Captain Samuel

Captain Samuel W. Singleton

Samuel W. Singleton was born in Nottingham, England on October 28, 1858 and died on July 4, 1933 in Mayport, Florida.

The Florida Times Union

By Bill Foley

Wednesday, July 21, 1999

Story last updated at 1:12 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20, 1999

A captain was remembered while another went to rescue

The captain lay dying.

The sea raged in fury.

The northeaster came up and savaged the coast.

Five huddled in a tossed small boat offshore.

A sixth fought to save it.

Sam Singleton passed away on the Fourth of July 1933.

''Crossed the Infinite Bar,'' the newspaper said.

Precious few rain-whipped miles away George Brown fought to save the cabin cruiser in a howling sea.

Many a life the captain had saved, they recalled that stormy day in his comfortable house by the sea.

Just outside hope screamed away for the seven helpless on the ocean.

E.D. and Laura Sligh, the owners of Sligh's Gown Shop, had gone to fish that day, with Mr. and Mrs. G.C. Meiners and William Overton, all of Jacksonville.

They went in Brown's boat to the snapper bank at 8 in the morning.

Black clouds appeared all around in an hour.

Heavy seas denied the boat a dash for safety.

Capt. Sam had been a St. Johns River pilot 40 years.

Three times he had circled the globe.

No one could say how many lives he had saved.

Four boatloads when the Clyde liner Comanche burned at the mouth of St. Johns.

Sheriff Ham Dowling and some others when their rum-chasing boat blew up.

The whole lot when the steamship Miserie broke up on the jetties.

The crew from the Chatham . . .

But that was then, and this was now.

''Unable to make the lightship, Brown kept the launch headed up into the wind,'' the Jacksonville Journal said.

''The others were kept busy trying to stay with the boat, which by now was pitching and tossing violently.

''They were forced to sit in the bottom of the boat, hanging on until their arms ached.''

Capt. Sam came from Nottingham, England.

He'd lived in Mayport 50 of his 74 years.

He skippered the Meta and other craft used to transfer pilots to other ships.

At his death the old captains gathered: Spaulding, Fozzard and Broward; King, Torrible and Pettyjohn. Mickler, Hemby, Davis, Coleman and Drew.

Just outside, tossed on the roiling snapper bank, Brown lashed his white shirt on the mast as a distress signal.

On the crest of a wave a wink of the shirt caught the eye of a sailor on a freighter passing to port.

The freighter moved to smaller boat. They clashed in the storm but two seamen leaped from a rope ladder to the tossing boat.

The seamen rigged a boatswain's chair. The five in the fishing party were lifted to the freighter, the Lake Osweya, and safety.

Brown stayed with the boat.

The freighter took the passengers to Mayport and transferred them to the pilot boat.

It returned and stood by the the distressed launch until the pilot boat took it in tow.

''The rescued members bestowed high praise upon Capt. George D. Hodges of the Lake Osweya, while Brown was commended for his courage in what seemed certain death,'' the Journal said.

They buried Sam Singleton in Tillotson Cemtery two days later.

The tradition lived on.

Luke Duffley

Relationship to Randy Hill: Spouse Dawn Hill (nee Devlin) maternal great-great grandfather

Luke Duffley was born in 1811 in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. He married Catherine McGill on May 14, 1837, at St. Malachy's Church. He died April 30, 1895, in Golden Grove, New Brunswick, Canada. They had ten children: Anne Duffley, Mary Elizabeth Duffley, Bridget Duffley, William Duffley, Catherine Ellen Duffley, Margaret Duffley, Amy Duffley, Edmund Duffley, Ellen Duffley, George Eugene Duffley.

1891 Census of Canada mentioning Luke Duffley

Canadian census

Marriage record of Luke Duffley and Catherine McGill

Luke Duffley's fiddle played by Jessica Blenis

Johann Heinrich Wilhelm ("William Henry") Hahn

Relationship to Randy Hill: Paternal great-great-grandfather

Johann Heinrich Wilhelm ("William Henry") Hahn was born on Mar 14, 1834, in Hannover, Germany.

*The following narrative material is taken from the writings of Laurance R. Spellman

Johann Heinrich Wilhelm ("Bill") Hahn grew up in the Kaiser's palace complex where his father worked. Bill was a playmate of Francis, the royal couple's daughter. As they entered the teen years, their relationship was frowned upon. The decision was made for him to be sent to America.

He has a baptismal record, dated on March 23, 1834, in Hannover, Germany at the Evangelical Reformed Lutheran Church. He grew up in the Kaiser's palace complex where his father worked before 1848. He immigrated in 1848 to the United States. He was 14 years old. He came on the brig "Jon. Dethard," arriving in Galveston, Texas. Plans had been made in advance for him to be adopted by the wealthy owner of a large plantation, a man by the name of P.B. "Kit" Taylor. Mr. Taylor owned land in Gonzales County and in Fayette County, near Round Top, Texas. Bill was expected to learn the livestock business, and he started with a brood of pigs. Mr. Taylor owned a fine Arabian stallion of which he was proud. Bill painted a picture of the stallion which Mr. Taylor framed and hung on the wall in his home. The stallion was unbroken and very wild. One day Mr. Taylor told Bill, perhaps in jest, to saddle the stallion and see what he could do with him. Bill took offense at the suggestion, making a comment that irritated Mr. Taylor who threatened dismissal. In spite of Mr. Taylor's apologies and renewed promises of an education, a home, and an inheritance, Bill decided to leave and strike out on his own, replying that being told to leave once was enough.

Bill joined a crew of ox-wagon teamsters, hauling freight from ships at the ports of Indianola, Corpus Christi, Houston, and Galveston, Texas to inland towns, such as San Antonio, Austin, New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, Seguin, Victoria, and Yorktown. On roads that were just trails and streams that were unbridged, it was hard work. He saved up enough money to buy land and start his own business.

He resided about 1856 in Karnes County, Texas. This Karnes County property was his first tract of land, located near the west corner of the DeWitt County line, about 25 miles west of Clinton, Texas. He began to build a blacksmith and woodwork shop.

Not long after the family's arrival, a dispute developed with the previous landowner, a Mr. Harper, about the validity of the land title. The following is quoted from the writings of August B. Hahn: "Perhaps with such improvements as a workshop, home, and the improvised grain grist windmill, he was trying to repossess it; as someone who had been present at the court procedure said, that Harper had not lost the land. I recall reading some of Harper's letters to Dad, in which he said, 'That he was hastening toward death as fast as he could, and that he wanted to leave no lawsuit for his children, etc. and that half a loaf was better than none,' then he made Dad a little offer of perhaps one-half of the purchase price, for a quit claim deed which returned it to his estate, and made it an easy swindle."

The family moved to Round Top, Texas in Fayette Co. which was named for the round tower on the home of a Mr. Soergel, which could be seen for miles.

He was a blacksmith after 1857. Near his home, he built a forge for melting down metals. It was built of rock and masonry. He became an accomplished blacksmith and wheelwright in his community. The townspeople petitioned the authorities to keep him from taking part in the Civil War because there was a consensus that he provided a vital service in the area. He could work with wood, metal or rock. He could conceive of and make tools for virtually any job as well as repair tools. He built wagons from wood and iron. He improved the old wooden plows by fitting them with longer-lasting and more efficient iron points. He was an expert at tempering metals. He made bridle bits from a single bar of iron, rather than the more common three-piece construction. John Wesley Hardin brought his six-shooter to Bill to have the spring replaced. Bill made a replacement from a piece of an old file and tempered it using hot oil. Bill discovered a method of preparing iron for ingestion. He heated a bar of pure iron until it was white hot. Then he held the hot iron over a wooden bucket of water and touched it with a stick of sulfur. Granulated drops of iron would fall into the water. The iron pellets were pulverized, using mortar and pestle, until the powder could be sifted through a silk cloth. The daily dose of iron was the amount that would stick to the flat end of a moistened toothpick when inserted a quarter inch into the powder. He made a specialized buggy for his father-in-law, designed to carry books needed in his work.

He died on Jul 7, 1907, in Austin, Texas. Age at death: 73. He was buried in Nopal, DeWitt Co., Texas at the Spellmann Cemetery. He went by the name William Henry Hahn and was called Bill. (William wrote that he came to America in 1846 at age 14 which would mean he was born in 1832. However, German church records show that he was born in 1834 and immigrated in 1848 at age 14. It was believed that he was born on May 7, 1832, which seems to be erroneous.) Parents: Heinrich Christoph Wilhelm Hahn and Charlotte Wilhelmine Friederike Stammeyer.
He was married to Ernestine Christine Spellmann on Oct 15, 1869, in Meyersville, DeWitt Co., Texas at St. John's Lutheran Church. She was just 15 years old when she married. Children were: Christopher Henry Hahn, Caroline Lydia Hahn, Christopher Frederich Carl Hahn, Mary Anna Ernestina Hahn, William Herman Stephen Hahn, August Bernhard Hahn, Frederich Gottfried Hahn, Franz Wilhelm Thomas Hahn, Louise Christina Hahn, Henry John Hahn, Sr.

Christian Frederich Schulle, Sr.

Relationship to Randy Hill: Paternal Great-great grandfather

Birth: January 8, 1834, Germany
Death: March 26, 1899
Maxwell, Caldwell County, Texas, USA

Andrew Christian Schulle born 1805; married Elizabeth Heuer 1832 in Wolmirsleben, Prussia, Germany. Christian Frederich was first of eight children born to the couple. Christian Frederich married Maria Dorothea Elisabeth Bunke 1858 in Magdeburg, Prussia. Since their marriage occurred in Altenweddingen, he probably left Wolmirsleben before 1857 and settled in Altenweddingen where his wife was born. During the 2008 search for birth records from Germany, it was discovered that fourteen (14) children were born in Germany to Christian and Dorothea:
Heinrich Andreas 1860, *Frederich Christian 1861, Christian 1862, Friederike 1862, *Carl 1864, *Frederick 1865, *Marie 1868, Fredrich Fritz 1869, Marie Mary 1871, Minna Louise 1873, Gustav Albert 1873, Anna Marie 1876, Wilhelm Christian 1878, and Emma born 1880. The * denotes the child died before maturity.

Two major ports of departure in Germany were Hamburg and Bremen. Usually, the emigrant chose the port which was closest to their home. The voyage from Hamburg to New York shows Christian Schulle, Sr. to be a passenger on the "America" landing in New York May 12, 1884. Often the family was not listed, only the head of the household, as was in this case. A known fact is that four of the children had already arrived in America, so that must mean that Christian, Sr. and Dorothea arrived with their six younger children. No manifest of their trip from New York to Texas was found, however, after arriving in Galveston they completed the trip to New Braunfels, Texas, by ox drawn wagons with their children and the family possessions. Later, they were known to migrate to Maxwell, Texas.

There is no family history to explain why Christian left his homeland and traveled with his wife and family for weeks on a ship bound for America. Three sons and a daughter of Christian and Dorothea had come to America earlier (1883 and 1884). Perhaps they gave a glowing picture of the possibilities for an immigrant. Earlier immigrants had a much more difficult time on arrival, but even in 1883 and 1885, the prospect of landing in an unknown territory, in a country where a different language was spoken and food was only available if land could be obtained and vegetables could be grown, was daunting! Christian and Dorothea established a home in Maxwell,Texas and joined others as Charter members in the Ebenezer Lutheran Church there. So much Schulle history can be found in the Church and the cemetery nearby.

 Christian Frederich Schulle, Sr. and family

Henry Andreas Schulle

Relationship to Randy Hill: Paternal great-grandfather

Henry Andreas Schulle was born on March 12, 1860, in Prussia, Germany. He immigrated in 1886 to the United States from Prussia, Germany. He died on May 22, 1944, in San Marcos, Texas. Age at death: 84. He was buried on May 24, 1944, in Maxwell, Caldwell Co., Texas at Ebenezer Lutheran Cemetery. He was the son of Christian Schulle and Dorthea Elizabeth Bunke.

Anna Clara Hempsing Schulle (Birth: Sep. 7, 1860, Germany Death: Dec. 16, 1893
Caldwell County Texas, USA) and Heinrich Andreas Schulle were married in Germany before they came to America. Adolph, their young boy was only two years of age, when the family left Alten Weddingen, Prussia They landed in Castle Gardens, Port of New York on December 15, 1885, aboard Neckar. The wonder of their voyage was they arrived with 5 pieces of baggage, for four persons, Heinrich, Clara, Adolph, and a younger sister of Heinrich, Friederike. After arriving in New Braunfels, Texas, four more children were born to the couple. Their children were: Adolph William born 1883; Henry Andreas, 1895 Jr born 1887; Emma born 1890; Anna born 1892 and an unnamed infant born 1893.

He was married to Caroline Lydia Hahn on April 15, 1895, in Yorktown, Texas. Children were: Christian William Schulle, Lydia Olga Schulle, Bertha Dorothy Schulle, Albert Schulle, Edwin Schulle, Frank Alvin Schulle, Sr., Louis Columbus Schulle, Herman Richard Schulle, Sr., Elsie Louise Laura Schulle, Ernest Conrad Schulle, Walderma Schulle.

Neckar  1901-1927

by Paul S. Valasek

Named for the German River which flows through Heidelberg, this ship is the second of the NDL line to bear this name. Originally built in 1901, its capacity was 1st class, 148, 2nd class, 116, and steerage 2500. Later expanded in 1905 to hold 2nd class 369, third class, 217 and steerage, 2865, this ship had its maiden voyage April 5, 1901, to New York. Used as a troop transport for German troops of the Boxer Rebellion in China, the Neckar was later used by many Eastern European Immigrants. It was seized by the US government in June 1917 and renamed the Antigone, when it served as a US transport. Renamed the Potomac after World War I, it now served to bring many more Eastern European immigrants to North America starting in May 1921 sailing from Bremen and Danzig (Gdansk)  to New York. In February 1927, the ship was sent to Baltimore for scrapping.

Lydia Hahn and Henry Andreas Schulle

Henry Andreas Schulle (above and below)

Henry Andrea Schulle, Charles Henry Hill (Center), Bertha Hill

Henry and Lydia Schulle family

Left to right; Adolph, Henry Andreas Jr., Anna Clara Hempsing, Henry Andreas Schulle

William Devlin

Relationship to Randy Hill: Spouse Dawn-Marie Hill's paternal great-grandfather.

William Devlin was born in 1861 in Northern Ireland. He married Ellen Devlin who was born in 1866.

Both Hugh and Ellen Devlin immigrated from Northern Ireland in 1885 or 1886

Lists occupation as "miller."

Hugh A. Devlin

Relationship to Randy Hill: Spouse Dawn-Marie Hill's paternal grandfather

Hugh Devlin was born June 26, 1890 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He married Rose Ackerman.
They had the following children:

Edward William Devlin (1927-2005)
Rita Devlin
Hugh Devlin Jr.
Geraldine Devlin
Francis Devlin

Draft registration card in 1918 describes Hugh as, "tall, slender, brown eyes, black hair."

Occupation listed on 1930 census as "teamster."