Date of Service: 1848 – 1849 1797: Lavinia Twiford is born in VA. 1848-1849: Lavinia Twiford is appointed Principal Keeper at Watts Island Lighthouse, VA. following the death of her husband, James W. Twiford. Sources: Chesapeake Chapter Keeper’s Database; familysearch.org; uslhs.org;
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Date of Service: 1835 – 1848 1835-1841: James W. Twiford is appointed the first Principal Keeper at Watts Island Lighthouse, VA. His salary is $350/year. 1845-1848: James W. Twiford is appointed Principal Keeper at Watts Island Lighthouse, VA. where he served until his death in October. His salary was $350/year. Sources: Chesapeake Chapter Keeper’s Database; …
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Date of Service: 1905 – 1919 1859: Born April 13 to parents Thomas and Maria Tyler in Somerset, MD. 1880: Occupation is listed as Seaman in the U.S. Census 1900: Occupation is listed as Oysterman in the U.S. Census 1905–1906: Serves as Second Assistant at Thimble Shoal Lighthouse, VA, with an annual salary of $440. …
Permanent link to this article: https://cheslights.org/keeper-bio-charles-c-tyler/
Date of Service: 1884-1918 1852/1853: Born in Virginia to parents G.W. & Mary Wilkins. 1884: Served as First Assistant at Watts Island Lighthouse, VA. His salary was $420/year. 1890: Appointed Keeper at Tangier Sound Lighthouse, VA. His annual salary was $575/year. 1892: Marries his wife, Lida, on June 12 in Northumberland, VA. They …
Permanent link to this article: https://cheslights.org/keeper-bio-francis-e-wilkins-2/
1828: Congress appropriates $6,500 to construct a lighthouse on Little Watts Island on May 23. 1831: Congress appropriates $6,400 for a lighthouse on Little Watts Island. 1833: John Donahoo builds a 48-foot tower equipped with a fifth-order Fresnel lens and keepers house at a price of $4,775. 1838: The keeper’s house is noted as being …
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Date of Service: 1882 – 1921 1856: Born on April 1 in Mathews, Virginia.1879: Marries Emma Susan Dixon on September 25. Couple raises five children: Ruby, Elizabeth, John Dixon, Talmadge, and Levi Theodore. 1882 to 1883: Keeper Marchant begins service on December 31 as Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper at Wolf Trap Lighthouse, Virginia. Salary – …
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Watts Island Lighthouse was built in 1833 on Little Watts Island, a seven-acre island, just south of Watts Island between the Eastern Shore peninsula and Tangier Island. John Donohoo of Havre De Grace, Maryland built the original brick 48-foot tower in 1833 which was equipped with a fifth-order Fresnel lens at a cost of $4,775. …
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