USA > Washington DC > Eminent and representative men of Virginia and the District of Columbia in the nineteenth century. With a concise historical sketch of Virginia > Part 28
USA > Virginia > Eminent and representative men of Virginia and the District of Columbia in the nineteenth century. With a concise historical sketch of Virginia > Part 28
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65
Few men now in civil and professional life can record a more brilliant military career than Allan Rutherford, now a pop- ular lawyer of Washington, D.C. He was born in the city of New York October 29, 1840, was prepared for the bar by Marcus D. Laroque, of New York city, and was admitted in 1860. From early youth he seemed to be imbued with a military spirit. At the early age of sixteen, in 1856, he joined the Seventh New York regiment state militia, and until the fall of 1860 remained with this regiment as private and non-commissioned officer, be- coming quite well posted in drill and tactics. He now withdrew from the Sev- enth, and with others organized company F, of the Ninth regiment of New York militia, of which he was elected captain, and on the 27th day of May, 1861, this regiment was mustered into the service of the United States, it being the first to vol- unteer its services for the entire war. Indeed, Captain Rutherford was one of the first men in the Union to agitate the volunteer question, and as this honor has been claimed by many other men of many other states, it may be well here to intro- duce documentary evidence in support of Mr. Rutherford's claim to the distinction. In the forty-second congress, third ses- sion, the following memorial was read and ordered printed, the memorial being signed by Allan Rutherford and J. J. S. Hassler:
" Memorial of Allan Rutherford, J. J. S. Hassler et al., of New York, claiming rec- ognition as the originators of the first or- ganized movement to raise volunteers to
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"To the senate and house of representa- | this, their memorial, would further say tives of the United States of America:
that they do so with no desire for any "The memorial of the undersigned would personal political or pecuniary prospective most respectfully represent that, as many 'reward, but are actuated solely by the different persons, citizens of various states, wish that they and their associates, as well as the state from which they came, and as a matter of history, may have whatever credit they are justly entitled to in the premises." have started the claim that they and their respective states are entitled to the credit of taking the first steps toward raising volunteers to suppress the insurrection and enforce the laws of the Union, pre- vious to the actual commencement of the late Civil war; and, whereas, it is impor- tant in an historical point of view that this claim should be definitely settled while the actors in those events are still living, and that the credit of organizing the first movement looking to the preservation of the Union should be given where it prop- erly belongs, your memorialists respect- fully present the following statement: That during the month of December, 1860,
To show that the above claim was just, the following extracts from the New York Herald of January 10, 1861, are given: " The Union to be defended .- Movement for the formation of a Union volunteer regiment .-- The present precarious state of the country has called out the sympathy of the various military organizations of this city who are desirous, from a true love of the Union, as established by the constitution of the United States, to stand the shoals which impede her progress. In obedience to this feeling the following private circular was issued, convening a meeting for the purpose of establishing a 'Union volunteer corps,' to serve when occasion might require:
they, in company with sundry other of by the 'old ship' and pilot her safely over their associates, believing that a conflict was impending, proceeded to form the nucleus of a military organization, whose services were to be tendered to the gov- ernment of the United States, and that such organization was actually formed and organized during the months of De- " ' (Confidential.) "'New York, January 6, 1861. Esq .: "'Dear Sir: You are requested to at- tend a meeting of citizens, irrespective of party, to be held at the Mercer house, corner of Mercer and Broome streets (first floor, entrance from billiard-room), on Wednesday evening, January 9, at eight o'clock, for the purpose of organiz- ing for the protection of the United States cember, 1860, and January and February, 1861, being several months prior to the taking of any steps looking to such an object by any other persons in any other state. In support of the foregoing, we would respectfully invite your attention to the following extracts from the daily press of the city of New York, covering the period above mentioned, and which extracts, we submit, conclusively demon- strate that the credit of organizing the and the enforcement of the laws.
first movement for the preservation of the Union and the enforcement of the laws rightfully belongs to the undersigned and their associates, and to the city and state of New York, of which they were at that time residents and citizens. That the organization above referred to was finally merged in great part in the follow- ing regiments of New York volunteers, viz: Ninth New York state militia, and
"'ALLAN RUTHERFORD, "' FRANK J. WHITE, ". J. J. S. HASSLER, "'SAMUEL H. HUGHES.'
"Agreeably to the above, a meeting of some fifty gentlemen belonging to various military organizations of the city was held last evening at eight o'clock at the Mercer house, corner of Mercer and Broome streets, for the furtherance of the object Tenth, Fifteenth, Thirty-first, Thirty-sev- already named. Several of the military enth, and Thirty-eighth regiments New organizations of the city were represented, York volunteers, which regiments went among which were the Seventh, the into active service under the proclamation Twenty-third and Twelfth regiments. At of President Lincoln calling for 75,000 8 o'clock the meeting was called to order men. Your memorialists, in presenting by J. White, Esq., son of Hon. Judge
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White, who nominated Captain Allan of the future, and counsel together for the Rutherford, of the New York state militia, preservation of this, our great and glor- ious republic, from the impending dan- gers of a civil war. as chairman pro tem., which was unani- mously carried."
Extracts from New York Herald of " Resolved, That we are banded to- January 13, 1861 .- "Second meeting of gether for no section, but for the whole the Union volunteers .- Adoption of a Union, and setting aside all party affilia- constitution and by-laws .- Election of a tions and ties, offer our services to battle captain and orderly sergeant .- The sec- for the Union, wherever and whenever ond meeting of the Union volunteers, a |our services may be available.
corps of young men who have organized " Resolved, That with these views we offer our services to our country." themselves into a battalion with the in- tent of offering their services to the pres- ident of the United States for the pres- ervation of the Union, took place last evening pursuant to adjournment, at the Mercer house, the chairman, Mr. Ruth- erford, presiding. Some sixty or seventy persons were in attendance, including a he was then promoted to the rank of number who were not present at the pre- vious meeting. (At this meeting the fol- lowing resolution was passed:)
"Resolved, That we do hereby form our- selves into a military organization to be known as Company A, First regiment Union volunteers, for the purpose of as- sisting (if in our opinion it be necessary) in maintaining the permanency of this union of states, and we do hereby agree to abide by the constitution of the United States, and be governed by the by-laws of this company as they hereafter appear."
Extract from New York Herald, Jan- uary 17, 1861 :- "The anti-slavery move- ment .- Meeting and drill of the New York Union volunteers .- Passage of reso- lutions disclaiming party or sectional objects .- Tender of services to the Fed- eral government .- The third meeting of the Union volunteers of this city was held last evening at the Mercer house, Mr. Allan Rutherford presiding, and Mr. F. J. White acting as secretary." (At this meeting the following, among other reso- lutions, were passed) :
" Resolved, That we, the Union volun- teers of New York, are banded together, as were the Sons of Liberty, of 1776, for the common defense, believing that noth- ing in human affairs can transcend the blessing of peace, and nothing equal the horrors of war, we earnestly call upon our representatives in the national councils to bring to their aid in this terrible junc- ture all the lights of the past, the multi- plied blessings of the present, the dangers ices through the war. The Ninth New
Captain Rutherford held his rank in this company until January 7, 1862, when he was made major of the regiment and served as such until September 17, 1862; lieutenant-colonel, his commission to date from the battle of Antietam. He held this rank throughout his war service, and was then appointed lieutenant-colonel of the veteran reserve corps, in consequence of wounds received in active service, and in this capacity he served until January 9, 1867, when he was appointed by General Grant first lieutenant of the Forty-fourth United States infantry (regular army) and promoted to a captaincy in the same regiment in March, 1867, and was further promoted until he reached the rank of col- onel. In May, 1870, he resigned his com- mission to accept the position of third au- ditor of the United States treasury, also bestowed by President Grant. During his active service with the volunteers, Mr. Rutherford's promotions were from cap- tain to major, from major to lieutenant, then to colonel, and finally he was bre- vetted brigadier-general. Two of these advancements were for distinguished serv- ices in the second battle of Bull Run, in which he was wounded, and for like con- duct at Chantilly, two days later, where he was again wounded. The other two brevets were for gallant and faithful serv-
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York was one of the three hundred " fight- ing regiments," and entered the service with 868 men, but came out with eighty- six men. His promotions in the regular army were from lieutenant to captain, to major, to lieutenant-colonel and to colonel, two for his distinguished acts at Second Bull Run (as above), one for similar con- duct at Cedar Mountain, and one for faithful services throughout the war.
close of the reconstruction period, in 1870, he returned to Washington to en- ter upon his duties as third auditor of the treasury department, which office he re- tained until January, 1876, when he com- menced his present practice of the law. While in North Carolina he was a dele- gate from the third district to the repub- lican national convention, and was an enthusiastic Morton man from first to last. He is now a member of the execu- tive committee of the Maryland republi- can state central committee, and chair- man of the Montgomery county (Md.) central committee. He is a member of Burnside post, G. A. R., the Union Vet- eran union, and the Union Veteran legion, the Regular Army and Navy union (Schofield garrison), and was department commander of the G. A. R. in North Carolina in 1869. At present he is the national aid-de-camp of the Regu- lar Army and Navy union. It may also incidentally be stated that Rutherford largest in the state - is named after the
The record of the battles in which Mr. Rutherford participated so gallantly may be summed up as follows: Harper's Ferry, Falling Waters, Ball's Bluff, Cedar Mountain, Rappahannock Station, Thor- oughfare Gap, Gainesville, Second Bull Run, Chantilly, and Antietam; he also commanded the Twenty-second vet- teran reserves during the Early raid in July, 1864, in the action on the Seventh- street pike, at Washington, D. C. Of this regiment he had the command from December 4, 1863, until July, 1865, when it was mustered out, beginning with its camp of organization at Cliffburne bar- post, No. I, of Wilmington, N. C .- the racks, near Washington, December 4, 1863, where it remained until May 1, 1864, general.
then going on provost duty in Wash- The general has been twice married - first, in 1865, to Miss Emma Cushman, who died in 1875, and, secondly, in June, 1880, to Della J. Neff, of Wilmington, N. C. ington until September 1, 1864. Thence going to Indianapolis, Ind., Gen. Ruther- ford reported to Gov. O. P. Morton, and assisted in exterminating the Sons of Liberty and Knights of the Golden Cir- cle, and then relieved Col. Carrington of WILLIAM H. SELDEN. the command of the draft rendezvous, The Metropolitan hotel of Washing- ton, D. C., could not have fallen into better hands than those of the experi- enced and genial gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He descends from a very old and highly respectable family of Virginia, as will be shown further on, and was himself born in Lynchburg, that state, in 1841. He was educated in his and organized all the latest Indiana regi- ments of volunteers, and finally closed the rendezvous in the spring of 1866. He was then recalled to headquarters for re- construction duty, was appointed com- missioner of the Freedmen's bureau and assigned to duty as commandant of the eastern district of North Carolina, with headquarters at Wilmington. At the native city, and at Charlottesville, Va.,
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but at the early age of fifteen years re- emigrations settled in New England; the linquished his books and started west in elder branch, represented by John Selden search of adventure. After passing about first, with his wife, Rebecka Yeo, daugh- three years in Missouri, he returned, 1861, ter of Sir James Yeo of Kent, England, to take up arms in defense of his native located at Lancaster, Va.
state and section, and joined company G John Selden, first, had issue of four sons, Samuel, Bartholomew, John, and Joseph. The first two died without issue. John Selden, second, married, first, Miss Ball, with issue of one son, Richard; he married, secondly, Grace Boswell, with issue of two daughters and three sons, Joseph, John, and Rev. William, rector of St. John's church, Hampton, Va. From Joseph, son of John Selden, second, were descended the "Tree Hill Seldens," John, the owner of Westover, on James river, and the Rev. Miles Selden, who preached at Old St. John's, Churchhill, Richmond. John Selden, third, married Elizabeth Wallace, of Black river, Elizabeth City county, Va., December 3, 1761, and had of the Eleventh Virginia volunteers, with which he served as a private until 1863, when, his merits and faithfulness having been recognized, he was sent to the trans- Mississippi department under command of Gen. E. Kirby Smith, and given a commission as captain, under which title he served until hostilities ceased. He fought at all the battles in the east in which the Eleventh Virginia took part, including the first battle of Bull Run to the second battle of Manassas, when his transfer took place, and at the west was constantly on duty until the close. With the coming of peace, Capt. Selden en- tered into the lumber business at Mem- phis, Tenn., which occupied his time issue of one son, John Wallace Selden, until 1868, after which he passed the and three daughters, Martha, Elizabeth, years in Kentucky and Virginia until 1874, when he engaged in the business
and Ann. John Wallace Selden, fourth, was born December 27, 1772, and died at for which he is fitted. In that year he his home in Fredricksburg, Va., in 1833, opened a hotel at Danville, Va., which he he married Anne Booker and had issue conducted three years and then opened of seven sons and one daughter, as fol- the Kimball house in Atlanta, Ga., an in- lows: Samuel Marshall, Robert, William, Edward, Frank, John Sommerville, and
terest which he still retains; in October, 1880, he opened the Metropolitan in Churchill Jones, and Elizabeth Ann. A Washington, which he still owns and wealthy man, fast horses and security which he has made one of the most debts left him in reduced circumstances popular hotels in the city. In October, at the time of his death. Samuel Mar- 1877, Mr. Selden married Miss Nannie shall Selden, born in Fredricksburg, Booker, of Lynchburg, Va .- the Book- 1815, removed to Lynchburg, Va., and at ers being among the first families of the the early age of nineteen married Caro- state.
line Hare, daughter of the wealthiest
Turning now to the genealogy of Mr. tobacconist then in Virginia. He died in Selden, the following brief summary is Lynchburg, July 14, 1850, leaving issue of given: Three emigrations of Seldens from three sons and four daughters: William Kent, England, to this country took place | H., D. Howard, and Samuel Marshall, between 1680 and 1690. The first two Cassie, Rowena, Mary Jane, and Fanny.
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HENRY SHERWOOD,
1878, to Miss Mary Ellen Harvey, of Washington city, and this union has been blessed by the birth of two children, Philena and Harry.
postmaster of the city of Washington, D. C., was born in Avon, Livingston county, N. Y., February 22, 1844, but in January, 1860, removed with his parents Daniel G. Sherwood, father of Henry Sherwood, was born in New York and for three years served in the Sixth New York cavalry, while his son, F. E. Sher- wood, served in the Tenth Michigan cav- alry. The latter was also postmaster at Breedsville, Mich., for thirteen years. to Michigan. His education was acquired partly in New York and partly in Van Buren county, Michigan, but it was not one of exhaustive or very comprehensive character, as he was studying during the exciting days at the opening of the Civil war and was carried away by the patriotic Daniel G. Sherwood married Philena Deming, a native of New York, whose mother was a Bouton and grandmother a Tilden. The grandfather of Henry Sher- wood was Capt. Harry Sherwood, of the Light Horse of 1812, and he was a son of Ashall Sherwood, one of the minute men from Dutchess county, N. Y., in the Revo- lutionary war. The great-great-great- grandfather of Henry Sherwood was John fervor of the period. At the age of eighteen, in July, 1862, he enlisted for three years, or during the war, in company C, Fourth Michigan cavalry, and entered the service as sergeant. June 20, 1864, at the battle of Lattimer's Mills, Ga., Mr. Sher- wood received a wound in the knee joint, that necessitated amputation of the right thigh at lower third, and he thus received an honorable discharge from the service Parrock Sherwood, the progenitor of the for disability. Since his recovery Mr. family in America, having come from Sherwood has been employed in various England to Connecticut in 1635. branches of the public service, as, for in- stance, clerk in the war department, LOUIS PIERCE SHOEMAKER. quartermaster-general's office, assistant doorkeeper of the house of representa- tives last session of the fortieth congress, and during both sessions of the forty- first and forty-second congresses; post- master of the forty-third congress; six years as clerk under Mr. Edward Clark, architect of the capitol building; post- master of the forty-seventh congress, having been elected by acclamation; as- sistant postmaster of Washington city from August, 1882, to October 1, 1890, and city postmaster since the last named date until the present time. It will thus
Among the heavy real estate dealers and sagacious business men of Washing- ton, D. C., may be found Louis P. Shoe- maker, who was born on the banks of the romantic and picturesque little stream known as Rock creek, which flows be- tween Washington and Georgetown, D. C., and empties into the classical Potomac river. His birth took place July 2, 1856, and he comes from one of the oldest and most respectable families native to the district, his grandfather, David Shoe- maker, having been born within the ten- mile square, and becoming an officer of be seen that Mr. Sherwood has served the the United States navy. Pierce Shoe- government since he was eighteen years of maker, a son of David, was born in age, or during thirty of the best years of Washington city in 1816, and was a his life. His marriage took place May 27, student at Georgetown college, gaining a
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fine literary education at that renowned and at the battle of Irish Bend, in Louisi- institution. He married Miss Martha ana, on the 14th day of April, 1863, he Carbery, a native of the District of was promoted to be a lieutenant, and was Columbia, and a highly accomplished and discharged from the service with his beautiful young lady, the daughter of Lewis Carbery, who was prominent as a civil engineer in charge of District of Columbia, and niece of Thomas Carbery, for many years mayor of Washington. regiment in August, 1863. He graduated from the Yale law school in 1865, and since that time has practiced law in Hart- ford, Conn. In 1883 he was chairman of the committee on railroads in the Con- Louis Pierce Shoemaker received his literary education at St. John's college, Washington, but, unlike his father, he chose to study for a profession, and grad- uated from the law department of the Georgetown college in 1881. In the meantime, in 1876, he had entered into the real estate business in Washington, having thoroughly familiarized himself with everything pertaining to realty dur- ing the prosecution of his law studies. That he has made a success of this busi- necticut house of representatives, and in 1885 was the speaker of the house. In 1888 he was elected a member of the fifty-first congress, and, while a member, an international copyright bill was re- ported by the judiciary committee, de- bated for two days, and failed of passage by a negative majority of about forty. Mr. Simonds then re-drafted the bill, add- ing its famous thirteenth section, and pro- cured its favorable report to the house. On the third day of the short term he ness is fully manifested by the fact that he secured its passage through the house, still continues in it, with constantly in- creasing profit. The lady whom Mr. Shoemaker was so fortunate as to secure in marriage, in 1881, was Miss Katie G. Gallaher, of Augusta, Ga. Their only child, Abner C. P. Shoemaker, was born August 4, 1885. after a vigorous fight by a majority of about forty. By reason of parliamentary tactics and maneuvers it had to pass the house, in one shape or another, three times subsequently, each time after a fight over it, the last passage being about 2 o'clock on the morning of March 4, 1891, the day on which congress ad- WILLIAM EDGAR SIMONDS. journed. For this service in connection William Edgar Simonds, the present commissioner of patents, was born at Col- linsville, Conn., November 24, 1842. He was educated at the common and high schools of that village and also at the Connecticut state normal school, and taught school himself for a year or two. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the Twenty-fifth Connecticut infantry, his brother and his stepfather, the only other male members of the family, having already enlisted for three years. He was soon made sergeant-major of the regiment, with international copyright, the govern- ment of France conferred upon him the cross of the legion of honor. He has filled the lectureship on patent law in the Yale law school since 1884. He is the author of a " Digest of Patent Causes," a " Digest of Patent Office Decisions," a work on "Design Patents," and a small work known as a "Summary of Patent Law." His commission as commissioner of patents dates July 1, 1891, and he en- tered on the performance of the duties of the position on August 1, 1891.
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FRANCIS H. SMITH.
school training in his native state, where
Conn., one John Smith, who, it is reasona- bly presumed, came to this country from England in one of three ships which sailed in 1639 to New Haven, and which are mentioned in the early annals of the latter place. John Smith was the founder of a large family, many of whom figured quite prominently in the history of Con- necticut, and numerous descendents are still found in that state and various parts of the country. John Smith, Jr., son of John, the emigrant, was an early settler of Milford, Conn., where he married, January 23, 1672-3, Phebe Camfield, and reared a large family, the oldest member of which, John Smith, was a resident of Derby and the father of several children. Ephraim Smith, son of the last named, lived in the
In the year 1640 there settled at Milford, he remained until 1848, at which time he went to Virginia, where for two years he was engaged in educational work as a teacher, and in 1850 became a resident of Washington, D. C., when he accepted a position as reporter for the Congressional Globe. He remained on the force of this paper until the death of the proprietor in 1865, and then received the appointment of official stenographer, an office estab- lished by the house of representatives that year, the duties of which position he discharged in an eminently satisfactory manner until 1875, at which time he re- signed to accept the appointment of Indian commissioner tendered him by President Grant. He served in the latter capacity three years, during which period he was honored by being appointed secretary of the board and chairman of the executive committee. He severed his connection with the governmental service in 1878, since which time he has been prominently identified with the real estate and insur- ance business, operating quite extensively in Washington city, and country adjacent. In addition to the positions already men- tioned Mr. Smith has been honored at different times by appointments to other trusts, among which are the presidency of the Union Savings bank of Washington, to which he was elected in 1891, and which he still holds. He is also a member of the boards of trustees of the Howard univer- sity and the Columbia hospital for women, was for twenty years a director of the
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