New Castle County ~ Levy Court and Commissioners

The act establishing Levy Courts was passed in 1736, under George II Section 3 provided "That the Justices of the Peace of the respective Counties within the Government, or any three of them, at their respective county shall meet yearly and every year for the laying of levies, together with eight grand jurymen, and the assessors or the majority of them shall meet at the Court House or Houses within the said counties, and then and there proceed to calculate and settle the public debts and charges of the respective counties, and shall settle and adjust the sums of money which ought of necessity to be received yearly to defray the charges of building and repairing Court Houses, prisons, workhouses, for destroying wolves, crows and blackbirds, with such other uses as may redound to the public service, and with power to make good deficiencies and to collect and enforce collections."

In 1757 a supplement to this act was passed authorizing the Levy Court to appoint county treasurers.

On the 14th of June, 1793, the act was amended, which provided that the Levy Court and Court of Appeals should be composed of commissioners to be elected by the people eleven for New Castle County: two from each hundred of Christiana and Appoquinimink, and one each from the other hundreds. Nine from Kent County: two from Duck Creek and Mispillion Hundreds, three from Murderkill, and one each from the hundreds of Little Creek and St. Jones. Ten for Sussex County: one for each of the hundreds.

An amendment, February 9, 1796, provides that the Court of Appeals shall receive the returns of valuation of assessors and remedy complaints, and stipulates that every freemen over twenty-one years of age should be rated, in addition to his amount, a personal tax for capital, not exceeding two hundred pounds nor less than fifty pounds.

An amendment passed on January 19, 1797, provides, in addition to these powers, authority to raise money to maintain the poor of each county in their poor-houses, for laying out, repairing, amending, supporting and erecting bridges, causeways. State and other public roads and common highways.

The first meeting of the Levy Court composed of commissioners, as at present, was held November 26, 1793, at which the following persons were present:

The following record is given as gleaned from the Levy Court records, and is somewhat imperfect, especially in the early records:

1794. James Thomas, Archibald McMurphy.
1795. Joseph England, Levi Adams.
1706. Patrick O'Flynn, Joseph Pierce.
1797. John Clark, William Poole, William Cooch, George Clark, James Haughey.
1799. Moses McKnight, William Williams.
1800. James Riddle, John Garrett, Jr., Adam Williamson, Isaac Gibbs.
1801. Thomas Mendenhall, Moses McKnight, Joel Lewis, John Vanhickle, William Cooch. John V. Hyatt, William Williams.
1802. Robert Philips, Arnold S. Naudain, John Y. Johnson, Robert Johnson.
1803. James Riddle, Thomas McClintock, John Brynberg, Caleb Way, Jacob Faris.
1804. Joel Lewis, George Clark, Jacob Faris, Francis Haughey, Thomas Montgomery.
1805. John R. Philips, Dr. David Stewart
1806. .Tames Riddle, John Brynberg, John Warner, Samuel Matier.
1807. John Harlan, Thomas Philips, Morgan Jones, Anthony Higgins, John McClintock.
1808. James Reynolds, James Crawford, John Brynberg, George Gillespie.
1809. John McClintock, James Stuart, John Harlan, Anthony Higgins, Jacob Vandegrift, James Crawford.
1811. William Phillips, James Crawford, John Lockerman.
1812. John Dixon, Charles Tatum.
1813. William W. Haslet, George Gillespie, Morgan Jones, Jacob Vandegrift.
1814. A. M. Force, Dr. Wm. Johnson, Arnold S. Naudain, John Tweed
1815. James Riddle, John Brynberg, John Torbert, Peter Hansen, William Smith, Jacob Vandegrift, William Johnson, John Tweed, George Gillespie, Arnold S. Naudain, Morgan Jones, James Glasgow.
1816. James Thompson, Joseph Roth well, Alexander Reynolds, Jonas Riddle.
1817. William Weldon, Thomas Reynolds, John Warner, Hugh W. Ritchie, Cornelius D. Blaney.
1818. Victor Da Pent, Thomas Mendenhall, Anthony Higgins, William Weldon, Jr., Jacob Faris, John Merritt, Joseph W. Cochran.
1819. William Seal, John Tweed, Thomas Baldwin.
1822. William H. Crawford, William Ferries, Benjamin Watson, Benjamin Boulden, David Penny, Benjamin Morley.
1823. Amos Saunders, John Riddle.
1824. John O. Philips, James Chambers, Charles I. Du Pont, Alexander Crawford, Henry Steel, John Torbert.
1825. Philip Reybold, John Herdman, John Janvier, Jr., Justa Justis.
1826. John Moody, Cornelius D. Blaney, Joseph W. Day, Robert Porter, Benjamin Morley, James Chambers, John C. Philips, Robert Porter.
1827. Jacob Faris, Elihu Jefferson, Jesse Boulden, Andrew P. Reading, Philip Reybold, George Springer, Peter B. Dulany, Joseph W. Day, John Herdman, William Weldon (2nd).
1828. John a Corbit, Jesse Boulden, Elihu Jefferson, Andrew P. Reeling.
1829. Thomas Vandeveer, John Gordon, James Delaplain, Peter B. Delany, John C. Corbit.
1830. Eli Biddle, John C. Clark, Nathaniel S. David, George Piatt.
1831. James Griffin, John Mathews, William H. Roberts, George Platt, Nathaniel David, John C. Clark, Eli Biddle, William H. Roberts.
1832. William H. Booth, John Elliot. James Giffin.
1833. Robert Ocheltree, James Delaplain, Jesse Boulden.
1834. John Gorden, Eli Biddle, James Giffin, William H. Roberts.
1835. Justa Justis, Elihu Jefferson, Thomas Marim, David W. Thomas, Christopher Vandegrift, Robert Ocheltree, Nathaniel Wolfe, James J. Brindley, Jacob Hooten, David Justis, Joseph Hossinger, John D. Turner, William Thompson, William Hemphill Jones.
1839. William R. Sellers, James Thompson, John Whann, Jesse Boakden, Robert Ocheltree, John P. Cochran, David W. Thomas, James Kanely.
1841. Enoch Gray, John Rice, Robert P. Robinson, David W. Gemmill, Jacob Faris, Stephen W. Stapler.
1842. Benjamin Duncan.
1843. Samuel P. Dixon, Howard Ogle, Charles C. Bigger, John P. Cochran, James v. Moore, Auley Lore.
1845. Amos Chandler, John Rice, Robert P. Robinson, David W. Gemmill, John McCracken.
1847. Rothwell Wilson, Levi B. Moore, Ashbury D. Pennington, George W. Karsner, Thomas Scott, George Deakyne.
1849. Amor Chandler, Thomas C. Bradley, David W. Gemmill, Samuel Canby, John W. Turner.
1851. John Foote, Robert Hawthorn, Charles C. Bigger, Richard W. Cochran, Thomas Middleton, Nathaniel Williams.
1853. Isaac S. Elliot, Jr., William Graves, Joseph G. Hendrickson, John Smith, George Boulden.
1855. Benjamin Garrett, Andrew Kerr, William D. Clark, James Paugus, Thomas Scott, Jacob Staats.
1856. William D. Clark.
1857. James A. B. Smith, Eli Todd, Joseph O. Hendrickson, John Smith, George Boulden.
1858. James Amor.
1859. Spencer Chandler, William McClelland, William D. Clark, Serick F. Shallcross, Levi W. Lattomus, Jacob Staats.
1861. John W. Hawkins, Gilpin P. Stidham, William W. Stewart, Louis K. Penington, Lewis Zebly.
1863. Lamont S. Dixon, William L. Deakyne, Abraham Ingram, Serick F. Shallcross, William D. Clark.
1865. Bronough M. Derringer, John W. Hawkins, A. Hollingsworth, Sylvester D. Townsend, Lewis Zebley.
1867. John P. Bellville, Samuel M. Enos, Jonathan S. Hand, Abraham Ingram, William McCelland, Robert Walker.
1889. Andrew H. Fisher, Robert D. Hicks, Milton Lackey, David M. Price, James A. B. Smith.
1871. William R. Bright, Alexander Deakyne, David Groves, Levi Bath, Serick F. Shallcross, William N. Wilson.
1873. Christian Febiger, Ferdinand Janvier, Amos Sharpless, George Jackson, Samuel H. Derrick.
1875. William R. Bright, George Medill, William Polk, Samuel Roberts, William L. Weir.
1877. James Carswell, Adolphus Husbands, William P. Lodge, Albert H. Silver, Alexander Wilson.
1879. William A. Morrison, James T. Taylor, William R. Bright, William L. Weir. William Polk, Henry H. Wells.
1881. Samuel Silver, Henry C. Mahaffy, Amos Sharpless, L. F. Ellison, Christian Febiger.
1883. Edmund Haman, George C. Rothwell, James H. Mackey, John Cheairs, James T. Taylor, Serick F. Shallcross.
1885. Henry D. Hickman, Thomas W. McCracken, Robert R. Morrison, Thomas Toy, Isaac N. Grubb.
1887. Serick F. Shallcross, George C. Rothwell, William L. Weir, Joseph Roberts, Samuel J. McCall, Howard H. Jordan.

New Castle County

Source: History of Delaware, 1609-1888, Volume I, by J. Thomas Scharf, L. J. Richards & Company, Philadelphia, 1888.