Milford chronicle., 1958-02-14

judgment was Benjamin B. Wad-
hams who came here from Connec-
ticut. Some said that he appeared
as peddlar.
What is peddlar, Aunt Molly?
Bobby, a peddlar was a man
who travelled through the country
places selling all sorts of things
the housewives needed. He carried
his wares in big pack On his back.
Whenever he stopped at a house he
opened his bag and displayed his
stock of merchandise to the fam
lily. 1t was a great treat to people
on remote farms to have a peddlar
come
"Mr. Wadhams bought all of the
west side of Walnut Street between
Front and Second Streets, and
built two-story brick building
on the site of the present National
Bank, and a tavern on the corner
of North Walnut and North West
Second Streets, now the Mulhol-
land Apartments. This tavern was
operated by Mrs. Hetty Starr. After
"
sold all of the property to Peter
f. Causey and went to New Or
leans. Mr.. Causey sold the Starr
Tavern to Daniel Currey who mar
ried Miss Mary Polk, sister of Gov
ernor Trusten Polk of Missouri.
Peter F. Causey, who became gov
ernor in 1855, made large con-
tribution to the business life of the
town. At an early age he began a
brilliant and prosperous career in
the mercantile business on the site
of the present First National
Bank. About 1920 he engaged in the
mining of bog ore in Nanticoke
Hundred, and shipped it in his own
vessels to Philadelphia. In addi-
tion to these businesses he operated
two sawmills, tannery and griSt
mills. A lifelong member of the
Methodist Church, he was buried in
the Old Methodist Cemetery on
North Street when he died in 1871.
Another business man of inter-
est was w. N. w. Dorsey who came
here from Maryland. He was post
master through several Presiden-
tial terms and at one time justice
of the peace. When the silk worm
craze came along he engaged in
that until he had a fair nursery of
mulberry trees and cocoons. After
wards, Dorsey bought a farm and
opened a road past it which was,
and still is, known as the New
Wharf Road.
IAN early Milford physician of
prominence and popularity was DR..
James p. Lofiand who was born in
st. JONES Neck in 1898. He was a
graduate of the University of Penn
sylvania and studied in the office
of celebrated DR.. Benjamin Rush.
After taking his degree DIR. LOfland
settled in Milford and at once en-
gagged in large practice.
I'm those days there were many
homes without clocks, and since
medicine could not be given at
proper intervals without a time
piece, DR.. Lofiand used to lend his
pocket watch to those who had no
clock. 1t is said that his watch has
hung. in more homes than any other
timepiece in the county,"
But how could people live with
out clock?"
Before clocks became common
people lived by the sun and by
crude makeshifts to show the pass
ing of time.
People of early days were very
shrewd as the will of John Rails
ton shows. His son-in-law, DR.. JOS
eph Sudler, occupied the building
erected by Ralston in 1898 at the
North West corner of Front and
Church Streets, living in the
dwelling and using the shop for
his office. In his will RaIston made
provision that Sudler should pay
no office rent unless he should
attempt to bring in a bill for medi-
cal services to RalstOn or his fam
lily, in which case the rental charg-
es for the office were to become
retroactive.
I'm this same building, now call
ed the Sudler Apartments, the pio-
neer newspaper of Milford was
published by John Emerson of Den
ton. This was the Milford Beacon
whose first number was issued in
September 1848. The paper was sue
cessfully published by different
owners under the same name until
1857"
who were some of the really
famous people who lived here?"
Milford gave distinguished men
to the service of the country in
addition to five governors who
lived here"
who was the most famous man
who lived here?"
John M. Clayton is considered
Milford's most brilliant son. Born
at Dagsboro in 1896, he came to
Milford with his parents at an
early age and attended school here
in the old Academy. He was a
precocious boy, his faIorite pas
time being to make stump speeches
to the interested spectators in his
fathers lanyard. 1t is said that a
number of citizens were so i'm
pressed with his brilliance that
they urged his father to send him
to college. After completing his
course here, he went to Yale, be-
ing graduated with the highest
honors in his class, studied law
and was admitted to the Delaware
Bar in 1919. He was elected to the
United States Senate in 1928, re-
elected in 1885, again in 1845 and
again in 1853. AS Secretary of
State under President Taylor he
negotiated the Clayton-Bulwer
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