Why is this person given such a featured spot in this web site? Because of a wonderful journal I discovered in a box at the Odessa, DE Library. The falling apart journal starts with some minutes for a Port Penn Club and then a title page that caught my eye….. "Susanna Elizabeth Vandergrift lineage", then the reason for this journal -- "I commenced copying this Pedigree February 16 1885." I thought this would be a great find for the Vandergrift family, but not for me since at first glance the names were not related to my family.
I worried about the book the entire weekend. It’s condition was deteriorating, and even looked like it had been lent out as a regular library book at one time. I decided to copy the pages and enter the names in my PAF program to preserve this long labor of love. Little did I know when I started, what I was getting into or that several of my ancestors would show up.
There were more than 500 names included in the journal. It must have been a real labor of love for a woman who appears never to have married and had no children of her own. Susanna Elizabeth was born 16 Dec 1843 and died 25 Apr 1930. In her forties, she decided to chronicle the births and deaths of her family. You can see the entries of the 1920s in shaky handwriting since she was approaching her eighties.
Somehow, I can identify with her passion for including all the relatives for a total picture. While I have been able to confirm many of the dates at the Delaware Archives, there is no way to double-check every entry. The journal appears to be very accurate. Information from this journal and the personal help from Susanna Elizabeth on the Price family entries for the DAR Delaware Bibles Vol. II are noted at the Delaware Archives.
Susanna’s obituary appeared in the Middletown Transcript May 1, 1930:
Miss Susan E Vandegrift, eighty six years of age, died Friday morning about 8 o'clock at her home ‘Roseland Farm’ on the road from State Highway to Port Penn. She had finished her breakfast about 7:30 and shortly afterwards retired to her bedroom. She was found dead across the bed about half and hour later by Miss Eva Vandegrift a niece of the deceased. The deceased had been in poor health for some time, but was about the house and attended the routine duties. Her death came as a shock to the members of the household. She was a sister of the late John Barr Vandegrift a prominent citizen of the Port Penn section. She made her home at ‘Roseland Farm’ with her sister Mrs. Angie Vandegrift. For years, she was very active in the Church, as was her brother also. She also was a great lover of flowers, and had a very valuable and handsome flowerbed on the lawn of ‘Roseland Farm’ which she worked and attended to herself. The funeral of Miss Vandegrift was held Monday afternoon from her home. Interment was in Hickory Grove Cemetery.
The information in Susanna’s journal helped me with the Aspril, Skeer, Ball, Jefferson, Craven, and Penington connections to my family in the Delaware area. However, the larger picture of the Vandegrift family’s impact on the Delaware area, has been invaluable. I thank this lady for her years of dedication in chronicling her family. I hope if you are related to this impressive lineage that you will thank her also.