The Biographical cyclopedia of representative men of Maryland and District of Columbia Pt. 1, Part 35

Author: National Biographical Publishing Co. 4n
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Baltimore : National Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844

USA > Washington DC > The Biographical cyclopedia of representative men of Maryland and District of Columbia Pt. 1 > Part 35
USA > Maryland > The Biographical cyclopedia of representative men of Maryland and District of Columbia Pt. 1 > Part 35

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CKAIG, HON. WILLIAM WALLACE, for many years a leading Lawyer of Cumberland, Mary- land, was born in New Lisbon, the county seat of Colmubiana County, Ohio, January 2, 1800. His parents were among the original settlers of that section of Ohio, and owned an extensive landed property near New Lisbon, upon which they resided. At the age of nineteen he was matriculated at Washington College, Pennsylvania, from which institution he graduated three years later. He then proceeded at once to Cumber- land, Maryland, and commenced teaching in the English department of the Alleghany County Academy, of which his brother, Thomas J. MeKaig, was at that time the Principal. In this occupation he was engaged for about fourteen months, during which period he assiduously de- voted every moment of spare time to the study of law under the instruction of Brice W. Howard, then consid- ered the ablest lawyer in Cumberland. But not satisfied with the progress he was making, and desiring to give his whole time to his legal studies, he returned to his home in New Lisbon, and entered the office of the Ilon. Andrew W. Loomis, the foremost lawyer of his time in that section of Ohio. Only four months elapsed before his studies here were suddenly interrupted by a request from his brother, Robert S., to take charge of his select school for boys, in Baltimore, he having been disabled by a severe accident. With this request he complied, and took charge of the school for about six months, improving the time also in attending a course of lectures on law, given by Professor Hotunan, and in zealously pursuing his studies under the direction of the learned and distinguished John V. L. McMahon. Upon motion of this gentleman he was ad- mitted to the Baltimore bar, and immediately thereafter returned to New Lisbon, and commenced the practice of In> profession, in April, 1831., At the end of his second year of practice, Mr. MeKaig was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Columbiana, already a large and flourishing county, and containing some forty thousand inhabitants. While holding this position he was twice elected Clerk of the Senate of Ohio, and was also appointed Paymaster- General on the military staff'of Governor Lucas. Upon the termination of his term of office as clerk, he was elected to the Senate of Ohio, taking his seat as the youngest member of that body. He was again nominated to this office, but declined to be a candidate for a second term. Shortly afterward he was prominently named for the Jackson Democratic nomination for member of Congress, but was defeated in the convention by three votes. Ile successfully pursued his profession in New Lisbon until the year 1839, when he removed to Cumberland, Mary- land, and entered into partnership with his brother, Gen- eral Thomas J. MeKaig. For nearly forty years the firm of MeKaig & Me Kaig enjoyed an exceptionally large and Incrative practice, and maintained a reputation for legal ability and attainments unsurpassed in Western Maryland,

Mr. William W. McKaig was a hard worker, and devoted himself' unremittingly to his profession during all this long period. He is now the oldest resident member of the Cumberland bar, but has not, for several years, been actively engaged in the practice of the law. In the autumn of 1843, Mr. McKaig was elected a member of the Legislature of Maryland, and in May, 1855, immedi- ately after the incorporation of Cumberland as a city, he was elected its first Mayor. These were the only two po- litical offices he could be induced to accept in Maryland. Ile has for many years been largely identified with the manufacturing interests of Cumberland, being one of the principal owners of the "Cumberland Cotton Factory," the sole owner of the " Beall Foundry, Engine, and Boiler Works," the largest establishment of the kind in Western Maryland, and a stockholder in the " Cumberland Steel Works." For seven years he was President of the Frost- burg Coal Company, and its prosperity was never greater than during this period. He has also always manifested a deep and practical interest in the religious and intellectual advancement of the community in which he has spent so large a portion of his life. Ile is President of the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church of Cumber- land, President of the Board of Trustees of the Alle- ghany' County Academy, and President of the Board of Trade of Cumberland. Mr. McKaig was married, May 1, 1839, to Priscilla Ellen Beall, daughter of Asa Beall, of Cumberland. The family has been for generations one of the most substantial and highly respected in that place. Thomas Beall, the grandfather of Mrs. McKaig, at one time owned all the land upon which the city of Cumber- land now stands. Mr. and Mrs. McKaig have had four children, Thomas J., William W., A. Beall, and Merwin MeKaig. They had the misfortune to lose their second son, named after his father, William Wallace McKaig.

BANBY, WILLIAM .MORDUIT, Member of the House of Delegates, was born, at Rose Hill, Montgomery County, Maryland, June 1, 1836. His parents were Thomas and Deborah W. (Duvall) Canby. On his father's side he is a descendant of Governor Gil- pin, of the State of Delaware, and on his mother's side, of a noble English family, of the name of Jackson. Ilis maternal grandfather, Dr. Benjamin Duvall, was a promi- nent man of his time, and for many years represented his county, as a Federalist, in both branches of the Legis- lature. ITis son, Dr. Washington Duvall, commenced public life at the early age of twenty-one, when he was sent to the Lower Ionse. Ile filled this position, and also that of Senator, for several terms, and held other official positions, and was one of the " glorious nineteen." In 1853 he was a candidate for Governor, before the

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Democratic convention, but was defeated by Governor Ligon by one vote. The subject of this sketch was edu- cated at a private classical school, near Rockville, Mont- gomery County, completing the course in 1853, when he returned home, and entered upon the duties of life as a farmer, which employment has engaged his attention to the present time. He took no active part in the late war, but was court-martialled and sent to Fort Delaware, in July, 1864, for abetting the rebellion. After four months' imprisonment he was pardoned by President Lincoln. Ilis brother, Benjamin D. Canby, was in the Confederate service, with the First Maryland regiment. He received several wounds, and finally had his arm completely shat- tered, at the battle of Winchester. In 1868 Mr. Canby was a Committee Clerk in the House of Delegates. In

1872 he was Postmaster to the House and Senate. In 1876 he was elected to the Legislature, and returned by his constituents in 1878. Ilis father was a Whig of the llenry Clay school, but on his mother's side the family were Democrats, and with this party he has always been allied. Ile has been active in county politics for several years, and his popularity is attested by the fact that his nominations were by an almost unanimous vote of his party. His father was a Quaker, but his mother belonged to the Episcopal Church, to which faith he inclines, follow- ing her in religion as in politics. His estate, Rose Hill, has been in the possession of the family for more than a century.

500 LMAN, BENJAMIN F., Merchant and Banker, was born in the city of Lombheim, on the Danube, near Ulm, January 28, 1836. He enjoyed all the advantages of an excellent education, at the best schools of his native place, and at the age of fifteen years came to America, landing at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, where he had relatives who were established in business, and with whom he remained for about a year. Hle then went to Snow Hill, Maryland, where he remained about the same time, and then to New Town, Mary- land, and commenced business on his own account, being at the time but eighteen years of age. Through energy and industrious application, and the adventitious aid de- rived from the kind treatment and encouragement extend- ed him by the Rev. John Crosdale and other influential friends, young Ulman became eminently prosperous in his business, and in 1855 established himself, in connection with his brother, Alfred I. Ulman, in the wholesale liquor business in Baltimore, under the well-known firm of Ul- man & Company, one of the most extensive and substan- tial establishments of its character in the United States. The trade of the house extends to all sections of the country, the special brands it manufactures meeting with

a heavy demand in the commercial world. Mr. Ulman is also the sole proprietor of the Benjamin & Company Loan and Banking Business, conducted in the large and elegant building, recently erected by him on Fayette Street, be- tween Holliday and Gay Streets, and known as " The Ben- jamin Building." It was founded by Levi Benjamin, the father-in-law of Mr. Ulman, half a century ago, and to- day enjoys a patronage and prosperity surpassed by few, if any, similar establishments in this country. Despite his great business activities and enterprises, Mr. Ulman finds leisure to devote himself to benevolent and humani- tarian objects. Ile is an active member of the Ancient Order of Free and Accepted Masons, in which fraternity he has taken most of the degrees. Ile is the Vice-Presi- dent of the Hebrew Hospital of Baltimore, an institution that is accomplishing a vast deal for the relief of suffering. people of that city. He is connected with several other beneficial societies, and appears to be ever willing to afford assistance to those who need and are deserving of his bounty. Mr. Ulman has been for several years a Direc- tor, on the part of Baltimore city, in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. November 23, 1856, he married Henri- etta Benjamin, daughter of the late Levi and Rachel Benjamin, old and respectable citizens of Baltimore, the issue of the marriage being nine children: Bertha B., Rachel B., Rebecca B., Jacob B., Lin. B., Solomon 1., Alfred I., Emma B., and Bernard F. Ulman. Jacob and Alfred died in infancy. The eldest daughter, Bertha, married Ab. Hirsh, of the prominent and extensive firm of Hirsh, Brother & Company, of Philadelphia. Rachel married Colonel Siegel, of the house of Siegel Brothers & Company, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory. The subject of this sketch was one of six children; his father being Jacob Ulman, who was a native of the city of Ulm, Wur- temberg, and who married Bertha Laubheimer, daughter of Abraham Laubheimer, of Laubheim, Wurtemburg, South Germany. The children all came to America upon the death of their parents. Their names were : Albert j., Bebet, Matilda, Benjamin F., Henrietta, and Solomon. All are married and living in Baltimore, with the excep- tion of Solomon, who died a few years ago, in Chicago, Illinois. Few men have met with more uniform and sig- nal success in business than Benjamin F. Ulman ; and the great opulence and popularity he has acquired is mainly attributable to his untiring energy, superior business qualifications, strict integrity, and the honorable and sys- tematic method of conducting his affairs. In commercial circles, none stand higher than he for faithful compliance with every business promise or obligation, and strict ad- herence to mercantile honor. lle has never sought, or desired, political station, preferring to devote himself quietly to his private interests; to those enterprises which direct the current of trade to Baltimore, and to those works of benevolence to which we have already referred. Mr. Ulman is a gentleman of great force of character and

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individuality ; possesses a strong and determined will, united with a most excellent judgment, sagacity, and fore- sight, and gives as much attention to the minutest details as he does to the heaviest operations of his extensive busi ness; qualities which cannot fail to keep him upon the highroad of success and prosperity.

ZOLD, REV. BENJAMIN, D.D., was born in the Hun- garian village of Nemeskurt, November 15, 1831. Until the age of ten, with occasional absences in neighboring cities, his time was passed in the village school. In 1841 he began his studies, with a view to the ministry, at Presburg, Hungary. His career there was one of notable progress; giving attention to the various branches of llebrew learning, including the Hebrew Scriptures, Talmud, etc., and also Latin and Greek. He was at Presburg seven years. In 1848 he went to Vienna, where he continued to manifest the same interest in prepa- ration for his life-work until 1855, when he entered the University of Breslau, where, besides giving special atten- tion to philosophy, he studied the Semitic languages. IIe completed his course of studies at that university in 1859, and immediately afterward received a call to become Rabbi of the Oheb Shalom Congregation of Baltimore, Mary- land. He accepted the call, and has since been elected as Rabbi of this congregation for life. The religious interest of his congregation has increased under his earnest minis- try, until it has become the largest Hebrew congregation in the city of Baltimore. In 1878 it celebrated its twenty- fifth anniversary. It will therefore be seen that the con- gregation was comparatively young when Dr. Szold took the charge of it. Under his wise administration it has, in the nineteen years of his connection with it, grown to be one of the wealthiest and most intelligent of which the Hebrew worshippers can boast in this country. In his views and practices Dr. Szold is neither radical nor ortho- dos, but moderate. These three terms represent the dif. ferent classes into which the Hebrew Church, particularly in this country, is divided. In essentials, there is unity, but in regard to forms and ceremonies, a variety of opin- ions prevail, and according to those entertained by each it is placed in one of these three classes. The radicals con- tend for a conformity with the requirements of the age, and would dispense with all forms and antiquated observances. The orthodox are jealous of any invasion whatever. Age, with them, sanctifies and makes customs dear. They be- lieve that to defile the channel is to pollute the stream. Between these limits, however, comes the moderate, and occupies a middle ground, claiming that forms play an im- portant part ; that though efficient, they are not sufficient ; - that ruthlessly to reject them is as bad as to narrow-mind- edly retain, and that here, as elsewhere, true wisdom con-

sists in the observance of the golden mean. The wide and charitable views of Dr. Szold, his varied learning, his careful preaching, critical, clear, and impassioned, together with his comteons and kindly bearing, have gained him not only the confidence and affection of his people, but a high place in the esteem of the best citizens of Baltimore. He has written and published a number of works : Out- lines of the System of Judaismi ; Selections from the Bible, in Hebrew, German and English ; The Proverbs of Solo- mon, in Hebrew, German and English, arranged according to different Subjects ; a prayer-book for public services, and one for family use, are among the number. Dr. Szold has been prominent in the organization and maintenance of the Ilebrew benevolent institutions of the city: In 1859, be- fore settling in Baltimore, he married Sophia Shaas, of Hungary. They have five daughters.

B BRADY, HENRY II., son of James and Margaret Brady, who emigrated from Ireland, and settled in New Castle County, Delaware, in the year 1828, was born, January 24, 1831, in the above- named county and State. He received his primary education at New London, Chester County, Pennsylvania. His ambition to be self-supporting, and at the same time gratify a laudable desire for further literary acquirements, induced him to seek the position of a district school-teacher near his parents' residence, and though young and inexperi- enced, he discharged the duties of that position to the entire satisfaction of his patrons, for a period of three years. Ile then determined upon a more active employ- ment, and entered into the business of merchandising at St. George's, Delaware, and successfully conducted the same until 1857, when he removed to Chesapeake City, where, in connection with his brothers, George K., William and Samuel Brady, of Delaware City, he engaged in the towing of vessels through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Some idea of the magnitude of this business may be formed from the fact that the fam employed from forty to fifty laborers and drivers, from seventy five to one hun- dred head of mules and horses, and two to four steam-tugs, aggregating a large capital invested, with profitable re- turns. Mr. Brady has been a life-long, uniform Democrat of the old school, and influential with his party, but has been too busy a man to be drawn into office-seeking, even if his tastes had inclined him in that direction. He has, however, served as County Commissioner, with great credit to himself and advantage to the tax-payers of his county. Ile is a Director in the National Bank of Elkton, Cecil County, Maryland, and is recognized as a clear-headed business man, of sound judgment and discretion in financial matters, and unswerving integrity. He is a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church, active in all moral

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and benevolent enterprises, and in an eminent degree enjoys the respeet and confidence of the community. Mr. Brady is one of that class of men whom it is safe for young men to imitate. Ile was married, March 27, 1861, to Rebecca S., daughter of Joseph and Rebecca Cooper. Their ancestors emigrated from England as early as 1679, and settled on a tract of land through which ran a stream of water now called Cooper's Creek, Camden, New Jersey. Their descendants are numerous and highly respectable. By this union he has had three children, Lucy Cooper, Carrie Gould, and Henry Brady.

CAMPBELL, JOHN SAMUEL, Lawyer and Member of the General Assembly, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, March 16, 1852, and was the eldest son of Charles and Mary J. ( Harrison) Campbell. His father was a florist and horticultural gardener, of Scotch-Irish descent, and came from the North of Ireland to America in 1849. Ilis mother's family emigrated from England to Virginia, about the middle of the last century. About the time of the Revolution his mother's grandmother came from Virginia to Maryland, since which time the family has resided in Baltimore city and county. The subject of this sketch received his education at the Baltimore City College, from which he graduated with honor, in 1868. Ile then entered the National Bank of Baltimore, and per- formed clerical duty for several years, but he was desirous of entering upon professional life, and began the study of law under the direction and tuition of William H. Cowan, Esq., a member of the Baltimore bar. In 1874 he was admitted to the bar, and commenced the practice of his profession with Mr. Cowan, which he still continues. Mr. Campbell has for several years been prominently con- nected with the Democratic party, and in the fall cam- paign of 1877 he was chosen by his constituents, of the Third Legislative District of the city, to be one of their candidates for the General Assembly. In that campaign, which terminated successfully, he took an active and prominent part, and became one of the Representatives of the city in the lower house for the term of two years, from January 1, 187S. In that body he has shown himself an intelligent and useful Legislator, and has won the respect and confidence, both of his constituents and his fellow- members.

CDEVITT, EDWARD P., M.D., of Baltimore, was born in that city in 1854. Ile was educated in various schools of Baltimore, and pursued his studies for two years at Loyola College. He then commenced the study of medicine in the office of Dr. John M. Stephenson, of Baltimore, who at that time

enjoyed a large practice. In the fall of 1872 he matricu- lated at the medical department of the University of Mary- land, and graduated therefrom in the spring of 1875. After receiving his diploma he continued his studies as a resident student and assistant physician at Bayview Asylum, en. joying the advantages of that position for six months, when he associated himself in practice with his former pre- ceptor. This connection, however, lasted but for a brief period, and Dr. McDevitt finally established himself in the practice of his profession on his own account at his pres- ent location, 137 North Exeter Street. Although a young man, he has succeeded in building up a good practice, and has attained a prominent position in his profession. The doctor's father, Edward McDevitt, is a native of County Donegal, Ireland. He came to America in 1840, and settled in Philadelphia, where he remained for seven years, and then removed to Baltimore, where he has ever since been actively engaged in business, By assiduity and wise management of his affairs, he has acquired a handsome competence, and has been able to give each of his children an excellent education. Ile has considerably improved the neighborhood in which he resides with substantial residences, thus greatly enlarging the taxable basis of the city, and takes a deep interest in all enterprises designed to promote the general welfare of the community.

LAKE, GEORGE A., Builder, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, August 23, 1834, where he re- ceived an excellent education, and was brought to America with his parents in 1846. They landed in Boston, Massachusetts, where they remained for several months, and then went to Baltimore, where they settled. There George continued to pursue his studies until the age of sixteen years, when he entered, in a clerical capacity, an extensive ship-chandlery establish- ment in Baltimore, where he acquired a useful knowledge of mercantile affairs. After the expiration of two years, having a strong predilection for mechanical pursuits, he resigned his clerkship, and voluntarily apprenticed himself to the house-building business, being thus employed until his majority in 1855. During that year a general fever broke out among the enterprising and adventurous young men of the Eastern and Middle States to try their fortunes in the West. Young Blake caught the infection, and went on a trip with the view of prospecting for a suitable place in which to locate. . He first visited St. Louis, Missouri, where he remained for a brief period, and then went up the Missouri River to Kansas, From thence, after a short sojourn, he travelled through several other sections of the .West. In Clinton County, lowa, he purchased valuable real estate, which he still owns. After remaining about two years in the West, he returned to Baltimore, and

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entered into the building business. The general depres- sion then existing, deterred him from active or extensive operations on his own account. As soon as the financial gloom and unsettled condition of public affairs, occasioned by the American civil war, had passed away, he engaged in his business with great activity, and has pursued it with vigor and energy up to the present time. Among the car- liest and most valuable improvements made by Mr. George A. Blake, may be mentioned the erection of about thirty- two first-class dwellings on Jackson Square, just east of Broadway, Baltimore. Indeed, that entire beautiful square may be said to have been built up by him, and to his exer- tions is it indebted for the improvements and ornamenta- tions which it has received from the city. He has built, in conjunction with his brother Charles, extensive rows of ele- gant dwellings on both sides of East Baltimore Street, be- tween Washington Street and Collington Avenue, and sev- eral first-class residences on Pratt Street, near Patterson Park, the latter being among the finest structures in that section of the city. In connection with the same brother, Mr. George A. Blake has built a splendid row of press- brick and marble-front residences on St. Paul Street, occu- pying the entire north side of the square between Biddle and Jolin streets. These, for architectural beauty, perfect- ness of arrangement, and general finish, are unsurpassed by any private dwellings in Baltimore. In addition to the many houses built by him on his own account, he has erected many private structures and warehouses on con- tract. The number of buildings constructed by him may be counted by the hundreds. Few men have exhibited more energy, perseverance, and enterprise than Mr. Blake, and to none is Baltimore more indebted for its material growth and architectural beauty. By enlarging the tax- able basis of the city, with his valuable improvements, he has added greatly to its revenues. In this light, and in the fact that he has given employment to great numbers of me- chanics and laborers, he may be regarded as one of Balti- more's most useful citizens, and truly a public benefactor. Mr. Blake's ancestors were of an old and honored family of Ireland, and were, for many generations, large landed proprietors in County Mayo. He married, in 1856, Miss Hariet Grigg, daughter of William Grigg, of St. Mary's County, Maryland, and has sis children. Mr. Blake is a gentleman of the strictest integrity and most perfect relia- bility in all his business operations and contracts. He is of a social and genial disposition, and commands the love and esteem of all who are on intimate personal relations with him. lle is yet in the prime of life, and in the midst of great business activities, which bid fair to add to his usefulness almost indefinitely, if in the future he should continue to be as publie-spirited and enterprising as in the days and years that are past ; and the large number of per- sons employed by him will be constrained to consider him in the light of a benefactor, and one who lived not alone for himself, but also for the good of others,

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The Biographical cyclopedia of representative men of Maryland and District of Columbia Pt. 1, Part 35

Author: National Biographical Publishing Co. 4n Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Baltimore : National Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 844

Author: National Biographical Publishing Co. 4n
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Baltimore : National Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844