USA > Maryland > Genealogical and memorial encyclopedia of the state of Maryland, a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Volume II > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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
496
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
tatious and the extent of his charities will never be known. He was a lifelong member of the Protestant Episcopal church, and in 1887 built a stone church near Reisterstown which he presented to All Saints' Parish in loving memory of his mother. He served the local church in various offices, and as deputy represented his parish in the diocese of Maryland and that diocese in the General Convention of the church.
To Mr. Keyser is due a great deal of credit for the raising in 1902 of the $1,000,000 endowment fund for Johns Hopkins University, and the placing of that valuable institution upon a sound financial basis. It was purely a labor of love, yet he was most earnest and untiring in his interest, and when the trustees of the University took official action upon his death they spoke of him as a "man whose whole public life was an inspiring example of good citizenship and civic duty. His public service in a private station offers a practical example of the fulfilment of the ideals which the University endeavors to inculcate." The faculty of the University also passed resolu- tions naming Mr. Keyser as a man of "eminent sagacity," who led a "life of high example and rare beneficence." "In busi- ness, in politics, in the cause of religion, the cause of humanity it was always the same large nature, the same unshaken will, the same calm foresight, the same energetic utterance, the same commanding presence that made for all that was righteous, all that was generous." "It is an honor to Baltimore that such a man should have unfolded so freely in this community."
At his home, "Brentwood," about three miles from the Glyndon depot, reached by an avenue forty feet wide, which he built and presented to the public, Mr. Keyser and his wife dispensed a charming hospitality. He was a delightful host, she a charming hostess, both richly endowed with mental and physical graces. He was a man of commanding form, six feet in height, with manners invariably courteous and dignified.
497
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
His genial personality never failed to attract, and it was char- acteristic of him that in youth his close friends were those older and in his latter years those much younger than he. His life was full of goodness, a solid, simple, unassuming, strong and serviceable one, and it is impossible to contemplate the variety, extent and importance of his work and the deep im- press of his personality upon his times without admiration. Long years of hard work told heavily upon his health, and although apparently unusually well, he passed away instantly on the afternoon of June 3, 1904, while walking on the lawn at "Brentwood," apoplexy causing his death at the age of sixty-nine.
Mr. Keyser married, November 10, 1858, Mary Hoke Brent, died October 29, 1911, daughter of Robert J. Brent, a leading member of the Baltimore bar. They were the parents of three sons and three daughters: 1. Robert Brent, born August 5, 1859; married, June 14, 1888, Ellen Carr McHenry, daughter of James Howard McHenry, of Sudbrook, Balti- more county, Maryland. 2. John Wyman, born May 25, 1861, died in infancy. 3. Mary Brent, born July 21, 1862, died in infancy. 4. Mabel Wyman, born December 30, 1867, died in infancy. 5. Mathilde Lawrence, born February 26, 1870; married, April 23, 1901, William M. Manly. 6. William (2), born November 25, 1871; married, October 18, 1906, Jean Hancy.
MD .- 32
JOHN E. HURST
A MONG the class of citizens who in days gone by added to the growth of Baltimore, who became prominent by the force of their own individual character at a period when it may truly be said that there were giants in the land, giants in intellect, energy and enterprise, and who, dying, left behind them imperishable "footprints on the sands of time," John Edward Hurst stands in the front rank. Few citizens have lived in our midst since the foundation of Baltimore who have left a brighter record for every trait of character that consti- tutes true greatness. Certainly, none whose memory shall float down the stream of time will be more honored and revered.
The Hurst family is one of the old families of America, and traces its lineage as far back as the year 1216 in England. It is one which has furnished its full quota of members to those who were active in defense of the rights and liberties of this country, and to professional, financial and commercial lines. Bishop John Fletcher Hurst, of the Methodist Epis- copal church, president of the Drew Theological Seminary, well-known author and writer for the press, is a grandson of Samuel Edward Hurst and his first wife, Lavinia Littleton, and there have been a number of others in this family who have attained more than a merely local reputation as writers.
(I) Edward Hurst married in England, where his life was spent, and among his children was Edward (see forward).
(II) Edward (2) Hurst, son of Edward (1) Hurst, was born January 16, 1744. He married, 1764, Sarah, daughter of Henry Hooper, and resided at Battersey, County Surrey, England. Children : Samuel Edward (see forward) ; Thomas, Joseph and Rebecca, who emigrated to America, and settled in Dorchester county, Maryland, in 1796.
499
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
(III) Samuel Edward Hurst, eldest child of Edward (2) and Sarah (Hooper) Hurst, was born at Battersey, County Surrey, England, in 1764, and died October 26, 1822. He came to Maryland when he was about sixteen years of age, and his name appears as one of the fourteen "militia men" drafted from Dorchester county, listed in a letter of Henry Hooper to the governor, dated June 28, 1781, "to serve in the Continental army until the 10th day of December next." He served as a private in the Second Company, Captain James Gray, Third Maryland Regiment, from June to December, 1781, and in the Maryland Line, First Regiment, as a member of the Sixth Company, until his honorable discharge at Fred- erickstown, November 29, 1783. He was on the fighting line in the vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina, during several important engagements; took part in the siege and battle of Yorktown, and witnessed the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. In 1787 there was awarded him, as a soldier, a piece of land, No. 1053, of 4,165 lots, of fifty acres each, on reserved ground lying west of Fort Cumberland, then in Washington (now Garrett) county, Maryland, about one and a half miles from Deer Park. It seems that this property was never valued highly enough either to occupy, pay taxes thereon or sell, and the title subsequently passed into other hands. He owned a farm near Salem, and about thirteen years prior to his death purchased a tract of land on the west side of the stream, later known as Hurst's Creek, and about four miles east of Cam- bridge, the county seat. This place was called Weir's Neck and passed into the possession of his eldest son. He became a member of the Methodist denomination some years before his death, and is buried in the old cemetery at Cambridge.
Samuel Edward Hurst married (first) 1786, Lavinia Lit- tleton. Children: 1. Elizabeth, born 1787, died 1845, mar- ried Thomas Wingate. 2. Stephen (see forward). 3. Chris-
500
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
tiana, born 1795, died 1880, married Lewis Finney. 4. Elijah, born 1797, died 1849. Mr. Hurst married (second) 1803, Elizabeth Yardley. Children: 5. Samuel, born 1804 and died 1840. 6. John, born 1807, died 1880. 7. James, born 1810, died 1823. 8. Henrietta Maria, born 1813, died 1847, married William H. Swiggett. 9. Emily, born 1816, died young.
(IV) Stephen Hurst, eldest son and second child of Sam- uel Edward and Lavinia (Littleton) Hurst, was born in 1793, and died in 1846. As the eldest son he inherited Weir's Neck, according to the English custom, and was a gentleman farmer and a local preacher of the Methodist church. Shortly after his death his wife removed with the family to Cambridge, Maryland. He married Anne Jones, and among his children was John Edward (see forward).
(V) John Edward Hurst, son of Stephen Hurst, was born at Weir's Neck farm, on the Great Choptank river, near Cambridge, October 21, 1832, and he died January 6, 1904. Upon the removal of his mother to Cambridge, he entered the Cambridge Academy, where he studied for several years. At the age of seventeen years he decided to go to Baltimore, and there found a position with Hamilton, Easter & Company, but at the end of one year became an employe of Hamilton & Sons, with whom he remained for seven years. He next entered into business relations with the firm of Hurst & Berry, in which his uncle, John Hurst, was the senior partner. In 1857, Mr. Hurst in association with his cousin, William R. Hurst, bought out the old firm of Hurst & Berry, thus making his first business venture under his own name, the firm being known as Hurst & Company. Later the business was removed to Nos. 241-243 West Baltimore street and in 1868, upon the death of William R. Hurst, Littleton B. Purnell and Captain Alfred Maddox became associated with John E. Hurst, and
501
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
the firm name changed to Hurst, Purnell & Company. Under the able management of the partners, of whom Mr. Hurst was the leading spirit, the business prospered and increased to such an extent that, in July, 1886, it was removed to Hopkins Place and Green street, and finally, in 1905, was located at Nos. 39-41-43-45 Hopkins Place, at the corner of Lombard street. The firm was reorganized December 1, 1895, and be- came known under the name of John E. Hurst & Company, the members of the firm being: John E. Hurst, Lloyd L. Jackson, William B. Hurst, A. C. R. Wilhon, William E. Clarke, Henry S. Hurst and John E. Hurst, Jr. Just one year later Mr. Clarke retired from the firm and Mr. M. F. Burgess was admitted in his stead. The business, at the head of which his name figures, is so closely intertwined with the life of Mr. Hurst, that a history of the one must of necessity include a history of the other. The firm was built up from small beginnings and it is owing largely to the energy, enter- prise and executive ability of Mr. Hurst that it has attained a position in the business world second to none of the same class. The larger part of its trade is with the Southern States, and it is estimated to amount to fully $5,000,000 annually. The business has always been conducted in such a safe and con- servative manner, that even the numerous financial and com- mercial panics through which the country has passed, have been unable to affect it in the least. The various departments are under the capable management of experienced buyers and salesmen, and it speaks well for all concerned to be able to make the statement that many of the employes of this house have held their positions for a lifetime. It has always been an up-to-date house in every respect, keeping a bright lookout for all new ideas and improvements in the drygoods line, and introducing all modern equipments as soon as they have been proven practicable. Mr. Hurst was also identified with a
502
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
number of other important business enterprises. He was formerly president, then vice-president of the Merchants' and Manufacturers' Association; director in the Mercantile Trust & Deposit Company ; vice-president and a director of the Na- tional Exchange Bank; a director of the Eutaw Savings Bank ; a director in the Fountain Hotel Company (Carrollton Ho- tel) ; director in the Ashland Manufacturing Company ; direc- tor in the Board of Trade; trustee of the Johns Hopkins Hos- pital, and in connection with the last named office, considered it his duty and pleasure to visit the hospital every Sunday afternoon, and spend some hours in conversation with the patients and officials. He was a director in the Merchants and Maryland clubs, a member of the Elkridge Fox Hunting Club, and a liberal contributor to the Horse Show. Although Mr. Hurst took a deep interest in the political welfare of his country, he was never desirous of holding public office. Yet in 1895, when the Democratic party sought a man to represent them, whose personal and business character were unimpeach- able, and offered the nomination for the office of governor to Mr. Hurst, he considered it his duty to put aside his personal feelings in the matter, and act as was for the best interests of the greater number concerned. He was, however, defeated in the election by Hon. Lloyd Lowndes. For a number of years he served as a member of the water board under the administration of Mayor Latrobe. Mr. Hurst was not only the business head of the house, but took a personal interest in the welfare of those in his employ, and the love of his employes was evidenced on the occasion of his seventy-first birthday, when they presented a handsome silver punch bowl to him, a gift which he valued above all others as an emblem of the personal love they bore him. His benefactions were numer- ous but unostentatious, he having a decided dislike to notoriety in this connection. The affairs of the Samuel Ready School
503
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
aroused his deepest interest; he was a director of the institu- tion and frequently looked after the comforts of its inmates personally. Shortly before his death he donated twenty thou- sand dollars toward erecting the Hospital of the United Chari- ties at Cambridge, and was the guest of honor on the occasion of the laying of the cornerstone. The death of Mr. Hurst came suddenly and unexpectedly. He had suffered for some time from a cancerous growth on one cheek, which had been successfully operated upon on two occasions. On the day prior to his death, he repaired to the hospital to have another opera- tion performed; this was successful, but as a result of the dis- ease, clots had formed in the veins and entered the heart, caus- ing death the following night. The sad news was a great shock to the entire city, and rich and poor vied with each other to do honor to his memory. As soon as the news of his death reached the business world, a meeting was called of those in the same line of business, and it was unanimously decided that all business be suspended and the stores closed during the hours of the funeral. The Senate of Maryland, the Cam- bridge Town Council and a number of other public bodies adopted resolutions expressing their sorrow at the death of Mr. Hurst, and the loss they had sustained. As Mr. Hurst had been a vestryman of St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal Church for more than thirty years, the funeral took place from that edifice. The services were conducted by the rector, Rev. W. H. Falkner, assisted by Rev. George C. Stokes and Rev. G. Mosley Murray. So entirely unexpected was his death, that he had planned to meet his wife and daughter abroad the following spring. Mr. Hurst was devoted to the ties of friend- ship and of family, regarding them as a sacred obligation, and when he passed away the city mourned the loss of a mem- ber of one of its most representative and prominent families. His city residence was at No. 704 Cathedral street, Baltimore, and his summer residence was "Hurstleigh."
504
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
Mr. Hurst married Mary R. S., daughter of Dr. Ephraim Bell, of Baltimore county, Maryland. Children: Nancy W., who married Lieutenant Alfredo Cappellini, of the Italian Navy; Julia Bell H., who married Dr. C. H. Wilkin; Mary Boyd H., married E. Harvie Smith; Charlotte B., married C. G. Miller; Sallie W .; William B .; Henry S .; John E. Jr. Mr. Hurst, by his own honorable exertions and moral attributes carved out for himself friends, affluence and posi- tion. By the strength and force of his own character he over- came obstacles which, to others less hopeful and courageous, would have seemed insurmountable. His mind was ever occu- pied with projects for the welfare of the city of his adoption. Selfishness was foreign to his nature, and in all the enterprises he advocated and forwarded he had in view the good of his fellowmen. His reputation for public and private integrity was second to that of no man in the land. His friends were many, and were to be found in all classes of society, all of whom were deeply and sincerely affected by his death.
FRANK SHERWOOD HAMBLETON
W ILLIAM HAMBLETON, the pioneer ancestor of the branch here under consideration, was born in 1636, died in 1677. He was a resident of Talbot county, Maryland, served as representative for that county in the Maryland As- sembly, 1666-75, high sheriff, 1662-63, and justice and county commissioner, 1669-75. He married Sarah, daughter of John and Frances Watkins.
(II) William (2) Hambleton, son of William (1) and Sarah (Watkins) Hambleton, was born in 1663, died in 1725. He married Margaret Sherwood, who died in 1755, daugh- ter of Hugh and Mary Sherwood, the former of whom was born in 1632, died in 1710; he was representative for Talbot county in the Maryland Assembly, 1692-93, and justice and county commissioner, 1694-96.
(III) John Hambleton, son of William (2) and Mar- garet (Sherwood) Hambleton, died in 1773. He married Mary, daughter of Thomas and Jane Studham, of Talbot county, Maryland, the former of whom died in 1737.
(IV) William (3) Hambleton, son of John and Mary (Studham) Hambleton, was born before 1733, died in 1795. He married Mary, daughter of John and Mary (Sherwood) Auld. John Auld, born January 9, 1702, died July 12, 1766, was son of James and Sarah (Elliott) Auld, of Talbot county, Maryland, the former of whom was born in 1665, died in 1721, and the latter was born February 1, 1670. Sarah (Elliott) Auld was the daughter of Edward Elliott, of Talbot county, Maryland, born in 1639, died after 1707. Mary (Sherwood) Auld, born May 25, 1704, died September 30, 1795, was the daughter of Daniel and Mary (Hopkins) Sherwood. Daniel Sherwood, born March 20, 1668, died August 15, 1738, was the son of Hugh and Mary Sherwood, mentioned above.
506
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
Mary (Hopkins) Sherwood, born June 6, 1672, was the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Towe) Hopkins, the former of whom died in 1701.
(V) John (2) Hambleton, son of William (3) and Mary (Auld) Hambleton, was born in 1755, died December 22, 1832. He married, June 17, 1793, Margaret, daughter of Thomas and Catherine (Fell) Bond, grandaughter of Thomas and Phoebe (Thomas) Bond, great-grandaughter of Thomas and Ann (Robinson) Bond, and great-great-granddaughter of Peter and Alice Bond. Thomas Bond, born September 27, 1744, was son of Thomas Bond, who died in 1762, and he was son of Thomas Bond, of Baltimore county, Maryland, born in 1679, died in 1756, and he in turn was son of Peter Bond, who died in 1705. Catherine (Fell) Bond was the daughter of William and Sarah (Bond) Fell, the former of whom was of Baltimore county, died in January, 1746, and the latter a daughter of Thomas and Ann (Robinson) Bond, mentioned above.
(VI) Thomas Edward Hambleton, son of John (2) and Margaret (Bond) Hambleton, was born May 15, 1798, died May 18, 1876. His birth occurred at Abingdon, Harford county, Maryland. He was one of the originators of the Board of Water Commissioners of Baltimore in 1858, and a member of it until 1861. He organized and was the first president of the Maryland Fire Insurance Company, an institution that commanded the confidence of the community. He took an active part in the establishment of the cotton factories at Elys- ville, Maryland, and was largely interested in other cotton manufacturing enterprises in Baltimore and its vicinity. He established in Baltimore a drygoods jobbing house, and was widely known as an honorable and successful merchant, and in addition to these duties, served as a director of the Western Bank. He was an old line Whig up to the commencement of
507
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
the Civil War, when his sympathies turned in the direction of the Democratic party. Mr. Hambleton married, December 2, 1824, Sarah A., daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth (Dear- dorff) Slingluff, and sister of Jesse Slingluff, who was presi- dent of the Commercial and Farmers' National Bank. Jesse Slingluff Sr. was born January 1, 1775, and married, Septem- ber 11, 1799, Elizabeth Deardorff, born April 18, 1775. Chil- dren of Thomas Edward and Sarah A. (Slingluff) Hamble- ton : Jesse Slingluff; John A .; T. Edward (see forward) ; William Sherwood ; Francis H .; James Douglass; Clara.
(VII) Thomas Edward (2) Hambleton, son of Thomas Edward (1) and Sarah A. (Slingluff) Hambleton, was born May 16, 1829, at New Windsor, Carroll county, Maryland, died at his home, "Hambledune," near Lutherville, Mary- land, September 21, 1906. He graduated from St. Mary's College in 1849, and immediately commenced his business career, his first venture being as a manufacturer of agricultural implements, from which he retired to engage for a short time in the wholesale provision trade. In 1854, his father retiring from business, he, with his brother, John A. Hambleton, con- tinued the wholesale drygoods house of Hambleton & Son, under the name of Hambleton Brothers & Company. This he followed until the breaking out of the Civil War in 1861, when, being a sympathizer with the Southern cause, and hav- ing a large business south of the Potomac river, he transferred his residence to Richmond, Virginia, where he found himself allied with the Richmond Importing & Exporting Company, whose business was the exportation of military and other stores, which was done by running the blockade of Federal vessels that lay off Wilmington, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina. In this venture he met with the varying success of fortunes that attended that calling, one of his mis- haps being the losing of a steamer near Georgetown, South
508
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
Carolina, the vessel falling a prey to the United States navy, although Mr. Hambleton and his crew escaped capture. In the pursuit of his business as blockade runner he made several trips to Europe. He purchased the blockade runner "Co- quette" and subsequently built the steamship "Dare," which he personally commanded until the close of the war. He carried dispatches from President Davis and other high offi- cials, running chances of being captured and hung as a spy. Captain Hambleton, as he was known among his Confederate associates, was an active member of the Isaac R. Trimble Camp, Confederate Veterans, being elected May 2, 1905, and was then awarded the bronze cross of honor by the Daughters of the Confederacy.
Upon the return of Mr. Hambleton to Baltimore, in 1865, he, with his brother, John A. Hambleton, established the late firm of John A. Hambleton & Company, bankers and brokers. They became active operators in the market, and while ob- serving those safe rules that had always characterized the banking and brokerage business of Baltimore, they began to extend the scope of transactions, and made special effort to attract the attention of the Great West to Baltimore as a place for favorable financial negotiations. In 1872 they associated with them Thomas T. Smith, and in the same year they occu- pied the Consolidated Building, 20 South street. Their house was a complete banking institution, transacting all kinds of banking business. Aside from their individual success, their active spirit and enterprise was of great service to Baltimore, they having raised it out of the restricted field in which it had been so long confined, bringing it into activity. The banking institutions of a city are a fair index of its commercial charac- ter and financial strength, through the successive stages of its history. They are the centres around which all the movements of trade navigate, and by which they are regulated. There-
509
GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL
fore it is not only necessary that they have substantial capital, firm available assets, but wise, judicious, efficient and irre- proachable officers and directors, whose administration and character strengthen confidence. Prominent among these was the late Thomas Edward Hambleton, who possessed the quick- ness of the progressive man and was alive with the spirit of the times.
As a member of the firm of John A. Hambleton & Com- pany, Mr. Hambleton was identified with a number of im- portant public enterprises, among which may be mentioned the several rival corporations of the old Gas Light Company, viz .: The People's, the Consumers', and the Consolidated Water Company; Cincinnati, Washington & Baltimore Rail- way Company, of which he was one of the reorganization committee ; West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railway Com- pany, now part of the Western Maryland system; Piedmont & Cumberland Railroad Company ; Albany & Northern Rail- road Company, of which he was president at the time of his death; Mercantile Trust & Deposit Company, of which he was the largest individual stockholder and member of its board of directors, and the Baltimore Traction Company, the pioneer of rapid transit in Baltimore, of which he was presi- dent from its formation. He was the oldest member of the Baltimore Stock Exchange. He was one of the signal men in the city's history, whose name and record should never be forgotten. He was quick in his judgment of men and the affairs of men, and was usually accurate in his convictions. He possessed the characteristics which make for success in all branches of business, and his shrewd judgment, his grasp of the problems of finance, and his promptness in acting in every enterprise which was proved by his judgment, brought him wealth and gave him a conspicuous position in the field of Baltimore finance and business.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.