USA > Maryland > Washington County > Leitersburg > History of Leitersburg District, Washington County, Md.: Including Its Original Land Tenure. > Part 14
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* Colonial Records of Penna., Vol. IV pp. 62, 100-108, 160, 225-232, 251.
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the intervention of a magistrate. There is every reason to be- lieve that this arrest was made at the instance of the Maryland authorities, who regarded the imprisonment of Cresap as a suffi- cient justification.
Several months later the Captain successfully accomplished one of the most daring exploits of the border war. It is thus described in the affidavit of Richard Lowdon, keeper of the county jail at Lancaster, Pa .:
On Wednesday the 26th day of October [1737] last, about 12 o'clock in the night, John Charlton, the captain of the Maryland garrison, with sundry other persons unknown to the number of about sixteen, armed with guns, pistols, and cutlasses, broke into the house of the said Richard Lowdon adjoining to the prison of the said county, and getting into his bedchamber where he and his wife then lay, pulled them out of bed and presenting cocked pistols to their breasts demanded the keys to the jail, that the doors might be set open and sundry prisoners who were therein confined, to wit, Daniel Lowe, George Bare, Philip Yeiger, and Bernard Weymer, to be set at liberty, for that they belonged to the Province of Mary- land, threatening to shoot the said Lowdon if he disputed doing what was required of him; that amongst the said armed company was one Frances Lowe, sister of the aforesaid Daniel, who, by fre- quent visiting her brother in jail, becoming acquainted therein, and having observed where the keys were put at night, undertook to show the company where the keys were, and accordingly opened several drawers until she found them; whereupon the said Charlton and his associates required the said Richard Lowdon forthwith to take the keys, open the doors himself, and to dismiss the aforesaid prisoners upon pain of instant death, which he peremptorily refused to do, even though they should carry their threats against him into execution; that one of the company took the said keys, unlocked the jail doors, and calling to the said four prisoners they came forth and with the said armed company rode off towards Maryland; that Lowdon's wife and maid, endeavoring to escape in order to give the alarm, were seized by some of the said company, kicked and beat, and the whole family were held and detained, so that no timely no- tice could be given in the town of Lancaster of this action until the rioters were all gone off.
These high-handed proceedings provoked immediate and em- phatic protests from James Logan, President of the Provincial Council. Higginbotham and his associates were characterized as "banditti," "ruffians," etc .; the arrest of Gatchell was pro- nounced "so unparalleled an outrage;" and after the attack on the
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Lancaster jail he wrote: "We find the same lawless person, your Captain Charlton, as it appears, depends so far on your support that there is nothing too heinous for him to undertake." Gov- ernor Ogle maintained in their defense that the region from which they had evicted the Germans (now York County, Pa.) was Maryland territory; he expressed mild surprise when informed of the arrest of Gatchell and the attack on the Lancaster jail, but declined to deliver Charlton and his associates to the Pennsyl- vania authorities. They doubtless continued in garrison at Can- ajohela during the ensuing winter (1737-38), but no further opera- tions of importance are reported. Happily for the distressed in- habitants of the border the violent measures of the Maryland partisans were terminated by a royal decree promulgated on the 20th of May, 1738.
Not many months after the evacuation of Canajohela Captain Charlton appears to have taken up his residence in Leitersburg District, whither Colonel Cresap, with whom he was associated in the border war, had preceded him. Here he secured Darling's Sale, a tract of 420 acres in the eastern part of the District. His residence was probably on that part of this tract now embraced in the farm of Curtis Fogler, near the small stream, known as Tip- ton's run a century and a half ago, which crosses the Smithsburg road near Martin's school house. Here he died in the spring of 1748, leaving a widow, Eleanor, and seven children. Darling's Sale was divided into seven tracts of sixty acres each and appor- tioned by lot among them. The names of six of these children were John; Thomas; Henry; Poynton; Mrs. Ann Wilson, and Mrs. Eleanor Webb; that of the seventh has not been ascertained. Several of the sons resided on their respective parts of Darling's Sale, and John died there in 1781.
GEORGE LAMBERT was one of the first permanent settlers in Leitersburg District. He was doubtless of foreign birth and probably a native of Germany or Switzerland; in documente re- lating to the family more than a century ago the name is also spelled "Lampert." On the 18th of November, 1742, he secured a patent for two hundred acres of land, to which he gave the name of Lambert's Park, the boundaries of which are described as "Beginning at a bounded white oak standing on the north side of a branch of Antietam near the mouth of a run that comes from
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Captain Charlton's and falls into the aforesaid branch." This land is now embraced in the farms of Julia and Lydia Bell, Joseph Martin, and John Wishard. It is probable that the residence of the pioneer corresponded in location with the buildings on the farm of Joseph Martin. South of these buildings several hun- dred yards is a small burial ground in which the most conspicuous object is an immense stone, about four feet square and one foot thick, securely planted in the ground. It bears this inscription: "1781. Hier liegt Eva Lambert und ihre Tochter. War alt 59 Jahr." This Eva Lambert was probably the wife of the pio- neer, and the date of her death is the earliest inscribed on a tomb- stone in Leitersburg District. George Lambert died in 1787. Regarding his descendants it is known that he had one son, whose name was also George, and one daughter, Mrs. Eve Mary Kiser (Geiser). In 1758 and 1760 he was appointed by the Frederick County court supervisor of "all the main roads above Beaver creek in Antietam Hundred."
GEORGE LAMBERT was born in Leitersburg District, October 15, 1746. In 1781 he secured Lambert's Park at a nominal con- sideration by deed from George Lambert, Sr. This instrument furnishes conclusive evidence that they were father and son, and also that the former resided upon the land in question when it was executed. Here George Lambert, Jr., resided until his death, July 10, 1823. He married Eva Maria Hartle, who was probably a daughter of George Hartle, from whom the Hartle family of the District is descended. She survived him, with the following children: Mrs. Margaret Hahn; Mrs. Susanna Noland; Jacob; George H .; Mrs. Esther Grabill; John; Mary; Jonas, and Shem. There were also three grandchildren, viz., Rebecca and Elizabeth, daughters of Mrs. Eve Gearhart, and Barbara, daughter of Mrs. Elizabeth Ziegler.
JACOB LAMBERT was born in Leitersburg District, the son of George and Eva Maria (Hartle) Lambert. He was engaged in farming for some years on the land previously owned by his father and grandfather; he subsequently removed to Franklin County but afterwards returned to Washington County and located at Smithsburg, where he held the office of justice of the peace. He married Margaret Gearhart and their children were Sophia, who married Jacob Cassell; Daniel, who removed to Quincy, Ill .;
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Mary Ann, who married David Flory, and John, a practicing physician at Chambersburg, Pa., from 1837 until his death in 1872. Jacob Lambert was a Whig in politics and a member of the Reformed Church.
GEORGE H. LAMBERT was born in Leitersburg District, Sep- tember 9, 1783, the son of George and Eva Maria (Hartle) Lam- bert. He was a farmer by occupation and operated for some years the farm now owned by John H. Miller at the inter- section of the Greencastle road with the State Line. At a later period he resided on the farm southeast of Leitersburg which is now the property of Claggett Hartle. He was a Whig in politics and held the office of justice of the peace. He married Jane Johnston and they were the parents of three sons: Moses; Samuel, and John J. Mr. Lambert's death occurred on the 1st of July, 1864.
JOHN J. LAMBERT was born in Leitersburg District, March 3, 1812, the son of George H. and Jane (Johnston) Lambert. He was a farmer by occupation and was justice of the peace at the time of his death, January 10, 1888. He married Barbara, daughter of George and Catharine (Ziegler) Poe, and their chil- dren were George P .; J. Sophia, wife of Alexander M. Wolfinger; Mary, deceased; Mark F .; John D., and Martha A.
GEORGE P. LAMBERT was born in Leitersburg District, Febru- ary 19, 1847, the son of John J. and Barbara (Poe) Lambert. He was reared in his native District and obtained his education at the Leitersburg schools. After teaching school three years he lo- cated at Hagerstown in 1868 and was engaged in clerking four years. In 1872-73 he was similarly employed at Altoona, Pa. Returning to Hagerstown in 1873 he entered the employ of S. M. Bloom & Company. This firm was then engaged in the retail grocery trade; its wholesale business, the first in Western Mary- land, was established in 1878. Mr. Lambert has been connected with the firm since 1873 and holds a responsible position in the management of its affairs. In 1871 he married Ida V., daughter of Simon Newcomer, who died in 1877 leaving three children: Blanche; Mary, and David O. In 1881 he married Mary, daugh- ter of Frederick and Margaret (Cross) Schock, and their children are Carrie S .; Frederick, deceased, and George P. Mr. Lambert is a member of St. John's Lutheran Church of Hagerstown, in
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which he is Sunday school superintendent. In politics he is a Republican.
PETER SHIESS was one of the earliest permanent settlers in Leitersburg District and one of its most extensive land owners. He was the patentee of the original tracts known as Allamangle, Rich Barrens, and All That's Left, aggregating 1,851 acres, now embracing many of the finest farms in the District. He acquired Allamangle in 1750, and doubtless became a resident of the Dis- trict at that date. This tract is now embraced principally in the farm of Lewis Lecron, and it was here that Shiess resided. His house stood on the east side of the Antietam on a steep bank a short distance below Mr. Lecron's residence. Here he died in 1788, leaving the following heirs at law: Elizabeth Shiess, Peter Shiess, Henry Penner and Susanna his wife, and Peter Weaver and Elizabeth his wife. Before his death he had sold nearly the whole of his landed possessions, realizing but little more than the nominal price he had paid.
JOSEPH PERRY became a resident of Leitersburg District as early as 1754, when he purchased from John Darling the tract called Deceit. In 1755 he secured a patent for Perry's Retire- ment, a tract of one hundred acres now embraced partly in the farm of John A. Bell near Leitersburg. In 1761 he secured a resurvey on Deceit whereby its area was increased to 658 acres. He sold this land to Daniel Hughes in 1779; the deed of convey- ance contained this clause: "whereon the said Joseph Perry now lives." In 1751 he was constable of Antietam Hundred. In the locality in which he lived he was actively identified with the move- ment for American independence. On the 18th of November, 1774, at a public meeting at Frederick, he was appointed a mem- ber of the county committee of correspondence and of the com- mittee to carry into execution the wishes of the Continental Con- gress; and on the 24th of January, 1775, he was appointed a mem- ber of the committee for Upper Antietam Hundred to solicit contributions for the purchase of arms. It is probable that he continued to reside in Leitersburg District after the sale of his estate; his death occurred in 1785. In his will, executed in 1777, he refers to his "aged and beloved wife, Isabella," and six daugh- ters: Mrs. Martha McCoy; Jane; Isabella; Mrs. Ann Perry, wife of Daniel Perry; Mrs. Alice Charlton, and Eleanor.
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HISTORY OF LEITERSBURG DISTRICT.
CHRISTOPHER BURKHART was one of the earliest permanent settlers in Leitersburg District. The orthography of the name is variously given as "Burckhartt," "Pargett," "Bargett," "Bur- gett," and "Burkett," "Burckhartt" having been that generally used by the first three generations of the family. The first Christopher Burkhart was a resident of Leitersburg District as early as 1755, when he purchased from George Poe two tracts of land aggregating 173 acres, the boundaries of which are described as "Beginning at the beginning tree of the tract of land the said Pargett now lived on, being the end of the thirteenth line of The Resurvey on Well Taught." He also secured by original patent the tracts known as Burkhart's Establishment and Burkhart's Lot, to which extended reference is made in the chapter on Early Land Tenure and Settlement. He resided near Antietam, where Samuel Martin now lives; there he built a mill, which was in operation as early as 1779 and was probably the first in the Dis- trict. In 1777 he was a member of the Committee of Safety for Washington County. In his later years he leased the mill, but seems to have retained the active management of his extensive landed interests until his death. He also conducted a hotel, The Lantern, on the old Nicholson's Gap road. He died in 1799, leaving four daughters, two sons, Christopher and George, and two grandsons, the children of his son John, deceased.
CHRISTOPHER BURKHART succeeded to the mill property for- merly owned by his father and an adjacent tract of 220 acres orig- inally embraced in Burkhart's Establishment and now includ- ing, wholly or in part the lands of Benjamin Baker, Samuel Mar- tin, Daniel Oller, and Joseph Wishard. He resided for a time at the Oller farm and at The Lantern, as the house on Benjamin Baker's property was called, but for many years he conducted a hotel in Leitersburg at the present residence of David Barnhart. He also held the office of justice of the peace and was honored by his neighbors with the title of "Judge." He was a member of the building committee for the erection of the Lutheran church at Leitersburg. He died in 1838, leaving the following children: Daniel; Henry; Jacob, who operated a tannery at Cavetown, Md .; Frank, who was a practicing physician at Darkesville, Va .; Caro- line, who married Josiah D. Flagg; Eleanor, who married Jacob Lytle, and Henrietta, who married George Rummel.
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GEORGE BURKHART resided near Antietam creek at the farm now owned by Isaac Needy, in which he enjoyed a life interest by the terms of his father's will. He married Catharine, daugh- ter of John Winters, and their children were George; John; Susan, who married George A. Snotterly; Elizabeth, who married Daniel Ollinger; Phoebe, who married John Minor, and Cath- arine, who married George Shiess.
GEORGE BURKHART was born in Leitersburg District, February 7, 1780, the son of George and Catharine (Winters) Burkhart. When he reached manhood he farmed for his mother and after- ward rented the farm of Samuel Freed near Wingerton, Pa. He then moved to Leitersburg, where he was employed as a farm laborer and lived to an old age. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac Ford, and their children were Mary, who married Abra- ham Mowry; William; George W .; Nancy, who married John Lowman; Sophia, who married William Unclesby; John H .; Jacob, and Frank. Mr. Burkhart was a member of the Lutheran Church and in politics a Whig.
GEORGE W. BURKHART was born in 1818, the son of George and Elizabeth (Ford) Burkhart. He was a shingle-maker by trade, but was also employed at farming. For many years he re- sided a short distance north of Leitersburg on the turnpike, and there he died, February 2, 1890. He was twice married, first to Susan Thom, daughter of George Thom, and after her death to Louisa Stem. Of the children by the first marriage one son sur- vives, George F., and of the children by the second, one daughter, Mrs. Nettie S. Jacobs. Mr. Burkhart was a member of the Re- formed Church and a Democrat in politics.
GEORGE F. BURKHART was born in Leitersburg District, June 3, 1841, the son of George W. and Susan (Thom) Burkhart. Af- ter completing the course of study at the local schools he entered the store of J. & T. J. Harbaugh at the Marsh (Wingerton, Pa.) as clerk, and was afterward employed in a similar capacity by David Harbaugh at Walkersville, Frederick County, Md. In 1865, while a witness in the Gladfelter murder trial, he was ap- pointed by Isaac Nesbit, clerk of the circuit court for Washington County, as one of the deputies in his office, and this position he has since held, having been successively reappointed by Lewis B. Nyman, William McK. Keppler, and George B. Oswald. He is
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the senior deputy in the office and the oldest in service in the State of Maryland. For years all matter for record, all licenses issued, etc. have passed through his hands. In 1870 he married Sophia, daughter of Charles G. Lane, judge of the orphans' court and president of the First National Bank of Hagerstown; they are the parents of two children, Charles G., deceased, and Nellie M. Mr. Burkhart is a Democrat in politics.
GEORGE HARTLE, the emigrant ancestor of the Hartle family of Leitersburg District, was born on the 10th of May, 1722, and may probably be identified with Hans George Hertel, who arrived at Philadelphia on the 19th of September, 1749, in the ship Patience, Captain Hugh Steel, from Rotterdam. In the con- firmation certificate of George Hartle, his grandson (1819) the name is spelled "Härtel;" in the records of Zion Reformed Church at Hagerstown it appears as "Hertel" and "Hertli;" and in the Frederick County records the usual orthography is "Hart- ley," the English phonetic equivalent of the German "Hertli." The first George Hartle was a resident of Leitersburg District as early in 1760, when he purchased from Michael Leatherman fifty-two acres of land, part of The Resurvey on Well Taught. To this he made extensive additions by purchase and original patent, and at the time of his death he was the owner of 341 acres of land, now owned by Samuel Hartle, Henry and Frederick Har- tle, Alveh L. Stockslager, and others. The location of his resi- dence cannot be definitely stated, but in all probability it was situated where the buildings on the farm of Samuel Hartle now stand. There was, however, prior to 1822 a log house on the farm of Henry and Frederick Hartle at the bank of the creek below their present residence, and the old pioneer may have resided here. In 1768 he served as constable of Upper Antietam Hun- dred. He died on the 13th of September, 1776, and was buried at Antietam church, near Trovinger's mill on the farm of Daniel Doub. Four sons survived him, viz., Martin; Frederick; Michael, and Sebastian, among whom their father's lands were divided in compliance with the terms of his will. The survey was made by Thomas Brooke, surveyor of Washington County, in 1781. There were also several daughters, one of whom, Eva Maria, married George Lambert. George Hartle was a member of the Reformed Church.
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SEBASTIAN HARTLE was the only son of George Hartle that re- mained in Leitersburg District, and from him the Hartles of Washington County are descended. He resided at the farm now owned by Alveh L. Stockslager, upon which he erected the pres- ent improvements. In addition to this he also owned the adjacent farm of Henry and Frederick Hartle, which he purchased from Adam Lantz in 1822, and a tract of 275 acres along the Chewsville road which he bought of Michael Grebill in 1813, besides other property; and at the time of his death he was one of the wealthiest citizens of the District. He was a member of the Reformed Church and in politics a Democrat. He was three times married and died in 1840 at an advanced age, leaving the following children: George; John; Jacob; Mrs. Elizabeth Swope; Mrs. Sallie Stephey; Mrs. Hannah Shanafelts, and Mrs. Susan Scarberry.
GEORGE HARTLE was born in Leitersburg District in 1788, the oldest son of Sebastian Hartle. He began farming upon the land purchased by his father from Michael Grebill and his first resi- dence was an unfinished building formerly used as a wagon- making shop which stood on the land now owned by his grandson, Clinton D. Hartle. In 1833 he purchased from Jacob Barr the farm now owned by his son, Levi Hartle, and here he lived until his death, July 8, 1856. He married Barbara Swope and their children were Elizabeth; John; Jacob; Susan, who married John Marker; Mary, who married Daniel Spessard; Solomon; George; Levi, and Samuel. George Hartle was a prosperous and successful business man and owned at the time of his death about eight hun- dred acres of land, six hundred in Leitersburg District and the remainder in Beaver Creek. He was a Democrat in politics and a member of the Reformed Church.
JOHN HARTLE was born in Leitersburg District in 1790, the son of Sebastian Hartle. In 1822 he located upon the farm his father purchased from Adam Lantz; this became his property by the terms of his father's will and is now owned by his sons, Henry and Frederick. Here he lived from 1822 until his death, April 20, 1857. He married Maria, daughter of Jacob and Maria Le- cron, and their children were Mary, who married Hiram R. Stahl: Mrs. Rebecca Henrihan: Henrietta, who married George Knouf; Henry; Jacob; Elizabeth; Frederick, and Sallie, who mar-
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ried Joseph Wagner. John Hartle was a member of the Re- formed Church and a Democrat in politics.
JACOB HARTLE was born in Leitersburg District, November 3, 1796, the son of Sebastian and Catharine Hartle. By the terms of his father's will he received the home farm, now owned by Alveh E. Stockslager, and here he resided until his death, March 21, 1854. He married Nancy Kuntz and their children were Ephraim, who died in Illinois; Peter, deceased; Jacob and Nancy, who died in childhood; Isaac, David S., and Charles K., of Ha- gerstown, Md .; John H., of Chewsville, Md .; Anna, wife of Chris- tian Miller, and Catharine, wife of John H. Miller. Mr. Hartle was a Democrat in politics and a member of the Reformed Church.
JACOB HARTLE was born in Leitersburg. District, May 15, 1820, the son of George and Barbara (Swope) Hartle. He received his education at the local schools. After his marriage he began farming as tenant on a farm owned by his father near Spessard's school house. Three years later he removed to his father's farm near Whitehall in Beaver Creek District, which he operated ten years. He then returned to Leitersburg District, where he pur- chased in 1859 the farm upon which he resided until his death, September 13, 1897. This farm is now the property of his son, Harvey J. Hartle. He married Amelia, daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Wagoner) Creager, and their children were Catharine, wife of B. F. Spessard; Daniel L .; Claggett, deceased: John C .; Sarah S., wife of Daniel Hoover; Mary, deceased; Clinton W .; Martha, wife of William G. Martin, and Harvey J. Mr. Hartle was a member of the Reformed Church and a Democrat in pol- itics.
GEORGE HARTLE was born in Leitersburg District, December 11, 1826, the son of George and Barbara (Swope) Hartle. He be- gan farming in Leitersburg District near the Spessard school house. After his father's death he purchased, in partnership with his sister, Mrs. Susan Marker, a farm of 204 acres near Whitehall in Beaver Creek District; a year later he secured her interest, and here he resided until his death, May 16, 1878. He married Margaret, daughter of Samuel Meisner, and their chil- dren were Theodore; George S .; Immanuel; Annie, who married John Shadrick; Emma S., who married Levi Holtzman; Jennie,
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who married William Forney, and Ida, widow of David Leather. Mr. Hartle was a member of the United Brethren Church and a Democrat in politics.
SOLOMON HARTLE was born in Leitersburg District, October 20, 1831, the son of George and Barbara (Swope) Hartle. He was a farmer by occupation; in 1865 he purchased the farm a short distance west of Leitersburg now owned by George H. Wolfinger and there he resided until his death, May 18, 1886. He married Mary, daughter of Joseph Wagner, and their children were Charles E .; Claggett A .; Alice, who married Frank Bowers; Wil- liam; Daniel; Maud, who married Theodore Isminger; Kate, and Edith, who married William Trovinger. Mr. Hartle was a Demo- crat in politics and a member of the Reformed Church.
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