USA > Maryland > Washington County > Leitersburg > History of Leitersburg District, Washington County, Md.: Including Its Original Land Tenure. > Part 19
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CHRISTIAN LANTZ was born in Leitershurg District, October 7, 1272. the son of Christian Lantz and grandson of Christian Lantz, who located near Leitersburg in 1275. He succeeded to a part of his father's landed estate and was a farmer by occupa- tion. He married Esther Musselman and their children were Christian: George; Samuel; Rose A. E; Caroline, and Catharine. His death occurred on the 27th of August, 1860.
GEORGE W. LANTZ was born in Leitersburg District. January 8. 1811. the son of Christian and Esther (Musselman) Lantz. ITe learned the trade of blacksmithing under George Poe and
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pursued this occupation for some years, principally at Leitersburg. He was also engaged in farming. In 1834 he married Mary B., daughter of Christian and Martha (Hackney) Drill of Frederick County, Md., and they were the parents of nine daughters, viz .: Martha H., widow of J. Freeland Leiter; Sarah E., wife of John Leiter; Anna C., wife of Elias Stottlemeyer; Mary J., wife of Samuel Dayhoff; Rebecca, wife of Sylvester Traut; Emma S., de- ceased; Elvah H., wife of John B. Barkdoll; Alice, wife of Charles Pascal, and Georgiana, wife of David Rosewarn. Mr. Lantz was a Democrat in politics and a member of the Lutheran Church. His death occurred on the 26th of May, 1894.
SAMUEL LANTZ was born on the 5th of August, 1794. He was a tanner by occupation and operated the tannery near Leiters- burg owned by Captain John Byer. Early in the '30's, in part- nership with Dr. Frederick Byer, he purchased the general store of Fletcher & Stonebraker in Leitersburg and removed to that village; he also purchased the brick building at the corner of the public square in which Josephus Ground now resides and which is still in possession of his son, Oliver F. Lantz. This house was also his residence and here he was engaged in business until his death, January 10, 1841. He married Elizabeth Fehl, of Lan- caster County, Pa., a daughter of Jacob Fehl and niece of Fred- crick and Lewis Ziegler of Leitersburg District, and they were the parent of two sons, Oliver F. and Jacob F. Samuel Lantz was a Democrat in politics until the election of Harrison, for whom he cast his last presidential vote. He was a member of the Lutheran Church and an officer in the Leitersburg congregation.
OLIVER F. LANTZ was born in Leitersburg District, September 20, 1828, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Fehl) Lantz. His education was obtained at the Leitersburg school and at that vil- lage he began his business career as clerk in the store of David M. Good. In 1847 he entered the employ of Martin & Hobson, grain commission merchants, Baltimore, Md., with whom he held the position of salesman and book-keeper for seven years, with the exception of a period of six months. He was associated in business with William H. Hager for several months in the year 1854; after the dissolution of this partnership he entered the firm of Samuel Elder & Company. In 1866 Mr. Elder died and Jacob Lantz succeeded to his interest in the business: since his death
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in 1891 it has been continued by Oliver F. Lantz individually. These various changes have not affected the style of the firm, however, which is still Samuel Elder & Company and is one of the oldest in the grain and flour trade in Baltimore. Mr. Lantz has served as a director in the Corn and Flour Exchange and in the National Exchange Bank. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the First Lutheran Church of Baltimore, in which he has served as deacon and elder. In 1877 he was elected treasurer of the Board of Foreign Missions of the General Synod of the Lutheran Church, and to this office he has been continu- ously reelected to the present time. In this responsible position he has received and disbursed more than a million dollars. In 1855 Mr. Lantz married Catharine, daughter of George and Catharine (Reese) Appold, and five children were born to them, two of whom, a son and daughter, died in infancy, and two others, Virginia R. and Mary C., in early life. The surviving child is Harriet S., wife of Louis J. Lederer, a flour and grain commis- sion merchant of Baltimore.
HENRY SCHRIVER was the emigrant ancestor of the Schriver family of Leitersburg District. He wrote his name "Schreiber," of which the present orthography is an Anglicized form. He was born in Germany on the 17th of April, 1:2 ?: the date of his emi- gration is not known, but he became a resident of Leitersburg District in 1727 and here he lived until his death. He was an iron-worker by occupation and found employment at Rock Forge. IIe was also engaged in farming and transmitted to his descend- ants a valuable landed estate: this comprised the farms now owned by Mrs. Martha H. Leiter and Franklin M. Strite, with con- siderable adjacent land. His first purchase was made in 1777; it comprised two hundred acres and is now embraced principally in the farm of Mrs. Leiter. Here he resided from August. 1777, until his death in 1994. On the 22d of December, 1267, he mar- ried Ann Maria Solmes, and they were the parents of three daughters and one son: three of these children grew to maturity, viz., Anna Maria, who married David Lape: Henry, and Mar- garet. The name of his second wife was Mary, who survived him with two children: John, and Christiana, who married Henry Stotler. Henry Schriver was a member of the Reformed Church and one of the pioneers of that faith in Leitersburg Dis- trict.
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HENRY SCHRIVER was born on the 30th of January, 1772, the son of Henry and Ann Maria (Solmes) Schriver. By the terms of his father's will he received the farm in Leitersburg District upon which the latter lived and died, and here he also resided until his death in 1812. He married Mary A. Harbaugh and of their children the following reached maturity: Julia, who mar- ried John Fullerton; Margaret, who married Balzer Miller; Catharine, who married Ignatius Brown, and Henry. He was also a member of the Reformed Church.
HENRY SCHRIVER was born in Leitersburg District, November 4, 1806, the son of Henry and Mary A. (Harbaugh) Schriver. He bore the same surname as his father and grandfather, and also succeeded to the farm upon which they had dwelt. Here he was born and reared, and here he resided all his life, dying on the 5th of April, 1878. He was a Democrat in politics and a member of the Reformed Church. He married Barbara, daugh- ter of John and Elizabeth (Hess) Lind, of Carroll County, Md., and they were the parents of the following children: John; Elizabeth, who married David Jacobs; Ann M., who married William Flory; Henry; Cyrus; Louis; Catharine; Susan, who married Henry Miller; Levi; Jeremiah; Alice B., and Margaret, who married George Young. John, Louis, Levi, Jeremiah, Mrs. Jacobs, and Mrs. Flory are deceased. Louis died at Helena, Ark., in 1864, while a soldier in the Federal army.
HENRY SCHRIVER was born in Leitersburg District, September 19, 1833, the son of Henry and Barbara (Lind) Schriver. He was reared in his native District and obtained a common school education, supplemented by a two years' course under Prof. George Pearson at Smithsburg. In 1855 he engaged in teaching at Pleasant Hill in Leitersburg District. In 1856-57 he taught at Canton, Ohio, after which he returned to his native county and taught for three years at Chewsville and an equal period at Funkstown. During the next five years he was engaged in merchandising, two years at Indianapolis, Ind., and three at Leitersburg. He became the first principal of the Leitersburg graded school in 1869 and continued in this position eight years. after which he was principal of the Funkstown schools four years and of Antietam school in Hagerstown three years. He then re- tired from the profession, after having given it twenty-three of
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the best years of his life. It is no exaggeration to say that Mr. Schriver was regarded as one of the ablest teachers of Washington County. He was equally successful as instructor and disciplin- arian, and possessed the rare faculty of inspiring his pupils to the attainment of high ideals in scholarship and conduct. On the 1st of December, 1884, he was appointed deputy register of wills for Washington County and is still the incumbent of this position. In 1864 he married Ellen C., daughter of Henry and Angelica E. (Rench) Stonebraker, and the following children have been born to them: May and Ernest, deceased; Edith, and Grace. He is a Democrat in politics, and adheres to the Reformed Church.
GENERAL THOMAS SPRIGG was a native of Prince George's County, Md. The ancestry of the family is traced to Northamp- tonshire, England, and one of its most distinguished representa- tives at the present time is Sir W. Gordon Sprigg, the premier of Cape Colony. The Maryland branch is descended from Colonel Thomas Sprigg, whose residence, Northampton, was an extensive estate in Prince George's County for which he secured a patent in 1667. Toward the close of the last century it was owned by Os- born Sprigg, a brother to Joseph Sprigg of Oldtown, Allegany County, and of General Thomas Sprigg of Longmeadows. From him the Northampton estate passed to his nephew, Samuel Sprigg, Governor of Maryland in 1819-22; he was a son of Joseph Sprigg of Oldtown.
General Sprigg was the first register of wills in Washington County and held that office from 1776 to 1780. He was a mem- ber of the County Committee of Observation in 1777. In 1788 he was elected to the House of Delegates, and in the same year he was a member of the Maryland Convention which ratified the Constitution of the United States. He also served as a member of the levy court and as justice of the peace. His first election to Congress occurred in 1792, and the result in Washington County was thus stated in the Spy: "At closing the polls for the County of Washington, being a principal part of the Sixth district of this State, on last Thursday evening [ October 4. 1792], it ap- pears that the Hon. Thomas Sprigg, Esq., had the entire and unanimous voice of the county as a representative in the Congress of the United States." Toward the close of his term the excise
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laws of the Federal government began to arouse opposition, and the ringleaders of the defiant element at Hagerstown erected a liberty pole. General Sprigg's attitude in this crisis was thus represented in the following testimonials published in the Spy:
We certify that we were present in Hagerstown on the 1st day of September, 1794, when the mob so much talked of happened. We also certify that Colonel Thomas Sprigg was there present and that he exerted himself in a most singular and spirited manner to pre- vent the erection of the liberty pole that was then raised and to disperse the mob. We were witness to many insults that he re- ceived from the mob in consequence of his exertions and we often supposed his person in danger. We have also been witness to the active and decided part which Colonel Sprigg has since taken to bring those insurgents to justice, and do think this county under particular obligations to that gentleman for the part he has acted.
ADAM OTT, H. SHRYOCK, REZIN DAVIS, WILLIAM LEE, BENJAMIN CLAGGETT, N. ROCHESTER, JOSIAH PRICE.
At a meeting of a number of the people of Washington County at the court house in Elizabeth-Town on Friday, the 26th day of Sep- tember, 1794, Colonel Henry Shryock, chairman, and John Thomas Mason, secretary, it was proposed and agreed to that Messrs. Na- thaniel Rochester, Henry Schnebley, Samuel Ringgold, William Clark, and John Thomas Mason be requested to prepare an address from the meeting to Colonel Thomas Sprigg, who proposed the following, which was read, approved, and ordered to be printed in Washington, Frederick, and Baltimore newspapers: To Colonel Thomas Sprigg:
SIR: By the unanimous voice of the persons present at this meet- ing you are solicited once more to permit us to cast our suffrages upon you as the person in our opinion most proper to represent this district in Congress. We beg leave to return you our thanks for your past services in that station and to manifest our approbation of your conduct as our representative. We beg leave more particu- larly at this time to thank you for your late constant, unremitted, prudent, and spirited exertions in endeavoring to suppress those unhappy tumults that have disturbed the peace and threatened the safety of the well disposed citizens amongst us. The manner in which certain reports have been secretly and industriously circu- lated and the inexcusable misrepresentations that have been made excite our highest indignation, and we feel ourselves injured in the attempts made to calumniate you. But whilst we assure you of our
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determination to support you at the ensuing election, we hope and confidently trust that every honorable and manly exertion will be made on your part to gratify the wishes and effectuate the en- deavors of your friends.
Signed by order of the meeting,
H. SHRYOCK, Chairman.
JOHN T. MASON, Secretary.
The congressional district included Washington, Allegany, and part of Frederick County, and Colonel Sprigg was again elected. In Washington he received 1,758 votes and R. Nelson, his oppo- nent, 1,030. At this time he was also colonel in the militia. He subsequently rose to the rank of brigadier general, in which he continued until his death, December 13, 1809. He was a mem- ber of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
General Sprigg's estate, to which he gave the name of Sprigg's Paradise, was a tract of 1,754 acres, situated on both sides of the Marsh turnpike. In 1810 it was appraised by Samuel Ringgold, Jacob Rench, Jacob Brumbaugh, Martin Kershner, and Jacob Zeller, commissioners appointed by the county court, and valued at $85,758. They also divided it among the General's three chil- dren, William O., Maria, who subsequently married Dr. John Rey- nolds, and Otho. William O. received 546 acres, including the spacious family mansion, where he resided until his death, July 29, 1836. IIe was elected to the House of Delegates from Wash- ington County in 1812.
JOHN RENCH was born in 1726, the son of Peter Rench, who died in 1272 leaving a widow, Margaret, one daughter, the wife of Jacob Miller, and three sons, Joseph, John, and Andrew. Peter Rench was a pioneer settler in the vicinity of Salem Reformed church in Conococheague District, the site of which he deeded in 1768 to the congregation worshipping there. He was an ex- tensive landowner, as were also his three sons, whose possessions included Settled in Time, a tract of 2,227 acres for which they secured a patent in 1285. John Rench, whose name appears as the subject of this sketch, purchased in 1780 521 acres of land in Leitersburg District, now owned by Jacob B. Lehman, Samuel Hykes, and David Ziegler. It is not known that he ever resided here, although it is highly probable that he built the Ziegler mill. Ile died on the 30th of November, 1794, leaving six children:
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Peter; Jacob; John; Susanna, wife of George Dun; Catharine, wife of John Snavely, and Elizabeth, wife of Jacob Zeller. To his son Peter he devised his lands in Leitersburg District, "it being the part whereon the said Peter now lives, together with all mills and improvements thereon." Peter Rench did not long survive his father; he died on the 24th of September, 1796, at the age of forty-two, leaving a widow, Catharine, and the following children: Elizabeth; Levi; Thomas H .; Otho; Eli; Morgan, and Cassandra.
THOMAS BELT was probably a native of Prince George's Coun- ty, Md., where the village of Beltsville perpetuates his family name. He acquired the extensive estate in Leitersburg District known as Turkey Buzzard or Colebrook, a tract of 506 acres, now embraced in the farms of Isaac Shank and others, and here he resided for some years at the stone house near the Marsh Mills. He married Elizabeth Bowie, whose mother, nce Hannah Lee, was the first wife of Joseph Sprigg, the father of Governor Samuel Sprigg. This marriage was without issue, and by the terms of his will the Turkey Buzzard farm was devised to his nephew, Thomas W. Belt of Baltimore. Mr. Belt was register of wills in Washington County for more than a score of years. He was a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He died at Hagers- town on the 3d of December, 1823, at the age of eighty-two.
SIMON LECRON became a resident of Leitersburg District prior to 1792. The name first appears in connection with land owner- ship in the District in 1768, when Jacob Lecron purchased from Wendell Sights fifty-two acres of land, part of Scant Timber. It is not improbable that he was the father of Simon, whose name appears as the subject of this sketch. This land was subsequently owned by Jacob Lecron, a brother of Simon; he was born on the 13th of March, 1763, and died on the 25th of September, 1834, leaving numerous descendants; the land he owned is now em- braced in the farms of Spessard, Boward, and others. Simon Le- cron's land is now included principally in the farm of Henry M. Jacobs, and there he died in 1815. He was twice married, first to Elizabeth Lyday and after her death to her sister, Sarah Lyday. By the first marriage the children were Jacob; John; Nancy, who married John Clopper; Mary, who married Adam Hammaker, and Elizabeth, who married Samuel Bachtel. By the second marriage the children were Samuel; Sarah, who married Andrew
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HISTORY OF LEITERSBURG DISTRICT.
Mitchell; Daniel; Rebecca, who married Abraham Row; Cath- arine, who married John King; Susan, who married Michael Gon- der, and Maria. This family adhered to the Reformed Church. '
SAMUEL LECRON was born in Leitersburg District, April 14, 1803, the son of Simon and Sarah (Lyday) Lecron. He first en- gaged in farming in partnership with Lewis Keller; they leased from George I. Harry the Colebrook farm, one of the largest in the District. After his marriage he rented for several years the farm near Jacobs church now owned by Daniel Hoover but then the property of Samuel Lyday. In 1846 he purchased the farm in Washington Township, Franklin County, Pa., whereon he re- sided until his death, July 17, 1880. He married Maria, daugh- ter of William and Martha Dillehunt, and their children were Lewis; Benjamin, of Tiffin, Ohio; Ann Maria, wife of Lewis Gil- bert; Samuel, of Oklahoma: Catharine, wife of David R. Myers; Thomas J., of Lincoln, Neb .; John and William, both deceased; Charles, of Washington Township; Maria, who married Jacob Eckstein, and Eliza, deceased. Mr. Lecron was a member of the Reformed Church and in politics a Democrat.
LEWIS LECRON was born in Leitersburg District, October 30, 1833, the son of Samuel and Maria (Dillehunt) Lecron. He was reared in his native District and in Washington Township and re- ceived a limited common school education. He began farming in Antrim Township, Franklin County, and afterward operated his father's farm in Washington Township eleven years; in 1880 he purchased the farm of 144 acres in Leitersburg District where- on he has since resided. In 1863 he married Barbara, daughter of John and Anna (Shank) Funk, and their children are Annie M., wife of John Fox: Ada F .. deceased; Cyrus N .: Samuel 0., deceased: Linnie E., wife of Charles Hoover: S. Ernest, and Ar- thur F. Mr. Lecron is a member of the Reformed Church and in politics a Democrat. While a resident of Franklin County he served one term as jury commissioner and was twice elected school director of Washington Township.
CHRISTIAN GARVER was the ancestor of the Garver family of Leitersburg District. In 1790 he purchased from David Stoner 197 acres of land. now owned by William H. Hoffman, and here he resided until his death, which occurred prior to 1802. The following names of children occur in a legal document now in pos-
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session of Mrs. Mary M. Newcomer: John; Martin; Mary, who married Abraham Schmutz; Christian; Nancy, who married Yost Gardner; Fanny, who married Martin Stockman; Polly, who mar- ried Jacob Funk; Barbara; Catharine, who married Michael Sum- mers; David; Elizabeth, who married Ludwig Snider; Hester, who married Jacob Harshman; Eve, and Isaac. It is also known that there were three other sons: Jacob; Abraham, and Samuel.
ISAAC GARVER was born on the 10th of October, 1779, the son of Christian Garver. He came to Leitersburg District with his father's family in 1790; after his father's death he succeeded to the paternal estate, and here he resided until his death, March 12, 1826. He established an extensive vineyard, one of the first in the District, but the venture was not a success. He married Anna, daughter of Joseph and Magdalena (Stoner) Snively, and their children were Susanna, who married Henry Hoffman; Joseph; Benjamin, and Isaac. Mrs. Garver survived her hus- band thirty-seven, years, dying on the 5th of February, 1863.
JACOB GARVER was born on the 20th of February, 1782, the son of Christian Garver. He was reared in Leitersburg District, where he was engaged in farming for twenty-five years near Mar- tin's school house. He also conducted a store at Chewsville, a hotel at Leitersburg, and a tannery at Cavetown, and was the first toll collector at gate No. 2 on the Hagerstown and Waynesboro turnpike. After his death his widow succeeded to this position and she was followed by their daughter, Eliza Garver, the present incumbent. He was twice married, first to Nancy Hogans, and after her death to Mrs. Elizabeth Smith nee Justice, and was the father of nineteen children, three of whom are now residents of Leitersburg District: Mrs. Mary Stephey, Mrs. Martha J. Stoner, and Eliza. Mr. Garver was a member of the Reformed Church. His death occurred on the 4th of October, 1859.
BENJAMIN GARVER was born in Leitersburg District, January 19, 1805, the son of Isaac and Anna (Snively) Garver. He ob- tained a common school education, which was supplemented by private study, and while farming was his principal business, he was also a competent surveyor and was frequently employed in this capacity. He also possessed considerable mechanical ingen- uity and manufactured practically all of the implements used on his farm. He was twice married, first to Elizabeth, daughter of
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Stephen and Barbara (Good) Martin, and their children were Susanna; Barbara, widow of William F. Grove; and Benjamin F., of Fulton, Mo. His second wife was Barbara, daughter of John Berger, and their children were Daniel; Cyrus; Mary M., widow of Benjamin Newcomer; David, of Shamrock, Mo .; Elizabeth, wife of Henry Rinehart; Josiah, deceased; Melchor, and Lewis, of Van Alstyne, Tex.
BENJAMIN F. GARVER was born in Leitersburg District, Janu- ary 18, 1836, the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Martin) Garver. His education was obtained at Pleasant Hill school and at Waynes- boro, Pa. After spending several years at Mansfield, Ohio, he returned to his native District and engaged in farming. He sub- sequently located at Springfield, Ohio, but again returned to Lei- tersburg District, where he enlisted in Company H, First Mary- land Cavalry (Potomac Home Brigade). After the close of the war he located at Martinsburg, W. Va., whence he moved to Kan- sas and thence in 1882 to Fulton, Mo., where he has since been engaged in contracting and building. In 1859 he married Ann Maria, daughter of Frederick and Susan (Tritle) Bell, and their children are Frederick, deceased; Charles E., of Boise City, Idaho: Frank T., deceased; Harvey B., of Fulton, Mo .; William L .. of Chillicothe, Mo .: Carrie E. M .: Emma S. T., and Edith M. Mr. Garver is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a Re- publican in politics.
DANIEL GARVER was born in Leitersburg District, February 4, 1839, the son of Benjamin and Barbara (Berger) Garver. He obtained a common school education and was employed on his father's farm until 1862, when he enlisted in Company A, Ser- enth Maryland Volunteers, which participated in the Virginia campaigns of 1862-65. He was taken prisoner and confined for a time at Libby prison. After the close of the war he returned to Leitersburg District. He was employed as a machinist at Hagers- town for some years, but was again a resident of the District from 1877 to 1882, when the firm of Garver, Foltz & Company, of which he was the senior member, operated the Rock Forge prop- erty. When this firm transferred its business to Hagerstown he removed to that city, and there he died, February 13, 1890.
CYRUS GARVER was born in Leitersburg District, April 4, 1840, the son of Benjamin and Barbara (Berger) Garver. He received
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a common school education and after reaching manhood was em- ployed for some years as a teacher and surveyor. He was also a machinist, and was a member of the firm of Garver, Foltz & Com- pany from its organization until his death, December 1, 1881. Mr. Garver was a member of the Lutheran Church and a Repub- lican in politics.
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