Kindal Batson a Sussex County Delaware Name

I recently was helping someone with their family tree and one of the people in the tree was Kendall Batson Adams.  Kendall (and Kendall was spelled every conceivable way you could think of) Batson Adams was born in 1845 and died in 1914.  He lived around Laurel, Delaware and had two wives and several children.  His descents are now from Delmar to Wilmington.  Now we know that people name their children after well known people such as Presidents (there must be thousand of people named George Washington), Generals ( after the civil war - countless people were named Robert Lee), local doctors, Mayors, politicians etc.  In Sussex County a number of men born about 1830 to 1850 had the first and middle name of Kendall Batson.   So who was Kendall Batson? 

Kendall Batson was born about 1771 and died in 1840.  He was the son of Thomas and Tabetha Batson.  He lived in Sussex County where he had a variety of jobs and occupancies.  He was the Sheriff of Sussex county, Judge, Keeper of the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse, vestryman of St. Peter's church in Lewis, he served in Capt Rodney's Company in the War of 1812 as a Sergeant and he was one of the founders of Georgetown, Delaware.  A Freemason, on June 27, 1823, a charter was granted to Franklin Lodge No.12 Georgetown Delaware by Grand Master James Derrickson, naming Caleb Layton – Worshipful Master, and there is our man Kendal Batson – being made Senior Warden. Their meeting place was the third story of the Eagle Hotel where they continued to meet until 1838.

Kendall Batson and his wife, Margret Ellis Kollock,  seem to have only produced daughters, so with no male heirs to carry on his name it is good that so many Sussex men were named after him.  It also left a number of current family tree hunters wondering why their ancester was named Kendell Batson.

The Second Japanese Raid On Pearl Harbor

Less than ninety days after the Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941 they launched a second attack on Pearl harbor.  The attack would occur on March 4^th 1942 and was called K-Operation.  It came about because of the confusion and tying up of war materials, men and money created after the Japanese had attacked the oil tank field at Elwood City, California with submarine I-17.   This Pearl Harbor attack was designed to put fear in to the American people again and with the clamoring of them for more protection in Pearl Harbor the results would confine American Warships to Pearl harbor for protection instead of having them out on the ocean hunting the Japanese Navy.

The Japanese would use two of their giant four-engine flying boats (Kawanishi H8K"Emily" ) each carrying one ton of bombs (about four bombs).  The bombers flew from Japan to Wotje (Marshall Islands) refuel than fly to the French Frigate Shoals, about 500 miles from the Oahu, Hawaiian islands.  There submarines I-15, I-19 and I-26, which had been converted to carried aviation gasoline, would refuel them for their bomb attack.  The Flying Boats would make one pass at 1 AM drop their bombs and then fly back to Wotje.

All went well until they arrived over Pearl Harbor and found low overcast clouds obscuring any chance to see the target.  They took a chance and dropped their bombs based on their best guess where their target was.  If nothing else they would let Pearl Harbor know it could be bombed at will.  Their guess as to where the target was failed.  One load of bombs fell into the sea.  The second load of bombs fell to the East of Honolulu.  The planes had been picked up by radar and by their radio messages and once again the military did nothing about it.  Instead of thinking the Japanese had attacked them the Army accused the Navy of dropping bombs by mistake and the two services argued back and forth for a day or so until bomb fragments were analyzed and it was determined it was Japanese.   The two Flying Boats returned safely to Wotje.

Mike Dixon To Speak At The Delmar Library March 9th

Mike Dixon will speak about the Mason Dixon Line http://www.dixonhistory.com/mason/ at the Delmar Library on Saturday March 9th at 11 AM. Mike is a noted historian on the Eastern Shore. He is active in the Cecil County Historical Society and writes a blog called Reflections On Delmarva Past http://delmarvahistory.wordpress.com/
and Mike's History http://www.dixonhistory.com/news/
and Windows On Cecil County Past http://cecilcounty.wordpress.com/
and Mike Dixon, Historian http://www.dixonhistory.com/

He has recently written a piece on the Delmar Library on his Reflections On Delmarva blog.

The Will Of Henry P. Lewis 1884

F:83 Henry P. Lewis Feb last 1884 "A few requests: I want to be buryed in our row on Peters Hill: Jane by the side of me: I want Kirt Evans to make my coffin: at Berlin comon plain. Sent at the same time to the Masons. I want them to burry me, have my apron and scarf put on me, have a black alapackir suit put on me; have my funnerell at the house. I want wife Gertrude Jane to hav the income of the place: as long as she remains a widow, when she marry s or dies I want the place sold and equally divided between my seven children namely: Larra E. Lewis, Julia J. Dennis. John D. H. Lewis, Riley Carrel Lewis, Jula E. Shockly, Viola P. Lewis and Corra E. Lewis. As soon as 1 am gone I want my tools and all that can be done without sold to apay the ispencis and live on the rest. I want John W. Davis to assist you - Jane in the buisnes, he is acquainted with the buisness and you will have to have some one to assist about the sale and getting things reddy. Let him now right away and let him keep informed. Tern the things to the best advantage or come as near to for you and the children. This is my prayer Take particular care of the 2 young children Ola and Cora and each of you meet me in heaven" The above will was selected from the wills that atr in the Wicomico Wills On Line at the Maryland Archives http://www.archive.org/stream/wicomicocountyma18671897kedd/wicomicocountyma18671897kedd_djvu.txt

Delmar News Feb 28 1905

Delmar News The Courier Salisbury, Maryland Feb 28 1905

A banquet was given by the Masonic Lodge in their temple Friday evening which was attended by the wives and sweethearts of the members.  Eatables of all kinds were in abundance and all had a delightful time. 

Mr. Norman L. Hayman who was injured in the railroad yard sometime ago, resumed duty this week.
Mrs. W. E. Penuell, who has been dangerously ill for the past two weeks, is greatly improved. 

A large store building, built of concrete blocks similar to those used in the construction of the First National Bank, will be erected by Mr. Veasey in front of the Bank of Delmar.

Miss Bertie Hearn, who is attending school here, visited her parents near Seaford this week. 

It has been suggested the salary of the preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church be raised from $800 to $1,000.

Considerable mud-slinging has occurred between some of the residents of Delmar through the columns of the Laurel State Register.  It was all caused by a desire to extend the town corporate limits on the Delaware side.  Naturally those who had land that was in the proposed extension objected strenuously and this resulted in considerable hard feelings. All this, however, was not justifiable in provoking the attack on “Fair Play” by the writer of the article signing himself “Clique”.  It was a discussion of public interest and not one of personality, but “Clique” overlooked this in a desire to assail the personal reputation of “Fair Play.”  He lowered himself to adopt a mere school-boy trick of his younger days .  A man’s self respect should prevent him from adopting such language as “clique” used, but self respect did not evidently out any figure in the instance.  “L” hit the nail on the head and said the least about it.  

The DHAS Facebook Page

The Delmar Historical and Arts Society now has a facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Delmar-Historical-and-Arts-Society/203977286414670

The Suicide of Mrs. Annie Wells - 1910

On Sunday Afternoon Mrs. Annie Wells committed suicide at her home near Delmar by drinking laudanum and carbolic acid.  It is understood that the suicide was the result of a quarrel with her divorced husband who visited his wife after serving a sentence in the Delaware work home.

 

From the August 27^th 1910 edition of the Courier