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 70

Author: Shepherd, Henry Elliott, 1844-1929, ed. 4n
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Uniontown? Pa.] S.B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1344

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 70

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the old family of that name in that county. In a letter to the subject of this sketch, 14th of January, 1896, he wrote: "I figure it out that your great-grandmother, Mary Fletch- er, was the daughter of John Fletcher, who was brother to my grandfather, Thomas Fletcher. I am a member of the New Eng- land Fletcher family association." (5) Mat- thew Marain, fourth child of William and Mary was born in Dorchester county, Au- gust 19th, 1797; he died in Sharptown, then Somerset, now Wicomico county, Md., No- vember 27th, 1854. Nancy Rollins, his wife, was born January 9th, 1803, in Dor- chester county and died April 16th, 1870, in Sharptown. She was a daughter of John Rollins, whose wife was Mary Mezzick, both of French parentage, whose ancestors were Huguenots and early settlers on the Eastern Shore. The father of John was Luke, and Leah was the first name of his wife. Luke's father was named Jewel; he immigrated from France. Matthewand Nancy had eight children, three of whom died young. Wil- liam John, the youngest son, was a lawyer, editor and a member of the Twelfth Mis- souri Federal Cavalry. He was severely wounded at Chickamauga. Matthew was a prosperous merchant at Sharptown, and one of its largest landed proprietors, who was re- puted to have built and owned a larger number of bay craft than any one other per- son on the line of the Nanticoke river. He possessed the family trait of courage. The late Hon. John W. Crisfield said of him that "at every other term of Court at Princess Anne, they had Matthew on the jury ; an indispensable juror." The late William S. Waters, of the Baltimore bar, formerly of the same town, stated, "The Whigs never could hold a meet- ing at Sharptown unless Matthew Ma-

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rain was present to keep order." He was decidedly opposed to the institution of slav- ery, but purchased Pete Stanton, who was sold to a Georgia slave dealer at Stanton's solicitations to prevent his being sent South. Stanton was placed on board of his pur- chaser's vessel and on one of its voyages to Baltimore, it returned without him. He was kidnapped, cooped and sold South where he was found by Matthew's son William during the war. (6) Fletcher Elliott Marine, named after kindred families, the Elliotts being numerous in the Carolinas, was the second child of Matthew and Nancy. He was born March Ist, 1821, and died in Baltimore Sep- tember 19th, 1889. He began life a clerk in the store of his father; he merchandised in Vienna from 1847 to 1854; in the fall of that year he moved to Baltimore, where he engaged in the lumber commission busi- ness, which he conducted until his death. Early in life he was licensed a class leader, exhorter and local preacher in the M. E. Church; he was junior supply preacher on the Dorchester Circuit in 1852; after his re- moval to Baltimore he was, by the Balti- more Conference, ordained deacon and sub- sequently elder. Each Sabbath found him regularly filling appointments to preach. During the Civil War he performed chap- lain services at hospitals and army posts in and around Baltimore. He was a member of the Christian Commission, and for a period of two years President of the Local Preach- ers' Association. He had the exclusive honor of being exalted perpetual chaplain of his lodge of Odd Fellows; he wrote the life of John Hersey and edited and published the Pioneer for a number of years, a paper devoted to primitive Methodism. His deeds of usefulness and charity blended with fifty

years of religious activity in the church of his choice and through other agencies. He was married the 7th of September, 1842, to Hester Eleanor Knowles. They had eight children, three of whom died in infancy. The survivors are William, Emma, James, Hester and Jane.

In Caroline Street M. E. Church, Balti- more, to the north of the pulpit, has been placed a marble tablet to his memory and that of his wife, by their son William, who at its unveiling Sunday afternoon, Septem- ber 12th, 1897, delivered an address on the character of his father.

The inscription on the tablet reads, "In memory of Rev. Fletcher Elliott Marine, born March Ist, 1821, died September 19th, 1889. Member of the M. E. Church fifty years. Of this station eleven years. Thir- ty-seven years a useful local preacher whose last sermon was delivered in this church. His life was pure; his death triumphant. Also Hester Eleanor Knowles Marine, his wife. Born 1820. Died 1896. Their son William M. Marine erects this tablet."

Addresses were also delivered on the oc- casion by Rev. William S. Edwards; Pre- siding Elder, and Rev. William G. Herbert, the pastor of the church.

The paternal ancestors of Hester Eleanor Knowles settled in Sussex county, Dela- ware, probably during the middle or latter part of the year 1600. No effort has been made to trace the ancestors of the family to the original settlers in America. Eph- raim Knowles was survived by a son of his full name, who married Mary Ann Wilson. They had ten children; the eldest William Knowles, father of Hester, was born on the ancestral estate April 19th, 1875, and died there on the 3d of December, 1857; his wife was Nelly Collins: they had four children,

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of whom Hester Eleanor was the wife of Fletcher E. Marine; she was born July 7th, 1820, and died in Baltimore December 17th, 1896. From girlhood she was a member of the M. E. Church. At her funeral, her pas- tor, Rev. Dr. George Miller, of Grace Church, remarked in his discourse that "She was regular in attendance on the services of the church," and that he "felt in her death like a leaf had been torn out of his prayer- book." On the same occasion, Rev. E. S. Todd, her former pastor, said, "She was a woman of firm religious convictions and woe betide him who crossed the path of them. Had she lived in the days of the martyrs she would have gone to the stake." Her father was a well-to-do farmer and a man of influence; he was for fifteen years one of the Judges of the Levy Tax Court of Sussex county. During the War of 1812, he enlisted at Laurel, in Capt. Thomas Rider's company, Delaware militia, which saw service on the Atlantic coast. Captain Rider was related to Nelly Collins, William Knowles' wife. John Knowles, William's brother, was in the military service in Cap- tain Law's Delaware company. Nelly Col- lins was the daughter of Joseph Collins; she died the 6th of November, 1846, sixty-six years of age. The late William H. Collins of the Baltimore bar, and the Rev. John A. Collins, an eloquent preacher, of the Balti- more Conference M. E. Church, were de- scended from collateral branches of the fam- ily, which had its several representatives in the American army during the Revolution. (7) William Matthew Marine, eldest child of Fletcher and Eleanor, was born in Sharp- town, Md., August 25th, 1843; he was sent to the village school in Vienna, and for a short time at a cross-roads school near

Bacon Quartet, Somerset county, Md., taught by Isaac K. Wright, husband of his mother's sister Patience; and in Balti- more to Thomas Gale's private school; sub- sequently to Irving College, a military insti- tution at Manchester, Md., and there- after to the Cumberland Valley Institute, Mechanicsburg, Pa. During the war for the Union, though a mere boy, he was ardent in its cause; he witnessed the 19th of April tragedy in the streets of Balti- more, and the next day appeared with the American flag on the lapel of his jacket, which caused him to be threatened with bodily harm. He assisted Capt. S. H. Tag- gart in raising a company for the Ninth Maryland Infantry Regiment. Taggart was to have been captain, the Rev. Jona- than Turner first and Marine second lieu- tenants. The lieutenant colonel of the regi- ment was destitute of a nice discriminating sense of justice. He was a floater from New York, who after the war was relegated to that native obscurity from which he had immerged. He assumed to have the pri- vates of the company to elect its officers and named those who were elected. He marched the men from their barracks in La- fayette Square, to a clump of bushes west of it, where he made them a speech in behalf of his nominees, an unofficer like proceed- ing.

The lieutenant who took the place of Mr. Marine, was separated from the service without fame or renown after the disastrous fiasco at Charlestown near Harper's Ferry, in which many members of the regiment were captured and imprisoned at Richmond. On their exchange several of the soldiers called on Mr. Marine; one of them Private Samuel Webb, who was reduced by con-

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sumption to a mere skeleton, was unable to leave his carriage, on Mr. Marine going to him, he said, "I called to pay you my re- spects, lieutenant, and to say that you were fortunate in not being with us; you would never have returned."

Mr. Marine, at first was disposed to ap- peal to Governor Bradford for redress, but finally abandoned that purpose. He se- cured papers showing his activity in recruit- ing soldiers, among which was included the following certificate:

MUSTERING OFFICE July 28th 1863.

Governor Bradford.

SIR. This is to certify that Mr Williani M Ma- rine, has brought to this office in the past six weeks, over twenty-five men, all of whom he has recruited for company K of the 9th Md Rgt, which company has been consolidated with con- pany H of the same Regt.

Mr Marine has been one of the most cnergetic men in recruiting that has been in this office, and inasmuch as we think he has been unjustly delt with, we freely make this statement.

WILLIAM H NORRIS Surgeon 5th Md Rgt and Examining Surgeon.

M P MILLER

1st Leut 4th U S Arty

M O.

During Gilmor's raid and that of a de- tachment of Confederates around Balti- more, Mr. Marine served in a company of Fourth ward volunteers, remaining in ser- vice until the withdrawal of the invaders.

Having completed his law studies in the office of Hon. Thomas Yates Walsh, he was admitted to practice by Judge Robert N. Martin, of the Superior Court of Baltimore, September 10th, 1864.

The Bel Air Times, in an editorial 17th of January, 1890, contained this paragraph: "As a lawyer Mr. Marine would undoubt- edly have gained a competency had not his

business been so often interrupted by the demands of his party. He has been en- gaged in many cases of note, and has earned the reputation of a well-equipped and ready advocate."

Judge George W. Dobbin, of the Superior Court, was favorably impressed with his legal possibilities and encouraged him to ap- ply himself exclusively to the law. In a note he addressed to him, 7th August, 1882, the Judge wrote, "I have never changed the opinion I once formed of you, that your true course was at the bar and not in politics."

Early in his professional career he tried many criminal cases, among them, Peters, Robinson, Jones and McLaughlin for mur- der; he afterwards drifted into common law and equity practice.

The Local Option law of Harford county was subject to constitutional test by the liquor interests. Mr. Marine was of coun- sel for the State, and took a leading part in the trial of those cases; he was also engaged in the trial of the so-called "big gun" cases before the Harford Court; he was retained for the defense and succeeded in securing acquittals of the accused. He appeared for the Hopper heirs with Henry W. Archer, in the condemnation proceedings of the B. & O. R. R. Co., a proceeding for the right of way to build their bridge from the west to the eastern bank of the Susquehanna river, and in an appeal of the case to the Circuit Court of Harford county, he took a leading part in its trial. He was of counsel defend- ing and securing the acquittal of Col. Wil- liam Louis Schley in the United States Dis- trict Court, charged with pension violations. In 1875 he took up his residence in Ellicott City; he was appointed City Solicitor of that town; he retained his Baltimore office, ap-

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pearing at the Howard county terms of Court. In 1878 he moved to his es- tate in Harford, near Aberdeen, going daily to Baltimore except during the terms of the Harford county Court, when he was in at- tendance at their sessions. He was ap- pointed Solicitor of Havre de Grace, revis- ing, while in office, the town charter, which bill for its alteration as proposed by him was passed by the Legislature. In 1884 Sheriff Airey, of Baltimore, selected him as counsel to his office. That efficient officer had the unprecedented good fortune to have had only two suits docketed against him during his term of office, both of which were dis- missed by his attorney without trial. On retiring from the Sheriff's office, Mr. Airey generously acknowledged through the pub- lic press his indebtedness to his attorney for having secured him harmless from litiga- tion. Under act of Congress creating State Finance Commissioners, for the Phila- delphia Centennial Exposition, he was among those named from Maryland and on the organization of the State Board selected its secretary.

Mr. Marine engaged in politics early in life; he cast his first vote for Abraham Lin- coln, when he was a candidate for re-elec- tion to the Presidency. On the 4th of July, 1865, Postmaster General Randall was the orator of the day at Patterson Park. Upon his concluding his oration, Mr. Edward S. Lambdin, member of Council from the Third ward, turned to the chairman and said, "Here is another speaker; introduce him." Without warning, Mr. Marine was looking in the faces of eight thousand peo- ple. The report in the American on the following day was "That he acquitted him- self handsomely in his maiden speech." In

the fall of the same year he was a delegate from the Fourth ward to the Second Con- gressional Union Convention, that nomi- nated John L. Thomas for Congress. He supported his nomination and prepared the platform adopted by the Convention; it was submitted the previous night to Mr. Thomas, Alfred Mace, Jehu B. Askew and Samuel M. Evans and approved by them. One of its planks read, "Resolved, That this Convention repudiate the States right doctrine of secession, and affirm that the Government delegates powers to the States, not the States to the Government." The opposition press challenged the correctness of the declaration. The suggestion was made by friends of Mr. Thomas to modify it, which its author refused to do. Before Mr. Thomas' succeeding nomination by a Re- publican Convention, Congress and the President were at war over reconstruction measures. The congressional plan suc- ceeded. Mr. Thomas was criticised for his vote in its behalf; he appeared before the re- nominating convention and defended his action on the ground of the previous in- struction. In Mr. Thomas' first canvass for Congress he was accompanied by Mr. Ma- rine through Baltimore county and Balti- more City. Mr. Marine made his first po- litical speech during that canvass at Park- ton. In Thomas' second canvass, Mr. Ma- rine accompanied him throughout his dis- trict; a gun was discharged at the ambu- lance containing them, on returning from a meeting held in Woodberry. At Havre de Grace, a mob compelled everyone to leave the stand but Mr. Marine, who was at the time speaking; he defiantly remained and finished his speech.

Governor Swann followed President

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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Johnson out of the Union party into the Democratic ; in 1866 Mr. Marine was among the earliest of those who made speeches at- tacking the Governor for his desertion; it was his first appearance before a Harford audience at a meeting held in "Jones' Woods," near Bel Air. Shortly thereafter seventy-four names were appended to a call left at the counter of the American calling a meeting at the Front Street Theater for the purpose of renewing the existence of the Republican party in Maryland, which, dur- ing the war lapsed into the Union party. Mr. Marine's name was appended to the call which read in part, "A mass meeting of those who voted for Abraham Lincoln and were in favor of suppressing the Rebellion by force, and who now support the loyal men of the nation in their efforts through their representatives in the Congress of the United States to provide such terms of ad- mission for the rebellious States as will se- cure payment of the national and the repudi- ation of the rebel debt; the effectual aboli- tion of slavery and the future peace and se- curity of the country will be held at Front Street Theater on Tuesday evening at 73 o'clock." He was selected one of the vice-presidents of the meeting.

In 1867, the Freedmen's Bureau in Mary- land, under the management of Major Gen- eral Gregory, established the first colored schools in the State. That measure was in- tensely unpopular with the white popula- tion. Not a half dozen natives of the State who were speakers, connected themselves with the movement. Mr. Marine was one of the few who did. At Cumberland in July, 1867, Judge Hugh L. Bond and Mr. Marine, after addressing a meeting favorable to the schools, while crossing the street in the dark

to the St. Nicholas Hotel, were assaulted with rotten eggs. The Alleganian had this reference to the meeting: "A shoulder- strapped individual with the prefix of Gen- eral to the patronymic Gregory; an appar- ently unsophisticated youth of a contempla- tive poetical cast of countenance, with a reci- tative style of delivery, probably one of the paid emissaries of the Congressional elec- tioneering committee, and Rev. Wilson, parson of a colored congregation, were among the notables who occupied seats upon the stage." The Civilian published the following: "Some white persons who are enemies of the colored race, were displeased with the success of the meeting, vented their spleen by throwing eggs. One gentleman informs us that he saw one of the parties throw, and pointed him out to a policeman, but arrest was refused."

In company with General Gregory and George M. McComas, Mr. Marine made dedicatory speeches at the opening of the school houses for the reception of colored scholars in Harford county. A newspaper published larcenies of colored people under the head of "Marine News," sluringly say- ing, "that since the advent of Messrs. Ma- rine and McComas on their educational er- rands petty thieving of all kinds had become prevalent beyond all former experience."

Judge William Alexander appointed Mr. Marine one of the Board of Standing Com- missioners of his Court. He held that of- fice from 1865 to 1867, when the Democrats obtaining power he was succeeded by John B. Tidy. The Judge subsequently ap- pointed during Mr. Marine's term, as his colleague Frederick Pinkney, eminent as a lawyer and scholar. The two formed a friendship, which was fervent and enduring.

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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Two years prior to Mr. Pinkney's death he exacted a promise from his friend to speak at the bar meeting when held after his death in honor of his memory, of which Mr. Pink- ney reminded him in his last sickness, which promise Mr. Marine sacredly kept. A few days prior to Mr. Pinkey's death he told his wife he "must write to Marine." In a few lines with a pencil he scrawled the last words he ever wrote: "God bless and reward you. I am very thankful for all your kindness to me, but am unable to say how much I es- teem it at this moment."

In the fall of the year 1867, Mr. Marine was nominated and defeated for the House of Delegates from the lower wards of Balti- more City ; in 1868 he was a Grant electoral candidate, engaging actively in the cam- paign and speaking in Maryland, Wiscon- sin, Illinois, West Virginia and Pennsylva- nia. A speech made by him in Vienna, published in the Cambridge Era, appeared in pamphlet form as a campaign document.

He favored emancipation and advocated by speech the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States; in 1870, when the colored citizen cast his first ballot in Maryland, it was for five members of Congress; the Republican candidates were Henry R. Torbert, William M. Marine, Washington Booth, John E. Smith and James A. Gary. The entire Republican vote of the State was 57,630, and that of the Democratic was 76,403, their majority be- ing 18,773. It was an exciting canvass. Mr. Marine was opposed by Stevenson Archer; they mutually agreed to abstain from personal detraction and became insep- erable friends. When Mr. Archer, years afterwards, was nominated an independent

candidate for Chief Judge of his judicial cir- cuit, Mr. Marine presided over the conven- tion nominating him.

On the eve of the close of the canvass the American stated editorially, "Mr. Marine has done all that could be accomplished, and far more than was anticipated at the outset of the campaign. Notwithstanding his comparative youth he was demonstrated a prudency of management, and a maturity of judgment which have gratified his more in- timate friends, and are hailed as auguries of his further usefulness and distinction. Should our untiring and gallant standard bearer be defeated the fault will not lie at his door, and the fruit of the organization · which he has affected throughout the coun- ties of his district will be harvested, if not this fall certainly during the more exciting contests of next autumn."

In 1872, Mr. Marine was a second time nominated Grant Presidential elector. He was constantly in requisition for speech making. An editorial in the Frederick Ex- aminer, November 20th, 1872, from the pen of the late Dr. L. H. Steiner, entitled "Our Speakers from Abroad," made this refer- ence to him. "He is rapid in enunciation, but argumentative and connected in his rea- soning, full of happy illustrations, com- manding invective when necessary but most happy in stirring appeals to the patriotism of his audience." He was present to speak at the Cross Street Market Hall; the meet- ing was dispersed by a mob, who fired pis- tols and wounded with a billy C. Irving Dit- ty, an ex-Confederate soldier, who was at the time addressing the meeting and to- wards whom the hostility was directed; Mr. Marine accompanied that gentleman be-

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tween a file of policemen to a druggist where Ditty's wound was dressed. Every one else of their proclivities had fled.

On attaining his manhood, he shortly af- terwards purchased a tract of land near Swan Creek, Harford county, where for more than a decade of years he made his home. During the summer months, with his family, they reside amid its healthful hills overlooking in the distance the Chesapeake Bay.

In 1879, without being consulted, he was announced a candidate for State's Attorney of Harford county, to enable his party to have a nominee (all of his nominations were of that character); and in 1884 he was a Blaine and Logan electoral nominee; in 1885, a candidate for clerk of the Court of Appeals: in 1886 a nominee for Congress. He was surprised at the action of the last convention, according to the statement in the American, he "told the committee he had served the party so often it was not fair to spring a nomination on him and force his acceptance of it. It took a good deal of persuasion to induce him to go to the con- vention." The following was his speech of acceptance :

"Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention: I assure you this honor is un- expected. I accept it with reluctance, hav- ing served the party on numerous occasions, through twenty years' service, I am entitled to be relieved from future nominations. It is demanded by you that it shall be other- wise. I am a Republican because of my love for the principles of the party. It is easy enough to accept a nomination when sure of an election, but it requires courage, sacri- fice, independence and manhood to be the continual nominee of a minority party. It is

not in my province to say whether we shall succeed, put this I can affirm, that in no State is there greater need of political re- generation than in Maryland. I am grati- fied at the esteem you have shown for me by your action. To you and your constituen- cies I return my thanks for this additional evidence of unmerited confidence.'

In December of 1887 a league convention of Republican clubs was held at Chickering Hall in New York City. Mr. Marine at- tended as a delegate ; he seconded the nomi- nation of Gen. Nathan Goff for its president. A New York paper said: "Marine, of Maryland, got the floor and made a vig- orous speech for Goff and it was plain the Goff boom was growing;" he said: "The Republicans of Maryland clasp hands with the Republicans of Pennsylvania, and we throw our arms around our sister State, West Virginia."

May 30, 1888, imposing services were held at the tomb of Gen. John A. Logan, in Rock Creek Cemetery; Representative Mason, of Illinois, subsequently United States Senator, and Mr. Marine were the prominent speakers.

Mr. Marine was but a few times absent from Republican State Conventions after his entrance upon politics up to 1890. He had spoken in every county in the State, in the majority of them repeatedly. He has spoken in each year's campaign since he was twenty-one years of age, excepting the years when holding the office of Col- lector of the Port, then he refrained from appearing on the Maryland stump, but was not deterred from speaking in Indiana dur- ing the last Harrison campaign. In 1888 he was a delegate from the Second Dis- trict to the National Convention that met in

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Author: Shepherd, Henry Elliott, 1844-1929, ed. 4n Publication date: 1898 Publisher: [Uniontown? Pa.] S.B. Nelson Number of Pages: 1344

Author: Shepherd, Henry Elliott, 1844-1929, ed. 4n
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Uniontown? Pa.] S.B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1344