Guest Post -- The Strouds of Stanton, Delaware

I am always thrilled and proud to host Guest Posts here (if anyone wants to write something, let me know!), and this one is no exception. This particular installment focuses on the Stroud Family, several members of which had impacts on our region, most notably in the Stanton area. Our guest author, Charles Stroud Gawthrop, is a direct descendant of one of these Strouds who resided near Stanton, and whose home will be the focus of an upcoming post of its own. This well-researched account will help your understanding of the family and should help to put these Stroud Family members into better context for us. It's a great example of what amazing things can be accomplished even by someone who is admittedly new to historical/genealogical research. Many thanks to Charles for researching, writing, and sharing his work with us here! Enjoy! --- Scott

Headstone of Samuel Stroud, Jr.,
direct ancestor of the author

My name is Charles Stroud Gawthrop. A few years ago I was reading the The Mill Creek Hundred History Blog and there was a posting about the Stanton Hotel which mentioned James Stroud. Then there was the posting about the Stanton Mills mentioning Joshua Stroud - hmmm! So I started to do a little digging to see if I was related. I’m new to this genealogy thing. Prior to 2021, I had heard of Ancestry.com, but that was about it - so there was a lot to learn. Little did I know how addictive it is (and sadly how expensive Ancestry is). 

Yes, I am related to Samuel Stroud (brother of James and Joshua). Time went by and pieces of the puzzle were falling together, to a point that I realized I have some information to share.

One of the the things that impresses me about Scott Palmer, the webmaster for MCH history blog, is his ability to keep things light - a recitation of dates can be pretty boring - and that he publishes something about once a month! - so “keep it short”! So I have attempted to keep this light. There is so much more that I have missed. There is also the rest of the story - following the next generations. I have not even started that journey.

The Malcom-Burris-Weinstock Store

1904 receipt from G.W. & C. Malcom

This was a particularly fun little investigation that ended up being about something that was only around for about 50 years, and has been gone for more than 60. It did help uncover the beginnings of something that a few people may remember the end of. It started with a great find (not by me) that when I first saw it, I expected to go in a very different direction. It wasn't until most of the way through that the real story became apparent to me.

So, what are we talking about? Well, this all began when the keen eye of Denis Hehman came across an image of the handwritten receipt seen here, dating to February 11, 1904. On it, John Mitchell has purchased items from the establishment of G.W. & C. Malcom. What I think really caught Denis' eye was the fact that the location is listed as Marshallton. He was not familiar with the Malcoms and neither was I, so I started looking into them. However, the answers did not lead where I thought they would, and I ended up answering a question I didn't even know I had.

With the location of Marshallton and the description of "Manufacturers of and dealers in all kinds of mill feed and grain", I expected that they would be associated either with the Marshallton or maybe the Greenbank Mill. But since "Marshallton" could cover a wide area, I wasn't sure. I was pretty sure though that the Marshallton mill was out of service by 1904, so I looked more toward Greenbank, even though I'd never heard the Malcom name associated with it before. Turns out that I still haven't found this exact answer, but I did find lots of other ones.