Betty's Critters - & History Views

 On Saturday, June 27, 1885, the local county newspaper, The Peninsula Enterprise , produced the local report of Jennie Hill's murder and Tom Freeman's suicide from Accomac (which was known as Drummondtown until 1892).  That article is in my first installation of this blog about  the Hill family tragedy.    On that same Saturday, The Inquirer  of Lancaster Pennsylvania, ran the article first printed on 22 June in The Atlanta Constitution , with a different headline, sub-headline, and their own final paragraph tacked on.  This is the article that tells of how Timothy Hill found the boy "William T. Freeman" on Broadway in New York, and took him to the island 12 (which this paper changes to 10) years ago.  How Jennie and "Bill" grew up together, and Jennie was sent off to school, returning at the age of 18, etc.  The new headline for the Lancaster paper's front page was:  "A CRAZED LOVER"S CRIME.  -  A Former Street Gamin of New Y...

    Snow was falling the evening of Monday, February 25, 1924 on Chincoteague, but people were still at work at 9 p.m. at the Whealton Oyster Company.  John T. Mears, who had lost his home in the 1920 fire, was the manger that night, and was helping other employees roll out barrels of oysters by hand, when two of his sons ran in.  The young men breathlessly reported that the Farmers' Manufacturing Company, which made the barrels for their oysters was ablaze - and it was next door to the Whealton Oyster Company.  The flames were spreading quickly, fueled by a steady northeast breeze.  Mears and his fellow employees managed get all of the barrels out of their shucking house just before the roof collapsed.      The fire had spread to the company docks, and the boats there met a fiery fate as well.  The flames engulfed the entire Railroad Dock and all of their buildings. Then the "Big Store" caught fire, too.  Daniel (D. J.) Whealt...

    The 1920 US Federal Census for Chincoteague (The Islands District), Accomack County, Virginia was done by Asa L. Conant.  He listed everyone residing on Chincoteague Island, Piney Island, and Assateague Island.  Unfortunately, he did not make exact delineations for Piney Island and Assateague - but there are some interesting numbers.  The "Town of Chincoteague" included 1,418 residents, who were enumerated between January 2nd and 10th.  There were 344 homes listed within the Town, holding 361 families.  On North and South Main Street, 127 homes are listed.  Clark Street had 26 homes listed, but four are without numbers.  Pension Avenue contains 20 houses, while Church Street had 55 residences.  There were 8 homes listed on Mumford Street, while Cleveland and Cropper Streets both had 15 houses each.  Jester Street also held 15 homes, while Willow Street has 55 residences listed, but 16 of them have no number attached.   ...