Statewide County DE Archives History - Books .....Advertisement And Preface 1870 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/de/ ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 10, 2007, 1:39 am Book Title: A History Of The State Of Delaware ADVERTISEMENT. FROM the smallness of the State of Delaware, both in population and territory, and the few (even of Delawareans) who manifest any interest in its affairs, the author has been compelled to issue this work in numbers of thirty-two pages each, at thirty cents per number, supposing in that manner it would be placed more easily within the reach of a greater number of subscribers. They will be issued, about every three weeks, and can be procured either of the author, at Wilmington, Delaware, of Mr. John Campbell, No. 740 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, or of the bookstores in the City of Wilmington. By forwarding the money by mail to the undersigned at Wilmington, Delaware, the numbers will be sent in any direction free of postage. Back numbers will always be furnished. The usual discount made to dealers. As many of the subscribers to the work appended their names about four years ago, expecting to be supplied with the History at that time, it may have escaped the memory of some of them. Should any wish to cancel their subscription from this cause, they will please, by some means, inform the author. FRANCIS VINCENT. WILMINGTON, DEL. PREFACE. THE author has no other apology to make for undertaking the present work, than that in the course of two hundred and thirty-eight years, (the period of time that has elapsed since the first settlement was attempted of the territory that now constitutes this State,) no other person has thought proper to write it before him. Delaware has a history that every citizen should be proud of. It is many years older than that of her great sister, Pennsylvania. Yet how few Delawareans there are who can tell who settled or governed it, who fought its battles in the Revolution, who passed its laws, what they were, or the circumstances under which they were enacted, or the social and political changes that have from time to time occurred within their State. The want of a relation of these transactions in a book easy of reference, has made this ignorance of our State affairs a general ignorance. This work is designed to remedy this, and to place it m the power of all Delawareans to obtain a knowledge of the past occurrences of their State, that may desire it. All the author aims at, is to plainly, truthfully, and succinctly, detail what has transpired, or may in any way relate to the history of Delaware, in a manner that may be understood by all. The difficulties of writing a correct History of Delaware can hardly be conceived by any who have not undertaken it. In addition to the extreme lack of historical interest in relation to their State manifested by many, even of our best citizens, no care has been taken of our records. In 1722 they were all destroyed by the burning of Major John French s house, at New Castle. In 1777 they were captured and carried to New York by the British after the battle of Brandywine. Many of them were never returned, and what were, were stowed away in an outhouse, and afterwards nearly all burnt by a gentleman's servants, (to light fires,) who were ignorant of their value. Others have been lost by the carelessness of our different state and county officers. In moving the Kent county records from the State House in Dover (where many of the officers of Kent county were) to the newly erected county buildings a few years since, a large quantity of valuable matter that would have thrown light on our State history was carted away, and cast out as rubbish. A. number of valuable letters and manuscripts belonging to Thomas M. Rodney, Esq., consisting of letters of his great uncle, the celebrated Caesar Rodney, in relation to the days of the Revolution, were stolen some few years since. Many of our former most distinguished families have now no representative left in the State, and their papers that would have thrown light on our local history are not to be found. The descendants of others who reside here have parted with every manuscript and letter, having in many cases presented them to New England autograph collectors, amongst whom such things are preserved and valued. No care has ever been taken in our public libraries to preserve any works in relation to this State, and every rare work, not purchasable, the author has been compelled to procure from the libraries of Philadelphia and New York. From this our readers can imagine the difficulties there will be in writing a history of our State; especially after its grant by the Duke of York to William Penn-a few years after which grant we first had an independent government-and our affairs ceased to be registered anywhere out of our own limits. This State having been first discovered by the Dutch, and the first settlement made by them and the Swedes, its early history must necessarily be found in those languages. These two nations inhabited the Delaware between them, and struggled for mastery, until finally the former reduced the latter to subjection. The Dutch officials on the Delaware sent a regular account to New York of every matter of interest. The New York officials sent copies of those accounts to Holland. The Swedes on the Delaware sent accounts to Sweden. These several accounts, both Dutch and Swedish, have many of them been preserved either in the original manuscripts, or by record in books, and it is from these records and cotemporary works, written by Dutch and Swedish authors, that we are enabled to get a minute and circumstantial account of our early history. The Dutch records by the liberality of the State of New York have been translated into English, by Broadhead and O'Callighan, and published in thirty large volumes. Among these records are the letters of Hudde and Beekman, both of whom minutely record the occurrences on the Delaware. The correspondence of the latter, who was governor of the territory of the northern side of the Christiana, is especially valuable, containing, as it does, a succinct record of the events in the territory that now comprises this State from 1659 to 1664. The Swedish documents, from which we extract our principal information in relation to Swedish affairs, were furnished by Mr. Russell, our former minister to Sweden, to the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia. they were translated and published several years ago in the Register of Pennsylvania. One of the most useful (though also, in some instances, one of the most inaccurate,) of Swedish works is that entitled, "A Short Description of the Province of New Sweden, by Thomas Campamus, of Holme," printed at Stockholm in the year 1702, under the patronage of Charles the 12th. Delaware, from the time of the subjugation of the Swedes, in 1655 to 1682, (when it was conveyed to Penn,) being but a sub government to New York, her history up to that time, as well under the English as under the Dutch, must be looked for mainly in the records of that State. Nicholas, Lovelace and Andross, the deputy governors under the Duke of York, (who was the proprietor of this State, and afterwards granted it to Penn,) had regular accounts sent on to them of the affairs on the Delaware, where they were carefully recorded. Our own records (with the exceptions of a few deeds and wills) do not extend further back than 1674, when Andross was governor. They are contained in three books in the Prothonotary's office at New Castle, and at least one of them is a copy from the records of New York. The author designs that this work shall contain a narrative of Delaware events from its first discovery until the end of the year 1869. The plan of the work will be to give every public event, the essence of all important laws passed, the names of the governors, the legislators, and other important public officers. The different census, and the number of votes cast, and the majorities at the various elections, and the principles and objects of the various political parties that have existed in the State. With this declaration of the object of the work, he issues his first volume, which is now written in hopes it will meet the approbation and patronage of the citizens of Delaware. As the second volume is not yet written, he should be pleased if any who have any letters, manuscripts, documents or books, that will throw any light on the past history of Delaware, would loan them to him for a perusal. They will be faithfully returned. Since the above was written the author has added two chapters to the work, more than he at first intended. The first giving an account of the boundaries of the State and its Counties, and their extent, as well as a short description of its surface, harbors, bays, rivers and creeks; the other, a description of its geological formation. He has done this, supposing that the information conveyed would cause the historical portions of the work, when they came to be read, to be better understood. Additional Comments: Extracted from: A HISTORY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, FROM Its First Settlement until the Present Time, CONTAINING A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST DUTCH AND SWEDISH SETTLEMENTS, A DESCRIPTION OF ITS GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. BY FRANCIS VINCENT, WILMINGTON, DEL. PHILADELPHIA: JOHN CAMPBELL, NO. 740 SANSOM STREET. 1870. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by FRANCIS VINCENT, in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States, in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. HENRY B. ASHMEAD, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER, 1102 & 1104 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/de/statewide/history/1870/ahistory/advertis2gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/defiles/ File size: 10.1 Kb