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 89

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 89

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NICHOLAS RUFUS GILL, senior member of the law firm of N. Rufus Gill & Sons, was born in Baltimore county March 12, 1838. He is a son of the late George W. and Re- becca (Ensor) Gill, natives of Maryland, and descendants of early English settlers of the colony. Nicholas Gill, N. Rufus Gill's paternal great-grandfather, was a captain in the patriot army during the Revolutionary War, and his son, Stephen Gill, served as captain in the War of 1812, participating in the battle of North Point. The mother of Nicholas Gill was the daughter of Nicholas Rogers, who was a distinguished soldier in the War of the Revolution-one of General DeKalb's staff-and who rendered service in various commissions from Gen. George Washington. N. Rufus Gill completed his schooling at Milton Academy, studied law under the preceptorship of Hon. David Stewart, attended Harvard Law College, was admitted to the bar September 9, 1859, and has since been engaged in general prac-

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tice in Baltimore with present offices in the Law Building. Mr. Gill is a. Democrat, represented the old Fifth ward in both branches of City Council, and was President of both bodies; was a member of the Water Board of Baltimore for ten years; was one of the organizers of the Old Town Fire In- surance Co .; a director for many years and general counsel of the Old Town Bank and is President of the Henry McShane Manu- facturing Company. He was married Feb- ruary, 1860, to E. Agnes, daughter of the late Dr. Edward Gill, of Baltimore county. Mr. and Mrs. Gill have six living children: Roger Taney and Robert Lee Gill, gradu- ates of Maryland University Law Depart- ment, and in partnership association with their father; Nicholas H. and Albert Sidney Gill, graduates of Maryland Agricultural College; Anna Agnes Gill, student at the Woman's College of Baltimore, and Calvert B. Gill. The family reside at 125 Aisquith street and attend the Lutheran Church.

COL. DAVID W. THOMAS, one of the builders and contractors for erecting our new court house, was born at Millersburg, O., March 9, 1841. His permanent home is at Akron, O., but he is residing here now until he completes the work named. His father was George Thomas and his mother Jane (Wilson) Thomas, both belonging to some of the oldest Ohio families, their early home being Millersburg, O. After 1845 their home was in Akron, where his father, who was a builder and contractor, carried on his business for a number of years. His parents are dead.

Colonel Thomas was educated in the pub- lic schools of Akron; when sixteen years old he quit school and went into the service of

his father where he remained until the break- ing out of the Civil War, when just a little over twenty years old, he enlisted in the Nineteenth Ohio V. I., Company G, Capt. Lewis P. Buckley. This regiment went in for a three months' service and was sent to West Virginia, where in the battle of Rich Mountain, Colonel Thomas received his first experience of war, his company being in the thickest of the fight. He served his time out in this regiment and in October, 1861, enlisted in Company H, Twenty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I., his former captain be- coming colonel of the Twenty-ninth. Their first engagement was at Winchester, Va., where they were commanded by General Shields. He was also in the battle of Port Republic, Va., where his company lost heavily, coming out of the battle with but fifty men; he also participated in the battles of Cedar Mountain, Chancellorsville (where he was wounded) and Gettysburg, after which he was sent with his regiment to New York to quell the riots there incident to the draft. Upon their return to the army of the Potomac, he was sent with his regiment to the Department of the South and was in the battles of Wauhatchie and Lookout Moun- tain. His regiment then joined Sherman in the Atlanta Campaign and he partici- pated in all the engagements of that stirring period. Colonel Thomas was sergeant major of his regiment and for a time com- manded Company H, as orderly sergeant; at Atlanta he was commissioned first lieu- tenant; went with Sherman on his "march to the sea," and reaching Savannah, was promoted to be captain and assigned to Company A. He was mustered out of ser- vice with this rank at Louisville, Ky., June 22, 1865. On his return to Akron he en-

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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

gaged in the lumber and planing-mill busi- ness with his father, and also became a con- tractor and builder, which business he is is now engaged in.

Having been a soldier, when he returned from the war, he took a great deal of inter- est in Grand Army matters and in the mili- tary of the State, and in 1876 he was elected colonel of the Ninth O. N. G .. which he commanded for a number of years, and which under his command was considered one of the best drilled and appointed regi- ments in Ohio. For a number of years he served as a member of the Board of Educa- tion of his county and was considered one of its most valuable members. He belongs to Buckley Post, G. A. R., of Ohio, and has filled almost every office in that Post. In 1871 he was S. V. commander: in 1873 quartermaster; in 1874 officer of the guard: 1875 chaplain and trustee of the relief fund; 1878 commander; 1888 adjutant. In 1880 Buckley Post. No. 12, was again called to the front in department affairs. At the De- partment Encampment held January 21st. at Cleveland, Colonel Thomas was elected Commander of the Department; he chose for his adjutant general, T. D. McGilli- cuddy: Q. M. general, C. J. Lamb, both of Akron. During his administration Grand Army affairs took a boom in Ohio, and at the end of the year twenty-four new Posts had been organized and the membership in- creased nearly 300 per cent .- to 3,800, with a balance in the treasury of $664, and it was generally conceded in Grand Army circles that the prosperity of the Ohio Department was largely due to the administrative ability and push and energy that he evinced. Colo- nel Thomas is a member of the firm of John Gill & Sons and D. W. Thomas, as-

sociate contractors, Cleveland, O., and in this city at the southwest corner of Fayette and Calvert streets. When the Court House Commission published proposals for bids for that work, Colonel Thomas and his firm came here and put in their estimate; the commission decided in their favor, their bid being $1.849,000, which was the lowest, and in many respects considered the best for the city. They are now doing the work to the perfect satisfaction of all concerned. When it is finished it will, however, have cost nearer $3,000,000 than $2,000,000, but will be one of the finest buildings and most magnificent Court Houses in the country, and for this result we are particularly in- debted to Colonel Thomas: we are therefore pleased, although he is with us only tem- porarily, to give him.a place in our history of Baltimore, and we trust he may be in- duced to take up his permanent residence in our city. While he is here, he and his wife are located at the Hotel Rennert.

Colonel Thomas has been twice married; his first wife was Miss Alice E. Hale, of Ohio, to whom he was married in 1868. His present wife was Mrs. Isabella Gage, of Ohio, she being the daughter of Charles and Martha Webster, both being descend- ants of old and prominent families of Con- necticut. Colonel Thomas has four chil- dren: George H., architect ; James A., me- chanical engineer; Frank D., bookkeeper, and Elizabeth Alice Thomas. He and his family attend the Congregational Church. He is Thirty-second degree Mason and as we have said, a member of the G. A. R. In politics he is a Republican, but not a poli- tician, and devotes all his time to business and expresses his opinion only by his vote at the polls.

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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

DANIEL CREA HEDDINGER, President Board of Police Commissioners, Baltimore, office, City Hall, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., September 21, 1854, where his parents spent the first four years of their wedded life. His father is James Heden Heddinger and his mother Mary Elizabeth Emory (Burgess) Heddinger. His father was born in Baltimore, February 15, 1830, and his mother at Easton, Talbot county, Md., May 5, 1833. His father's ancestors were Ger- man, and immigrated to this country from Winsinbach, Province of Alsace, Lorraine, in the last century, and settled in Baltimore. His mother's ancestors were Scotch and came to this country from Scotland and were among the early settlers of Maryland. His maternal great-great-grandfather set- tled in Talbot county. During the War of 1812 his great-grandfather, Hugh Crea, (from whom he takes the name of Crea) was a soldier in Capt. Peter Gault's company, and lost his life in the service of his country, and it was this same Hugh Crea who organ- ized the first Masonic Lodge in Baltimore City.

His father is a printer, and has been a compositor on the Baltimore Sun for fifty- two years. Both his parents reside in Balti- more. Besides the subject of this sketch there is one son, Charles F. Heddinger, rail- road official, who also resides in this city.

Mr. Heddinger was educated in the pub- lic schools of Baltimore, and the Diester- weig Institute and on leaving school turned his attention to the business of steamboat and railroad transportation, serving suc- cessfully with the Maryland Steamboat Co., the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company at Locust Point Station, the Baltimore Steam Packet Company, and the Western

Maryland Railroad Company, serving for over twelve years with this company as traveling freight and passenger agent, and as assistant to the executive. At present, in addition to being president and member of the Board of Police Commissioners, he is an officer in the freight department of the B. & O. R. R. Co; president of the Silver Valley Mining Company, reorganized, and president local branch, Anglo-American Building and Loan Association, of New York. All these are high and important positions, and show the regard in which Mr. Heddinger is held.

After the death of Mr. John Q. A. Rob- son, one of the police commissioners of Bal- timore, Mr. Heddinger was elected by the Legislature of Maryland on March 25, 1896, to fill out the unexpired term of Mr. Robson; he received his commission at once and was qualified two days after being elected. Mr. Heddinger at that time was the first Republican elected to this position, the other two commissioners being Demo- crats. The Republicans at the same session of the Legislature elected another commis- sioner, who, on March 15, 1897, qualified. Mr. Heddinger was made president of the Board the day following, which position he now holds. His term expires on the 15th of March, 1901. When Mr. Heddinger went on the Board, our city was cursed with policy, the proprietors and backers of this game being men prominent in both the Democratic and Republican parties, all working together. The newspapers of the city had been doing all they could to break this game up. When Mr. Heddinger came to the Board he did all in his power to ac- complish this, and although it was a difficult thing to do and at great personal risk, with

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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

the concurrence of his colleagues, he has succeeded in driving policy out of our city, and he certainly is entitled to the gratitude of our citizens for his efforts in this direc- tion.

Mr. Heddinger was married in Baltimore, June 18, 1879, to Miss Emma Estelle Booz, daughter of Charles W. Booz and Harriet (Shinnick) Booz, of Baltimore. Mr. Charles WV. Booz is a retired ship builder. Mrs. Heddinger's paternal grandfather emigrat- ed from England and settled in Baltimore; her mother's parents emigrated from Ger- many and also settled in Baltimore. Mr. and Mrs. Heddinger have four children, Charles Wesley Booz, artist, Mabel Lin- dau, Daisy Crea and Howell Griswold Hed- dinger, the last three attending school. All reside in Baltimore, and attend the Metho- dist Episcopal Church. Their home is at 2536 Madison avenue.

Mr. Heddinger is a member of Washing- ton Lodge, No. 3; St. John's Chapter and Baltimore Commandery, Masons; and is also a member of the Union League (Re- publican) of Baltimore.

Mr. Heddinger is of a kindly disposition and liberal in his charities, and popular alike with his superior officers in the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co., with the members of the police force, and with the community at large.

WILLIAM FUSSELBAUGH STONE, Col- lector of Customs for the Port of Baltimore, was born in Baltimore, October 11, 1855. He is a son of the late James H. and Harriet Newell (Fusselbaugh) Stone, the former a native of Massachusetts, the latter of Mary- land, and both of German descent. The late James H. Stone was connected for some

years with the Corn and Flour Exchange of Baltimore, severing his connection there- with on account of ill-health, and residing during his declining years with his son. He died January 14, 1897; his wife, August 19, 1876.

William F. Stone left school at the age of thirteen to earn a livelihood, his first en- ployment being as cash boy for Hamilton Easter & Sons. After a year of this service, he was made assistant cashier of the same firm, and was thus employed until October 9, 1872, when he accepted a cashiership with J. W. Gwinn & Co. While thus engaged during the following year he learned book- keeping, and on October 1, 1873, took charge of the books of the firm, resigning this position January 31, 1876, to accept the position of book-keeper for Charles P. Knight, wholesale dealer in paints, printer's ink, etc., Baltimore, with whom he con- tinued to be associated until January 1, 1897, when the connection was severed, except in a personal and advisory way. Mr. Stone is a Republican and has been actively engaged with his party's work since May, 1880. Since 1893, he has been chairman of the Republican City Committee. January 27, 1896, he received the unanimous vote of the Republican members of the City Council for the office of city register of Baltimore, and entered upon the discharge of his duties as such February 1, 1896, and served the full term of two years with such conspicu- ous ability and zeal that great pressure was brought to bear by the leading financiers and financial institutions of Baltimore to in- fluence his re-election. The text of a com- munication addressed to the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, which bore the

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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

signatures of more than seventy bankers of Baltimore, is as follows:

"The undersigned desire to bear testi- mony to the excellent business methods employed by Mr. William F. Stone in con- ducting the very important and highly re- sponsible duties which the law imposes upon the office of the City Register. Mr. Stone has discharged these duties with ac- curacy, promptness, courtesy and marked ability. He has, with the approval of the Mayor, been compelled to borrow, in antici- pation of tax receipts, large amounts of money. He has negotiated these loans on the most favorable terms to the city, and has succeeded in obtaining money at the lowest interest rate the municipality has ever secured during its existence. The City Register's Department of the City Government is in many respects similar to that of a large banking institution, and its satisfactory administration requires special intelligence and capabilities, which qualities we are confident all who have had busi- ness with the office, have found developed to a large degree during the incumbency of Mr. Stone. For these and other good reasons, we respectfully make the sugges- tion that Mr. William F. Stone be tendered a re-election and invited to continue in the position for which he has shown such emi- nent qualifications."

Mr. Stone was appointed by President McKinley, May 11, 1898, to the important office of Collector of Customs of the Port of Baltimore, the highest salaried local of- fice within the gift of the President. No other name was mentioned in this connec- tion, Mr. Stone being practically the. unan- imous choice of his party for that appoint- ment. It is also in strict accordance

with the facts to state that in addition to this unusual and magnificent endorsement the appointment is most favorably regarded by the incumbent's warmest political oppo- nents. Mr. Stone was one of the founders and is one of the Board of Governors, and chairman of Committee on Membership of the Union League of Maryland, the largest political club in the State. He is one of the directors of the Northeastern Free Dispen- sary, a member of the Old Town Merchants' and Manufacturers' Association, the North- eastern Improvement Association, Jr. O. U. A. M., A. O. U. W., Young Men's Republi- can Club, and numerous social organiza- tions, and an honorary member of Wilson Post, G. A. R. He was married December 22, 1881, to Clara S., daughter of the late Alfred B. Roberts, a merchant of Baltimore. Mr. and Mrs. Stone have three children, Mary, William F., Jr., and Ruth Stone ; have their summer home at West Arlington and their winter residence at 1222 N. Caroline street, and attend the Methodist Church.

HON. JOHN HENRY NAAS, one of the Judges of the Orphans' Court, was born in Baltimore, May 10, 1848. His father was John Justus Naas and his mother, Barbetta Sophia (Fox) Naas. His pa- rents were Germans; his father was born in 1803 at Frankfort-on-the-Main and his mother at the same place in 1813. They immigrated from Germany and settled in Baltimore in 1839. On arriving here his father went into the retail boot and shoe business which he conducted successfully for years. As a business man and a man of honor he stood high with his associates of that day. His father died August 15, 1877, and his mother, March

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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

30, 1879. They had seven children: Judge Naas, the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth, widow of William Tarpper, of Jersey City, N. J .: Henrietta Ann, widow of Louis Fred- erick, of Baltimore; Mary, wife of William Linder, of Bloomfield, N. J .; Sarah, widow of Charles Brinkman, of Cincinnati, O .; John Justus Naas, of Bloomfield, N. J., and Philip V. Naas, late of Baltimore, but now deceased.

Judge Naas was educated in the public schools of Baltimore, and upon finishing his education he went into the store of his father as a clerk. Having received an ap- pointment at the Custom House, he went into the service of the Government as weigher and gauger, serving in this capa- city for four years. He then went into the service of the B. & O. R. R. Co., where he remained from 1878 until 1895, when he was nominated by the Republican City Convention as a candidate for one of the Judges of the Orphans' Court and was elected, with Judges Riehl and Stockbridge, by a large majority, and on November 23, 1895, took his seat on the Bench. A short time after his election Judge Stockbridge died and Judge R. E. Wright was appointed in his place. The three Judges of this Court are Wright, Riehl and Naas, and sketches of the two former will be found on other pages of this history.

Judge Naas's term is for four years, and expires the 23d of November, 1899. The Orphans' Court is one of our most import- ant Courts and our people are very par- ticular as to whom they put on the Bench in this Court, and it was Judge Naas's high character and known ability that secured his election : since he has been on the Bench he has faithfully discharged his duties and

with marked intelligence and ability; and generally all his decisions have been satis- factory to all concerned. It is the senti- ment of all that Judge Naas makes a very good Judge. He was married in this city, September 4, 1874, to Miss Margaret So- phia Winkelman, daughter of John Win- kelman. Both of Mrs. Naas's parents are Germans and settled in Baltimore; Mrs. Naas was born in this city. They have four children: John Justus, who is a student at the Maryland University: Maude Amelia Elizabeth and Marie Krenrich, both pupils at one of the grammar schools of the city; and Mildred May Naas. He and his family attend the Lutheran Church. He is a member of the Union League of Maryland and of the leading Republican clubs of the city and State. Judge Naas has hosts of friends and stands high in the community as a man of honor and integrity. He and his family reside at 810 N. Gilmor street.

HON. CHARLES FREDERICK RIEHL, one of the Judges of the Orphans' Court of this city, was born in Germany, October 17, 1840, and came to this country with his parents, Caspar Riehl and Margaret (Ries) Riehl in 1845, and settled in Baltimore. His father was a miller and millwright and for a number of years carried on business in this city. His father died December 13, 1877, and his mother in December, 1878. They had seven children, four of whom are living: John Henry, mariner, residence, 2223 Gough street; James L., engineer, residence, 1924 Gough street; Elizabeth, wife of Theodore Kreutzer, residence, Barre street, and Mr. Riehl, the subject of this sketch.

Judge Riehl was educated in the public

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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

schools of Baltimore, but quit school early in life and took up the occupation of steam- boating, which he followed for some years, and became owner of several steamboats. On the breaking out of the Civil War, he entered the United States Navy, going into the gunboat service, serving until the close of the war. He was in some of the most important battles fought by the gunboats, and always proved himself a faithful and brave man. After he returned from the war he entered into a co-partnership with Darius H. Leary, under the firm name of Leary, Riehl & Co., and conducted the tug- boat business here successfully many years.

On the 9th of October, 1862, in Balti- more, Judge Riehl was married to Miss Katherine Block, daughter of Mr. Henry Block and Margaret (Moore) Block. Mrs. Riehl was born in Baltimore, but her pa- rents were Germans, and emigrated from that country and settled in Baltimore, the father dying on October 5, 1853, and the mother September 9, 1879. Judge and Mrs. Riehl have had five children, three of whom are living, viz .: William H., who is a mariner and married, and resides at 1049 North Broadway, this city; Clara Re- becca, wife of T. Edward Burch, and Emma Virginia Riehl. The latter two reside with their father. All of his children were edu- cated in the public schools and colleges of this city. The family attend the English Lutheran Church. Judge Riehl is a Past Master, Union Lodge, No. 60, A. F. & A. M .; Past High Priest Concordia Chapter, No. I, and member of Crusade Command- ery, No. 5, K. T. In politics, in which he takes an active part, he is a Republican. In 1887 he was nominated by his party as a candidate to represent the First ward in

the First Branch of the City Council, and was elected. He represented his ward so ably that he was re-nominated and re- elected in 1888. He claims that he had the honor of being the first Republican to carry the First ward for twenty years. Before that it had been a strong Democratic ward, but Judge Riehl's high standing and popu- larity was such that they could not beat him. In 1895 he was nominated by the Republican City Convention as a candidate for one of the judgeships of our Orphans' Court, which is composed of three Judges, and is one of the most important Courts in this city. Mr. Riehl was elected to the position by a large majority, as also was Judge Naas and Stockbridge, who in a short time died, when Judge Wright took his place on the Bench. Judge Riehl's term is for four years, and expires on the 23d of November, 1899. The Court is now composed of Judges R. E. Wright, Riehl and Naas. All their sketches are in this history.

Judge Riehl is one of our best citizens and stands high for sterling honesty and integrity, which qualities have made him so successful in business and politics, that whilst he has never had the advantages of a collegiate training, he has had a good education, and is a man of fine intelligence and sense and makes a good Judge.

He and his family reside at 2209 Gough street.

LAWRENCE FIELDING LEWIS, City Com- missioner of Baltimore, office City Hall, was born in Richmond, Va., September 7, 1864. His father is John Redmond Coxe Lewis and his mother Maria Byrd (Free- land) Lewis. His father was born at

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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Woodland, the old Lewis homestead, Fair- fax county, Va. ; his mother in New Orleans. His father was an officer in the United States Navy whose family is one of the old- est in Virginia, the Lewises being related to the Washingtons and the Lees and other notable families in that State. During colonial days and the War of the Revolu- tion, the Lewises figured prominently in high and honorable positions both in State and army affairs. His mother's family, the Freelands, is also an old and honored one. Mr. Lewis's parents still reside in Berry- ville, Clarke county, Va. His father has five children, three of whom are living: Lawrence Fielding Lewis, the subject of this sketch; Marie Stuart and Duncan Free- land Lewis, both residing with their parents at Berryville.

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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