USA > Maryland > Baltimore County > Baltimore City > History of Baltimore, Maryland, from its founding as a town to the current year, 1729-1898, including its early settlement and development; a description of its historic and interesting localities; political, military, civil, and religious statistcs; biographies of representative citizens, etc., etc > Part 110
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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.
coincidence each died on Good Friday and was interred on Easter Sunday. Mr. Jo- seph B. Seth was born on the family estates in Talbot county, November 25, 1845. Un- til the age of thirteen he attended public schools and then was under the instruction of a private tutor until of age for college. He had a scholarship in Dickinson College, but owing to the outbreak of the Civil War, did not attend, but later studied advanced branches under Mr. Daniel Hahn. In No- vember, 1865, he began the study of law with Mr. John W. Frazier, of Baltimore, and two years later, in November, 1867, was admitted to the bar of Baltimore. He immediately began the practice of his pro- fession in partnership with his younger brother, T. Alexander Seth, and Mr. Harry E. Mann, until 1871, when he severed his connection with the firm and returned to Talbot county, where he continued to reside until the death of his brother in 1893, when he returned to Baltimore, where he has since had his office. Mr. Seth's practice is of a general nature, but cases in maritime law predominate.
Mr. Seth sat in the Legislature as a dele- gate from Talbot county in the session of 1874, and again in '84 and '86, when he was speaker of the House of Delegates. By appointment of Gov. Robert M. McLane in 1884, Mr. Seth served as judge advocate general with the rank of brigadier, and was re-appointed by Governor Lloyd and again by Governor Jackson. In October, 1890, he was appointed commander of the State Fish- eries forces and while commanding the State Navy raised the service to a high de- gree of efficiency. In politics he has always been a Democrat of pronounced views. He is a member of Emanuel Episcopal Church,
and of the Masonic fraternity, affiliating with Coates's Lodge, of Easton. He is also a member of the Maryland Historical So- ciety.
Mr. Seth held at one time an appointment to the Senate which he never presented to that body, as the contingency for which it was issued never arose. The circumstances were these: On the death of Judge Eph- raim K. Wilson in February, 1891, there oc- curred a vacancy until the 3d of March, when he would have succeeded himself. The notorious force bill had been defeated by the efforts of Senator Gorman, but it was bruited about that the bill would be called up again, and possibly carried through, the majority being so small that one vote might change the result. To pre- vent the possibility of such a proceeding, Governor Jackson issued a commission ap- pointing Mr. Seth, Senator for the ten or twelve remaining days of the session, which would have been presented, and Mr. Seth's vote cast against the hated measure should it have been resurrected.
Mr. Seth was first married in 1879, to Miss Sallie Goldsborough Barnett, daugh- ter of Mr. Alexander H. Barnett, of Talbot county, and granddaughter of Dr. John Barnett, so well and favorably known in the earlier decades of the present century. Her death occurred August, 1881, folowed by that of her only child, a son, in September, 1881.
Mr. Seth was a second time married, in June, 1892, to Miss Mary S. Walker, daugh- ter of Rev. Albert Rhett Walker, of South Carolina, and granddaughter of Bishop Wil- liam Boone, first missionary Bishop to China, whither he went in 1840 as a minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Mrs.
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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.
Seth's ancestors, the Rhetts, fought in the early wars of the country, and her father in the Civil War.
DR. J. EDGAR ORRISON, 805 N. Eutaw street .- A native of Virginia, Dr. J. Edgar Orrison was born near Leesburg in Lou- doun county, July 22, 1862, at a time when the dogs of war were let loose in the beauti- ful valleys of the Old Dominion, and hostile armies were advancing and retreating in quick succession as the tide of war rose or fell for them. Happily the close of hostili- ties came before Doctor Orrison attained the age of a school boy, so that his educa- tion suffered none of the interferences of many sons of the South. His earliest edu- cation was secured in the schools of Lees- burg, and later he attended the High School of Waterford, from which he graduated in 1880. Determining on dentistry as his pro- fession in life, Doctor Orrison preparatory to attending dental school, placed himself for a time under the tutelage of Doctor Trussell. Coming to Baltimore in 1884, Doctor Orrison entered the Baltimore Col- lege of Dental Surgery, from which he grad- uated in 1886. The two following years were spent in the office of Dr. T. S. Waters, who had been his preceptor during his stu- dent life, and in 1888 he opened an office for himself, since which time he has been in continuous practice. The same year he was selected to fill the post of assistant demon- strator in his Alma Mater, which he served in that capacity until 1895, when he was in- strumental in organizing the dental depart- ment of the Baltimore Medical College, and became Professor of Operative Dentistry, Dental Science and Dental Technique.
Doctor Orrison is a member of the Eutaw Place Baptist Church. He affiliates with the XI Psi Phi college fraternity and is enrolled on the records of the Maryland State Dental Society and the National Den- tal Association.
Doctor Orrison married Miss Grace A. Callow, daughter of Mr. William Callow, of Baltimore. The Doctor is a great lover of books and has a fine collection of volumes, many of them of rare editions and first is- sues, of which he is a connoisseur and very fond. His library contains many of the choicest specimens of the book-maker's art.
His parents, John W. and Rebecca (Smith) Orrison, are representative old Vir- ginia families, who have been identified with the country since early colonial days, and many of them participated in the colonial wars and the war of independence.
THE professional career of Dr. George V. Milholland has been less of a stormy one than often befalls a younger practitioner. The son of a physician, he was reared in a professional atmosphere and naturally ac- quired a proficiency in the sister profession -dentistry. Born in Baltimore, August 7, ' 1871, he has always made the city his home. After attending a number of years the best private schools of the city he became a stu- dent of Loyola College, in which he re- mained some six or seven years. Decid- ing upon dentistry as a profession, our sub- ject placed himself under the tutelage of Dr. Thomas S. Waters, and matriculated in the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, from which he graduated in 1891, receiving his diploma and license to practice. Open- ing an office with his preceptor, Doctor Milholland has attained to a comfortable
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practice which his skill as a professional man well merits.
The Doctor has been elected by his Alma Mater as one of the assistant demonstrators, which official position he now holds. He is a member of the Maryland State Dental As- sociation and is secretary of the Alumni As- sociation of his Alma Mater. In religious belief the Doctor is a sincere Catholic and holds membership in the Catholic Club, of Baltimore. Socially he affiliates with the Knights of Columbus, a social and benevo- lent Order that is growing in strength.
Dr. Edward F. Milholland, father of our subject, was born in the city of Baltimore, September 30, 1837, and here attended va- rious schools. He studied for his profession in the Medical School of the University of Maryland, graduating in 1858. His wife, nce Mary C. Saunders, a native of Balti- more, is of Scottish descent. The Doctor and his wife are members of the Catholic Church.
The grandfather, Arthur Milholland, came from Ireland to America early in the cen- tury. He died in Baltimore in 1887, at the age of eighty-one. His wife survived him fifteen years, dying at the age of eighty- five.
UNDOUBTEDLY the Nestor of the dental profession of Baltimore is Dr. Orlando A. Burton, who has practiced in the city since April, 1849, excepting the few months he was completing his medical studies in the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia the winter following.
Born in Philadelphia December 1, 1829, he attended the private and public high schools of his native city until the age of fourteen, at which time he accepted a clerk-
ship in the mercantile establishment of an uncle where he remained two years. At the age of sixteen he entered the office and laboratory of his uncle, W. A. J. Birking, then a prominent dentist of the Quaker City, and remained under his uncle's tute- lage until attaining his majority. At that time a practitioner must know how to man- ufacture everything in his use from the raw materials. The teeth were moulded, and after mixing the different constituents on the metallic plate, and when sufficiently dried, were carved into the proper form and then burned. The component parts of amalgam filling was a secret scarcely to be spoken of above a whisper; in fact, all that is now published to the world were "secrets" of a trade that was full of mysteries. The Doctor is the first and possibly the only den- tist to receive from the Maryland Institute a medal for the excellence of his work. This occurred in 1851.
After completing his medical studies and returning to Baltimore, Doctor Burton opened an office at the corner of Park and Fayette streets which he occupied about a year and then formed a co-partnership with Doctor Brown, becoming the junior mem- ber of the firm. The firm dissolved in two years, when Doctor Burton married and set up an office for himself, and has since prac- ticed alone.
Doctor Burton was married in 1852 to Miss Emeline Curley, daughter of Mr. James W. Curley, of Baltimore.
The Doctor is a member of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows, Iris Lodge, No. 48, in which he has filled all of the official chairs, and is a member of the Grand Lodge. He affiliates also with Excelsior Lodge, No. 7, Knights of Pythias. In politics he is a
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Republican. The father of our subject, John Burton, was for many years a promi- nent dealer in books and stationery in Balti- more, having been engaged in that business in Philadelphia. His death occurred in 1872 at the age of 64. His wife was in maid- enhood Miss Ann Maria Smith. The grand- father, Capt. William Burton, was one of a number of brothers, sea-faring men, who on retiring from the hardships of life on the ocean settled in the lower counties of Dela- ware, and many of their descendants have become prominent in the affairs of the State.
As one of the earliest living practitioners in the city, Doctor Burton is most interest- ing. His memory of former methods and operations and his knowledge of those of the present day, make an interesting con- trast. He is a link connecting the fathers of the dental profession with the younger generation that are turned out annually from Baltimore's excellent dental schools.
EDWARD HOFFMEISTER, D. D. S .- The rapid rise of the subject of this sketch in his professional career is a matter of pleas- urable gratulation to his friends, and al- most if not quite unprecedented in one so young in the profession.
Dr. Edward Hoffmeister, a native of Bal- timore, was born December 9, 1870. After attending public and Zion Parochial schools, the Doctor entered the City Col- lege, from which he graduated, after which he took a special course in chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University. He next began a course in the Maryland College of Phar- macy, graduating in 1892, with the degree of Ph. G., and two years later from the Bal- timore College of Dental Surgery, receiving
the degree of D. D. S. He was immediately appointed assistant demonstrator, and the following year demonstrator of chemistry, which position he held until his appoint- ment in 1897 to the position of lecturer on materia medica, which he is now filling with credit to himself and satisfaction to the col- lege.
By a course of study at Loyola College during the time he was busily employed at his profession, or his preparation therefor, the Doctor passed all the requisite examina- tions and received the degree of A. B. in the spring of 1897. He is a hard and continu- ous worker and has made an earnest effort . for all the preferment that has worthily been conferred upon him. If any one would know the secret of his success, the answer is work, work, more work. The Doctor's time has been fully employed; idleness or leisure is an unknown quantity to him.
Doctor Hoffmeister is a worthy member of the First English Lutheran Church, and of the Maryland State Dental Society. In the summer of 1897 Doctor Hoffmeister was married to Miss Katie Spring, of Cen- tralia, Ill., daughter of Mr. James H. Spring, a prominent contractor and builder of that place.
The parents of our subject, John and Elizabeth (Volker) Hoffmeister, are natives of Baltimore, where Mr. Hoffmeister has been long and favorably known in commer- cial circles, as a jeweler on Greene street. The paternal grandfather, a native of Hesse Cassel, Germany, came to America during the first half of the present century. The maternal grandfather, Michael Volker, was also of foreign birth, a native of the father- land.
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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.
DR. WILLIAM B. MANN, Dentist, 2105 Maryland avenue. One of the leading den- tists of the northern section of the city is Dr. William B. Mann. His birth occurred at Zanesville, O., February 23, 1849, while his parents were temporarily residing there. Shortly after they returned to their home at Frederick, Md., where our subject was reared and attended school, later taking a course in Rockhill College and Dickinson Seminary, where his literary education was completed so far as schools go. The Doc- tor engaged in mercantile pursuits for a time until he decided upon dentistry for a profession. Coming to the city, Doctor Mann finished the course of Baltimore Medical College and Maryland Dental Col- lege in 1877. Later he pursued the course of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, and graduated from that institution in 1882. Opening an office on Howard street, he be- gan the successful practice of his profession and has since enjoyed a goodly share of patronage. The Doctor is of an inventive turn of mind and many ingenious devices come from his busy brain, not only apply- ing to his profession, but also to other fields of activity. One of the earliest of these was a can testing machine to save the loss of products put up in machine made cans. It works perfectly and has been adopted by most of the large canning establishments between Maine and California. One of his latest inventions is an improvement in pneu- matic tires, that will be on the market in 1898. In the field of his profession, Doctor Mann has patented a dental chair, a dental engine and a vulcanizer, all of which are manufactured by White & Co., which be- speaks their excellence.
The Doctor, some years since, opened an
office at his residence, 2105 Maryland av- enue, and for a time held his practice at each office. But desiring more out of door life and exercise, he discontinued his How- ard street place, and opened a suburban of- fice at No. 19 Chestnut avenue in Hampton, going out each afternoon on pleasant days on his wheel.
The Doctor is a member of the Maryland State Dental Association and the American Dental Association, and takes a deep inter- est in all that pertains to the advancement of his profession. He was fortunate in be- ing under the tutelage of Doctor Winder, during his incumbency as Dean of the Den- tal College, at a time when Doctor Riggs was a guest of the Dean. Doctor Riggs had made a special study of that common and distressing malady pyorrhoea alveolaris, thought by many to be incurable. Doctor Mann gave close attention to the clinics of Doctor Riggs, and has fortunately succeed- ed in learning thoroughly his treatment of this malady, and has been signally success- ful in obtaining complete cures in almost every case. He has reached the rank of specialist in that disease.
Doctor Mann married Miss Carrie Grace, daughter of Mr. James H. Grace, of Balti- more. The Mann family is of old New England stock, dating back into earliest colonial times. The earliest mention of one of the family was about 1650, when James Mann was made a freeman of Rohoboth, Mass. His will was executed in 1692, prob- ably a year subsequent to his death. He is presumed to be the father of Thomas Mann, who died July 18, 1794, having participated in the famous Indian battle, known as Pierce's Fight, in which eleven whites were the only survivors of sixty-three English-
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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.
men and twenty friendly Indians, who were surrounded. They formed a circle and sold their lives dearly. Nearly twice as many of the attacking party were slain. Thomas Mann was severely wounded, and this may have hastened his death. His second wife, Mary Wheaton, bore him five children, of whom John was the youngest. His birth occurred at Providence, R. I., whither the family had moved, in the year of his father's death and two years prior to his mother's. His entire life was spent on his farm pur- chased from his brother, his death occurring December 7, 1782, at the age of eighty- eight. He married Abigail, daughter of Eleazer Arnold. Of their children, John, Jr., lived on the farm, and owned and oper- ated a smithy. He was a member of the town council and served in the court of pro- bate. He was born December 13, 1734, and died October 9, 1807. His first wife, Mary, daughter of Thomas Stafford, was the mo- ther of Samuel Mann, whose birth occurred September 2, 1766. He lived many years at Smithfield, R. I., where he served as justice of the peace, coroner and town councilman. Like his father, he was a farmer and black- smith, healthy occupations that lengthened his life to a good old age. His wife, Amy Bryton, died in 1858, at the age of eighty.
Their son, Stephen Stafford Mann, father of our subject, was born in Smith, R. I., April II, 1811, the last of a family of nine children. He became an expert chemist, and for many years was in the employ of the Standard Oil Company, with headquar- ters in Cleveland, O., where he died in Sep- tember, 1884, at the age of seventy-three. His wife, Anna M., daughter of Rev. John Hurtsock, survives him.
The Doctor can trace his lineage back into
the earliest colonial times, through a line of ancestors in whom he may feel a pardonable pride. They have left an honorable record behind them.
COL. WILLIAM A. HANWAY, ex-City Commissioner and Attorney, 822 Equitable Building.
Col. William A. Hanway, the genial ex- City Commissioner, is a native of the Old Dominion, his birth occurring in Morgan- town, Monongahela county, now West Vir- ginia, December 16, 1836.
After attending private schools and the Monongahela Academy until the age of 14, he concluded he was old and wise enough to embark in business. His father, deeming it well to give him a taste of business life, purchased for him an interest in a mercan- tile establishment which he successfully car- ried on for two years. About this time he came to a realizing sense of the fact that more of an education would not come amiss in any walk of life. After spending two years at Monongahela Academy, at Mor- gantown, he entered Washington College (now Washington and Jefferson College), at Washington, Pa., from which he gradu- ated with credit in 1857. Deciding on the law for a profession Mr. Hanway entered the private law school of Judge Brocken- borough, of Lexington, Va., since merged into the Washington and Lee University. All graduates from the Judge's school have been enrolled as graduates of the Univer- sity, where Colonel Hanway's name can be found. He was admitted to the bar of Vir- ginia at Morgantown in the spring of 1860. During the stormy period prior to and dur- ing the Civil War, Colonel Hanway, al- though quite a young man, took a promi-
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nent part and was a member of the conven- tion that met at Wheeling and reorganized the government of Virginia by the election of Francis Pierpont Governor and at the same time provided for taking the steps for a legal separation of West Virginia from the "Old Dominion."
His father having died possessed of large landed estates, Colonel Hanway was quite busily engaged for a number of years, sur- veying the many tracts, and settling up the estate. In 1870 he came to Baltimore, first engaging in mercantile pursuits, but later engaging in real estate transactions on an extensive scale, giving more attention to real estate business than to the legal profes- sion. He has enjoyed the confidence of his fellow-citizens in being elected to the city council three successive terms, beginning in 1883; the second term he was honored by his fellow councilmen by being elected pres- ident of the first branch. By appointment of Mayor Hooper on December 14, 1896, Colonel Hanway assumed the office of City Commissioner, which he efficiently filled throughout his term, being a man of marked executive ability.
The Hanway family is of English origin. The eccentric Jonas Hanway, the first man to carry an umbrella in the streets of Lon- don, was a distant kinsman of the American families of that name. The first American ancestor came to the colonies early in their settlement, and made his home on the East- ern Shore of Maryland, from which the fam- ily immigrated first to Virginia and some branches to the west, settling in later gener- ations in the Mississippi Valley.
Jesse Hanway, the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Old Virginia, and when emigration began after the close of
the Revolutionary War, pushed out to the west and became a pioneer in what is now West Virginia. Here he died while his son, John Hanway, father of our subject, was quite a small boy.
John Hanway was reared by his uncle, Col. Samuel Hanway, an expert civil engi- neer, who was with Washington on his ex- pedition surveying lands in the western part of the State. He was the second surveyor of Monongahela county at a time when it comprised what is divided into thirty coun- ties now. His predecessor started on an ex- pedition into the wilderness and never re- turned. It was supposed he was killed by the Indians. John Hanway learned civil engineering from his uncle, and for many years followed that profession. His wide knowledge of the country enabled him to make good selections of lands, which his thrift enabled him to secure. He took a prominent part in local affairs and on his demise in 1852 was greatly missed.
He married Miss Sarah Steen, a native of Philadelphia, daughter of James Steen, who emigrated from Ireland probably during. the time of the Irish Rebellion in 1798.
Colonel Hanway married Mary Dins- more Scott, daughter of Doctor Scott, pres- ident of Washington College during the time the Colonel was a student there. They are members of the Brown Memorial Pres- byterian Church.
Colonel Hanway is a member of the Ma- sonic Order, holding membership in Con- cordia Lodge, No. 13. His Chapter affilia- tion is in West Virginia. He has served in all the chairs of Maryland Commandery, No. I, Knights Templar, and is Grand Com- mander of the State. In early manhood Colonel Hanway was a Whig, casting his
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first vote for Bell and Everett; later when politics in his State became corrupt he voted independently and with the Democrats. Of late years, since coming to Baltimore, he has been a staunch Republican.
DR. ROBERT S. CORSE, JR., Dentist, 254 N. Eutaw street.
Dr. Robert S. Corse, Jr., one of the younger members of the dental profession, was born near the city of Baltimore, No- vember 24, 1872. His grandfather many years ago established the extensive nurser- ies carried on for over fifty years under the firm name of William Corse & Sons. He was of a Quaker family, who on account of their faith took no part in the War of the Revolution, nor in that of 1812.
Robert S. Corse, Sr., was a native of Har- ford county. On attaining manhood he be- came a member of the firm of which his father was the head, and after the latter's death continued the business some twenty- five years. He then retired from active busi- ness and is now residing in Baltimore, taking life easily in his declining years, under his own vine and fig tree. He married Miss Rachel S. Norris, daughter of Dr. Caleb Norris, a native and for many years a resi- dent of Frederick. His father came from Virginia at a very early period in the present century. Caleb Norris was one of the first dentists of the State, being an intimate friend and colleague of Dr. Chapin A. Harris and Doctor Chandler. He was a man of un- usual proficiency in his profession, and far in advance of his times. A sample of his bridge-work until recently extant antedates the present work of that kind nearly fifty years. Samples of his plate work and fill- ings now in the hands of his descendants
show mechanical skill that would test most modern practitioners beyond their capacity, even with the many improvements in appli- ances and tools.
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