Travers Daniel

From the "Portrait and Biographical Record of the Eastern Shore" published in 1898, under the biography of James T. Daniel, we find several items of interest pertaining to Travers Daniel, his father. It was recorded that Travers Daniel was born in North Carolina and in 1798 at the age of 18 years, came to Deal Island, Maryland where he met and married Mary Wallace. For some time, he taught school on the island, but later gave his time to cultivating the large land holdings which he had obtained on the island. Politically, he was associated with the Whig Party but on its dissolution, he became a registered Republican. For a time he served as a Magistrate and as a Deputy Collector of Customs.

Travers Daniel was a devout Methodist, associated with the M.E. Church of which he was a Steward and Trustee. We find many references to him in the book, "The Parson of the Islands", 17 July 1828, which is the story of his close friend Joshua Thomas who came to the island in 1820. We note for example that he was on the Board of Managers of the first Deal Island Camp Meeting. The membership of this Board were: Joshua Thomas, Travers Daniel, Gabriel Webster, John Parks, Charles Parks, Severn Mister, George Rowe, John Webster, William Wallace, Capt. William White, Hamilton Webster, John Waters, Lewis Phoebus, Denard Evans and Aaron Bradshaw. Travers Daniels home is referred to on Page 332 as "the home of the preachers" which is described as located on the lower part of the island. The house is described as so situated that when standing on the fron porch and looking across the lower thoroughfare to the Little Island, "we see in the foreground, getting under way, the Gallant Methodist". The Gallant Methodist was the name of the sailboat used by Joshua Thomas as he went from island to island to preach.

The graves of both Travers Daniel and his wife Mary, along with several of their children, are located in a private burial plot on the original farm, now owned and cultivated by others. Since the plot (about 20' x 20' ) is unprotected and not maintained, it is doubtful that it will be in existence much longer. I have in our files photographic slides of the stones for both Travers and Mary which support their dates of birth and death. At death, his estate was valued at $6,133.68 and in 1863, it was increased by the addition of $4150.39. From his Will dated 14 August 1858 (SoW-SCL5:55-57) and the Will of his wife Mary Wallace Daniel recorded 5 November 1864 (SoW-SCL9:113), we find their children.

While Travers Daniel was not one of the founders of Deal Island, his wife Mary Wallace's family was. From Miss Janet R. Wallace of Buffalo, New York, I am indebted for information on the Wallace family. Quoting from a 1900 edition of the "Marylander and Herald" a Princess Ann newspaper, the following article appeared:

"The first three settlers of Deal Island were James Wallace, a merchant on the island, doing business there. James lived where William Damerel does called the Price Farm. Nicholas Rowe lived at the Lybrand Thomas, Sr. house and John Windsor lived at the Denwood Evans homestead owned by Captain William S. White. These were the first settlers on the island. They built their houses of brick brought from England. The Windsor house was standing a few years ago, if now now (1900). James Wallace had three sons, Davey, Richard and Aaron. Davey was the first Methodist preacher on the island and was the Great Grandfather of Samuel Richard Wallace's children (Mary Jane Slacum Wallace, Samuel Steward Wallace and Thomas Augustus Wallace)."

"Richard was a non-believer, and of Aaron, little is known of him." "We are indebted to old Peter Jones, a negro slave, for the history we now give. Peter belonged to one of the first settlers of the island and lived to be 100 years old. His parents, Sam and Kate, were brought direct from Africa and were the slaves of James Wallace. His bones are in the burying ground of the Price Farm where Captain William Damerel now lives."

The first son of James Wallace, David Wallace had five children, the first of which was Mary who married Travers Daniel ten years after his arrival in the area, on 11 Jan. 1808. Her father David was one of the islanders who fought in the Revolutionary War and is listed in the Somerset County Revolutionary War list. In addition to Travers Daniel, his younger brother Poindexter Daniel came to Maryland at a later date. It was while here that he met and married Margaret Travers on 19 May 1824. While it is probable that this Margaret Travers was related to his sister in law Mary Travers Adderton, we have not established this to be true. To the best of our knowledge, the remainder of James Daniel's children remained in North Carolina. Travers Daniel was a veteran of the war of 1812. He served in the 10th Brigade, 2nd Battalion of Maryland Militia.

Travers married Mary L. Wallace, daughter of David Wallace and Unknown, on 11 Jan 1808 in Somerset Co., MD. (Mary L. Wallace was born in 1789 in MD,² died on 12 May 1862 in Somerset Co., MD and was buried about 15 May 1862 in Daniel Family Cemetery, Wenona, Somerset Co., MD.)