USA > Maryland > Washington County > Hagerstown > A history of Washington County, Maryland from the earliest settlements to the present time, including a history of Hagerstown > Part 19
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ITis fascinating manner, his courtly address, and his ready conversation, immediately made him a favorite with the people of Lexington, and he soon had the pleasure of receiving a fifteen shilling fee. He rushed into a practice which brought him reputation and money far beyond his expectations.
It was inevitable that this attractive youth should find himself at home in the amiable family of Colonel Hart, whose hospitable mansion was the centre of the best society of Lexington. When
Redstone and rented a farm. Here they remained until after the close of the war of the Revolution.
In the autumn of 1783 they concluded to return to their old home on Grave Creek. Although peace was established with Great Britain, and the colonies were free, yet the western Indians had never ceased their hostilities with the settlers along the Ohio, but plundered and killed them on every favorable occasion. Mrs. Tomlinson, now the mother of five children, notwithstanding the danger from the sav- ages, yet yearned in heart for her old home in the wilderness, where she had first tasted the bliss of connubial love, and gave birth to her first child. Besides, she was not reconciled to pay so large a share of the proceeds of their toil by way of rent when they had much better land of their own, where all it produced would belong to themselves. After repeated discussions on the subject, they decided on returning to their forest domain.
The journey from Red Stone to Grave Creek could easily be made by water. Having no conve- nient boat, Mr. Tomlinson constructed a raft of dry logs, connected by grape vines, and on this frail flotilla placed his family and household goods. The cattle and horses were driven by a hired man across the country by land. The water was low at that season, and the progress of the raft slow. From the constant state of alarm in which they had lived for years, he had acquired the habit of rising from bed in his sleep; on these occasions he would call out
to his wife, "Elizabeth, Elizabeth, they are coming, they are coming!" and seizing her in his arms, pull her out of bed. Many times she was thus awakened, and found herself standing on her feet by the side of the bed while her husband was still under the influence of the delusion, dreaming that the Indians were upon them. On their way down he had a narrow escape from drowning-dreaming that one of the children had fallen overboard, he plunged into the river after it. The water happened to be shallow, and recovering his feet, he clambered on the raft, awakened by the cold bath. His wife was in a sound sleep, and awakened by his asking for some dry clothes.
They landed at their old home the last of Octo- ber. It was a sad and desolate looking spot. Their cleared land in the course of six years, the time of their absence, was grown over with pawpaw bushes, and the nice little orchard of peach and apple trees overrun with briers and brambles. Ever busy na- ture was again resuming her rights. In short, there was nearly as much to be done before a crop could be raised, as when the land was covered with the primeval forest.
Here they were, a solitary family in the wildel- ness, with no one to aid them nearer than Wheeling a distance of twelve miles. They had brought a tent with them, which was set up near the spring, and served to shelter themselves and goods from the rain, until they could build a cabin. This was a
Reformed Church, Cavetown.
First Christian Church, Hagerstown.
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
Mr. Clay had resided but a year and a half in his new Kentucky home he offered his hand to one of the young ladies of the house, Lueretia, who accepted it, and they were married in April, 1799. About the same time, Mr. Clay became the pos- sessor of a beautiful plantation of about six hun- dred acres, situated a mile and a half out of town. It was one of the finest farm in the State, and it was the possession of this estate which enabled Mr. Clay to spend so many years of his life in the pub- lic serviee without impoverishing himself.
Of very little use, however, would this plan- tation have been to a statesman, who spent half the year in Washington, if it had not had a mis- tress capable of conducting its affairs with vigor and judgment. If the services of Henry Clay were beneficial to his country, then his eountry should remember with gratitude that it was his wife who really gave hini the leisure and inde- pendence which enabled him to be a publie servant. During his long absenee at the seat of government, she directed the slaves, managed the crops, and conducted the dairy. Even as late as 1832, when Mr. Clay was at the height of his eelebrity, his wife used to supply the principal hotel at Lexing- ton with thirty gallons of milk every morning. An extensive greenhouse was under her eare; the
elothing of fifty-five slaves devolved principally upon her ; not a gallon of milk nor a pound of but- ter, nor any of the vegetables from the garden went to market without her supervision. She was the first up in the morning, and the last to bed at night; and no body of slaves in the State was better eared for than hers. Besides this, she pre- sided gracefully at the table of her husband, and knew how to accommodate herself to all his guests, whether of high or low degree.
Mrs. Clay lived with her husband in happy married life for the space of fifty-three years. She had not the eonsolation of witnessing her hus- band's dying moments. She was at Ashland when her husband died at, Washington, June 29, 1852; but the chief solace of his last days was receiving minute accounts of his family at home. Aceom- panicd by a committee of the Senate, the body of the departed Statesman was borne to his home near Lexington, and placed in the principal apart- ment of the house, where the funeral solemnites were performed whenee it was conveyed to the cemetery followed by a great concourse of people. Mrs. Clay survived her husband several years, and her remains now repose by the side of his in the family vault.
Another interesting emigrant from the Coun-
slow job, as he had no assistance but the females. The logs were cut and dragged on to the ground with the aid of his horses. The site chosen was the spot where their former home had stood, near the margin of the high second bottom, as it sloped on to the allu- vium of Grave Creek, overlooking the beautiful spring, as it gushed in a clear, rapid stream from the basc of the slope. With the aid of his wife, the old lady, and Molly, the logs were rolled up, and the cabin built to the usual height for putting on the roof. The timbers for this could not be put up with- out other help than that of the females. He went to Wheeling and procured two black men of his father's to come and assist him. From some cause they could only stay till the timbers were put up and one-half the roof covered with clapboards, while the other half was put on by himself and women.
They had lived in the tent seven weeks, and it was now December. The weather suddenly became cold, and they were glad to exchange the shelter of the tent for that of the new cabin, although the crev- ices between the logs were only 'chinked,' but not daubed with clay or mortar.
The winter of 1784 set in early, and was one of great severity all over the United States. The ground was covered with snow, and for six weeks it was so steadily cold that it did not melt on the roof of the house. As they had laid up no fodder for the cattle, the poor animals began to suffer for food, having nothing but such twigs and dead plants as
the woods afforded. Early in February Mr. Tom- linson left home for "Red Stone," intending to bring down by water a supply of breadstuff for the fam- ily, with corn, wheat, and bran for the cattle. The river was yet fast closed by ice, but had always been open by the last of the month, so that he should be back early in March. After he was gone the weather continued intensely cold. The cattle suffered more and more from starvation, until ten of the fourteen head which he owned were dead. The remaining ones were kept alive by the efforts of Molly Hart- ness and Elizabeth, who every morning went out with their axes and cut down two or three large trees, of the maple, beach or linden, chopping the branches so that the cattle could reach the tender twigs and buds of the extremities. In this manner the domes- tic animals of the first settlers were often kept alive during the latter part of the winter and the early spring months. They also had to chop and haul wood with the horses for the fire; the unfin- ished state of their cabin requiring a great deal of fuel to keep the children and themselves in any manner comfortable. For two months these heroic females lived in this manner all alone.
The last of February, as the weather became milder, and the sap began to flow in the maple they turned their attention to the manufacture of sugar-a few sap troughs were made of the soft wood of the buckeye, and with their pails, dishes, &c., they contrived to gather a sufficiency of the rich
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
ty was the Rev. John Stough. Ile was a wagon maker in Hagerstown after the Revolution. In 1787 he married Elizabeth Hogmire. In company with several families he left Hagerstown to cross the Alleganies. After surmounting many griev- ous obstacles, the party reached the Virginia glades, a hundred and sixty miles from Hlagers- town and twenty miles from any settlement. Here Mr. Stough lived and preached for six years. Then his wife died, and he returned to Hagers- town. But upon arriving at his old home, his horse which he had bought on his way was claimed by a tavern keeper as stolen property, and in a few days his four little children whom he had brought back with him, were taken with smallpox and quickly died. Subsequently he again left Hagers- town, and was the first Lutheran minister who preached west of the Allegany mountains.
The old jail which at this time stood below the Square on the rear of a lot was kept in rather a disgraceful manner. The key of this building, a ponderous home-made piece of wrought iron, was preserved as a curiosity by the late Thomas E. Mittag. The jail was used to confine runaway slaves waiting to be reclaimed by their masters or waiting to be sold. The building was so insecure that methods to prevent escape which
even in those days of debtors prisons were consid- ered inhuman, were used. A writer in 1791 com- plained that a man who had been sentenced to the wheelbarrow nearly a year before, was still chained to the floor by a weight of iron he could scarce bear and was almost naked through the winter. There were no means provided for heating the jail and it was said that an unhappy victim con- fined as a madman must have perished with the cold had it not been for the charity of some private individuals who took upon themselves this burden which should have been borne by the public. It was said by the public officials in extenuation of this inhuman conduct, that the man who had been sentenced to the wheelbarrow had not been sent to Baltimore because there was no money in the public treasury to pay the expense of his journey and that as to the madman, the county had pro- vided no Bedlam and the officers had no where else to confine him but in the jail.
This difficulty was soon remedied by building an Alms House. In March, 1799, Henry Schneb- ly, William Heyser and George Ney, trustees of the poor, advertised for proposals to build a brick Poor House in Hagerstown 36x60 feet and two stories high. This was not an age of mercy or sentimentality. In 1797, four men were arrested
juice to make a considerable quantity of sugar and molasses. They had so little milk from their starv- ed cows, that sweetning of some kind was absolutely necessary for the five children, and a small lad named John who lived with them.
The month of March was drawing to a close, and yet no news of the return of Elizabeth's husband reached them. The flour and meal brought from "Red Stone" was all expended; their last cake was baked and on the table; not knowing where they should procure bread for the next meal. But that kind Providence which watches over all his crea- tures, and provideth food in due season, even for the ravens of the wilderness, sent their old friend Isaac Williams with a barrel of flour for their relief. He had come down in a canoe from Wheeling to see about putting up a cabin for himself, and knowing that Mr. Tomlinson was away from home, detained by the late breaking up of the ice, he thought their food must be nearly expended and so brought his seasonable supply.
Late in March a family of six persons came down the river and settled near them-old Mr. Stout, his wife, and two sons, with Isaac Pendleton, his son-in- law, and wife. This made their situation less lone- some, but did not relieve their burdens.
Soon after the arrival of Mr. Williams, who re- mained to make preparation for occupying his vacant farm a short distance below, the following incident took place, and is intended to show that kind feelings
may exist in the heart of a savage, as well as being the most interesting portion of this narrative.
On the first day of April, early in the morning, Mr. Williams was out with his rifle to hunt deer in the adjacent woods. His route led him through the little orchard grown up thick with briers and brush- es, affording fine lurking places for any wandering savages who chose to watch the house. Two Indians now lay concealed near the little path, undiscovered by Isaac, as was afterwards ascertaind by him and the Stouts, who found the lair or bed where they lay, it was thought, since the day before, from the barking of the dog. They, however, did not molest him. Soon after he left the cabin, Elizabeth went out in another direction to search for the cows, which she was in the practice of milking in the woods, wherever she could find them. Her mother went out at the same time to gather some dry wood for the morning fire-while in the act of picking it up, a few rods from the house, two Indians stepped up unperceived, close to her side-one of them a tall, finc looking fellow, very lovingly put his arm around the old lady's waist, and said in broken Eng- lish, "me very hungry." Without hesitation, or be- ing the least alarmed, she answered in her Irish brogue, "coom to the hoose," and setting her face in that direction, led the way to the cabin. Molly, who was at the door, and saw them approach in a friendly way, thought they must be white men, but was soon undeceived. As they entered the door, the
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
for horse stealing. They appear to have been a regular band of desperadoes for one of them turn- ed State's evidence and gave a list of thefts and robberies committed by the party, which nearly filled a column of the newspaper. They were tried at Hagerstown and one of them senteneed to twelve years hard labor at the wheelbarrow, another to four years, one to be burned in the hand, and one case was removed to the General Court at Annapolis. One of the party, a man named Ben- jamin Gibbs, after serving out his term, returned to the County and immediately stole another horse. He was taken and put in jail, and eseaped, but was soon recaptured. This time he was sen- tenced to death but I can not find that the sen- tence was ever executed.
The summer of 1793 was long remembered for its intense heat ; four or five persons died from its effects. Two years later there was a great flood in the County. The water of the Antietam rose eighteen feet and much damage was done to mills and bridges. Politieal events worthy of record belonging to this period may be summed up as follows: 'In 1791 Col. Moses Rawlings and Dr. Henry Schnebly were electors of the Senate and Adam Ott, John Cellar, Wm. Clagett and Benj. Swearingen were elected to the Legislature.
In 1792 Thomas Sprigg was elected to Congress without opposition. Adam Ott, Benoni Swcarin- gen, Richard Cromwell and Lancelot Jaeques were sent to the Assembly. In October 1793 Robert Hughes, Mathew Van Lear, B. Swearingen and William Clarke were elected to the Assembly. In December of the same year, Nathaniel Rochester received the appointment of Associate Justice which was deemed a matter of publie congratula- tion and shortly afterwards William Clarke was miade clerk of the commissioners of the tax. Adam Ott, who had been sheriff from 1785 to 1788 of- fered himself as a candidate in 1794. John Lee, Rezin Davis, Charles Swearingen, William Heyser and John Wagoner were also candidates. In 1795 the Delegates elected to the Assembly were Samuel Ringgold, Richard Cromwell, John Barnes and Lancelot Jacques. Cromwell resigned and at a special election Richard Brooke was elected to the vacancy. The delegates to the Assembly the next year were John Sellers, Thomas Bowles, James McClain and Robert Douglas. In 1796 at the Presidential election there was a bitter contest be- tween John Lynn the Adams Elector, and Adam Ott, who was for Jefferson. Although Ott car- ried Washington County by a vote of 1,337 to 698, Lynn was elected in the district by a majority of
old lady said to Molly, "these men are hungry, get them some breakfast." They shook hands with Molly and all the children. She hastened to comply with the order, and stepping to the little cupboard, took down a half loaf of bread, and a large gourd- shell bottle full of molasses, taking a deep pewter platter, she poured it half full of the syrup and set it with the bread on the table.
They seemed in too great haste to eat much, but one of them took up the dish of molasses and . drank it off. Then spreading one of their dirty blankets on the floor, they put upon it the bread, gourd of molasses, and two or three loaves of maple sugar they espied on a shelf. Looking around for more food, they discovered the barrel of flour stand- ing in the corner, and drawing the blanket along the floor, the tall Indian commenced dipping out the flour with his hands, and piling it up on the blanket. When he had taken about forty or fifty pounds, the old lady stepped up to the barrel, and putting her arms into it, told him he had got enough, and 'should na ha noo more!' The smaller Indian in- stantly sprang at her, and seizing her arms, hurled her violently across the floor; as soon as she could recover her feet she exclaimed in a great rage, 'moorder, moorder! John, call the men!' speaking to the little boy. The tall Indian, said, 'No, no, they will kill us!' After taking as much flour as they could carry, and tieing up the blanket by the cor- ners, they took down a striped linsey riding skirt
that hung upon the wall, and laid it on the floor. The old lady not at all daunted by their rough usage stepped up and seized it, saying, 'dale a hait of that shell ye ha, for that is Betty's," meaning her daughter Tomlinson, who was yet absent in the woods. The Indian smiled at her volubility, and suf- fered her to keep it. They then stepped up to the little cupboard, and took out two tin cups, two spoons and some goose eggs that lay on the shelf, and put them into a brass kettle. After collecting these articles they espied a pot full of mush made for the calf, whose mother's milk was needed for the child- ren. This they scooped out with tin cups, and ate with great relish. As they were about to depart, Molly addressed the large Indian, and begged of him not to take the brass kettle, as she coud not keep house without it. He very kindly took out the eggs, spoons, &c., and handed it back to her. Before leaving the house they made signs with their fingers, that they belonged to a party of thirty In- dians, who were encamped across the Ohio river. The two Indians had but one gun, which might have been one reason for not firing at Isaac Williams, lest if it had missed him, he would certainly kill one of them. As they left the cabin with their loads of plunder, they passed down the slope by the spring; the old lady followed theni to this spot, and at the top of her voice screamed out all the ugly names she could think of; calling them dirty Indian thieves; red-skin devils, rascals,
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
four votes. In 1797 the delegates to the Legisla- ture were Martin Kershner, Ambrose Geoghegan, Cephas Beall and John Buchanan.
The century elosed with the exciting episode with France. That Republic had committed dep- redations upon Ameriean vessels and had insulted the American Minister, and sent him his passports. The President had appointed three distinguished gentlemen as Envoys, to proceed to Franec taking with them ample powers to settle all disputes and to adjust all differenees. These envoys had not been received by the Government but had been secretly approached and asked for a heavy bribe, to be paid to the Directorate as the price of peace. The reasonable portion of the people of the United States were deeply incensed, but there was a large party which still clung to France, who aped the manners and speech of the French people and called each other "citizen." There seemed to be no questions of domestie policy upon which the people could divide. The division line was found in foreign politics. There was an English party, ready almost to lick the fcet of the English, and there was the French party who exeused or even applauded the vilest atrocities of the French Rev- olution. In Washington County, the Federal or English party was probably in the ascendant, but there were found writers in the newspaper to de- nounce the President for bringing on the difficulty
with France. But there was a general mustering of the military, arming and drilling. General Samuel Ringgold wrote to the President offering the serviees of his troop of Federal Blues, and received from Mr. Adams a reply that the determi- nation of the troop to support the Government with their lives and fortunes did them great honor. Captains Abraham Rutledge and Dennis Davis made an offer. in a long communication, of their two companies of infantry. In his reply the Pres- ident took occasion to complain bitterly of the misrepresentation to which he had been subjected, which had misled so many citizens in their opinion of his measures. The military spirit lasted for some time after the occasion had passed away. There was a continual drilling and marching. The fourth of July, 1799, was celebrated in several places by the soldiers in uniform. The military of Williamsport, in full uniform, joined with the civilians of the town in festivities at the Federal Spring on the Potomac, a short distance away. Captain Schnebley's troop of Washington Blues dined at Peck's Garden in Hagerstown, and a select company of the 24th Regiment celebrated the day and drank their toasts at Mr. Rohrer's Spring, and afterwards marehed through the streets of Hagerstown. The first move in the matter of the French excitement was a meeting of citizens at the Court House on the 21st of May 1798, "to
&c. They paid no attention to her abuse, but as they passed by the spring, very coolly killed two geese out of the small flock they found there, and added them to their plunder.
They had been gone but a short time, when the men, called by John, came to the house, well armed. On inquiring into the circumstances, they felt assured that they belonged to a large party who were in the vicinity, or they would not have encumbered them- selves with so much flour; besides they had killed no one, and if they should pursue and kill these two as they easily could do, having only one gun, the other Indians would soon know it, and might massacre the two families in revenge. It began also to rain about that time, and the pursuit was given up. This happened on Friday, and Mr. Tomlinson reached home on the 5th, or Wednesday following. Between Friday and the day of his return, the same party of Indians killed two men on Wheeling creek, viz: Randal Dearth, and one Redford, who were in the woods hunting their horses. The day after his return the same party stole two of his horses and took them away with them.
Within a few months after these events, Mr. Tomlinson learned from Isaac Lane, who had lived for many years in the Indian country on Mad River, being adopted into the tribes of Wyandots, that the two Indians who plundered his house, lived near
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him, and the one who spoke English was the son of John Montour, a chief man of the tribe.
Mr. Tomlinson felt so thankful that they had spared the lives of his wife and children, that he wrote a letter to young Montour by Mr. Lane, ex- pressing his gratitude, and saying they were welcome to the horses for their humane conduct. It pleased ยท the Indian very much, and was probably the means of inducing them to be merciful to other women and children who might fall into their hands.
Several of the descendants of Joseph Tomlinson, are yet living, some of them on the flats of Grave Creek. The town of Elizabeth, named for Mrs. Tom- linson, is quite a flourishing village, and the seat of justice for Marshall county. The Court House stands about two hundred yards from the spring, and a large brick house covers the site of the log cabin that witnessed the events above narrated. Old Mrs. Hartness died in 1797, aged eighty-four years, and her daughter Elizabeth in 1841, aged also eighty- four years.
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