Crime in 1938

GEORGETOWN DEL., April 14. - Reuben J. Holden, Little Creek District, charged with selling alcoholic liquor without a license, March 20, to Thomas Ross, a negro, representing the Delaware Liquor commission, pleaded guilty in the Court of General Sessions here and was sentenced to serve six months in the Sussex County prison.  Elmer Hearn, who was jointly indicted with Holden, was released having plead not guilty.  Deputy Attorney General Caleb M. Wright nolle prossed the case against Hearn.  Frank Baynum, of Delmar, convicted by a jury with committing an assault on Sherwin Williams, by shooting Williams in the stomach, March 31, was given a two year sentence in the county prison.  The jury returned a verdict of assault with intend to murder.  this some what mitigated the alleged crime and had a bearing on the sentence imposed. Baynum claimed self defense.

Above from the Worcester Democratic Messenger April 14, 1938


Reuben J. Holden, was Reuben David Holden (1898-1956)  well known Delmar bootlegger, restaurant, dance hall owner and pool hall owner, made the news often on charges from selling liquor to wife beating to  fights to leaving a dead mule unburied for over 24-hours, after getting out of jail on his april charge he would be arrested again for the same thing, this time however his German police dog bit the revenue agent.  Holden had worked for the railroad in the 1920s until getting into a fight. He was the son of Elijah and Louisa Holden and was born in Pocomoke City Maryland.  His wife was Minnie.

Thomas Ross Mr Ross was used as a buyer of liquor in the 1930s he is cited in a number of cases in Sussex county

Elmer C. Hearn (1884-1960) son of John and Elizabeth Hearn, was a mechanic, stayed in some alcohol related problems, moved to Chester PA

Sherwin Williams - no information


Frank Baynum is misspelled he is Frank Bynum, son of Robert and Sarah Wood Bynum of Delmar.  Mr. Bynum was 19 at this time and in a crap game with Sherwin Williams when they got into an argument and Frank shot Sherwin with the bullet hitting Sherwin's belt buckle deflecting the bullet causing it to lodge in his leg instead of his stomach.

1941 Delmar Hornets

Notice there is not a uniform uniform

Back row; John Wingate, Clarke Cugler, Russell Kerely, Austin Crockett, Bill Pederson
Center Tommy Young
Front row: Evert Pederson Dick Moore, Jobey Hearn, Ray Hollis, Bill McCain

Some 1938 Teenagers

back row De Alton Powell Jimmy Truitt
front row Mary Tomlinson, Alma Ellis, and Ruth Green

From Tommy Young collection

And The Decline begins

Two local businesses have recently closed in Delmar. The Five to a Dollar Store operated by Harry Hudson on Railroad Avenue was followed by the closing of the Rosalie Jean Woman's Shop, owned and operated by Mrs. Joseph Whelpton, on State street.

Templeton's Jewelry Store, also on railroad avenue, will soon close, according to the owner, M. R. Templeton.

Above from The News Journal August 4th 1952

Truck Farms and Why They Were Called Truck farms

TRUCK FARM - "Many people share the notion that a 'truck farm' is a farm close enough to urban centers that its produce may be transported by truck to the city. However, there is no connection whatever between truck farms and motor transportation. Long before motor trucks were even dreamed of - at least as far back as 1785 - the word 'truck' was used to mean garden vegetables intended for sale in the markets. In fact, we have here an excellent example of the confusion that can develop from homonyms - words which are identical in spelling and pronunciation but very different in meaning. Often, to unravel the complexities, one has to go back to the root of each word. In this case, the 'truck' that is a vehicle for transporting freight comes from the Greek word 'trochos,' meaning 'wheel.' However, 'truck' meaning originally any commodities for sale and, later, garden produce for market comes from an entirely different root, 'troque,' the Old French word for 'barter.'" From "Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988).

Robert P Johnson 1944

1944

1968

Class of 1944 Delmar Maryland

Standing L to R: Faye Roswell, Malcom Northrup, Tresa Nock, Horace Waller, Dorothy Lyons, George Hearn, Mary Hearn, Billy Sparrow, Mary Jane Baker, William McCain, Genevieve Sparrow, Wayne Roberts, Doris Howard,

Seated L to R: Doris Dennis, Kathryn Donnelly, Audrey Berman, Phyllis Elliott, Dorothy Mae Vincent, Doris Layfield, Mary Lee LeCates, Gertrude Young, Lola Taylor.

June 1, 1944 Graduation Exercises at the Delmar Theater

Note: Is the shortage of boys due to the war?

What Is It?

It is a skirt lifter.  When ladies in the 1850 would go walking they had skirt lifters so their skirts would not drag in the mud.

Monday Wash Day Blues

Monday was a traditional day for washing clothes.  In Delmar, in the days of coal powered engines, it was one of frustration.   The women would be hanging out clothes as the trains were formed up and the shifters were going full blast.  Smut and cinders would be dropping all over town.  When I replaced the roof on the original house that had stood here for close to a hundred years, the attic and contents were covered in black soot and dirt, which I attributed to the railroad since I am only a block away from the tracks.

Note neither picture is of Delmar both were pulled off internet

DELMAR APPLAUDS DIESEL ENGINE
Replacing Coal Burners, They have Rid Town Of Smoke Clouds
DELMAR, Del -May 17 - For the past four days Diesel locomotives have been taking the place of the old coal-burning engines in both freight and passenger service of the Pennsylvania Delmar Division, and for the first time in many years, Delmar is free of its overhanging clouds of smoke and dirt.
T. M. Goodfellow, division superintendent, said that the change from steam was due to the railroad strike, settled yesterday.  The soft coal mines in the western Pennsylvania territory were affected by the tieup and diesel engines operating in that area were assigned to Eastern territory.  With the end of the railroad strike these engines are being returned to their regular runs.
Long Range plans of the railroad call for the eventual dieselization of the Delmar division.
Above from News Journal May 17 1950.

A Few ads

1925

1941

1944

1968

1947

Aris Kenney Hit By Electricity - 1938

LIFE OF DELMAR R R MAN SAVED BY RUBBER SOLES

DELMAR, Del. – Jan 29 – Although 4400 volts of electricity coursed through his body, Arras Kenney, 50 years old, Negro section hand, is still alive and expected to recover from the severe burns  of the head and body he suffered.

Kenney, a veteran of the Pennsylvania railroad section gang, was helping make repairs to a railroad electric line when he came into contact with the live wire and fell to the ground.

Physicians who attended him said rubbers he was wearing saved his life.

Above from the News Journal 29 January 1938

Aris Kenney (abt 1885 – 1963) was the son of Samuel R. and Hester A. Tenson Kenney.   He married Bertie and they had as children; Hazel, James, Matthew, Thomas, and Odessa.  They lived in Delmar Delaware and Woodlawn.  His parents lived west of Delmar. 

1963

A Park Bench

an ideal from the Pacific southwest railroad museum
The Town of Delmar in the past has made various attempts at putting benches down town for people to sit on.  They usually ended up vandalized or tossed thru a shop window so the town gave up on the idea of benches.  This however is a clever idea and looks like it would be difficult to vandalized - but they always find  away to do it.

Delmar Women Working On The Railroad

Above article from the Salisbury Times 10 August 1943

Due to the shortage of men during World War Two, women were hired at the Delmar yard to clean trains.  The women were both Black and White.  Trains were serviced in the Delmar yard and part of the service included cleaning of box cars, cleaning passengers cars and cleaning locomotives. Women were used for the cleaning. There would be 15 or so locomotives in the yard at one time. 

1944ad 

Delmar Baseball Club of 1912

First Row William Cannon, Arthur Sturgis, Walter Hastings, R. K. Penuel, Charles Truitt, Clarence Lowden

Second Row; M M Pote, Coach; Royce Hancock, Eber Roberts, George Ellegood, Frank Robinson, Manager; William Baldwin, Rennie Culver, unidentified

Storing Vegetables For The Winter

One method used for storing vegetables for the winter was to bury them.  Certainly I know this method was used outside of Delmar on farms and I suspect it may have also been used in town after all this was a time when people had chickens, hogs and horses in their backyard. During WW1 and WW2 a lot of pressure was put on town people to have Victory Gardens and with that came a whole supply of techniques to store the vegetables in the winter.  Recently Bob Jones on his facebook page Worcester Cty, Md History had a post about such a method.

Storage in the earth: Another thing Daddy used to do in the early fall was build a kiln. This was done by digging a hole in the ground, approximately four by four feet, maybe 18 to 20 inches deep — not too deep because water could spring in. The pit would be lined with old boards or old tin, tin being best because that would help keep the rodents out. After this was done, you would line the kiln really well with pine shats. After this was done, you would store your cabbage, turnips, and potatoes — usually red skins for they kept better. Cover the top with more boards, leaving a opening in the side for a small door so you could reach in and take out your vegetables as needed. You would pile dirt on your kiln, approximately 1 to 2 feet deep, surrounding all of it except for your little door. This would keep your vegetables from freezing in the winter. You would usually build your kiln near the house so if the weather turned bad with snow, ice, or extreme cold — you never had to walk too far. Other parts of the country have more elaborate systems than this, and are often called root cellars. We kept sweet potatoes, sometimes apples, in a vacant room upstairs near the chimney.

Some people would store their turnips etc in bushel baskets of sand and store those baskets in their garage or stable.

The building of these hole in the ground root cellars at time were quite complex and each person seem to have their own technique and opinion as to what was the best way.

below is a method suggested by the National war Garden commission (1918)

and this article from abt 1903 explains the same principles

A Visit To The President 1950

Above is the appointment page for May 20 1950 for President Truman.

The Armed forces Day parade was the first parade that was combined for all armed forces prior to that each branch of service had a separate day for their parade.

Although the reason is not known, Ann Hall Carvel (daughter of Governor Carvel) took a group of friends with her to see the President.  Included in the friends are two people from Delmar; Imogene Gordy and Joseph H. Whelton (probably misspelled Whelpton)  both were teachers at Laurel schools.  It does not indicate they were invited to lunch.

Feeding The Passengers

In WW2 large passenger trains stopped in Delmar carrying 300 to 2000 passengers.  The cars would block the streets as far south as Chestnut street.  There were only three possible restaurants in town to feed them plus the dinning car.  There was Seth Ellis, Howard Nichols, and a place on Grove street, not nearly enough to feed the crowd.  The women in Delmar use to make sandwiches and go down to the end of East, Elizabeth and Chestnut street to sell chicken sandwiches for a quarter.  

The Cotton Barrel

In the early 1800s a woman might use a cotton barrel to keep her thread clean.

and if she had money she might have a fancy sewing chest as this one below to keep the cotton barrels in

A typical Victorian sewing box would be just big enough to keep all of a woman’s sewing tools. Inside, you’d find a needle book with a large range of sizes, along with an assortment of thread made of cotton, linen, and silk, plus buttons formed from shells, acorns, wood, and metal. Sewing implements included different types of shears and scissors, a pin cushion and needle emery, a jar of beeswax, and a folding measure or measuring tape. Some boxes even housed tools to make lace or square cords. In the 1880s the bamboo sewing basket became popular and were used thru the 1930s

The Delmar to Cape Charles run 1944

above 1944 Salisbury Times

The conductor (the one on the right) is Walter Lee Elliott (1885-1951) of Delmar.  He married Helen Green and they had as children; Mary, Ada, William and Phyllis.  At this time he was blind in his right eye and had cataracts in the other eye.  He was a conductor on the Delmar to Cape Charles run. 

The brakeman (on the left); Littleton (Lit) Franklin Taylor (1888-1968)  also of Delmar, was born in Parksley, Virginia.  His parents would move to an area south of Pocomoke known as Beaverdam.  There he would find Winifred (Winnie) C. Hill and they would marry about 1914. 

Littleton's parents Revelle J Taylor and Sallie Justice Taylor ran the store and postoffice at Beaverdam.  Beaverdam was a cross road (well really one road that crossed the railroad track), it had a railroad siding and the store would sell tickets on the railroad.  

Sallie Taylor was the last and longest lasting postmistress.  The Postal Department would close the Beaverdam Post Office in 1933 and combine it with the Pocomoke Post Office. Sallie Catherine Justice (Justis) Tayor born 1868 to Isaiah W. Justice and Margaret Justice.  She married Revel (Revelle)  James  Taylor (1862 to 1907) on 5 Jun 1887 in Mappsville, Virginia.   Revel J. Taylor father was the son of Socrates Taylor and Margaret Taylor .  Revel Taylor was Post Master in Beaver Dam but died in 1907.  His wife Sallie took over the job.  Revel Taylor is buried in New Church. Revel and Sallie had as children; Littleton, Katie, Margaret and Auston.   Sallie died in 1951 and is also buried in New Church.

Of interest; Revel James Taylor’s father, Socrates F. Taylor died in 1904. He left all his property to his wife, except for two feather beds, one of which was given to his son Revel and the other to his son Wilbur.

But we are getting off track, Littleton married Winnie and they had as children; Agnes W., James Littleton, Howard Franklin, Margaret Hill, Mabel A., Lola Mae, and Virginia.  All had interesting lives, but we have to single Margaret out because shortly after graduating Delmar High school in 1939 she came down with infantile paralysis.  After not doing much in life she went to training in 1949 with the Maryland Rehabilitation.  She was able to find a job at Koontz Creamery in Salisbury where her brother also worked.  She married James Moses Carlisle in 1950.  She was office manager at a couple of companies later.  She would die in 2004.

Louis W. (Nat) Adkins Retires in November 1961

Louis  William Adkins (1896-1978) son of Nathaniel and Sallie Adkins.  Served in WW1, member of the fire department.  His wife died in December 1977.

So if he was named Louis William Adkins why was he called "Nat"?

above 1970

Della Dougherty Bus Driver 1953

above from the Salisbury Times 09 Sep 1953

In September of 1953 Della Daugherty started her 21st year as a school bus driver on Bus #17 of the Delmar Salisbury run. She was a strong member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and active in church.  She ran a guest house in the summer and the bus route in the winter.  Her husband was Edward Bloxom Daugherty a railroad man.  She died in 1966

Samuel Harrison Jones- Railroadman and WW1 Veteran

above S H Jones 1958

Harrison Jones (1889-1966) was one of those railroad people that participated in the affairs of the town of Delmar.  He was born in Greenbackville, Virginia to Samuel Miles Jones and Rose Ann Timmons in 1889.  He went to work for the railroad in Cape Charles in 1907 as a fireman making $1.47 a day for a 12 hour day.  He was transferred to Delmar in 1910.  He married Anne Jester (1895-1940) from Jesterville, MD (Tyaskin).  Her father Wilfred Richardson Jester and mother Ida C. Jester had moved to Delmar about 1910 to run a retail store.   She taught school in Wicomico County and was a graduate of Western Maryland College.  She was active in the New Century Club being a president of the club.  Mr. Jones went to war and was in Europe from Jul 1918 to April 1919.  With his military service he became commander of the Delmar American Legion.  On Armistice day he would lead the parade on horseback followed by a 25 piece band and the town cannon.  Speaking of band, he played the trombone in the Delmar Band. His wife would die in 1940 from gas inhalation.  Mr Jones came home after a 12 shift and found her dead in a gas filled kitchen of their home.  In 1944 he would marry again this time to Georgia Guthrie (1903-1988) of Delmar MD. Georgia Guthrie Jones  graduated Delmar MD High school in 1919, in 1921 she attended the Maryland Normal school in Baltimore.  She was a long time teacher at Delmar Jr/Sr High school. In 1958 after 51 years with the railroad Harrison Jones retired. In 1966 he died.  In 1988 Georgia G. Jones would die of cancer.

Guns in Schools 1943

DELMAR - The Opportunity Class of the Delaware school has on display a group of firearms collected by Richard Nichols.  The firearms date from the Colonial period up to the rifle used today.  There are muskets, pirate guns, Japanese swords, German shells, one 75-millimeter shell and a 37-millimeter shell. These firearms were loaned by Howard Nichols and S, Harrison Jones.

Above from the Morning News (Wilmington DE) 0 May 1943

Nichols and Truitt Restaurant 1925

Above from the Evening Times (Salisbury) 21 Feb 1925

The Nichols part of the Restaurant was Howard Beauchamp Nichols. The restaurant was originally opened in 1906.  For 37 years it was open 24 hours a day to catch the railroad traffic.  In 1943 in spite of overwhelming railroad traffic they had to cut back to 6am to 10pm because they couldn't find people to work in it.

Bob Maddux and Bobby Smith 1947

Delmar Station 1957

Olivia Wooten First PGH Patient

The first patient admitted to Peninsular General Hospital in Salisbury when it opened on October 4th, 1897 was Olivia Wooten, 20 years old, of Delmar.  At that time the hospital had 14 beds.   The hospital was founded by Dr George W. Todd who was born on a farm outside of Delmar.

Oliva Virginia Truitt (1867-1965) had just married Elijah William Pargen Wooten (1877-1950).  Elijah was an engineer on the NY P & N Railroad.  They lived on Pine street and has as children; Blanche, Marion, and Myrtle.

H Brewington Bandleader

April 1946

Referred to as “H”,  Henry Fulton Brewington was a popular musician and bandleader of the 1930s and 1940s on the Eastern Shore.  He played all over Delmarva and when not leading a band played trumpet, guitar, and piano.  A few months after this April advertisement he would die from an illness in September 1946. His parents were State Senator Marion V. Brewington (one of the organizers of the Wicomico News) and Margaret Fulton.  His mother would die 36 hours after Henry’s death.   His wife was Virginia Bozman.  They had a child Henry Fulton Brewington, Jr who would die at 51 years of age in 1997. 

Sergeant James R. Truitt, 1944, 19 Year Old

The Bi-State Weekly, August 25, 1944

INFORMED OF SON'S DEATH

Mr and Mrs. Larry W. Truitt, Delmar, Del. have received a telegram from the war dept. informing them that their son, Sgt James R. Truitt,19, died August 4 from wounds received in action in France on July 11.

Sgt Truitt enlisted in January 1941 and had been overseas since October of 1942 as a member of the 29th division. He trained in both England and Scotland before participating in the invasion of France. In a recent letter home he informed his parents that he had been awarded the "Expert Combat Infantryman" badge.

Before enlisting Sgt Truitt attended the Delmar Maryland High School and was very active in sports.

Besides his parents he is survived by one sister, Mrs William Livingston, Salisbury, MD, and four brothers, George B. Truitt, Charles M. Truitt, Delmar; Sgt Louis H. Truitt serving in Italy; and E. Russell Truitt, S-2-C stationed in Oklahoma.

Sergeant Truitt is on the honor stone at the American Legion.


A Monument in the St Stephen (Mt Olive) cemetery to Sargent Truitt.

Sergeant James R. Truitt, US Army, 115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division is buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery in Cambridge England. The Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial site in England, 30.5 acres in total, was donated by the University of Cambridge. The cemetery contains the remains of 3,812 of our military dead.

To find the location of a military person who was buried overseas you can go to the American Battle Monument Commission click on which war they died in and enter their name.

Lefty Clunn Comes To Delmar Again

DELMAR AFTER CLUNN

Delmar Team Makes Reading Twirler Offer For Season

Delmar, Del. – June 23^rd – The Management of the Delmar Baseball team sent a message to “Lefty” Clunn, of the Tri-State team, last night, making an offer of $30 per week and all expenses for three months.  Clunn has twirled for the locals for the past three seasons, and during his career here has lost but one game.  It is thought he will get his release from the Reading management and return here.

Above from the Morning News (Wilmington) June 24, 1914

Floyd Clunn (1886-1961) was from Millville, NJ.  He was widely known in the baseball world in the early 1900s.  As the above article says he had played for Delmar before.  He played football and baseball and in between he worked for the railroad.   He started playing pro ball in southern New Jersey and was picked up by the New York Yankees but was then sold to the Bridgeport (Ct) Mechanics team where he played from about 1910 to 1911 as “Chalky” Clunn.  After he left the New England league he played in the Tri-State League of Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey under the nickname “Lefty” Clunn.  He was a left handed pitcher and he played on just about every team in the Tri-State League.  In 1915 he went with the Western League and played part of a season for the Topeka (Kansas) Savages.   In July of 1915 he left the Topeka team to go back to Millville and marry Edith. They had  sons named Floyd, Jr., Howard and Charles  He liked to draw and work in his garden and after leaving baseball he ran a framing shop and garden center in Millville.

above from the Topeka State Journal April 30 1915

1939 Delmar MD Soccer Team

Dealton Powell, Billy Morris, Carl Wilkins, *Howard Poulson, Lloyd McClaine, Mr Mills
*James Truitt, Jimmy Hitchins, Wilson Davis, Howard Phillips, Tommy Young
George Nichols, Howard Wingate, Mike Kerekesh, Henry Ryall, Wilmer Brittingham

*died WW2

1940 Postcard St Georges Church Rally Day

Charles and Granville Brittingham 1952

Charles Horace Truitt

Charles Horace  Truitt (1885-1956) was the son of William C. Truitt (1853-1916) and Laura Alice Parker Truitt (1853-1932) .  He was born in Cape Charles, Virginia and was the first recorded baby born in Cape Charles.  His father worked for the railroad.  When he was four years old his father was transferred to Delmar. Together they ran a coal and ice company in Delmar while the father continued to work on the railroad.  He was always a great baseball fan and did not miss a world series game on the East Coast since 1903. He played professional baseball with the Eastern Shore League from 1905 to 1925.  He was manager of the Delmar Railroad team in 1923. He also played in the old Tri-State league in Wilmington either with the Wilmington Peaches or Wilmington Chicks team.  He was a pitcher.  In 1907 he married Laura Helen Lowe (1886-1962). 

above in 1921

After 20 years with his father in Coal and Ice business he took a job as the first manager of the New Sunoco station in Delmar.   In 1932 he was appointed Deputy Sheriff of Wicomico County under Sheriff G. Murray Phillips.  Truitt and his wife moved into the living quarters at the county jail in Salisbury.  While Deputy he had a number of adventures in up-holding the law and was not afraid to use his gun.  One interesting event he was involved in was the flogging of Clarence Bell.  Mr Bell had been found guilty of beating his wife and Judge Joseph Bailey sentenced him to 30 lashes.  Wicomico county had never done a whipping so they had to call the Sheriff in Sussex county for advice on how to do it.  Flogging was routine in Sussex County.  It becomes unclear in newspaper accounts as to who did the flogging.  In one account it was said Sheriff Phillips did it, in another account, it said Phillips had been sick and he gave the whip to Deputy Sheriff Truitt to handle the flogging.  Whichever way it went down Truitt was involved. 

above in 1934

Deputy Truitt took some course at Washington College and played ball at the college. By 1934 he was ready to run for Sheriff again.  This time he won and had a salary of $3,000 a year plus expenses.  He would be sheriff from 1934 to 1938.  Afterward he would attempt a couple more runs at election to sheriff but never succeeded.  In 1937 the new Wicomico county penthouse jail was opened on top of the courthouse in Salisbury.  The Truitts moved into the living quarters there.  Mrs. Truitt worked as baliff in the courthouse.  In his World war two draft registration he writes he is blind in one eye.

above in 1950

After the Sheriff Job he worked at the state controller office.  His wife and he continued to attend baseball games though out the region sometimes traveling a couple hundred miles a day to see three games.  He has a stroke in the 1950s and would die in 1956.

World Fair Cookbook 1939

Delaware is down for peach pies