me are the wills of the two bro
hers. Jacob and Isaac, in which they !
,ft TO their friend and counsellor, /
lisha d. Cullen, then a famous
lwyer of Georgetown, my sword !
ane." a relic which Is owned by !
harIes N. Cullen, Of Georgetown,
le Sussex county member of the 6
tate Highway Commission. r
II was not until February 19, 1884, I
lat the ferry finally left the hands +
the CannOns and their heirs, the {
icholsOn family. when they passed
deed from Jacob E. Nicholson and
argaret F., his wife, to Charles NJ. Y
1lIen, Gin trust for the use of the \
commissioners Of the Levy Court Y
ad Court of Appeals for Sussex 4
,unty and their successors, and for 5
lblic use" a
This deed which was passed to I
ldge Cullen, the father of the pres
4 Highway Commissioner, was n
eceded by an act Of the Legisla- q
re on April 10. 1888. entitled "An 4
4 TO Provide for the Establishment =
a Maintenance of a Ferry Across q
e Nanticoke River at Woodland, ?
Issex County" and which set forth
rule in Section Two reading, "All II
.izens Of the State with their :,
ans. wagons and carriages. shall !,
transported across said ferry at g
times between sunrise and sum N
{, free Of charge, but the Levy el
urt Of Sussex county may pre- n
ribe tolls to be collected for fer
age Of all other persons. nj
It was not until February Z. 1884, d
wever, after getting the title to the n
.ry, that the Levy Court passed II
solutions CARRYING out the proyis-
IS Of the Act and at that time n