Brandywine Banks

To the uninitiated, the place names associated with the Toy family can be a bit confusing.  The first few generations of the Toys following the arrival of Daniel Toy (1789 – 1832) are associated with the area that today ranges from the entrance to the Hagley Museum at Old Barley Mill Road along Brandywine Creek and up Brecks Lane, continuing along the creek and up Rising Sun Lane.

The place names found in genealogical and newspaper records for this area include Brandywine Banks (the name of this site!), DuPont Banks, Rising Sun (and Rising Sun Village), Henry Clay (Henry Clay Village, Henry Clay Factory), Rokeby and New Bridge. Most of these names were used at the same time in history and may have applied to different areas but I haven’t been able to discern the difference from the records. An article from the March 5, 1872 News Journal Paper talks about the need to settle on a particular name and suggests that “Rokeby” would be the most appropriate.  However, I can say that I have never come across this name in a genealogical record.

The Pomeroy and Beers 1868 Delaware State Atlas shows a map for Brandywine Banks that includes Henry Clay Factory and is the source of the name of this site.  It seemed to have the broadest applicability to the research I was doing. My personal preference is for the name Rising Sun, a name taken from an early public house in the area.