Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1941-08-15
BY-PRODUCTS Of LIFE
By EBEN HEARNE
No. 10

this series OF articles l have described
a number of happenings that occur
red in my life from Sept. 1873 to Au-
gust, 1890, having spent three and
one half years in the mercantile bust
ness, eleven and one half years in
teaching and around two years in the
newspaper business during that time,
After winding up my affairs con-
nected with the newspaper, 1 spent
the spring of 1890 at home engaged
at odd tasks.
In August of that year, I received
the appointment as Principal of the
high school at Laurel, the largest
town in Sussex Co., Delaware. The
performance of my onerous work in
that responsible position opened up an
entirely new avenue in my career and
demanded the best that was in me.
That was a large school; the supervis-
ion of it required tact, diplomacy,
courage and equinamity. The local
Board of Education consisted of eight
members of whom the late Joshua H.
Marvil was Treasurer. This Board
had charge of the material and finan-
cial affairs of the school,. Mr.. Mar
vii, subsequently was elected Cover
nor of the State of Delaware, while
in that position, and he died before
his term Of office expired. In the
school there were four assistant teach
ers, who with myself as Principal,
made a teaching staff of five; the
grades represented being high school;
grammar school, elementary and pri-
mary. The school building was ELI
gibly located in the southern suburbs
of the town and was surrounded by
a spacious campus and athletic field.
The number of pupils registered was
around three hundred. My pleasant
association with the teachers and the
pupils during the two years of my ten
ure of office in the school has left
many pleasant memories as the years
have passed since that distant period.
Right here / will digress and devote
a paragraph to a recital of bit of
family history.
My residence in Sussex County, Del
aware, was an interesting experience.
I was constantly reminded of the fact
that my family history is intimately
connected with Sussex County. My
great-grandfather, Lowder Hearne
and his wife, Lavinia Cannon Hearne,
were natives and were lifelong resi-
dents of Sussex County, about ten
miles from Laurel and my grandfath-
Ell and namesake, left his ancestral
home there in 1910 and settled at
Newtown, (now Pocomoke City, Nd,
where he spent the rest of his life.
Hence my father, the late DR.. John
Lowder Hearne and myself were born
and reared in Newtown.
Many of my near relatives resided
in and near Laurel and it was my
good fortune to find board and LODI
ging in the home of second cousin,
while I resided in Laurel.
Meeting many of my relatives in
their homes and constant association
with them constituted some of the
most conspicuous by-products of my
two years spent in Laurel. On one
occasion, I hired horse and carriage
(that was in the days before the au-
tomobile had been put on the market)
and accompanied by cousin, set out
on days journey to make a visit
to some relatives who lived about
eight miles to the north west of Lau-
rel. Before reaching our destination
it was necessary to cross the Nanti-
coke River and we were conveyed a
cross that river at Woodland in a
ferry-boat, which was one of the
modes of transportation in the days
before the rivers of the country were
spanned by bridges as they are at the
present day. A subsequent drive took
me to old Christ P. E. Church, the
home church of some of my ances-
tors. The church, frame building,
was built in 1772 and at the time of
my visit, the interior was the same
as when the church was erected. It
had boxed pews, with high pulpit in
the center. No paint brush had ever
touched the edifice and the timber in
side and outside Quilt of Sussex
heart pine), was as sound as when it
was first placed in position. Wooden
pegs were used instead of nails on
the inside work, and the nails used on
the outside were all hand forged. The
iron braces were made at the famous
old Hastings Forge, which the British
captured and destroyed during the
Revolutionary War. Later in the day
of that same trip we reached the home
stead of my great-grandfather, Low
der Hearne, (1753-1SO9) spoken of a.
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