Adventures at Sea Preview

Stop 1: Gloria Dei Church

Hello and welcome to Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church. My name is Liam Addison. As part of a field work opportunity between Temple University and Historic Gloria Dei Preservation Corporation, I created this tour to showcase some of the mariners who are memorialized in this graveyard.Let me start by telling you about this church. Settlers from the New Sweden colony arrived in present day Wilmington, Delaware in 1638. Two of the ships that brought them here – the Kalmar Nyckel and the Fogel Grip – are hanging in the church above you. This church was built by these settlers in 1698. If you look at the ceiling, you may notice that it is designed to resemble the interior of a ship. Interestingly, in 1703 the side rooms you see on each side of the church were added to act as buttresses for the roof which had already begun to cause the walls to bow.

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Stop 2: Thomas Arnold

Our next stop is Capt. Thomas Arnold born in 1768. Arnold began his life at sea at the young age of 13 years old, working aboard the ship Rambler in 1782. He would also serve aboard the Revolution, where he would encounter a British ship during the Revolutionary War. They were successful in fending off the British.

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Stop 3: Jacob Jackson Sr.

This is Jacob Jackson, born Oct. 14, 1779, in Sweden. Jackson emigrated to the United States in the early 19th century and found work as a seaman. Jackson was a navy veteran of the War of 1812, he enlisted on November 8, 1813. Jackson served on the USS Adams during the battle of Hampden. He and the crew were forced to abandon the ship and set it ablaze to avoid capture.

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Stop 4: Joseph Warner

Our next stop is Joseph M. Warner, born in 1794 in Philadelphia. Like Thomas Arnold, Warner began his life at sea at the young age of 13. He followed in the footsteps of his ancestors, some of whom were at sea in the 17th century. During the outbreak of the War of 1812, Warner was sailing home for Portugal and had to navigate through British waters. Thankfully, he made it back safely.

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Stop 5: James Barns

This is the grave of James Barns, who was born in 1819 in Philadelphia. Barns acquired his seaman’s papers at the age of 16 and began sailing a month later. His first voyage saw him travel to China, where his ship acquired tea to transport back to Philadelphia. For the next few years, Barns would continue sailing, and records show that by 1853 Barns had become a captain. In 1853, he led a humanitarian mission to deliver food to the famine-stricken island of Madeira.

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Stop 6: Charles Schellenger

Charles Schellenger was born in 1831 in Philadelphia. His career on the water began while he was a teenager. Schellenger apprenticed as a pilot, guiding large ships through the Delaware, and in some cases acting as rescuers. Schellenger lived in Rehoboth, Delaware in the 1850s with his wife Elizabeth and their five children. Interestingly, Elizabeth’s family house still stands today. Known as the Cannonball house, it was struck by cannon fire during the War of 1812.

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Stop 7: Robert Rae

This obelisk is in memory of Capt. Robert Rae. Rae was not a member of this church. His gravestone was saved from destruction and moved here in 1950. What makes Rae notable is the mysteriousness of his death. In 1839, Rae captained his ship on a voyage to Africa. While anchored in the River Nuñez, Rae put Thomas Bevans, the ship’s mate, in charge as he went to land. After Rae disembarked from his jolly boat, Bevans saw a large group of native people approach Rae. Believing that Rae was in danger, and that the ship would soon be attacked, Bevans abandoned Rae on land and drove the ship out to sea. Rae, who was perfectly unharmed, interpreted this as an act of mutiny. With the help of a British naval ship, Rae found his vessel and took command again. Presumably, the misunderstanding was resolved.

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Stop 8: Caleb Cushing Sr.

Our next stop is Caleb Cushing, born on May 21, 1770, in Salisbury, Massachusetts. By the 1790s, Cushing was living in Philadelphia. Cushing captained many ships across the Atlantic to the West Indies. In the midst of the Anglo-French war, Cushing’s journey from Haiti to Philadelphia took 42 days, 30 more than usual. What caused the delay is unknown. Cushing and his ship were also captured during the war, but luckily made it back. He also served as a privateer against the British during the War of 1812.

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Stop 9: George Ord Sr.

Our final stop on this tour is George Ord Sr. who was born on May 26, 1741, in England. He moved to Philadelphia sometime before 1767. As the war with Britain heated up, the fledgling American Navy was in no position to challenge this incredible world power. To supplement its small fleet, the Colonies authorized private ships or privateers to attack and seize British commercial vessels. Ord, who was a ship captain, became one of these privateers and he made a fortune from the spoils he was allowed to keep.

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