USA > Maryland > Montgomery County > Sandy Spring > Annals of Sandy Spring history of a rural community in Maryland, Volume II > Part 12
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prince nor peasant, landed in New York and lost but little time in reaching Sandy Spring.
For many weeks nearly all our inhabitants were obliged to entertain, with greater or less severity, this unwelcome foreigner that could boast of as many names as a royal personage, or stalked abroad in aliases like a thief.
Sometimes whole families were prostrated; again a single sufferer would be attacked and not half a dozen households escaped entirely.
The Russian influenza, or la grippe, or "Tyler fever," or plain "grip," or whatever this painful mal- ady should be called, was distinguished by symptoms of all other diseases besides a few unmistakable ones ci its own, and as no two persons seemed to enjoy the affliction in just the same way, it created as much talk and speculation as the coming of the railroad or the name of the national flower.
Everyone agreed, however, that this latest style of bacteria, direct from Paris, developed in the human frame the worst backache, the most splitting headache, greater weakness, and more dizziness, and general misery, than any new and untried disease ever im- ported into Sandy Spring before. Regarded at first as rather a joke than otherwise, it cost many persons a long and dangerous illness and in the cities was ex- tremely fatal.
First month, 9th, 1890. Uriah B. Kirk, formerly of Woodburn, Sandy Spring, died very suddenly at his residence in Philadelphia. His remains were brought here and interred at Woodside cemetery.
The many relatives and friends of this pleasant, gen-
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ial gentleman will greatly miss his visits each sum- mer to our neighborhood.
First month, 12th. The mercury was 70° in the shade, the same temperature as the fourth of July, 1889. Violets, dandelions and rose-buds were picked on that day, willows put forth their leaves, maples budded. We began to be frightened and to feel that the weather was out of joint, and to wonder if it was last summer or next we were enjoying.
First month, 16th, 1890. Two more wires were placed on the telegraph line; this we were informed was rendered necessary by an increase of business with the south.
The farmers held their annual convention at the Lyceum on First month, 21st.
About one hundred practical farmers of Montgom- ery county and adjacent parts of Prince George were present and took great interest in the discus- sions. ·
Henry C. Hallowell, who had been president of the convention since its organization in 1873, presided, with Frank Snowden as secretary.
President Hallowell urged the farmers to keep up with the times and to look at questions that came be- fore them from all sides.
"Almost every new method," he said, "in farming creates opposition at first, and this is only done away with when familiarity with the new method proves it to be better than the old." He was particularly anx- ious that farmers should not grumble about hard times. "If anything can be done, do it; if nothing can be
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done, don't fret ;. you know the old saying, "Heaven has no room for the discouraged."
Prof. Henry E. Alvord, President of the Maryland Agricultural College, made the report of a committee on creameries.
Mr. J. B. Alger, of Prince George, offered a resolu- tion, which was unanimously adopted, endorsing the proposition of the state convention of farmers and their memorial to the legislature, asking the appoint- ment of a state board of agriculture and appropriating $4,000 annually for expenses in holding farmers' in- stitutes in the counties.
There were general discussions on the best manner of keeping ensilage. the proper way of preventing the killing out of clover, the necessity of a dog law, and the advisibility of having a county treasurer instead of the present corps of tax collectors.
First month, 21st. William Somers, son of Mary and the late Mortimer Osburn, died in his forty-second year, at his residence in Baltimore. His remains were brought to Sandy Spring and buried at the meeting- house on the twenty-third.
A long and painful struggle with disease had been the portion for many years of this devoted son and brother, yet his patience and cheerfulness seldom flagged, and his energy enabled him to attend to his business almost to the last of an industrious life.
In Baltimore First month, 23rd, 1890, at the winter residence of Edward L. Palmer of Sandy Spring. his eldest daughter, Eleanor, was married by Friends' ceremony to Carroll W. Williams of Philadelphia.
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Second morth, 2nd. Eliza, daughter of John C. and Cornelia H. Bentley, was born.
Allan Farquhar was appointed one of a commission of five to build the new court-house at Rockville.
Mahlon Chandlee, our oldest inhabitant, died Sec- ond month, 5th, in his one hundredth year, having survived his mother, who passed away when he was very young, just ninety-nine years.
He was born Twelfth month, 22nd, 1790, a short distance from the place of his death, upon what was part of a grant of 17,000 acres given to his ancestor, James Brooke, by King Charles II. of England.
He was educated at Westtown boarding-school in Pennsylvania, and was married to Catherine Frame of this neighborhood, and settled on his farm of 400 acres, where he lived all his long, industrious life. The old farmhouse and the mill he built command a lovely view of rolling hill and valley, and he was es- pecially fond of his fine timber lands and had a pas- sion for planting groves of chestnut and oak trees.
He cast his first vote for Madison, was afterwards a whig and republican in turn, and voted for both Harrisons, who have been elected presidents.
For many years he was in the habit of visiting the city to transact his business, but could not be in- duced to stay over night, and last July made the jour- ney to Baltimore, returning home the same evening. He attracted attention wherever he went, being fully six feet tall and to within a few years of his death very erect ; he never forsook the quaint and peculiar garb of the primitive Friend.
His sight remained strong enough to the very last
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to enable him to read, and his hearing was only slightly defective.
His untiring energy and enjoyment of work kept him always busy on his farm, or in his garden, until past ninety, and of late years he amused himself by gratifying a natural mechanical taste in a small shop near his house, where he labored persistently on per- petual motion machines and other more probable and practical contrivances.
Early in February, at a meeting of the Montgomery County Agricultural Society, held in Rockville, Rob- ert H. Miller was elected president and John C. Bent- ley one of the vice-presidents.
George L. Stabler moved with his family from Lea- wood Mills, (which was purchased by Mrs. Haviland) into a house at Ashton. The new home is called the "Gables."
Second month, 26th. A large and pleasant public meeting was held at Olney Grange Hall.
Representatives from various, Granges in Montgom- ery and adjacent counties were present, and all ex- tended a warm welcome to the national master, J. M. Brigham, of Ohio. This gentleman, fully six and a half feet tall, of fine and imposing presence, gave us an excellent address.
He had no sympathy, he said, with the perpetual cry of hard times, low prices and high taxes among the farmers. They held their redress in the ballot : as long as they consented to be represented by law- yers, they could not expect the farming interests to have a hearing in the halls of Congress.
The most remarkable winter of which we have au-
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thentic record was now verging toward spring. The ground had hardly been frozen and only twice white with snow, scarcely three inches having fallen.
The coldest days of the winter were December 5th, twenty-three degrees above zero, January 22d, twenty. degrees February 7th, twenty-two degrees.
The three warmest days were December 26th, sev- . enty-three degrees above zero ; January 13th, seventy- six degrees; February 26th, seventy-four degrees. Plenty of rain had descended on the just and unjust, fruit trees, shrubs and flowers had been blooming all the time, the grass had never lost its color or fresh- ness, and the wheat was unhealthily high. The weak- ening effects of this unseasonable weather had been felt by everyone, and deprived of the tonic of frosty days and nights, there had been more sickness than for years.
In contradiction to the usual course in a mild win- ter more persons had sought the city than ever before. Eliza Brooke, of Falling Green, spent some months near Philadelphia. Rebecca T. Miller went to Texas for a long visit; Arthur Stabler and wife, William Riggs and family, Sallie Ellicott and family, Caroline H. Miller, Kate Stabler, Elizabeth Tyson and others, had closed their homes, and at one time there were eleven houses abandoned in Sandy Spring for the time being.
The first week of the Third month was character- ized by regular March weather. Cold storms of rain and snow came from the south ; the mercury fell to ten degrees above zero, and we had our first real shiver of the season. The fruit was killed again for
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the third or fourth time. Some farmers gathered a few loads of an inferior quality of ice, one new ice-house, at least, having remained an aching void all winter.
Third month, 4th. At White Hall, the residence of Samuel Hopkins, Herbert S. Adams, of Howard county, favorably known as a veterinary surgeon in , this section, was married to Miss Annie Hamlin, of England. The newly-married couple left for Chicago, their future home.
Third month, 5th. Warwick P. Miller, wife and two daughters (Janet and Isabelle), with Ellen Far- quhar, started for an extensive European trip.
Third month, Sth. A tenant-house on the farm of Joseph T. Moore, jr., was burned to the ground, and a respectable old colored woman, Mary Budd, perish- ed in the flames. The cause of this fire and loss of life was undoubtedly the reckless use of kerosene.
Sheriff Carr, of Montgomery county, died very suddenly on Third month, IIth, and 'Squire Fairall, of Sandy Spring, was appointed on the 12th by Gov- ernor Jackson to fill the position.
Third month, 15th and 16th, gave us cold and blus . tering winds, snow flurries and a wintry chill in the air, quite out of keeping with the date.
Third month. 17th, Charles Chandlee, son of Charles and Kate Pidgeon, was born.
Third month, 20th, an exhibition was given at the Lyceum of a phonograph, to a large audience, which was greatly entertained by this wonderful machine, that sang so well, laughed so heartily, and talked with such facility. The human race appeared quite old- fashioned beside it.
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Third month, 26th, Arthur Stabler was appointed cashier of the office of collector of customs, in Bal- timore.
Third month, 26th, Margaret, daughter of Guion and Annie Tyler Miller, was born.
Third month, 28th, Granville Elgar, son of Gran- ville and Pattie T. Farquhar, was born.
Robert H. Brooke secured a situation on the new extension of the Norfolk and Western Railroad, and - left for Kentucky. Earnest Iddings went to Phila- delphia to engage in business in the Bell Telephone Company, leaving his wife and her brother in charge of their new place, "Atholwood." A bank was estab- . lished at Laurel, to be known as the Citizens National Bank, with a capital stock of $50,000, and Alban G. Thomas was appointed one of the directors.
Fourth month, Ist, we had a driving snow, not enough, however, to cover the wheat, which peeped through its white mantle in emerald freshness.
But one new society, called "The Anonymous Club," has been started in the past year. This is dis- tinctly literary in its character, meets every two weeks, and includes whole families in its membership.
R. Rowland Moore purchased a tract of woodland on "Bradford's Rest," and Hallie J. Lea bought a small house and lot adjoining Eldon. A new barn at Fair Hill, and a tenant-house on Rockland farm must be noted. But our people seemed to have turned all their attention to building ice-houses. New ones are now waiting to be filled at Rock Spring, Bloomfield, Norwood and Falling Green.
Thoreau says, "There is no philosophy equal to the
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observation of the things before you," and in the gath- ering together and contemplation of all the events, great and small, your historian has ample opportunity to note, and to comment on, the various changes which occur from year to year.
Many have left us in the past twelve months to seek a living elsewhere, and the reaper, Death, has, indeed, been busy in our midst, calling away nearly all the older members of our community; the grand- fathers and grandmothers, the interesting, and in many cases, beautiful old faces that adorned the high seats in the meeting-house, the stay and the centre · of many homes and families. As these true and tried ones pass beyond their earthly joys and sorrow's our individual efforts should increase to fill worthily their vacant places, to continue their good works, to make the Sandy Spring of the future all their lives made it in the past. To each and every one of us there is nothing so important as the present moment ; if we do not speak the kind word right now, if we do not crush out the unneighborly thought before it rankles and bears fruit, if we do not perform the right action on the instant, it is all too late, and we have lost forever the favored moment.
"Remember, three things come not back- The arrow sent upon its track- It will not swerve, it will not stay, It speeds to wound or slay.
"The spoken word, so soon forgot By thee, but it has perished not; In other hearts 'tis living still, And doing work for good or ill.
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' "And the lost opportunity That cometh back no more to thee- In vain thou weepest, in vain dost yearn, Those three will never more return."
CHAPTER VIII.
From Fourth Month, 1890, to Fourth Month, 1891. -
Henry Stanley Newman, of England, lectured on India- Visit from Mrs. James A. Garfield to Fair Hill-First business meeting of Friends in joint session, held in the meeting-house at Sandy Spring-John D. Mac- Pherson lectured-Obituaries of Ray Miller, John Marsh Smith, Henry Stabler, Eliza Palmer Griffith, Elizabeth Hopkins, Dorcas Pumphrey, Robert Sulli- van, Orlando Hutton and Washington W. Owens.
At the annual meeting of the Lyceum Company, Fourth month, 7th, 1890, George B. Miller was elected president for the ensuing year, Elizabeth T. Stabler chosen secretary, and Samuel Wetherald continued as treasurer. With lamentable negligence nothing was said about a change of historian, though the present incumbent is a firm believer in rotation of office and is loathe to retain, year after year, all the honors, re- sponsibilities, and emoluments of a position she feels convinced many in this audience are willing and anxious to assume. She wishes it distinctly under- stood that a very small minority will be as potent as the largest majority in separating her from a task that should now descend to younger hands, and fresher, brighter heads.
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Fourth month, 7th. Catherine Stabler sold at auc- tion her household goods, and broke up her pleasant little home at Ashton, preparatory to a long sojourn with her sister Margaret S. Hallowell.
Fourth month, 9th, was "Arbor day," and no nec- essity for watering pots, as the skies furnished suffi- cient showers, as if that was all it needed, to make any tree grow.
There were ceremonies at the public school under the care of Sarah Scofield, and several trees planted, but no general observance on account of the weather.
William Milstead, who had so long and pleasantly served the people at Sandy Spring store, left for a good position with Percy M. Reese, of Baltimore, and Mr. Hyatt of Olney took his place.
Fourth month, 10th. A most interesting lecture was delivered at the Lyceum on India by Henry Stan- ley Newman of England. The next evening this same pleasant, fluent speaker gave another address at the Orthodox meeting-house, describing his travels in Palestine.
Fourth month, 13th and 14th. The mercury climb- ed towards 90° and orchards burst into bloom. This untimely heat was followed, in a few days, by a heavy frost that killed nearly all the fruit in this section, and made the housekeepers tremble at the prospect of an appleless and peachless summer; fortunately the ber- ries escaped with their lives, and later on there was an immense crop of blackberries that did excellent ser- vice.
Fourth month 14th. A very enjoyable entertain - ment was given at Brighton Grange Hall; music by
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the Sandy Spring quartet and two little plays cred- itably acted by some of the young folks. The proceeds to buy a piano for Brighton Grange.
Every one knows what happens in the springtide to the robin's breast, the wanton lapwing, the burnished dove, and the young man's fancy. Happily, many other objects undergo transforming processes, so there is ever a lovely and bewildering variety in na- ture. The elixir of life and growth once more en- chants us, and those who do not rejoice in their coun- try homes, amid this miracle of returning leaf and blossom, must be dead to all the subtle influences around them.
Fourth month, 20th and 21st. Our Orthodox Friends held their quarterly meeting. Rufus King from North Carolina, James Carey Thomas, Mary Snowden Thomas and many others were present.
On the evening of Fourth month, 24th, at the Ly- ceum, a quartet of male voices from Washington discoursed sweet music. W. G. Chichester, jr., gave us his harmonican solo, and some of the young people of the neighborhood, assisted by Miss Elise Hutton, acted a little play extremely well.
Fourth month, 27th. Mrs. James A. Garfield made a brief visit to Fair Hill, accompanied by her son-in- law and daughter, now Mrs. Stanley Brown. Ever since the summer of 1881, Mrs. Garfield has been an object of affectionate interest to the American people who watched with her by the bedside of her dying husband.
Fifth month, Ist. A stage line from Forest Glen to Olney, Sandy Spring and Ashton, was established by
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Leonard Stabler, and at once proved a great conven- ience through the hot months up to October, when it was discontinued.
Fifth month, 3rd. John Thomas purchased at pub- lic auction some 200 acres of land from the Donahoo estate. This property originally belonged to the heirs of Richard Thomas oi Cherry Grove, who sold it some thirty-five years ago for thirty dollars per acre. The price now paid was nine dollars and fifty cents, a very discouaging commentary on the depreciation of the value of land since our fathers were young.
Fifth month, 9th and Ioth. A large party of vari- ous ages, and both sexes, went by private conveyance to Cabin John Bridge and the falls of the Potomac, and greatly enjoyed the wonderful arch of stone and the charming scenery so near us, and yet remaining to many as unknown and unvisited as the interior of Africa.
About this time R. Rowland Moore purchased a large tract of woodland beyond Norbeck and began cutting railroad ties from it. Joseph T. Moore, jr., started a small saw and grist mill on his farm.
The introduction of portable engines has made many innovations in old time methods, and the mod- ern farmer, instead of taking his'corn to mill with his bag balanced by a stone in one end, not infrequently now has the mill come to his grist. Wood is sawed, en- silage cut, feed ground, and the puffing little steam servant does the work of many men in a single day.
Fourth month, 22nd. Our genial friend, Charles H. Brooke of Falling Green, who always does every- thing at the right time of the moon, was enabled to
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realize his pet scheme and long-contemplated desire, to lead a large company of neighbors to Damascus (not the ancient one), where the day was spent, and that most unusual pleasure, a successful picnic, en- joyed.
It is needless to say that the 22nd was not "Friday," and that more than thirteen persons participated in this well-managed excursion.
In this month, a letter dropped in the office in Rome, Italy, with no other address than the name of the person, and two words, "Sandy Spring," under it, was received at the latter place. This incident either goes to show the perfection of the international postal system, or emphasizes the fact that Sandy Spring must be almost as well-known as "The Eternal City.'
Brookeville about this time was incorporated as a town-the founder, Richard Thomas, says one of his descendants was probably the first man in Montgom- ery County in favor of woman's rights, as he named the place for his wife, who was a Brooke, or she may have thought that men had no rights and named it for herself.
Sarah A. Chandlee, who had been a resident of our neighborhood for more than seventeen years, returned to her old home, Hopewell, Va., and requested Sandy Spring meeting to forward her certificate of member- ship to Hopewell meeting.
Dr. Roger Brooke completed a convenient addi- tion to his house, with a very nice office for his own use.
Alban G. Thomas built yet again to his house, in the shape of a large and delightful dining-room below
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and pleasant chambers above, and has, we under- stand, promised it and himself a long rest from the sound of the hammer and saw.
Fifth month, 11th. Charles H. and Annie F. Brooke passed the twenty-fifth anniversary of their wedding-day without celebration.
Fifth month, 20th. A very severe thunder-storm oc- curred early in the morning, to be followed by many others in the next two months.
The cottage, called Wayside, belonging to Dr. Augustus Stabler, was rented by a family named Colt, from Washington, who afterwards purchased, improv- ed and renamed it Wrenwood.
Sixth month, 4th. The first business meeting in joint session was held in Sandy Spring meeting- house to take into consideration proposed changes in the discipline. History repeated itself, as just one hundred years ago the same thing occurred here.
Sixth month, 7th. Henry Stabler of Roslyn, died at the home upon which his busy hands had labored so long and so faithfully.
Born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1818, he was the last of a family of fifteen children. Coming to Sandy Spring in early manhood, he married Mary, daughter of Elizabeth Lea of Walnut Hill, and the young couple went to reside at Roslyn where they spent the re- mainder of their lives.
For some years he engaged in merchandise, and later carried on an extensive canning business and the raising of fine seed-corn that acquired a deserved rep- utation.
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A clear-headed and well-informed man, he was noted for his liberality of thought and action.
While venerating the old he did not discourage the new, and was ever the friend of progressive word and deed. He had the pen of a ready writer, and his ar- . ' ticles on religious topics, written for the "circle," were admirable.
He was interred at Woodside, Sixth month, 9th, near the wife of his youth, to whom, during an excep- tionally long invalidism, he had been a most faithful and self-sacrificing nurse and companion.
Sixth month. 10th, Ray, daughter of Guion and An- nie Tyler Miller, died, after a brief illness, in Wash- ington, and was buried at Sandy Spring on the after- noon of the IIth. This attractive infant, in her short span of life, had endeared herself to all who knew her in a singularly tender manner ; and now,
Death, in a broidered slip and cap Has left her to lie in her mother's lap In a babyhood immortal."
On the 9th, Ioth and IIth, the mercury crept up until it touched one hundred, followed on the after- noon of the 12th by a severe hail-storm that greatly in- jured the wheat and corn on several farms in its track. Hailstones, four inches in circumference, were picked up, and some persons filled their refrigerators for the first and only time that season. So great was the fall of temperature in a few hours fires had to be lighted for comfort, and we wondered whether we were locat- ed nearest the equator or north pole.
As the June days grew longer and hotter, and the
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small supply of snow and ice secured melted away in the ardent heat, the question of keeping butter, cream and meats became an interesting problem, and vari- ous methods were adopted to dispense with the lux- ury which we all felt had become a necessity. Some reopened and cleaned old wells, and kept perishable articles hanging in them. Others constructed conve- nient dumb-waiters that traveled up and down the cool depths of wells. Many hauled ice each week from Washington at considerable expense, and all felt that another year without any perceptible winter would necessitate the erection of ice-machines and the manufacturing of the artificial, if we could not store away the real.
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