DAVE ZEARFOSS
BALL PLAYER
A news article in the July 26, 1914 Philadelphia Inquirer, Sussex County Snapshots secton, tells that a fire destroyed a garage at the cottage of David Zearfoss, baseball player, in Rehoboth Beach, which totally damaged two automobiles with the value of $3000.
Dave Zearfoss, baseball player? Never heard of him? OK, here is a bit about David William Tilden Zearfoss, according to the “Baseball Almanac”, Wikipedia and ancestry.com, He was born in Schenectady, New York on a Wednesday, January 1 1868, the fifth born child to David R. , 31 years of age and Adeline Bradley Zearfoss, age 28, who resided in Whitpain, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. Whitpain is just a little north and east of Norristown, Pennsylvania. All other data list David W. T. as being born in Pennsylvania, but who is to argue with the “Baseball Almanac”? His father, David, was listed as a farm laborer.
Zearfoss was a graduate of Washington College on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and was their star catcher while in attendance. On the 17th of April, 1896, he entered Major League Baseball with the New York Giants, a catcher, until 1898, and retired July 8. 1905, after catching for the St. Louis Cardinals for two years. He was a friend and co-player with Homer W. Smoot, another Delaware baseball player of note who was a center fielder with the Cardinals. Some of the pitchers Zearfoss caught were Amos Rusie , Jonett Meekin, Vie Clark of Dover and Eddie ‘Farmer” Wilson of Middletown.. Zearfoss also played ball with a San Francisco team , a Butte, Montana team in 1902 and 1903, as well as a Dover Delaware team. His career batting average was .244
At 1 o’clock the afternoon of November 30, 1899, in the First Baptist Church in Dover, the Rev. J. R. Pierce, the minister, assisted by the Methodist Protestant minister, Rev N. O. Gibson, married David W. T. Zearfoss, age 30, and Miss Mary Moore, age 20, daughter of Joseph Moore and his wife, Narfarete, of Dover, Delaware. Mr. Moore was a carpenter and building contractor of the area. I believe that David and Mary had one daughter, Margaret, born in 1902. Adeline, his mother died at her home, 2743 West York Road, Philadelphia, age 59 on 15th July 1898.
David Zearfoss died in Wilmington, Delaware 12 September 1945 , at age 77, and was buried in Northwood Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
HARRISON HOWETH AUGUST 1, 2010 LEWES, DELAWARE
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You mentioned the Methodist Protestant Church. Many believe it no longer exists and the United Methodist Church really pushes that lie because except for a democratic form of government rather than Anglican (Catholic) the Methodist Protestant hold very dear the conservative teaching of Wesley. Many Methodist are sick and tired of the liberal movement in the United Methodist Church. I changed at 75 years of age after pastoring in the Methodist Church after the supposed union of 1939 and the United Methodist Church. If you are Methodist and want a conservative Wesleyan doctrinal church investigate www.themethodistprotestantchurch.com as we did and are building the first Methodist Protestant Church in Oklahoma since 1939.
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