Samuel Waters
Samuel Waters was an elderly African American man who spent the last eight years of his life living in the New Castle County Hospital (Almshouse), from the age of 72 until his death at age 80 from tuberculosis, on August 31, 1928. There is very little that can be said about him with certainty, as there were several individuals of this name (Waters is a common African American surname) and about this age who lived in New Castle County during the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to determine which of these gentlemen is the one buried in the NCCH Cemetery. Samuel Waters was buried under marker #2009.
We can rule out Samuel Wesley Waters, 1851-1910, who was the son of the Rev. Samuel Griffin Waters, a well-known and highly-respected minister of the Delaware African Methodist Episcopal (Colored) Church. Samuel G. Water, the elder, was married at different times to both Henrietta Fountain and Latitia (unknown maiden name) and had many children, including sons named Joseph and Samuel, and a daughter named Mary Latitia, who married Rev. William H. Coffey, a very influential church leader who worked in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
One of the other individuals named Samuel Waters lived in Middletown, Delaware. In the 1900 census for Middletown, we find this Samuel Waters, born in April of 1850 in Maryland, living with his wife Mary, also 50, and their three daughters and two grandsons. This is probably the same couple who are mentioned in the Delaware land records [I admit I find great difficulty deciphering the handwritten land records for Delaware].
Another individual named Samuel Waters lived in Representative District 13 (south of Wilmington, running northeast to southwest). In the 1920 census we find this Samuel Waters, age 71, born about 1849 in Virginia, living with his wife George Anna, age 53, and their son Dennis, age 18. From various obituaries, it seems that Dennis had a brother named Jerome Waters and a sister named Linda White. It isn’t clear if Jerome and Linda were also the children of this Samuel and George Anna. Typically, there are no birth records to confirm the information.
Additionally, there was a man named Samuel Waters who lived in or near Wilmington who was written up in the newspapers on a number of occasions for minor infractions of the law.
For more information about people named Samuel Waters, click HERE.
We can rule out Samuel Wesley Waters, 1851-1910, who was the son of the Rev. Samuel Griffin Waters, a well-known and highly-respected minister of the Delaware African Methodist Episcopal (Colored) Church. Samuel G. Water, the elder, was married at different times to both Henrietta Fountain and Latitia (unknown maiden name) and had many children, including sons named Joseph and Samuel, and a daughter named Mary Latitia, who married Rev. William H. Coffey, a very influential church leader who worked in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
One of the other individuals named Samuel Waters lived in Middletown, Delaware. In the 1900 census for Middletown, we find this Samuel Waters, born in April of 1850 in Maryland, living with his wife Mary, also 50, and their three daughters and two grandsons. This is probably the same couple who are mentioned in the Delaware land records [I admit I find great difficulty deciphering the handwritten land records for Delaware].
Another individual named Samuel Waters lived in Representative District 13 (south of Wilmington, running northeast to southwest). In the 1920 census we find this Samuel Waters, age 71, born about 1849 in Virginia, living with his wife George Anna, age 53, and their son Dennis, age 18. From various obituaries, it seems that Dennis had a brother named Jerome Waters and a sister named Linda White. It isn’t clear if Jerome and Linda were also the children of this Samuel and George Anna. Typically, there are no birth records to confirm the information.
Additionally, there was a man named Samuel Waters who lived in or near Wilmington who was written up in the newspapers on a number of occasions for minor infractions of the law.
For more information about people named Samuel Waters, click HERE.