Chester (And Its Vicinity) Delaware County

Chester (and its Vicinity), Delaware County, in Pennsylvania; With Genealogical Sketches of Some Old Families was published in 1877 by W.H. Pile and Sons. Authored by John Hill Martin, the publication was a "limited edition to 500 subscribers". In his work, Martin provides a classic "history of" outlining the history of Chester and it's surrounding county of Delaware. Martin's personal collection is now housed at the University of Delaware. Their website provided the following biography:

"Author, editor, genealogist, illustrator, lawyer, and publisher John Hill Martin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1823. Martin, who remained single, became well known in Pennsylvania for his writings about genealogy, history, and marine insurance. His parents were William Martin and Sarah Ann Smith (b. 1801-d. 1876), and his grandparents were Dr. William Martin, Jr. (d. 1862) and Eleanor Crosby (who later married John F. Hill) and Margaret S. and William Smith, Jr. His father gave up his law practice to move to the Lungren House near Lungren Mills, which he named Lenni Mills after the Lenni Lenape Indians of Delaware. These mills later became Lenni Station, which was part of the Philadelphia, West Chester, and Media Railroad. After his father’s faltering career in the mills in the late 1820s, Martin was sent to live with his grandparents, the Hills, who lived on a farm (possibly called Martin’s Plantation) in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

When his family moved to Chester after his father was elected Secretary of the Delaware County Insurance Company, Martin returned to his parents’ home. Young Martin attended the Ridley School. At fifteen Martin was appointed a midshipman to West Point. He wrote that he was “too young and entirely unprepared for the course of education persued [sic.] at the Military Academy.” In 1841 after a checkered experience, he was asked to leave. He returned to Philadelphia where he studied law under George L. Ashmead. Martin was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1844, and practiced law until 1881. He concentrated his cases on the admiralty and insurance.

John Hill Martin incorporated his love of history and literature into his everyday life. For almost fifty years he was the legal editor for the Insurance Intelligencer (Philadelphia Intelligencer), and became an author and publisher in the 1870s. Many of his summers were spent in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. His fondness for the town inspired him to chronicle its history in a two-volume edition called Historical Sketch of Bethlehem in Pennsylvania, with Some Account of the Moravian Church (1872-1873). At the same time he wrote “Sketches in the Lehigh Valley,” which were several articles written for the Bethlehem Daily Times. Martin edited and published Historical Notes on Music in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania by Rufus A. Grider. He also published Martin’s Bench and Bar of Philadelphia (1873) and his work Chester (and its Vicinity) Delaware County, in Pennsylvania (1877). A member of the Moravian Historical Society and the Pennsylvania Historical Society, he bequeathed many of his papers to the latter. By 1897 Martin lived in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He died in 1906."

The copy I'm presenting today is extremely special. It not only is signed by the author but also was a gift presented to Rear Admiral Peirce Crosby by John Hill Martin. Both their signatures appear in the book. Attached throughout the book are handwritten notes by both John Hill Martin and Admiral Crosby outlining the the Crosby family history contained within the book.

Peirce Crosby (16 January 1824 – 15 June 1899) was an rear admiral in the United States Navy, whose active duty career included service in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. Rear Admiral Peirce Crosby died at Washington, D.C., on 15 June 1899 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The destroyer USS Crosby (DD-164) was named after him.

In addition to these famous people, my own ancestors appear in the book. Mentioned is Thomas Horne and his proprietorship of a Tavern in Delaware County. Not much but a nice little glimpse into his life.