GOODS & CHATTELS – Marshall Steam Museum (Friends of Auburn Heights)

Israel Way Marshall departed his earthly existence at 10 pm on Monday, June 26, 1911 after a lengthy illness. At his bedside were his wife, Elizabeth Mitchell Marshall, and children, Jospeh Warren Marshall, Anna H. Marshall, and Thomas Clarence Marshall. Israel was the first son of a Kennett Township farmer turned papermaker, Thomas Smedley Marshall. Israel’s father’s decision not to convert their cotton, manila, and hemp based papermaking business to the state-of-the-art wood pulp process positioned the family business to be the “only game in town” for making a specialized rag paper when the production of vulcanized fiber started in Wilmington in the 1880s.

Ever inquisitive and not afraid to try new ideas, Israel experimented and developed an industrial cotton, manila, and hemp-based paper ideal for making what became described as the world’s first plastic material; vulcanized fibre. Israel was 37 when he was awarded his first of eight total patents. This first patent was for a process that impregnated Marshall industrial paper with waterproof resins allowing the Marshall product to replace tar paper for building use as well as serve as underlayment for rugs and industrial wrapping applications. This paper, sold as Pioneer Building Paper along with bags and other paper products, were sold through the T. S. Marshall & Sons paper store in Wilmington.

The aerial photo (left) indicated the lands owned by the Marshalls at Israel’s death around 1911. The dark green shaded area is the farm John Marshall originally purchased around 1760 after moving from Darby to Kennett Township Pennsylvania. Three generations later, the family homestead known as ‘Marshallvale’ had passed to Thomas Elwood, Israel’s brother. The light green shaded area is Israel’s property having been purchased from William Clark in 1890. This property was part of William Penn’s The Manor of Steyning having been gifted to Penn’s daughter Letitia. Initially purchasing only 10 acres for the construction of a grist mill at a ‘J-bend’ in the Red Clay Creek, John Garrett and his son grew the family’s land holdings over time to hundreds of acres including land that Israel now owned. The aqua shaded area is Auburn Heights property described in Israel’s Goods & Chattels. The Auburn Heights property was inherited by Israel’s son, T. Clarence, while the remainder of the property would eventually be sold to National Vulcanized Fiber and Marshall Brothers, Incorporated. For reference Auburn Valley State Park is shown with tan shading.

When Israel’s estate was settled two years after his passing, Israel left “Daisy” to his heirs. Who, or what, was “Daisy”? Hint: As many will suggest, “Daisy” might have been a beloved cat or dog. We inform the reader that this is an incorrect suggestion. The answer to our question could be anything from the name of a favored color of Thomas S. Marshall & Sons paper to an English Budgerigar.

Answer
When an individual dies, a listing is made of their possessions which are then distributed to family and friends according to the deceased’s will. J. Warren and T. Clarence were named co-administrators of Israel’s estate. The value of the items listed in Israel’s probate documents as Goods and Chattels was certified to by Guyon I. Miller and J. Homer Kratz, who Tom Marshall has written about in his weekly newsletters found on the FAH website.

The items Israel owned at the time of his passing was brief and consisted of the following (prices are 1911 from the Goods & Chattels listing of Israel’s First & Final Settlement):

Auburn Heights home and surrounding property
Kennett National Bank (cash) – $11,894.42
Insurance Policy – $10,000.00
Marshall Brothers Company Stock – $24,950.00
Marshall Brothers Dividend – $3,000.00
National Fibre & Insulation Company Stock – $20,900.00
Fibre Specialty Company Stock – $540.00
Clock, Piano, Dining Set, Personal Property – $400.00
Horse & Cow – $85.00
Harness, Sleigh, Single & Double Phaeton, 1 spindle wagon, 2 lawn mowers, gun, – $145.00

All totaled, the value of Israel’s estate upon his passing was determined to be $75,073.02. Adjusted for inflation to 2024, Israel’s worth in 1911 is roughly equivalent to $2.4-million today. As a point of reference, J. D. Rockefeller became the first U.S. billionaire in 1911, the year Israel died. The average automobile at Israel’s passing had an estimated lifetime of 5 to 7 years or approximately 25,750 miles and cost $2,250 in 1911 dollars. Auburn Heights had a telephone (on display in the Marshall Steam Museum), but only 8 homes in 100 typically had telephone access in 1911.

Israel grew up in an era when the modes of transportation included the horse and carriage or wagon, railroads, and bicycles. Israel lived to see the dawn of the automobile age, but, did not own a steam, electric, or internal combustion powered vehicle. For Israel, “Daisy”, the family horse, provided his primary transportation. While we cannot be positive the horse pictured below is Daisy, this horse appears in multiple photographs of the Marshall Collection at Hagley Library. The gentleman’s name we do not know as it was unrecorded with the images but is most likely a groundskeeper. Likewise, it is unknown if Mrs. Marshall is in the phaeton carriage at the Porte cochere.