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 53
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 53
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At the outbreak of the war, Mr. Torbert was a Democrat, but he then espoused the Union cause, and by his eloquent public speeches did much to rally the people of his native county to the sup- port of the Union. In 1868 he received the Re- publican nomination for congress, in the district embracing the eight counties of the eastern shore of Maryland, a territory intensely in sympathy with the Confederate cause. When he accepted the nomination there was not the slightest liope of electing any Republican to congress in the dis- trict, but he went into the campaign with the same zeal that has characterized him in all his undertakings through life. However, the odds were too great against him and his party, and he was defeated. In 1870 he was again the candi- date for the position, but the same conditions confronted him and he was again defeated. In 1869 he was appointed deputy surveyor for the port of Baltimore and continued to discharge the duties of the office for nine years without having even the slightest suspicion cast upon his manage- ment of affairs, even by his most bitter political opponents. In 1876 he purchased the Cecil Whig, which he has since conducted as proprie- tor and editor. Under his able management the paper has grown to be the leading journal of the eastern shore. He is au able writer and the editorials that appear in the columns from time to
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time from his pen would do credit to editors of national renown. His classical education and literary tastes qualify him for a journalist and his articles are widely quoted. The building in which he has his office and its appointments are modern and all that could be desired. He takes a stand against all classes of immorality in his native county, more especially in his own town, and policy will not keep him from speaking his senti- ments and presenting them to the people ..
December 24, 1867, Mr. Torbert married Mary Rachel, daughter of Col. Edwin and Hannah E. (Megredy) Wilmer, the ceremony being per- formed by Bishop Levi Scott, of the Metliodist Episcopal Church. They have two children. Victor Megredy, a young man of literary and journalistic tastes, is associated with his father in the management of the paper; Frances Elizabeth, the only daughter, is an accomplished young lady.
B C. LEVIS. The student of human prog- ress, and the youth who seeks, in the struggle for success, an example worthy of his emulation, will find in the life of Mr. Levis a proof that the road to prosperity is a plain and narrow path, which lies open to almost every ambitious man. Beginning for himself, with no other capital than good health and a determina- tion to succeed, he worked his way ambitiously forward until he gained a position among the leading men of Cecil County. The establishment of which he is the proprietor ranks among the best equipped, not only in Elkton, but in the en- tire county as well, and the large trade which it receives is due to the energetic and honorable business methods pursued by the owner.
Near the village of Leeds, in this county, on the Little Elk Creek, the subject of our sketch was born, in 1840. His fatlier, a native of Dela- ware County, Pa., and by name Norris Levis, came in early manhood to Cecil County, of whichi he became a pioneer paper manufacturer. Later he was the owner of a flour mill in the Walnut
Valley, in which business he continued until his death. He had filled many places of honor and trust in the county, among them that of county commissioner, and fraternally was connected with the Masons. He married Amelia Kirk, who was born near the Brick Meeting House, and was reared by Quaker parents in that faith, but later became identified with the Rock Presbyterian Church. She died in Elkton. Her family com- prised four sons and five daughters. William, the eldest of the number, became a paper maker, and was engaged in that business in Dayton, Ohio, at the time of his death; Eliza is the widow of I. D. Carter, formerly a paper maker of Walnut Hill, where she resides; Joseph K., who resides on the old homestead, operates the mill in Walnut Valley that was started by his father; Amelia K. is the wife of Slater B. Russell, of West Chester, .Pa .; Harriet is the wife of V. K. Alexander, of Lancaster, Pa .; Mary L., the widow of Arthur W. Mitchell, resides in Elkton; Harry B. died in 1896.
In the schools of Leeds our subject received all the education he was privileged to gain. When quite young he began as a clerk in the store of Edward Brown in Elkton, and from time to time invested his earnings in such a way as to bring him fair returns. In 1861 he became a member of the firm of Levis & Marratt, and established the house of which he is now the sole proprietor, having succeeded to the business some years ago. His business interests are numerous and varied, not being limited to his mercantile establishment. He is a stockholder and director in the First National Bank of Elkton, a stockholder in the Second National Bank, director and treasurer of the Electric Light Company, director and treas- urer of the Elkton Water Company, and sole owner of the Cecil Telephone Company, which is a flourishing concern. Though always taking an active part in any measure for the good of the place, he has never held office nor aspired to any political honors, but prefers to devote himself entirely to his personal interests. In religious belief he is connected with the Presbyterian Church. A prominent Mason, he has been treasurer of the blue lodge for thirty years, and
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on the anniversary of his admission to the lodge was presented by his fellow-members with a beautiful gold badge, as a token of their appre- ciation of his long service. He is also a Chapter Mason. June 12, 1885, he married Miss Hester C. Connor, of Dover, Del., his first wife, Lydia C. Biddle, having dicd some time before; leaving one child that died soon afterward. He has a family of three children, Ella C., Robert C. and Hester, in whose welfare he is decply interested, and who will be given the advantages that will prepare them for honorable positions in life.
G EORGE R. ASH is the able editor of the Cecil Democrat, the leading Democratic pa- per of Cecil County. It is a newsy paper and enjoys a good circulation, not only in the vil- lage of Elkton, where it is published, but through- out the entire county. Avowedly Democratic in political sentiment, it has the majority of its readers and supporters from among the ranks of this party, but the fair and impartial tenor of its editorials, the broad and liberal spirit displayed in the reviews of public events, and the loyal de- votion to county and state noticeable in every issue, have combined to bring to the journal the respect of even the most implacable political opponents. In addition to politics, it devotes considerable space to society happenings and local affairs, and is also used by business men as a medium of communication with the people of the county.
The editor of this paper was born in the village where he now resides, the date of his birth being March 21, 1861. His father, who was born three miles from Elkton, in 1832, was a dealer in agri- cultural implements throughout his entire active life, and never aspired to official positions, prefer- ring to concentrate his attention upon business af- fairs. In the Presbyterian Church he was an active worker and the superintendent of the Sun- day-school. He was a member of various secret societies in which he was interested. At the
opening of the Civil War he enlisted in the Sixtli Maryland Infantry, U. S. A., and held the posi- tion of adjutant, with the rank of captain, but resigned in 1863. He died in 1879. His father. Jacob Ash, was a farmer of Cecil County, where he was born, and was one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church in Elkton.
The mother of our subject, Emily, was a daughter of the late Col. George R. Howard, who was born in Lancaster County, Pa., but removed from there to Cecil County and engaged in the mercantile business in Elkton. Prominent in public life he was register of wills for the county and represented his district in the state senate. Although advanced in years when the Civil War broke out, his enthusiasm in the cause was so great that he organized the Sixth Maryland Reg- iment, of which he was chosen colonel. He led the fortunes of his regiment until 1863, when on account of failing health he resigned his commis- sion. Returning to his farm on the Elk River, he spent several years therc, but afterward pur- chased the Colonel Hollingsworth mansion, one of the most historic homes in Elkton, erected many years prior to the Revolution. It is said that General Washington spent the night within its walls once, when on his way to Brandywine. In this old place the closing years of the useful life of Colonel Howard were passed, and there lie died in 1884. Possessing great force of character and decision of purpose, he was justly prominent among the citizens of Elkton. In his latter years, though possessed of an ample fortune that rendered labor unnecessary, he accepted the posi- tion of justice of the peace, more because he liked the work than from a desire to increase his in- come. By his first wife, a Miss Jones, he had several children, but all are deceased. His second wife was Mary H. Ash, sister of his son in- law, Jacob B. Ash, and by her he had four children. The father of Colonel Howard was born in England, came thence to America and served in the Revolution, being in command as an officer at the battle of Trentou. Our sub- ject's mother died in 1874.
George R. Ash had six sisters, four of whom are living: Helen, Mary, Flora and Charlotte.
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He was educated in the Elkton Academy, but left school at fourteen years and for some time was employed by his father in the agricultural imple- ment business. Later he was in the office of the county commissioners, and in IS84 was appointed deputy register of wills, which office he filled un- til IS90. In that year, in company with a num- ber of leading citizens, he formed a company and purchased the Cecil Democrat. Of this company Hon. John S. Wirt was made president, while Mr. Ash became editor and manager, and as such has built up a large business. He is a clear and forcible writer, and also has ability as a business man, which fact is recognized especially by his business associates. In December, 1892, he was appointed school commissioner for Cecil County and continues to hold that office. He is inter- ested in military affairs, being a member of the Third Battalion, Eastern Shore of Maryland, in which he was first sergeant, then second lieuten- ant and afterward adjutant with the rank of cap- tain. Fraternally he is past grand in the lodge of Odd Fellows and member of the grand lodge of the state. He is also identified with the Knights of Pythias.
ENRY VINSINGER. In reviewing the history of any community there are always a few names that stand out pre-eminently among others because those who bear them are men of superior ability, sound judgment and progressive spirit. Such names and such men add to the prosperity of a place, elevating its moral tone and increasing its commercial impor- tance. Their means, put into circulation in the home neighborhood, becomes a factor in the pros- perity of every citizen, while their intelligence is a power that cannot be lightly estimated. The position occupied by Mr. Vinsinger among the business men of Elkton is one of importance and influence. For years he has been connected with the activities of the place and has been instru- mental in promoting its material welfare.
In the neighboring county of Chester, Pa., Mr. Vinsinger was born November 21, 1849. His father, William, a native of Pennsylvania and a farmer, came to Cecil County in 1860 and settled six miles north of Elkton, where he engaged in farming until his death, in 1862. He married Levina Hill, who was born in Pennsylvania and from there accompanied her father to Maryland. She died in 1885, at the home of a daughter in Camden, N. J. One of her brothers, Joseph C. Hill, commanded the Sixth Maryland Infantry in the Civil War, and in 1869 entered the custom house in Baltimore, where he remained until his death, in 1897. The family of which our subject is a member consisted of four sons and four daughters, of whom three sons and two daughters survive. J. Spencer is employed as time-keeper in the Wilmington car shops; Franklin resides in Cecil County; Maria is the widow of J. Z. Finley; and Rebecca E. is the widow of Daniel Cum- mings, of Camden, N. J.
Educated in the public schools, our subject re- mained at home until eighteen years of age. In the spring of 1868 he became an employe in the flouring mill of Hill, Harlan & Co., of Elkton, his uncle, Colonel Hill, being the head of the firm. He continued there until August, 1871, when he became proprietor of the mill, and this he continued to operate until the spring of 1895. At that time, on account of failing health, he re- linquished the business, his son and a Mr. Davis becoming proprietors under the firm name of Davis & Vinsinger. Prior to this, in 1893, he had established a furniture and undertaking busi- ness, and this he has since successfully con- ducted. His present possessions have been se- cured by hard work and economy, in connection with good management and sound judgment. He is considered an able, sagacious business man. By a judicious investment of his money he has acquired a valuable property and ranks among the well-to-do men of the village. Fraternally he is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He and his wife are active workers in the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is a trustee. December 28, 1871, he married Cordelia R. Strickland, daughter of William P.
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Strickland, of Elkton. They are the parents of two children: William T., who succeeded his father in the mill; and H. Edward, a clerk in the National Bank of Elkton.
ENJAMIN M. WELLS. While Cecil County has much in the way of natural resources and commercial transactions to commend it to the public, the chief interest cen- ters in the lives of those citizens who have achieved success for themselves, and at the same time benefited the community in which they reside. Prominent among these men is the sub- ject of this sketch. Having spent his entire life in Elkton, he is naturally interested in its pros- périty. The family of which he is a member has taken an active part in laying the foundation for the present development of the community, hav- ing had representatives here during the entire nineteenth century. It is, indeed, one of the oldest families of the county. In the possession of our subject there is a Bible, printed in 1770, that has been in the family since that year and contains the family record back to 1766.
The father of our subject, Benjamin Wells, was born in Elkton June 4, 1814, and in early life learned the coach-making trade. He was, how- ever, best known by his long connection with the Pennsylvania Railroad as station agent at Elkton, for he was appointed to that position in 1839, and from that time up to his death, in 1894, he filled this responsible position, a period of more than fifty-five years. He was devoted to his work, and when the company offered to put him on the retired list with full pay, he refused to accept it, saying he would prefer to attend to the duties of the office as long as he lived. Therefore, the company retained him in active service and allowed him to follow out his desires and die with "the harness on." At the time of his death he was the oldest mian in the employ of the company, in point of continuous service. No one was prouder than he of the prosperity of the road, and
no one rejoiced more in its success than he. In religious belief he was an influential member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
In January, 1841, Benjamin Wells married Rebecca J., daughter of Henry Alexander, mem- ber of an influential and old family of Cecil County. She died May 25, 1897, at the age of seventy-four years. In her family there were four children, H. A. Wells; Mary A., wife of W. J. Aldrich, of Elkton; our subject and Charles G. The oldest son, when a boy, learned telegraphy and became one of the most expert operators in the country; during the Greeley campaign lie was made private operator of that famous statesman, whom he ac- companied until the close of the campaign. Charles G., assistant agent of the Elkton station, married Daisy, daughter of A. J. Scott, and they have two children.
The subject of this article was born January 6, 1855, and received a common-school education. When a mere boy he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company under his father, and in 1879 was made agent of the Adams Express Company, which position he has con- tinued to hold ever since. In 1882 he married Miss Mary H. Howard, daughter of the late Col. George R. Howard, of Elkton. They are the parents of one child, Helen H.
ILLARD G. ROUSE. The American bar offers the finest opportunities of preferment of any country upon the face of the earth, its members being privileged, if the talent is not wanting, to attain not only the greatest distinc- tion in the profession, but it is the easiest way to approach to the highest official positions in the land. Furthermore, the American bar can show an array of eminent talent, of profound erudition and of judicial ability equal to that of England, France or Germany. The bar of Maryland has ever been famed for the learning and talent of its members, who know not the meaning of failure
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when pitted against lawyers from other states. A very bright and most promising young attorney is the subject of this sketch, Willard G. Rouse, who thus early in his career has attained a prom- inent place at the Harford County bar.
Mr. Rouse was born April 4, 1867, at Creswell, Md. He received his initiatory educational train- ing in the public schools, later attended the Bel Air Academy, and finally entered Johns Hopkins University, from which institution he graduated in 1887. Two years later he was graduated from the law department of the University of Maryland, after which he was engaged in the practice of his profession for two years in Baltimore. He then returned to the place of his nativity, and in June, 1891, formed a partnership with Hon. Richard Maryland. Their connection continued harmoni- ously until the election of Mr. Dallam to that office, when it was dissolved necessarily, and since that time Mr. Rouse has been alone. He has a lucrative and growing practice and has been identified with a number of important cases, in which his clients were defended with signal success.
While devoted to his profession, which he pur- sues unremittingly, Mr. Rouse has given some time to the social amenities of life. He is an active member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In 1894 he married Miss Anna Stump Webster, a daughter of William Webster and a niece of the late Colonel Webster. They are attendants of the Presbyterian Church, and are favorites in the social circles of their locality.
OHN T. BENNETT. Like many of the influential citizens of Elkton, Mr. Bennett began for himself without capital. When he started out in the world to fight life's battles on his own account, he went empty-handed, but he needed no other capital than his good health, clear brain and tireless energy, which have placed
him in comfortable circumstances. His life record is a good one and is such as to commend him to the respect of the entire community. Connected for many years with the railway mail service, on retiring from that position he turned his attention to the mercantile business, in which he has since engaged in Elkton. He was born in this village December 5, 1844, and has always considered it his home, though circumstances or business du- ties have taken him temporarily to other points. The family of which he is a member settled in Cecil County at an early period of its history, and his grandfather, Henry Bennett, who was born here, was a slave owner and a soldier in the War of ISI2.
The father of our subject, John P. Bennett, was Dallam, who is now secretary of the state of . born in Elkton, where he engaged in the fishery
business for many years. During the progress of the Civil War, he served as provost-marshal, and at another time lie was one of the commissioners of Cecil County. He died in Elkton. His wife, Martha, was a daughter of Moses Scott, a wheel- wright, and died in this village. Their family was composed of four sons and two daughters. Two of the boys served in the Union army, Henry H. being a member of the Second Delaware In- fantry; G. S., who was in the same regiment, was taken prisoner by Confederate forces and confined in Andersonville prison, where he died soon after- ward. Another son, Alexander S., is a carriage- maker and resides in Wilmington, Del. The only living daughter, Ada, is the wife of Thomas Sharf, of Wilmington.
When the Civil War broke out, the subject of this sketch was a youth of little more than six- teen years. Notwithstanding his youth, he was so ardent in the Union cause that he determined to enter the service. Accordingly, in September, 1861, he joined the Fifth Maryland Infantry, with which he remained until the close of the war. For a time he was orderly sergeant, but from that was promoted to the rank of second lieute- nant. He participated in many of the hard-fought engagements of the war, where bullets flew fast and thick, and life was in momentary peril. With his regiment he was in front of Richmond at the time of the surrender of General Lee, and they
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had the honor of being the first to enter the city after the war. When peace was declared, Mr. Bennett returned to his home in Elkton. Soon afterward he received an appointment to the postal mail service between Washington and New York and held this position for twenty years, when he resigned to enter the mercantile business in Elk- to11.
In . 1870 Mr. Bennett married Mrs. Mary E. (Denny) Bennett. Mr. Bemett has never ac- cepted office, preferring to devote his time to the duties of citizenship in a private capacity, and to assist as far as lie is able in those measures that will add to the mental and material prosperity of the community. A public-spirited man, he takes great pride in conscientiously fulfilling the obli- gations of life both great and small. In religious connections he is identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church and contributes to its mainte- nance.
OL. OTHO S. LEE was born near Bel Air, December 6, 1840, the son of Richard Dal- lam and Hannah B. Lee, and the descendent of ancestors who bore an influential part in the early history of Maryland and in the wars that marked the colonial period. His paternal grand- father, Parker Hall Lee, who was born in Janu- ary, 1759, was one of the brave men to whom we owe the freedom of our country from British domination and whose record in the army was that of a brave and dauntless officer. Enlisting with the patriots at the opening of the Revolution, he became a lieutenant in the Fifth Maryland Regiment and served loyally until the conflict ceased and peace was declared. During the bat- tle of Monmouth, in which he bore a valiant part, he captured a sword from a British officer and this trophy of victory is now in the possession of our subject, by whom it is highly prized. On return- ing home from the war, he resumed farming oper- ations and in time became one of the most exten- sive planters of Harford County, where he owned
over one thousand acres of land, lying between Deer Creek and Thomas Rim. He died May 6, 1829. and was buried at Jericho, in the private grave- yard on that property, enclosed by a large stone wall. Jericho was one of the fine farms into which the estate was divided at his death. His son by his second marriage, James Carvil Lec, is still living, and makes his home on Deer Creek.
On the family homestead where he was born, Richard Dallam Lee spent his entire life, his at- tention being given chiefly to the supervision of the landed interests that had become his, by in- heritance and purchase. He was a man of promi- hence in the county and held a number of local offices. Doubtless he would have been elected to positions of larger importance, had his life been prolonged, but he died at the age of forty-three years. Colonel Lee spent his early life on the home farm, but at the age of seventeen he came to Bel Air and secured a clerkship in a store. His education was largely received in the Bel Air Academy. When the Civil War began he was prosecuting his law studies with Henry W. Archer, but he immediately abandoned his books and joined Stuart's Confederate Cavalry, serving under Gen. Fitzhugh Lee in the army of north- ern Virginia, and participating in all the impor- tant campaigns in which that famous general led his forces. From the first battle of Bull Run until the surrender of Richmond, he bore a part in the struggles of the Confederacy, and in recog- nition of meritorious conduct was made a ser- geant-major of Artillery near the close of the war.
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