USA > Maryland > Cecil County > Portrait and biographical record of Harford and Cecil counties, Maryland. Containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties. Together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 10
USA > Maryland > Harford County > Portrait and biographical record of Harford and Cecil counties, Maryland. Containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties. Together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 10
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Mr. Evans is a friend of the city in which he has spent the larger portion of his life, and any measure for the advancement of the place or thic increased prosperity of the people is given his liearty support. The self-will that is one of his marked attributes is tempered by a calm, keen and discriminating judgment that always detects and advocates right and discovers and denounces wrong. These qualities qualify him to admirably discharge the duties of the office which he is now holding for a second terun. He has always been actively and efficiently identified with the best in- terests of Elkton, and comes to the aid of worthy causes with a liberal and public-spirited response.
The subject of this sketch is the second son of John P. and Rebecca (Steel) Evans. James H. and Amos S., the two brothers of William S. Evans, are engaged in farming, Amos owning and residing on the home farm, and James owning and residing on what is known as the Robert Evans farm, near Rising Sun. The family is of Welsh origin. Johnston, in his History of Cecil County, says: "There is reason to believe that most of the name in this county are the descendants of three brothers, John, James and Robert Evans,
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who settled here about a century and a-half ago, and are believed to have been the sons of Jolin Evans, who was probably born about the year 1680.'
Jolin Evans, who was born about the year 16So, was one of the early settlers of Pennsylvania in 1739. He had three sons, John, James and Rob- ert. John, Thomas and Richard Penn conveyed unto James Evans, who was a son of the above- named John, four hundred acres of land at Dru- more Township, Lancaster County, Pa., where lie probably resided until 1752, when he sold it to his brother John Evans, the great-great-grand- father of William S. Evans.
Robert Evans settled on Big Elk Creek, Cecil County, in 1730. His son, Dr. Amos Alexander Evans, was a distinguished surgeon in the United States navy prior to and during the War of 1812. To this branch of the family belong Hon. Alex- ander Evans and Gen. Andrew Wallace Evans, a retired United States army officer. James Evans settled about the year 1750 in Cecil County, on a tract of land known as "Evans Choice," about four miles north of the town of Port Deposit, on the public road to the West Nottingham Presby- terian Church. From him comes the Rock Run branch of the family, of which Dr. John Evans, a successful surgeon and physician, was a mem- ber. James and Robert married sisters, daughters of John Kirkpatrick, who owned a large farm near Rising Sun. John Evans afterwards pur- chased the Kirkpatrick farm, but continued to re- side at Drumore Township. His son, James Evans, became the owner of the Kirkpatrick farin, to which he removed, and where he resided until the time of his death, in 1817.
This memorandum relates more particularly to the descendants of John Evans, which is in the direct line to William S. Evans, the subject of this sketch.
John Evans, of Drumore, was born May 21, 1709, and died January 28, 1798. He married Sarah Denny, by whom he had the following children: James ( the great-grandfather of William S. Evans), born February 16, 1749, and died January 22, 1817; Robert, born November 23, 1750, died July 15, 1779; Jane, boru January 16,
1753, and died January 31, 1785, unmarried; Margery, born January 30, 1755, and died April 15, 1795, married to her cousin Robert Evans, who was a son of James, and her daughter was the wife of Cyrus Oldham; Margaret, born Janu- ary 24, 1758, and died December 4, 1793, wife of William Ross, and her descendants, the Keyser family, are still living at Lower Chanceford, York County Pa .; Ann, born May 8, 1760, and died August 30, 1767; John, born November 2, 1762, and died July 4, 1797, the father of the Little Britian, now Lancaster City branch of the family; and David, born December 30, 1765, and the father of the Drumore Township branch of the family.
James Evans (the great-grandfather of William S. Evans), son of John, was born the 16th day of February, 1749. He was three times married, and died January 22, 1817. His first wife was Susan Allison. They were married on the ad of December, 1776. To them were born the fol- lowing children: John, born January 27, 1778, died January 17, 1861, and who was the father of the Erie branch of the family; Robert, born Nov- eniber 30, 1779, and died August 5, 1865, the father of Judge James M. Evans, of the orphans' court of Cecil County; Martha. born July 5, 1782, and died July 1, 1783; Susan, wife of James Evans, died July 1, 1783. For his second wife James Evans chose Catherine Porter, daughter of Capt. Andrew Porter, whom he married July 1, 1784. She was born July 14, 1755, and died July 22, ISO1. Of their children we note the follow- ing: Andrew P., born September 28, 1785, was drowned in the Susquehanna River at Conowingo Bridge, September 11, 18:7; he was unmarried. James (grandfather of William S. Evans) was born March 28, 1787, and died May 16, 1855: he was a volunteer in the War of 1812, and was at the battle of North Point. Sarah, who was the wife of William Patten, was born March 1, 1789, and died January 7, 1882, aged ninety-two years, ten months and six days. William Evans, born January 16, 1792, died September 29, 1795.
James Evans married his third wife, Martha Gillespie, October 28, 1802. There were no chil- dren by this marriage. James Evans, grandfather
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of William S. Evans, married Mary Patterson, daugliter of Jolin Patterson, who owned what is now known as the Marion Rawlings farm, near Port Deposit. They were married February 14, IS14. The following children were born of this marriage: Jolin Patterson Evans, father of Will- iam S. Evans, born November 13, 1814, and died January 9, 1892; Catherine Porter Evans, born October 13, 1816, and died in July, 1897, the wife of W. W. Black, who resided near Charles- town, Cecil County, and was a man much re- spected for his sterling character; William James Evans, born September 21, IS21, and died Janu- ary 6, IS92.
Jolin Patterson Evans, the father of William S. Evans, married Rebecca Steel, on the 23d of November, 1843. She was the daughter of Hugh and Esther Steel, who resided on the "Stecl Mount," near Port Deposit. She was born on the 27th of March, 1809, and died on the 5th of September, IS91. The following children were born of this marriage: James Hugh, born No- vember 1, 1844; William Steel, born at date be- fore stated, and Amos Standly, born August 5, 1847.
ISAAC W. COALE is one of the leading and representative farmers of District No. 3, Harford County. Not alone is there particu- lar interest attaching to his career as one of the prominent citizens of the community, but in re- viewing his genealogical record we find lis line- age tracing back to the colonial history of the nation and to that period which marked the incep- tion of the grandest republic the world has ever known. Through such sources have we attained the true American type, and along this line must our investigations proceed if we would learn of the steadfast and unyielding elements which con- stitute the basis on which has been reared the lofty and magnificent superstructure of an en- lightened and favored commonwealth.
Mr. Coale was born in 1823, in the district where he still resides, and is a great-grandson of
William Coale, who was probably among the first settlers of this region and made his home on Deer Creek. He was a native of England. His son Isaac was the grandfather of our subject. Dr. Skepwith H. Coale, the father, was for some years a practicing physician of Harford County and also carried on farming to some extent. He married Mrs. Eliza Dugan, whose father, Judge Samuel Chase, was one of America's most dis- tinguished men. Born in Maryland in 1741, he was one of the immortal signers of the Declaration of Independence, a delegate to the continental congress that met in Philadelphia and a member of that body during the Revolution. After the close of the war he was appointed to the Supreme court of the United States by General Washing- ton and so served until his death, in ISII. His father, Rev. Thomas Chase, who was an Episco- pal clergyman and the third rector of St. Paul's Church of Baltimore, was a son of Samuel Chase, who came from England to America and resided in Somerset County, Md. Dr. and Mrs. Coale were the parents of six children, viz .: S. Chase, deceased; Eliza M., wife of Frederick D. Jackson; Dr. Skepwith H., Jr., deceased; Isaac W., of this sketch; William F., deceased; and Thomas C., who died in infancy. The father departed this life in 1832, at the age of forty-two years, and the mother in 1853, aged sixty-eight. The latter was given by Mrs. Washington a lock of George Washington's hair, after the death of the general, and this Mr. Coale now has in his possession.
Our subject was educated in a private school and the Baltimore College near the cathedral in that city, and subsequently became connected with the hardware firm of Richard Norris & Son, extensive importers of Baltimore, where he re- mained for several years. On returning to Har- ford County in 1843, he located on the old Coale homestead in District No. 3, where he was born and reared, and has since carried on general farming with good success. His fine farm of one hundred and fifty-two acres is under a high state of cultivation, and he has made a specialty of raising and feeding cattle, which has proved a profitable source of income.
In 1846 Mr. Coale married Miss Martha Davis,
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of Harford County, a daughter of Joseph Davis, and to them were born the following children: Skepwith H., a resident of Glenville, Md .; Will- iam F., Harriet and Eliza, all deceased; Harry D., at home; Martha, deceased; and Charles, at home. The family are identified with Holy Trin- ity Episcopal Church, Mr. and Mrs. Coale being numbered among its oldest and most prominent members, and he has served as vestryman for a quarter of a century. Politically he is a suppor- ter of Democratic principles, and has faithfully served his fellow-citizens in the capacity of chief judge of the orphans' court. In business affairs he is energetic, prompt and reliable, and in pri- vate life his career has ever been such as to com- mend him to the confidence and highi regard of all with whom he has come in contact.
OHN S. DALLAM. The history of a coun- ty, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly the chronicles of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon society. The world judges the character of a community by those of its representative citizens, and yields its tribute of admiration and respect for the genius or learning or virtues of those whose works and actions constitute the record of a county's prosperity and pride. As one of the leading and prominent citizens of Harford County we take pleasure in presenting to our readers the sketch of Mr. Dallam, now a resident of Bel Air, and who was for many years actively connected with its business interests.
Mr. Dallam was born near Darlington, Har- ford County, in 1816, and belongs to one of the old and honored families of the state, it having been founded here by Richard Dallam, a native of England. He was a nephew of the first Duchess of Marlborough, whose maiden name was Sara Jennings, and who was the most intimate personal friend of Queen Anne. Sara Jeunings married John Churchill, who largely through her influence with the queen became the first Duke
of Marlborough. Richard Dallam located at Joppa, where for many years he was a leading barrister. His wife, Elizabeth Martin, was bet- ter known as Betty Martin, famous in nursery rhyme as "Betty Martin, tiptoe, tiptoe fine, couldn't find a husband to suit her mind" (which, however, she finally did). One of their four sons was Richard Dallam, our subject's great-grand- fatlier, who was born in Joppa, and during the Revolutionary War served as paymaster's treas- urer, with the title of general of this district, in- cluding several states. In the war with Eng- land a number of the family bore an important part.
The great-grandfather located on Deer Creek, where he became the owner of a large tract of valuable land. In his family were four sons, John, Winston, William and Richard. William went to Europe and was never heard from after- wards. John had four sons, Samuel, Joseph, William and Richard (father of our subject), also several daughters. Richard, a farmer by occupation, spent much of his life at Darlington, but finally moved to Bel Air, where he died in 1870, when in his eighty-third year. Patriotic like his ancestors, he manifested his loyalty to the country by enlisting in the War of 1812, and gallantly serving in Smith's troop of cavalry. He married Sarah Wallis, and they had three children, who are still living: John S., Mary A. and Joseph W., of Baltimore. Another son, William H., was a major in the Union army dur- ing the Civil War. He held the position of secretary and treasurer of the Harford Mutual Fire Insurance Company for three terms, was state's attorney in his district, was also clerk of the circuit court for Harford County, and was filling the office of deputy collector of the port of Baltimore at the time of his death, in the spring of 1883. He was the father of Richard Dallam, the present secretary of state for Maryland.
Jolin S. Dallam was reared in Harford Coun- ty, where he acquired a common-school educa- tion. After starting out in life for himself lie was for several years engaged in merchandising in Darlington. He was also interested in farm- ing and the real-estate business. In 1853 he
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was elected sheriff of the county for a term of two years and also served acceptably as county com- missioner for three terms, being president of the board for one term. In 1876 he was county as- sessor, and at one time was census enumerator, also held a responsible position as storekeeper in the internal revenue department in Baltimore. Whether in public or private life, he lias always been found true to every trust reposed in him and is well entitled to the respect in which he is held.
In 1845 Mr. Dallam married Miss Amanda M. Prigg, and they have five children living: Sallie, wife of G. E. N. Ewing; Chiarles, a resident of Bel Air; Laura; Jefferson A., an attorney of Bel Air; and Frederick, a lawyer of Baltimore. The family is connected with the Presbyterian Church. For more than half a century Mr. Dallam has affiliated with the Masons, and now holds mem- bership in Mt. Ararat Lodge in Bel Air.
12 ANIEL T. ARBUCKLE, the owner and occupant of a farm in Cecil County, is numbered among the progressive agri- culturists of District No. 4. His estate com- prises one hundred and fifty-three acres, bearing good improvements, and is devoted to the pur- poses of general farming. It lies on the Elkton road, five miles from the city of that name, and has been his home since 1894. He is a man of enterprise, and in his business and social rela- tions his energetic character and judgment find afnple field for exercise.
In the city of Philadelphia Daniel T. Arbuckle was born in 1852. He is a grandson of Daniel Arbuckle, one of four brothers who emigrated from Ireland and founded homes in the United States. Daniel, father of our subject, was born in Mont- gomery County, Pa., where in mature years he was engaged in the manufacture of woolen and cotton cloth, having a trade that extended to different parts of the country. Until 1869 his home coll- tinued to be in Philadelphia, but he then removed to Maryland and settled on the place now occu-
pied by his son and namesake. He took 110 active part in politics aside from voting the Republican ticket at elections. In the years of his residence here his honorable and straight- forward course won for him the confidence of the people, and it was felt that a good man had passed away when, in 1891, his eyes were closed in death. He was then seventy-eight years of age. By his marriage to Mary S. Magargle, of Philadelphia, he had five children, four of whom are living, namely: Samuel J .; Daniel T .; Paul T., of District No. 4, Cecil County; and Philip, who resides at Cherry Hill.
The education of our subject was obtained in the public schools of Philadelphia. At the age of sixteen he began to learn the plumber's trade, at which he served an apprenticeship of three years. On coming to Maryland, he worked on the liome farm for two years, and then took charge of the chemical department of the plant owned by Will- iam M. Singerly, remaining in that position for seven years and then returning to the homestead in 1894.
Notwithstanding the fact that his personal interests have demanded much time and thought, he has always been a public-spirited citizen, giv- ing his support to enterprises having for their object the welfare of the people around him. Politically he is a supporter of Republican princi- ples, but has never sought office, preferring to devote his leisure hours to the quiet enjoyment of domestic happiness. He has been twice married, his first wife having been Miss Kate Culp, of Philadelphia, who died in 1891. The children born of this union are Samuel J., Ella May and Raymond. After the death of his first wife he was united with Miss Mary Spratt, an estimable lady residing in District No. 3. The family are identified with the Methodist Episcopal Churchi at Cherry Hill, to the maintenance of which Mr. Arbuckle is a contributor. Besides assisting materially in the development of the agricultural resources of the district, he has exerted an influ- ence for good as a man of sound sense, unswerv- ing integrity and the thoughtful disposition that makes him just and considerate in his dealings with others.
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DAVID HARLAN, M. D.
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
AVID HARLAN, medical director, U. S. N., was born November 30, ISog, at Straw- berry Hill farm, near Stafford, Harford Comty, Md. He was a descendant in the fourth generation of Michael Harlan, who with his brother George came to America in 1687 and set- tled near Kennet (now Pennsbury), Pa. David's grandfather, who also bore the name of David, owned large tracts of land and several mills in Chester County, Pa., and at one time was very prosperous, but endorsed for a number of friends in Wilmington who were engaged in manufactur- ing and exporting flour; these merchants became bankrupt by the loss and seizure of their ships consequent upon the European wars, in which the property of neutrals (and they being members of the Society of Friends were neutral) suffered from the depredations on all sides, and David Harlan in his old age, through the endorsements for his friends, was brought to be in straitened circum- stances.
Jeremiah, father of our subject, removed to Harford County from London Grove Township, about half way between West Grove and Chatham, and six miles from Kennet, Chester County. The time of his arrival in Maryland was the last quar- ter of the eighteenth century. The knowledge he had acquired in his father's mills lie turned to good account by building mills in Harford and Cecil Counties. In 1812 he bought the Straw- berry Hill farm from Reuben Stump. In ISoo he inarried Esther Stump, daughter of Henry and Rachel (Perkins) Stump, and they had seven children, David being fifth in order of birth. The old homestead where the children were born and reared is most picturesquely situated high on the steep hillsides that form the precipitous banks of the Susquehanna River, about seven miles above where it mingles its waters with those of the Chesapeake Bay. From the house and the sev- eral hill tops of the farm one may see for miles up and down the beautiful Susquehanna, may catch a glimpse of the bay far off shining in the sun, while the old town of Port Deposit nestles close to the water's edge, beneath the rugged brows of a ledge of precipitous hills covered with a dark olive cloak of cedar trees, and on listening, the ear
catches the subdued roar of the river as it rushes over its rocky bed, which led the Indians to call it the Susquehanna, "rippling over stones."
With wise forethought Jeremiah Harlan was anxious that his children should have the best possible education, and in the days when college graduates were not as commonly met with as now, he secured as tutor for his children Dr. Samuel Guile, a graduate of Harvard College. In his yard he built a stone schoolhouse, where Judge Price and his sister, Mrs. Rachel Parker, and John Stump, of Perry Point, and others of David's cousins came to attend school with him and his brothers and sisters. David also attended Rock Run Academy (or, as it is more popularly known, Stephenson's stone schoolhouse), which was originally erected by the Methodists for a meeting house. In 1829, when he was twenty years of age, he began the study of medicine under the tutelage of Dr. John Archer, of Rock Run. Afterward he attended the Maryland Hospital and Washington Medical School of Baltimore for two years, graduating in 1832 with the degree of M. D., and also receiving the diploma of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland. He immediately located near Chestertown, Kent County, Md., where he engaged in practice for three years. Upon the recommendation of Dr. John P. Mackenzie, he applied for admission to the United States navy, and was examined in 1835 and commissioned assistant surgeon. Forthwith he was ordered to report on board the United States ship "Peacock," then in the New York harbor preparing to start on a voyage around the world. This, his first voyage, was the longest and most eventful of his life. In the spring of 1835 he sailed out of the harbor of New York; four years later he returned to the same harbor, having sailed around the world, gone through many dangers, visited many lands and seen many strange sights.
The "Peacock " sailed first to Rio Janeiro, Brazil, thence around the Cape of Good Hope to Zanzibar, thence to Muscat, Bombay, Ceylon, Bangkok, Sian, China, across the Pacific to the Bonin Islands, thence to Monterey, Cal., via the Sandwich Islands, from there to Acapulco, Mex-
2
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ico, and Lima, Peru. then to Valparaiso, Chili: returning from there to Lima, where Dr. Harlan was transferred to the United States schooner "Enterprise," visiting a number of ports on the Pacific Coast of South and Central America, when he was transferred to the line of battle ship "North Carolina," of one hundred guns. In that ship he cruised on the Pacific Coast, rounded Cape Horn to Rio Janeiro, and thence to New York.
Voyages of circumnavigation were not so fre- quent in the '30s as they have since become, and this one contained more of interest than usual, both from the unusual route taken and from the fact that it included an embassy to Muscat and Siam for the purpose of exchanging ratifications of treaties of amity and commerce, which had been entered into the year previous, by the United States with the Sultan of Muscat and with " His Magnificent Majesty, the King of Siam." The limited space at command will permit only the most casual ref- erence to the more striking events of this voyage. The diary of David Harlan records nothing more noteworthy than the usual courtesies received by the ship's officers in the hospitable port of Rio Janeiro, the glories of a phosphorescent sea in the tropics and the schools of flying fish, the nautilus and other wonders of the sea, interesting to a man . on his first voyage, the capture of several sharks by the crew, one of which measured ten feet in length, etc., till, having passed the island of Zan- zibar, while sailing along the coast of Africa, the ship grounded on a sunken reef not on any chart. The next day, upon the tide going out, the ship was left in a very precarious condition, and to add to the dangers of their position, they were men- aced by a number of daus filled with Bedouin Arab pirates, who while the ship was in a helpless con- dition and careened over on her side so that hier guns were useless, showed plainly their hostile purpose and openly boasted that they would soon be joined by forty more boats. In this hazardous position, it was thought best to dispatch one of the ship's boats to Muscat to ask for assistance, while the rest of the ship's crew set to work to lighten the ship by throwing overboard half of the heavy guns and other things. Then by putting
out anchors with hawsers attached, they succeeded after two or three days of unremitting toil, in warping the ship in water deep enough to float her. All the time they were threatened by the Arabs, who hovered around them and stole some of their stores, which they were obliged to put on an improvised raft. Fortunately the pirates were not sufficiently reinforced to venture an attack. It may be mentioned that the boat arrived safely in Muscat after a perilous voyage, in which they were chased by the Arabs, and that the Sultan of Muscat took the most energetic measures for the relief of the "Peacock," and sent the character- istic order to the Arab chiefs along the coast that he would hold them responsible "with their heads" for any injury to any of the " Peacock's" crew. On the ship's arrival at Muscat, she was supplied with everything necessary by the Sultan, who showed the greatest kindness to all her com- pany. He also did her the very unusual honor of a personal visit and gave a banquet to her offi- cers. Among the dishes at the banquet was one of boiled ant eggs, but Dr. Harlan is not on record as having tasted it.
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