Chincoteague
(An Olde Ghote's Notes)
Chincoteague Talk
Chincoteague is 7 miles long and 2 miles wide. In 1930 we had population of about 3,000. There were at least 6 different dialects - I could tell which part of the Island they came from by their speech. In general there were (1) "Up-the-Neckers" (2) "Deep Holers" (3) "Tick-towners" (4) "East Siders" (5) "Birch-towners" and (6) "Snotty-Ridgers."
Seafood Industry
The main industry was seafood . There was Leonard Seafood Co. which ran
"pound" boats to the ocean, and my father hauled 2-3 truck loads of
fish a
week to N.Y.C. and PA. and returned with a load of coal.
Chincoteague Families
As for genealogy, the most common names are: Cherricks, Williams, Birch,
Jones, Leonard, Burton, Bowden, Jester.
Causeway, Etc.
In 1920s the causeway was built. My grandfather was a blacksmith, he
rented a diving suit and laid the pipeline from the mainland to
Chincoteague along the causeway. My father bought the first truck on
Chincoteague at cost of $900 and hauled the steel for the water tank from a barge from
mainland.
Chickens
In 1930's main business, other than seafood, was raising chickens. In 1936
there were 9 million chickens on the Island when hurricane came, it killed all
9 million--washed them out of houses into streets and it took 2 weeks to
haul them all off. That ended the chicken industry on Chincoteague - most
of the chicken houses were converted into motel rooms !!
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