USA > Maryland > Men of mark in Maryland Johnson's makers of America series biographies of leading men of the state, Volume III > Part 8
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Charles Bayard Trail was a healthy boy. He was educated in Frederick College, in the Phillips-Andover (Massachusetts) Acad- emy, and in Harvard University, graduating from Harvard in the class of 1878 with the degree of A.B. He then read law in the office of Hon. Milton G. Urner, one of the foremost lawyers of Maryland, and was admitted to the bar in his native town.
He naturally drifted into the Republican party, and that party being dominant in national affairs, the prominent young lawyer was sent in 1883 as secretary to the United States Legation in Brazil. He served in this capacity until 1887, when he resigned; and the next year, notwithstanding that a Democratic administration was in power, Secretary of State Bayard tendered him his old position with a new commission sighed by President Cleveland. This was due
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solely to a high appreciation of his past services and the record he had made. Naturally, Mr. Trail highly appreciated this appoint- ment, but for private reasons was compelled to decline it. The next year the Republicans had again come into power, and he was tendered the appointment by President Harrison of consul at Marseilles, France. This appointment he accepted and served four years. He thus had the honor of having received commissions from three differ- ent Presidents, of two different political faiths.
In 1894, returning to Frederick, he took the position of vice- president of the Farmers' & Mechanics' National Bank, serving in that capacity until 1905, when he succeeded to the presidency of the bank. His ten years of service in the diplomatic and consular service of the United States, not only gave him an opportunity to see the world, but also a vast range of knowledge about other countries, which has made him one of the best informed men of his section; and as no information is without value, he has found those ten years of experience of pronounced value in his later life. He is recognized as one of the able bankers of the State, and the institution which has so long been presided over by his father and himself, is prospering greatly under his management.
Mr. Trail's literary productions have been confined to the United States diplomatic and consular reports during his active ser- vice; and those men who have had occasion to go into these reports, made not only by Mr. Trail, but by other faithful consular officers, recognize the great value which they have been in the development of the country.
Mr. Trail finds his chief enjoyment in his home life. He is a ves- tryman of All Saints Episcopal Church, of Frederick, succeeding his father.
In 1889, Mr. Trail was married to Miss Grace Winebrener, of Frederick. Of this marriage six children have been born, of whom five are living-four daughters and one son-as follows: Grace Winebrener, Florence, Theresa McElfresh, Beatrice and Charles Bayard Trail, Jr. Mrs. Trail's father, Colonel D. C. Winebrener, was a native of Frederick, born in 1834 died in October, 1903. He was during his life one of the leading business men of Frederick, being a successful merchant, and serving for nine years as president of the Farmers' and Mechanics' National Bank, of which Mr. Trail is now president. He was descended from the Germans who first
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settled Frederick, and who have given so many splendid citizens to Maryland. In the early history of the country the Winebreners were prominent in religious circles, one member of the family, John Winebrener, having founded the Winebrenerian church, of which society he was the bishop for many years.
In addition to the positions held by Mr. Trail as previously enumerated, and the public service rendered, he has been a director of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Frederick County, a trustee of the Frederick Female Seminary, and president of the Washington Turnpike. This presidency of the Washington Turnpike suggests some matter of great historical interest. This old road was chartered in 1804, it having been the intention of the United States govern- ment to assist in the construction of a macadamized road from Wash- ington to Frederick, where a connection was to be made with the Frederick and Hagerstown Turnpike, chartered in the same year, and running out to the western country. The idea was to make of these national roads. Congress voted the appropration for the first section, extending from Washington to Rockville, Maryland, but the bill was vetoed by President Jefferson, for the reason given that the government could not under the Constitution engage in the build- ing of roads. The idea, however, had taken root in the minds of the people, and outlived a Presidential veto even, and finally in 1823 the road was constructed.
There is also some matter of romantic interest connected with the Trail lands. The Trail farms, consisting of about two thousand acres of highly cultivated land in Frederick County, now managed by Mr. C. B. Trail and his brother Henry, have some interesting histor- ical associations connected with them. Mr. Trail's own farm, the "South Hermitage," was the home from 1793 to 1819 of the de la Vincendieres, refugees from France during the "Reign of Terror" in that country. Madame de la Vincendieres escaped from Paris with Count Alexander de Valcourt and others in 1793 and came to Baltimore, where she met her husband, who at the same time had escaped from Santo Domingo, where there had been a frightful massacre of the French settlers by the slaves. From Baltimore the family moved to Frederick, where they purchased the "Hermitage." One of the daughters married Lieutenant Lowe, of the United States Army, and a son of that marriage, Enoch Louis Lowe, became Gov- ernor of Maryland about 1850. He was born on the "Hermitage."
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The de la Vincendieres returned to France in 1836. From that time down to the present, during three generations, this land has been in the Trail family. On the "Hermitage" the battle of Monocacy was fought during the war between the States, and on it is erected a mon- ument to the New Jersey troops who fell in that battle.
Charles Bayard Trail comes of good stock through every one of his ancestral lines. His own life is an illustration of the fact that good ancestry is a valuable asset, inasmuch as it is an inspiration for righteousness and honorable living. He has been a useful man and leader in his community, an example of correct living and high character, and enjoys the well merited respect of the people of the county, of which his family has now been an integral part for many generations.
WILLIAM PURNELL JACKSON
W ILLIAM PURNELL JACKSON of Salisbury, one of the most prominent and progressive business men of the Eastern Shore, belongs to a notable family of that section. Mr Jackson was born in Salisbury on January 11, 1868; son of Wil- liam Humphries and Arabella (Humphries Jackson.) His father is living, and is easily one of the foremost men of the Eastern Shore. W. H. Jackson has been a large lumber manufacturer, prominent in the Republican party, and has served several terms as a member of the Federal Congress, beginning with the Fifty-Seventh Congress. Ex-Governor E. E. Jackson was a brother of William H. Jackson, and uncle of William Purnell Jackson. The family name of Jackson is derived from the Apostle James. This looks like a far cry, but it is easy enough to dig it out. The French equivalent for James is Jacques. The English pronounce it Jacks or Jack,-and Jackson was merely "the son of Jack." There are two main branches of the family,-the English and Scotch-Irish. President Andrew Jackson and General "Stonewall" Jackson belonged to the Scotch-Irish. The Eastern Shore of Maryland family belong to the English stock.
William P. Jackson was a healthy boy, with pronounced mechan- ical tastes. He went to the Wicomico County schools, and attended the Wilmington Conference Academy at Dover, Delaware. A tem- porary failure of health caused him to stop school. At the age of fourteen, he did active work around a box factory, in which business his father was largly interested. He was for a short time in Wash- ington, D. C., in his early youth, and engaged in the lumber business there as an employee of E. E. Jackson and Company. Within a year, he was sold an interest in the business, and, with an uncle, had charge of the Washington office until 1889. The firm then dis- solved partnership, and Mr. Jackson returned to Salisbury, where he organized a lumber business with his father, under the firm name of W. H. Jackson and Son. In 1893, the Jackson Brothers' Company, Inc., was organized, and of this company Mr. Jackson has been secre- tary and treasurer since its organization. They operate two large
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mills in which they make box-shooks, finished flooring and ceiling lumber. This business has grown to very large proportions under the capable management of its proprietors, and is a most valuable industry for Salisbury. But Mr. Jackson does not confine himself to one industry. A man of much enterprise and large-minded, he is an investor in many enterprises which are of value to the community and which afford a moderate profit to the investor. He has been a director of the Salisbury National Bank for seventeen years, and for several years past its president. He was one of the organizers and is president of the Home Gas Company. He was one of the organizers and vice-president of the Salisbury Ice Company. Iden- tified with the Republican party and an active politician-which seems to be a Jackson trait-he has not been a seeker of public office, and retired from the city council, of which he was a most valuable member, because party politics were introduced into that body. He is very prominent in the councils of his party in the State and a member of the National Republican Committee.
Mr. Jackson is an extensive traveler. He is a member of the Automobile Club of America, and finds much recreation in automobil- ing. He has traveled over the greater part of the world, many of his expeditions having been made in his automobile.
He has been twice married. In 1890, to Miss Sallie McCombs daughter of A. P. McCombs of Havre de Grace, Maryland; and subse- quent to her death, in 1900 he was married to Miss Katharine Shel- merdine, daughter of George C. Shelmerdine of Philadelphia. He has four children.
As an illustration of his business enterprise, it may be mentioned that a shirt factory was projected some years back in Salisbury; and though Mr. Jackson knew but little about the manufacture of shirts, he knew that it would be helpful to the community, and there was no good reason why shirts could not be made in Salisbury as cheaply as elsewhere. So he became President of the Jackson and Weisbach Company, manufacturers of shirts, which has built up a large and successful business.
His public spirit is evidenced by his presidency of the Peninsula General Hospital, which is purely a work of benevolence and useful service without compensation. Religiously, he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and holds official position in that organization. He is affiliated with the various Masonic bodies, the
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Order of Elks, the Maryland Club of Baltimore, the Racquet Club and the Manufacturers' Club of Philadelphia.
A young man of forty-two, he has achieved the highest position in business circles; has won a recognized position in the political life of his section; is a social leader; a strong upholder of the religious and moral life of his community, and in all respects a most valuable and useful citizen.
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did not like mercantile pursuits, -- his tastes running to carpentry and to building; and at the suggestion of a wise mother, he took up that line of work which has developed into his present large business.
In earlier life, like many young men, he had a little of the roving spirit and drifted West. He was in Chicago when there were scarcely any railroads west of that city and its total population was 43,000. He was in St. Louis when its total population was 50,000. He tried Iowa, living there for a time, and intended to make it his home; acquired property, and after he married,-now more than fifty years ago,-he thought he would go out there to live, but his home town drew him back. That Mr. Blake is a good stayer in everything he undertakes is to be seen in this Iowa incident. Property that he acquired there he still owns; as he says, he has been paying taxes in Iowa for fifty years. He has been engaged in the building business in Baltimore forty-five years. In north and east Baltimore he has built between two and three hundred houses,comprising some of the finest in the city. He built the first fire-proof business building in town, known as "The Fireman's Building," and the first fire-proof residence in the city, Graham Bowdoin's on Charles Street, near Chase. On Eutaw Place, on Charles Street, on St. Paul Street, in the best residence quarters, his work is everywhere seen. Now one of the oldest, he has always been one of the safest and best of Balti- more's builders of this generation. Amongst other pieces of work done by him, may be mentioned the notable Ross Winan's residence. His buildings have not only satisfied his customers or clients, but - have made him money, and his standing in business and as a citizen has caused his services to be in demand outside of his own business. He has been a director in the Traders' Bank, the Commonwealth Bank, Border State Savings Bank, and First National Bank, and he is still active in this work. For eighteen years he served as trustee of Bay View Asylum.
In politics, he is an independent, and tries conscientiously to vote for the best man. His religious affiliation is with the Roman Catholic Church and he has his membership in the St. Ignatius Parish.
Speaking of recreations ,he admits that he likes to drive occasion- ally,- and this word "occasionally" gives a clew to his character- he doesn't let his recreations comé in the way of his occupation.
Mr. Blake has a patriarchal family. On the twenty-sixth of
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May, 1856, he married Harriet Griggs, daughter of Captain Wm. Griggs of Baltimore, one of the old families of St. Mary's County; and of this marriage eleven children have been born, six of whom are now living. In this day of small families, this is truly a remark- able record; and if, as some of our thoughtful citizens claim, he is the most valuable man to the commonwealth who has the largest number of children, then Mr. Blake is truly a most valuable citizen. But, with or without children, George A. Blake has been for Balti- more a most useful and valuable ctizen, because any man who con- tributes work,-honest work, and who in so doing adds to the beauty and comfort of the city, is a valuable asset to the city wherein he labors.
CHARLES ENGLISH HENDERSON
C HARLES ENGLISH HENDERSON, who is now spending his life in honorable retirement at his beautiful country home near Easton, known as "The Rest," though not an aged man, has to his credit a record of achievement equaled by few men in our country. Mr. Henderson is widely known as one of the most promi- nent and able railway officials of the country. Few men would recog- nize him if spoken of as "Doctor," and yet that was his early pro- fession. He was born in Jefferson County, Virginia (now a part of West Virginia), on September 25, 1844; son of Richard and Elizabeth Ann Beall (English) Henderson. His father, Richard Henderson, was a planter-a cultivated gentleman of much kindness, industrious habits, high character and clear mind.
Mr. Henderson is of mixed Scotch and English descent, and his ancestral lines will be referred to at a later point in this sketch. He was educated in a private school supported by his parents and their neighbors on adjacent plantations, followed by a course at the academy in Georgetown, D. C. He was being fitted to enter the junior class at Princeton, where his brother, uncle and grandfather had graduated, when the outbreak of the war between the States put an end to his studies. He became a private in Company B, of the 12th Virginia Cavalry ; participated in all the desperate campaigns of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, up to the Battle of the Wilderness on the 5th of May ,1864, when he was badly wounded and his right arm paralyzed for about two years as the result of this wound in the neck and shoulder. The war being ended, he became a student of medicine in the University of Pennsylvania and was graduated in the class of 1867-68. He entered upon the practice of medicine as resident physician at Bayview Hospital, Baltimore; afterwards practiced at Martinsburg, West Virginia, but natural tendencies were too strong for him, so he gave up his profession and entered railway service in the west as a clerk at Fort Scott, Kansas, which was then the terminus of the Missouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf Railway, now known as the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Mem-
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phis Railway, later merged into the Frisco Lines. This was the be- ginning of a great career. He became chief clerk in the office of the general freight and passenger agent to the road in Kansas City, and later chief clerk to the general superintendent. He remained in Kan- sas City more than ten years, biding his time and doing his duty faith- fully in these clerical capacities. He was then employed to examine the route for the Memphis extension of the line, and in taking up the stock and bonds of the Springfield and Southwestern Railway, now a part of the Memphis extension. The best evidence of the ability with which he discharged this duty is found in the fact that the ex- tension was built almost exactly on the route selected on this pre- liminary reconnaissance.
In September, 1879, he took a step up, being then appointed general freight and passenger agent of the Atchison and Nebraska Railway. He held this place until the road was sold to the Burling- ton and Missouri River Railway, now a part of the Chicago, Burling- ton and Quincy system. The Burlington and Missouri River Rail- way tendered him a position similar to the one he had been holding; but he felt compelled to decline the offer, because he had committed himself to taking a position on the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway. It is worthy of note that the man who succeeded to this position by reason of his declination, Mr. George B. Harris, is now president of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway.
On March 31, 1880, Mr. Henderson located in Indianapolis as auditor and cashier of the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway. He was soon promoted assistant general manager, and then general manager, which position he retained until 1886, whe he was appointed receiver; and after the foreclosure, became general manager of the reorganized company. He remained in this position until the sale of the road to the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway in 1889, this sale having been effected largely through his own efforts. During his residence of about ten years in Indianapolis, in addition to the duties already mentioned he was for the greater part of the time general manager of the Ohio Southern Railway. For two years, he was receiver of the Danville, Olney and Ohio River Railway, and for two years agent for the purchasers of, and in charge of the operation of the Dayton and Ironton and the Dayton and Toledo Railways, now part of the Cincinnati, Hamil- ton and Dayton Railway.
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After the sale of the Indiana, Bloomington and Western Rail- way, he was offered a position with the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, and on December 1, 1889, was appointed general manager of that company. This position which carried with it the charge of the sales of the coal of this, the greatest anthra- cite coal company in the world, and the most important factor in the anthracite coal trade in America, he held for more than thirteen years until October 1, 1903, when he was appointed first vice-presi- dent of that company.
We now come to the most important feature in his career. While holding this position, he was appointed on November 25, 1896, second vice-president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, in charge of its freight traffic. This position he resigned May 1, 1908; and in order that the readers of this sketch may grasp the magnitude of the work done by Mr. Henderson in those twelve years, there is appended here verbatim an editorial in the Philadelphia "North American" of Thursday, April 16, 1908, which is a remarkable tribute from a great daily paper to an unassuming man for a work of tre- mendous value to the community, done by him without expectation of compliments, and merely as a part of the day's work and in the performace of his duties to his employers:
"Yesterday the resignation of the second vice-president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway was accepted, and by May 1 he will have retired to private life. Not many of our readers knew even of the existence of this man. Yet, since he came to Philadelphia from the West twelve years ago he has performed so great a service to this city that we believe every Philadelphian should know and acknowledge the debt which this whole community owes to Charles E. Henderson.
"When Mr. Henderson came to the Reading, in 1896, and took charge of the general management of its freight traffic he came with full knowledge of two things.
"First, he knew what the Reading was. He knew that the system was comparatively unimportant when contrasted with stronger systems in practically the same territory. He knew that it was virtually a local and not a trunk line. He knew that between the two terminals in the state, Williamsport and Shippensburg, and including its New York branch, the Reading had a total mileage of less than 1200 miles, counting every line owned, leased or controlled,
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while its load of debt had sent the company staggering into the hands of receivers on three different occasions, the latest such period hav- ing lasted for three years prior to Mr. Henderson's coming.
"It was not remarkable, of course, that Mr. Henderson should know these facts. Everybody knew them.
"But he knew something more-something that. few Philadel- phians knew then and that even a majority now fail to understand. He knew the magnitude of Philadelphia's natural undeveloped com- mercial advantages.
"He was an inlander. His whole training had been far removed from problems of open carriage. Yet it was as if this clear-eyed man of the West had stood upon a high mountain and had seen mapped out before him the most advantageous point of shipment for all the outgoing and incoming commerce of a dozen states.
"He was not a Philadelphian, and had no sentimental reason to exalt this city. He simply saw before him a business proposition and he faced it with a mind untainted with obsolete Philadelphia business traditions.
"He was not blinded nor warped nor stilled by local entangle- ments. He was not overawed by the bigness of America's greatest trunk line. Seemingly he gave no thought to the overwhelming power of that competitor with its backing by the great banking institutions.
"He came simply as a business man, a railroad man, a westerner with the keenness of vision and energy of action that change an empty site into a thriving city in the West in less time than the life of a generation.
"He came to a road in the throes of reorganization, a road that long had been too crippled to be ambitious. Yet he set instantly about a work that has had much to do with these two matters of record for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897, the freight traffic of the Reading yielded a gross revenue of $15,990,707, while the corre- sponding figures last year were $35,090,359.
"This naturally was not the work of any one man. But no man had so great a share in the accomplishment as Mr. Henderson.
"The plan of this man was not to capture old business from any other corporation but to create new business for the city. With an intrastate railroad for his only tool he undertook the development of a foreign commerce that then did not exist.
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"He saw the possibilities of Philadelphia as a port. He saw the millions upon millions of freight moving in both directions, mov- ing by land and by water, past the doors of this city. And he went to work to attract a part of that great tonnage to Philadelphia.
"He built the great Port Richmond yards. It was characteristic of his foresight that he considered a perfect shipping terminal the first need of a company that had no foreign commerce.
"His next efforts were directed to inducing transatlantic steamship lines to inaugurate regular freight service to and from this port in connection with the Reading Railway. The result has been that twelve years from the time that the Reading had no foreign commerce these steamships load regularly at Reading piers : the Hamburg-American, to Hamburg; the Allan, to Glasgow; the Philadelphia Transatlantic, to London; the Manchester liners to Manchester, and the Cosmopolitan, to Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Dunkirk, Christiania, Stettin and the Baltic ports by trans-shipment.
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