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“Faithful” Coins Wash Ashore From Delaware Shipwreck
Terry Einig shows coins and bits of metal from the Faithful Steward.
A penny for your thoughts! Perhaps a half-penny would be more like it if you’re searching Delaware shores for long lost coins from the Faithful Steward. Most of them are English half-pennies, a portion of the general cargo aboard an English merchantman that left Londonderry, Ireland, in 1785 bound for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The 270 passengers and crew had an uneventful 53-day voyage until they were caught in a storm that grounded the vessel at the mouth of the Delaware Bay. On captain’s orders, the crew cut down the mainmast and rigging, tossed it overboard and freed the 350-ton vessel. But while heading for deeper waters, it was driven inshore by gale winds and grounded on still another shoal nine miles south of Cape Henlopen, Delaware. It was only 200 to 300 yards from the beach, but there wasn’t a lifesaving service on that part of the coast at the time.
The Faithful Steward and its passengers and crew were at the mercy of a storm that grew worse by the hour. A couple of longboats were launched, but they capsized in heavy seas. Only 68 of those aboard ship survived, most of them drifting ashore while clinging to broken parts of the ship. Dead bodies washed ashore caught up among rigging, wooden planks and passengers’ belongings. Many of the victims were women and children. Good Samaritans helped the survivors, while scavengers looted pockets of the dead and carried off trunks that held personal possessions.
For 135 years, English half-pennies–struck with a bust of King George III– have washed up on the beach about a quarter mile north of Indian River Inlet. Most of the coins were stored in barrels, purportedly 400 of them, below deck. The barrels that didn’t break open eventually rotted and cast millions of coins across the sandy bottom. The wreck, just beyond the surf line, still yields them as they’re swept in by heavy seas and riptides.
The Faithful Steward wreck and Coin Beach lie north of Indian River Inlet, Delaware.
Shipping small denominations of British coins—in this case “coppers”—to America was common practice in those days. There was no mint in America and the British frequently over-minted coppers, which they palmed off on the Irish. But if the Irish rejected them, the next destination was America where there always seemed to be a shortage of small denominations.
Storms, particularly the raging, howling kind that dump big waves on the beach and cause washouts, are signals to grab your metal detector and head for the beach. Fittingly named years ago, the area is designated Coin Beach on some of the souvenir maps. Actually, you don’t even need a metal detector. Sometimes coins are exposed in the wet sand sandwiched in between seaweed and seashells. Beachcombers accidentally discover coppers while searching for shells and driftwood.
In 1985, Delaware maritime attorney Peter Hess, then a Deputy Attorney General for the State Department of Natural Resources, drafted a resolution commemorating the loss of the Faithful Steward. It passed in the Delaware General Assembly and a ceremony was held on the beach, September 2, the bicentennial of the disaster. A memorial plaque marks the spot where survivors were rescued, a time-honored reminder of the Scottish, Irish and English immigrants who didn’t make it and never had the opportunity to find a new life in the New World.
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I believe this vessel was lost at night in July, 1785 with a loss of @200 people.
That sounds about right. It’s a darn shame there was no lifesaving service at that time. I haven’t looked it up, but I think the service started not long after that. Friends of mine who live in Delaware still find some of the English half-pennies washed up on shore after storms.
Are you aware of any historical novel written about the wreck of Faithful Steward?
The vessel ran aground on the evening of September 1, 1785. There is currently an exhibit called Angry Waters, at the Rehoboth Beach Historical Museum in Rehoboth Beach, DE which includes info on the Faithful Stewart.
I am a decendant of one of the children that survived the Faithful Steward. I would like to get one if the coins as well as a poster of the ship. How would I go about getting these items?
Largest collection is at Discoversea Shipwreck Museum in Fenwick
Sorry Numa, you are correct about seashells being found on the beach but seaweed and kelp are not typical to this region…y’all should know that being saltwater guys…there are still coins there, i found 2 after Sandy, both just a fews inches down….you just never can tell….
You’re right–seaweed and kelp are rare. Thanks for your post. So glad you found a couple of coins. I haven’t been to the area in years but would love to return and do a search. Let us know if you go back and find anything else. Cheers! E.
Charlotte, would like to know if you have any stories handed down through the family of your ancestors experience. I am an author and am researching and writing the story of “Faithful Steward, Delaware’s Infamous Shipwreck.” This will be the first novel of the people and the shipwreck. Iam well into my research and am writing the story. My progress can be followed on my website at Harryallenwenzel.com
Harry: I don’t have any stories but I know that Dale Clifton does. He owns and operates the Discover Sea Museum, Fenwick Island, Delaware. Phone: (302) 539-9366.
Go to: http://www.discoversea.com
I will be eager to read your book when completed. Exactly what would you call “infamous” about the Faithful Steward?
Best regards, E.
Very good question! To the point – infamous = well known for some bad quality or deed. There are three parts to consider in Faithful Steward and the reader will be very interested in the whole story. (1) Who were the crew and more importantly, who were the passengers? (2) Where did they come from and why did they emigrate? (3) What happened during and after the shipwreck? The reference to infamous correlates to the third part – the wreck and following the wreck. I have 6 people, 4 from Northern Ireland, 1 from Canada, 1 from the USA, all of which have been extremely helpful and instrumental in providing research. Those from Ulster are a librarian and a curator at the National Museum, Ireland, another, an expert genealogist, and the last represents the Ulster Historical Foundation, Belfast. There is also a university professor, in the USA and a private citizen, Canada, the latter, whose ancestors, two of them survived the wreck and went on to meet up with their brother, two became successful merchants in colonial Philadelphia and well-connected, and the third, a mariner. All of these are anxiously looking forward to the novel. And lastly, hopefully a bunch of readers who will experience history, that of a ship with an extremely interesting name, and the passengers who in the end, well, became part of history.
Harry: Outstanding research! Keep it up! But I still don’t see “infamous” in the title or story line. The Bounty (“Mutiny on the Bounty”) was infamous Think about it. Cheers, E.
Ellsworth:
Oops!I read my first post (3/22) and realize the book title was inaccurate. I was zoned in on the word shipwreck at the time. “Faithful Steward – Delaware’s Infamous Maritime Disaster” is accurate. Perhaps your initial question remains the same – your advice is welcome. Researching and writing a historically based book is a huge undertaking. Another’s opinion can be valued. This is my second book of a shipwreck. You have written an excellent article and it would be selfish of me to use your forum for personal gain. I hope you will consider emailing me. My address is listed under the “contact” tab of my website. I am interested in your thoughts on additional topics.
Harry and all:
I have ancestors who survived the wreck, and they were two brothers who found their other brother John, who came over earlier on the Lazy Mary.
The two survivors, Simon(who never married) and William Elliott (our ancestor) eventually continued west. There is a book published in 1911 by an Elliott, who has family stories about the wreck, and the family up to 1911.
The Pennsylvania Packet had the wreck story on 12 September 1785, listing the survivors. There were a few more added later. I wish there was a list of all the passengers, as we have no knowledge of the family back from then. I found a paperback novel once that had a story similar to ours.
Best of luck on the book! Keep us all informed.
Hello Anne:
I’m glad to see your post. I am very familiar with the two brothers (Elliott’s) and their other brother who preceded them on the Lazy Mary. Have you seen the post on Ancestry.com, I think, about “Wealthy Elliott?” I am not aware of a book circa 1911. If you could provide me information as to how to obtain it I would be grateful. I have found a few more survivor’s names and I think one or two names who perished, in addition to the 68 printed in the PA Packett. The best way for you to keep up to date pertaining to my new novel is to visit my website – harryallenwenzel.com and click on “Blog.” I post periodically, in fact I’ll be preparing an update tomorrow, about my research, my writing, and sharing of stories impacting both. Thus far, I am up to about 130 pages, 28,000 words, and still going. It’s fascinating work, but then it would have to be wouldn’t it? Otherwise, why undertake this. Meeting people, on-line and in person, in the process is a very valued benefit! Stay tuned, and if you come across anything you think may be of interest to me, send an email at [email protected]
Charlotte: You requested to be informed.
http://harryallenwenzel.com/harrys-blog.html
I volunteer at the Indian River Life Saving Station taking part in their Lantern Tours which discuss the fate of the Faithful Steward, the coins and the crossing named after the ship. Unfortunately there is slightly less than 100 years between the sinking and the establishment of the service. The US Life Serving Service came into existence in 1871, the Indian River Life Saving Station that still over looks the site of the wreck, was not opened to the fall of 1876.
It is true if the service had existed the loss of life would have been far less of the 63 major wrecks during the time the station operated as the US Life Saving Service till the Coast Guard took over the duty in 1915, the station saved over 419 people with only six known lost.
Hi Marty: Thanks very much. This is quite interesting. I suggest you email Harry Wenzel and pass info on to him about your Lantern Tours and other Faithful Steward news.
Email Harry at: [email protected]
Can anyone use metal detectors on Delaware beaches without permits???
It has been many years since I was on this beach. I suggest you call: 1-800-662-8802 or 1-800-523-3336. These are Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources numbers. There is one more number, not an 800 number, you might call: (302) 739-9902. Let me know what you find out. Good luck, Ellsworth Boyd
I was interested in hearing more about the book Mr. Wenzel is writing. However the links posted above are broken and an e-mail to his address bounced back. Does anyone know if a book has been completed and/or published? Thank you, Michelle
I don’t know if his book is finished or not.
Here are two emails I have for him. Try them & let me know if you get through.
[email protected]
harry@harry allenwenzel.com
My grandfather and dad collected several shoe boxes full of coins during a nor’easter in the 1940’s. I have lots of coppers and one coin in almost mint condition.
David: This is very interesting. Yes, when storms, such as a nor’easter come in, you will see people on the beach searching for the coins. Having one in almost mint condition is great since so many of the coins have been worn down by the sands. Many thanks for your comment.
Ellsworth Boyd
Michele Stitzlein
Sorry for your inconvenience. I canceled the website with the intent of developing a new improved version with another provider. That has been deferred while I complete my upcoming novel about the ship, Faithful Steward.
The book is near completion and I am beginning to contact literary agents to secure a publisher. My contact is now [email protected] – Please feel free to message me and ask any questions.
Many thanks Harry. Keep us posted! Cheers, Ellsworth
Wreck of the Faithful Steward Update
https://www.capegazette.com/article/%E2%80%98ship-faithful-steward%E2%80%99-upcoming-historical-novel-about-local-shipwreck/207812
Contact information – Harry Wenzel – [email protected]
Nice going Harry. You completed your book. If you haven’t found a publisher I suggest you try Heritage Books: Phone Number is 800-876-6103. Contact President Craig Scott. They are in Berwyn Heights, MD. Good luck. Keep us posted.
“The Ship Faithful Steward – A Story of Scots-Irish, English, and Irish Migration to Pennsylvania” – Update
I am near completion in yet another copy-edit, making sure the novel has no grammatical errors, and combining this with completing what are publisher requirements for them to consider a publishing contract. Given I established my own publishing business – the story of Faithful Steward and its passengers is close to print.
A word about the coins. Over the years there has been conjecture – are they real, are they counterfeit, or is it both? Within the novel the reader will uncover within the storyline, the shipment of coppers, real ones. And this is based upon verifiable, documented evidence researched by my archivist in London. More on that later. For now it’s about completing my new website – and publish a story – a really good one. It’s a story never written, a story never told.
Excellent Harry. You are on the last leg of your journey. We are looking forward to the finished product! Cheers! Ellsworth Boyd
I am a descendant of James Lee II & Isabella Boscawen, who both lost their lives (along with a few of their children) in the Shipwreck of the Faithful Steward. I wish I had extra information to give to you, however I’ve only gotten to this point with my own ancestry.com research. I am trying to find the name of James Lee II’s mother, who is only named “Scotch Irish Woman” in my ancestry.com findings. Thank you for the research you’ve done already.
You are quite welcome. Thank you for writing. I’m sorry that James, Isabella and children were lost in the Faithful Steward disaster. It sounds as if you have done some excellent research. I suggest you contact Harry Wenzel. He has done more research on this shipwreck than anyone else. He also has just written a book about the tragedy. See his email address above. Good luck
to harry wenzel – interested in hearing about your book. as an aside, my family had both deceased and survivors from the wreck of the faithful steward. if you look at the list of the survivors there is no espy name, however there are james aspill and john aspill. i believe these are the only brothers(?) listed. also, the name espy has been spelled phonetically in scots-irish as aspai, among many other spellings. i also believe there is a chance that the espy family might have been related to the lee family onboard as cousins(no proof at this time, need dna). anyway i thought you might be interested in another family who survived the wreck.
Dear James Espey – this is phenomenal and a great surprise that you posted this information. Please send me an email at [email protected] if interested in more contact, or, wait until you see my website, my next comment herein. Other descendants of survivors have contacted me and provided details of their ancestors. Each one deserves and receives recognition in my “Authors Notes.” In fact, the Espey family is woven into the storyline. By the way, you are the second Espey, same surname that has contacted me about the history and the book. I am obviously on Mr. Boyd’s post site at the moment – as I wanted to inform him of my now, public website. That will follow in another post. Thanks again for commenting. For me, this journey has been fascinating.
Hi Harry: Good, you contacted James Espey. Keep us posted on your new website. Thanks! Ellsworth
Here is the link to my new website.
https://harrywenzel.com/
Very good Harry. Thanks! Under your blog, can you add net to Numa? It is Numa.net
Many thanks, Ellsworth
David Hoatson: If interested – provide a few dates and the identity of the coins in your possession. My research archivist in London discovered a historical document that may confirm by date – if your coin (s) are authentic. It is just one possible documentation source, perhaps the only one to surface to date as far as I know.
Note for Ellsworth – on 12/27 I was contacted by a descendant of James McIntire who survived the shipwreck and in 1802 settled on a farm in western PA. The McIntire family continues to hold title to the farm and has meticulously kept historical information of their family. Possibly more info to incorporate in the novel. Simultaneously – I’m working on contacting publishers.
Nice going Harry. You continue to uncover more and more interesting info And sometimes one thing leads to another and then to something else interesting. That’s what I like about researching ships. The McIntire family deserves credit for keeping all the records. Let us know what else you uncover. And Keep writing!
My latest blog post – re: Faithful Steward
https://harrywenzel.com/harrys-blog/
My latest blog post re: Faithful Steward
https://harrywenzel.com/harrys-blog/
“A Bright Idea – I think”
More than a dozen and one-half descendants of survivors of Faithful Steward have contacted me during the past months as word spreads of my upcoming novel. They are located around the USA and one in western Canada. I sent an email to them – inquiring if they wished for me to compile a “Descendants List” and forward it to everyone with their name and contact, in the hope that some would enjoy messaging each other and sharing information.
It has been a big success – some have responded that it was such a fantastic idea. If you are on Mr. Boyd’s thread, a descendant, and wish to be part of the list – please message me at [email protected] and I’ll follow through.
Look what you started Ellsworth Boyd. 🙂
Nice going Harry. This is a great idea. If I were a descendant I would surely want to meet, through email, other descendants. Let us know more as you hear from them.
“The Descendant’s List” – their ancestors sailed on Faithful Steward – names are added when they contact me. And they tell me they are initiating contact with one another for genealogical research.
https://harrywenzel.com/harrys-blog/
This is great Harry. I hope the list grows. I’m sure all the descendants appreciate it. Cheers, E.
I believe I descend from Faithful Steward survivor, James Stankard. I am working to prove the connection, but regardless, I would be interested in owning a copper or two, even in poor condition.
Teresa Coffman
teresa-c [at] charter [dot] net
Teresa: I suggest that you contact Harry Wenzel at: [email protected].
Harry has lists of passengers from the Faithful Steward.
Ask him about a coin.
This is all very interesting. I have a podcast, “Danger on Delmarva,” that reviews tragedies and crime on Delmarva. I love history also, so I was looking for something pre-1900 and found this interesting. I usually record on Wednesdays, so I don’t know if I will have enough for this week, but I’m really excited about covering this.
Ronda: Good! I think the Faithful Steward story will be interesting on your podcast. How do I go about getting on the podcast?
to harry wenzel – hello harry. we last communicated in november, 2020 and i have been distracted for come time now. i will try to contact you at [email protected] and https://harrywenzel.com/ as i have some new information on the lee family and cousins. i don’t know the status of your book, but you and others may be interested.
For those descendants of shipwreck survivors who desire a coin – I will be meeting with Dale Clifton, owner of Discover Sea Shipwreck Museum, either this week or next week. Plan is to take pictures of his artifacts from Faithful Steward, including coins. While I can’t make promises, he may provide me some coins after he hears about my Descendant’s List. If you want one, now is the time to ask.
Hi Harry: It’s nice that you are going to interview Dale Clifton. And it’s also nice that you might be able to obtain some Faithful Steward coins that descendants might be interested in. When I interviewed Dale (See Numa.net March 1, 2016) he had no Faithful Steward coins with him at that time but said he had some at another place and would bring them to his museum. I wanted to purchase one.
I hope you are progressing well with your book. It sounds like a winner!
Cheers, Ellsworth
Hello Ellsworth:
My plan is to include relevant pictures from Dale Clifton’s Faithful Steward display, giving he and his museum the appropriate and well-deserved recognition in my notes. Many months ago, in this thread of posts, you referred Heritage Books. I am in contact with them with plans to evaluate their publishing requirements. Thanks for your helpfulness. My goal is to launch the book this summer. I’ll send you an announcement you can place on this thread if you wish.
Harry: Yes, send me an announcement when your book is ready. Marvin Barish had two books published by Heritage all about the Cyclops. He said it was a good experience.They do require camera-ready copy. Go to Google & it will tell you all about this. Cheers, Ellsworth
Hello Harry,
My husband is a direct descendant of James and Isabella Boscawen Lee (5th great-grandparents). I was searching for more information on the wreck as we only live ~2 hours away from Rehoboth Beach in South Jersey and were hoping to bring our children to the site for a history lesson. Do you happen to know where we could find more specific information on the wreck or my husband’s ancestors who perished (and those who survived)? I saw an a recent comment that it might be possible to obtain found coins that have washed up?
Thanks in advance for your help,
Kelley Lee
Kelley Lee: I am forwarding your request to Harry Wenzel. I am sure he will answer all your questions & help you and your husband discover more about his descendants.
If you don’t hear from Harry, let me know. Cheers, Ellsworth
I am descended from someone that was on the Faithful Steward, I would love to have a coin if possible.
Allen: Contact Dale Clifton at his museum, Discover Sea Museum, in Fenwick Island, Delaware.
His email: [email protected]
He knows me. He is a great guy. Cheers, Ellsworth Boyd
Kelly Lee:
Regarding your inquiry, I think you and your family will enjoy a trip to the DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum at Fenwick Island. The owner, Dale Clifton, has assembled a display of artifacts taken from the ship Faithful Steward. If all goes according to plan my novel about the passengers on board the Faithful Steward will be available for purchase in October. If you want to learn as much as you can about the Lee
s I would suggest you message me at [email protected]. I have assembled a Descendants List of the survivors of the shipwreck and there is one on the list who has much information on the Lees. You will also find my Author’s Notes section in the book about the Less to be useful.
Ellsworth: There will always be something to write about on this subject, and for years to come. Example – turns out Isabella Boscawen Lee, an interesting subject gaining much attention over the years, was baptized Arabella Boscawen. Not to confuse potential readers, I kept her name as Isabella. And Thomas Colhoun, a mariner – supercargo, and survivor, had scars on his face and neck according to his naturalization paper. Wonder why? Have to read the book. As for book ordering details, I would ask potential readers to check my website: harrywenzel.com – as specifics will be posted within a week.
Check out the book cover.
https://harrywenzel.com/books-for-purchase/
Nice going Harry. By he way, I brought up the cover to your book on my wife’s computer. It is excellent. Good choice. I believe it will draw readers right into your story. Cheers, Ellsworth