William Polk Cummins

1853 - 1895  (41 years)

• Name	William Polk Cummins
  Born	19 Apr 1853	Smyrna, Kent, Delaware, United States
  Gender	Male
  Died	17 Mar 1895
  Buried	St Peter's Episcopal Church, Smyrna, Kent, Delaware, United States
  Person ID	I2732913991	Master Tree | Descendants of James Morris and Margaret Cooke
  Last Modified	19 Jul 2006

  
  

  Father	David James Cummins,   b. 16 Mar 1824,   d. 9 Aug 1898  (Age 74 years)
  Mother	Juliet M Polk,   b. 25 Apr 1832,   d. 12 Oct 1894  (Age 62 years)
  Married	1 Jan 1852	New Castle, Delaware, United States
  	Record of this marriage may be found at the Family History Library under microfilm reference number(s) 0006417.
  Family ID	F2593225023	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Sarah Esther Williams,   b. 3 Apr 1855,   d. 12 May 1900  (Age 45 years)
  Married	20 Feb 1884
  Last Modified	19 Jul 2006
  Family ID	F5259723782	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 19 Apr 1853 - Smyrna, Kent, Delaware, United States Buried - - St Peter's Episcopal Church, Smyrna, Kent, Delaware, United States  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Notes

  As taken from U of Delaware Library: William Polk Cummins, born on April 19, 1853, was the son of David J. Cummins (1824-1898), a prominent Delaware businessman and landowner, and Juliet Polk Cummins, daughter of William Polk of Odessa. A native of Smyrna, Delaware, William Cummins had a brother, Albert W. Cummins, who would later work for The Wilmington Morning News, and four sisters: Mrs. Henry Lee, Mrs. Edith Davis, Agnes Cummins, and Susan Cummins. He attended Princeton College, graduating from that institution in 1875, and immediately set out to work in the agricultural industry. Working independently as the manager of Glenfern Farm and involved in the manufacturing of drain tiles and fertilizers, he decided to take on John Cosgriff as a partner in 1884. This partnership lasted some ten years until the death of William Cummins, after which Cosgriff went on to create his own company, Cosgriff, Beck & Hazel, which dealt in the manufacturing of fertilizers as well. Cummins was quite well-connected, and was an active member of his community. Indeed, in the words of the Wilmington Evening Journal, he was a "prominent Northern Kent Citizen." He married Sarah Esther Williams (1855-1900), daughter of the Delaware state senator James Williams, who was also president of Parvis & Williams. Cummins himself held a place on the Delaware State Central Committee, and for six years served as Director of the National Bank at Smyrna. He traveled frequently on business -- to Wilmington, Philadelphia, or Maryland -- and maintained a wide range of personal contacts. In addition, he was treasurer and choirmaster of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Smyrna. In 1893 his health began to fail, and in that year he and his wife moved from Glenfern to Smyrna as a result. He had been suffering from kidney problems and heart disease, which prevented him from engaging in the level of activity he had once been used to, and on March 17, 1895 he died in his home.