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 71
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 71
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The education received by the subject of this sketch in the Elkton Academy and Eastman's Business College was of a practical nature, fitted to qualify him for business pursuits. For four years he was interested in the mercantile business and then embarked in the fire and life insurance business, in which he built up a large patronage. In 1894 he was appointed county treasurer, and
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the following year he was tendered the position by election upon the Democratic ticket. He is one of the most popular officials the county has ever had, for he is genial, thorough and efficient. In local affairs he takes an interest, especially in regard to educational matters, and is now treas- urer and trustee of the Elkton Academy. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. November 26, 1883, he was united in marriage with Alice S. Donnell, daughter of Andrew Donnell, a retired business man of Newark, Del. Mrs. Drennen is well educated and refined, and is a member of the Episcopal Church. Two children bless the union, Manly and Elizabeth G.
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M ISS ESTHER ELIZABETH EWING is a representative of one of the prominent and highly esteemed families of District No. 6, Cecil County. Her great-grandfather, Samuel Ewing, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, was the founder of the family in the new world, and on his arrival here he located on the farm now owned and occupied by our subject. He bore an impor- tant part in the early development and upbuild- ing of the county and experienced all the trials and hardships of pioneer life. Establishing a grist and sawmill, he engaged in their operation in connection with farming and met with a well- deserved success in his undertakings. He was married in the Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, which was attended by the president and members of congress when Philadelphia was the seat of government. The pastor of this church was Rev. John Ewing, D. D., one of the most eminent divines of his day.
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Amos Ewing, Jr., the father of our subject, was born on the old homestead July 21, 1793, a - son of Amos Ewing, Sr., whose birth also oc- curred on that place. There the former continued to engage in agricultural pursuits and milling throughout life, having erected a new saw and
grist mill. He married Miss Mary Steel, and they became the parents of four children. Am- brose, like his father, followed both the occupa- tions of farming and milling. He died in 1890, leaving a widow and three children. Miss Ewing, of this review, is next in order of birth. John S., who resided on the old homestead, died in IS91, leaving a family of four children. Mary R. is the wife of William E. Gillespie, of Hazle- ton, Pa. The father was called to his final rest in1 1872, at the age of eighty, and his estimable wife died in 1886. Both were members of the Presbyterian Church, in which he was an elder for more than fifty years. They merited and received the warmest confidence and esteein of their fellow-citizens, who appreciated their ster- ling worth and many excellent traits of character.
After the death of the father the sons took charge of the old homestead until they, too, were called to the world beyond. The place is now owned by Miss Ewing. It embraces two hun- dred and seventy-five acres of farming land as rich as can be found in the county, and is ably managed by its present owner. She is a consist- ent member of the Presbyterian Church, and is much beloved by everyone with whom she comes in contact.
TEPHEN H. FORD. For some mien once prominent in the public affairs of Cecil County the curtain of death has fallen, the battle of life is finished. The place that once knew them knows them no more. But the men among whom they labored, the needy whom they assisted and the friends to whom their noble characters endeared them, have not forgotten them. Judged by weeks and months, a long time has elapsed since the subject of this review passed from the scenes of time, but his memory is still green in the hearts of all who knew him, and the frequent mention of his name, even at this time, shows how indelibly his life work was
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stamped upon the history of his locality. He Stephen H. and Susan S. In religious belief she was not an old man (being forty-six years of age) . is connected with St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. when death came to him, April 25, 1884; but life is rightly measured, not by years, but by intensity; and judged by that standard his life was a long one. The Ford estate, upon which she resides, con- tains six hundred acres of well-improved land and is divided into two farms, known, respectively, as Dividing and Ford's Landing, each with three hundred acres, the latter being the home of Mrs. Ford. She is a lady who has many warm friends in this community. Whether entertaining in her pleasant home those who are proud to call theni- selves her friends, whether mingling with refined and aristocratic men and women in select social circles, or going upon errands of mercy to the suffering and the sad, at all times and under all circumstances she shows that nobility of character that is always its possessor's greatest charm.
A native of Maryland, Mr. Ford was given a good education, attending school in Pottstown, Pa., and Newark, Del. He was a young man when the dark cloud of war overshadowed our nation. His sympathies were with the south in the struggle and he enlisted in the Confederate service, becoming identified with the navy. During the period of liis service he endured all the hardships and perils of war, but received no injury. At one time, however, he was taken 'prisoner by the northern troops, being captured under the tree where, years before, the Indian maiden, Pocahontas, had saved the life of Captain Smith. After the war was ended he settled upon a plantation in District No. 1, Cecil County, to the supervision of which his remaining years were given. He always voted the Democratic ticket and took an interest in public affairs. For a time he was tax collector of District No. I.
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In 1870 Mr. Ford married Lenette A. Ellison, who was born in Delaware February 25, 1845, the daughter of Lewis P. and Susan M. (Suck- ert) Ellison, natives, respectively, of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The Ellison family consisted of twelve children and seven of these are living: Susan T., Cecilia A., Lenette E., James S., Priscilla T., Lydia D. and William S. Mrs. Ford's grandfather, James Ellison, was born in New Jersey, and was by occupation a farmer, which was also the calling of his father, James, Sr., a soldier of the Revolution. William Suck- ert, the inaternal grandfather of Mrs. Ford, was a physician in Philadelphia and also proprietor of a drug store there. His brother, George Suckert, . . was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and was
, stationed near the present home of Mrs. Ford. At the age of eleven years Mrs. Ford was brought to Maryland by her parents and here she has since resided, with the exception of three years spent in a boarding school at Oxford, Pa. Her five children are Mary S., Lenette E., J. Arthur,
ILLIAM L. SMITH, M. D., is a leading and successful physician of Jarrettsville, Harford County. Fortunate is he who has back of him an honorable ancestry, and happy should he be if his lines of life are cast in har- mony therewith. The doctor is a representative of one of the oldest and most prominent families of Maryland, whose history is inseparably con- nected with the annals of the state.
Richard Smith, the first of the family of whom we have record, died at Hall's Croft in 1667. He came to the state about 1649, and his wife, Eleanor, about 1651. As appears from the land records in Annapolis under date of October 7, 1662, Richard Smith, Gentleman, entered rights for one hundred acres of land with dwelling house on the west side of Solomon's Creek. May 27, 1655, he was appointed attorney-general for the province of Maryland, and held office until 1660. He represented Calvert County in the provincial legislature from April 16, 1661, until his death, in 1667. His son, Richard Smith, Jr., married three times. His second wife was Barbara Rous- by, widow of J. Rousby, of Calvert County, and afterwards Mrs. Maria Johanna Lawther, widow of Mr. Lawther of the Queen's Life
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Gnards, and a daughter of Charles Somerset, and granddaughter of Lord Jolin Somerset, Marquis . of Worcester.
Col. Walter Smith, the second son of Richard and Eleanor Smith, served as vestryman of All 'Saint's parish from 1702 until April 2, 1711. . Walter Smith, Jr., son of Col. Walter Smith and his wife, Rachel, was made vestryman April 16, 1716, but refused to take the oath of office. He - was afterward appointed and qualified, May 6, 1729. His son, Dr. Clement Smith, married Barbara Ann, daughter of Dr. Patrick and Mary (Brooke) Linn, and they became parents of ten children, namely: Patrick Linn; Dr. Walter, who married Esther Belt; Richard, who married Miss Peter and left three daughters, Barbara, Harriet and Carni; Alexander Lawson, who commanded the militia of Calvert County about 1787, and married Miss Griffith; Dr. Clement, who was born in 1756, and was married; Dr. Joseph Sim- lee, of Frederick County, who married Elizabeth, - daughter of Dr. T. Price, and died in Taneytown; John Addison, who died unmarried; Mary Smith, who became the wife of Henry Hunt; Susan, who died unmarried; and Rachel.
Dr. Walter Smith died about 1795. He mar- ried Esther Belt, who died in Georgetown Au- gust 29, 1796. Their son, Joseph, by his wife, Lucy Smith, had two sons, William and Anthony. The former died May 22, ISog. He married Middleton Belt, daughter of Middleton and Mary Ann Belt, of Montgomery County, December 29, 1796. Their children were as follows: Emily, born December 9, 1797, died December 14, 1808; Mary Ann, born August 27, 1800, died October 14, 1812; Lucy Middleton, born December 20, 1802, married F. B. Smith, and her second hus- band was R. Estep; Elizabeth, born March 20, 1806, became the wife of Mr. Bootes; Annie Maria, born September 30, 1808, married An- thony Hyde; William Emily, born December 9, 1809, married Dr. Granville Farquaher. After the death of the father of this family his widow married his brother, Anthony Smith, in Decem- ber, 1813, and by that marriage had three chil- dren: Mary Sophia, born October 14, 1814, died October 6, 1818; David Porter, born June 26,
ISI7, died November 3, 1853, of yellow fever, at Bagdad Mills, Fla .; and his wife, Emma Wood, of Vermont, died October 18, 1853, of the same disease, as did also their infant child: and Sophia Middleton, born April IS, 1821, died January 14, IS38.
The Belt family, with which the Smith family intermarried, is also one of prominence in Mary land. Records show that Middleton Belt and Mary Ann Dyer were married at St. John's Church, Surrey, England, March 25, 1763. Their daughter, Anna Maria, was born in Bris- tol, England, on the 24th of November, 1771. Another daughter, Middleton, the great-great- grandmother of our subject, was born in Vir- ginia, April 24, 1777. Others of the same fam- ily are Mary Ann, who was born in Fairfax, Va., March 29, 1779; Clarissa, born in Georgetown, Md., November 10, 1781; Middleton, a son, born in Georgetown, September 13, 1785; Will- iam Dyer, born in Montgomery County, Md., February 26, 1788; and James Harrick, born January 31, 1792, in Montgomery County. The father of this family died January 15, ISO7, aged sixty years; and his wife died in Georgetown, December 18, 1830, aged eighty-five. Their eldest daughter died in Chillicothe, Ohio, in April, 1808. Mary Ann died in Georgetown1, September 17, 1783.
Mordecai Smith, the great-grandfather of Dr. Smith of this review, was born December 9, 1737, and married Phoebe Finch, born November 3, 1740. Their son, Mordecai Finch (known as General Smith), born November 25, 1777, mar- ried Miss Kent, of Calvert County, and died July 19, 1834. Fielder Bowie Smith, the doctor's grandfather, was born November 14, 1775, and was married June 22, 1802, to Sallie S. Plummer. Their children were: Mordecai, who was born in 1803, and died July 19, 1834; Sarah Ann, Mrs. Nathan Childs, born September 15, 1805, died March 14, 1826; Mrs. Eliza Ann Boswell, born February 8, 1809, died February 9, 1826; and Mrs. Phoebe Finch Boswell, born in June, ISIO, died in October, 1872.
Fielder Bowie Smith married Lucy Middleton Smith, September 22, 1824. Their children were:
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Elizabeth Ann, born October 6, 1825, and died October 2, 1827: Fieller Bowie, Jr., born Feb- ruary 5, IS28; William Daniel, born March IS, IS30; Maria Louisa, born July 26, 1832; Elcanor Stewart, born October 6, 1834, and died April 28, 1835; Mordecai Finch, born May 14, 1836, and died May 21, 1836; David Porter, born No- vember 27, 1838; Mary Sophia, born May 13, IS41. and died February 9, 1864; Henry Clay, born May 7, 1844, and died June 20, 1845. Of this family Fielder Bowie married Rebecca Brad- ley, March 14, 1850; Maria Louisa became the wife of Septimus D. Sewell, April 30, 1850; William Daniel married Adeline Bradley, Sep- tember 16, 1856; David Porter married Martha L. Chaney, October 20, 1863; Mary S. mar- ried Charles W. Owens, October 16, 1864. Fielder Bowie Smith, the grandfather of our subject, died in June, 1844, and his widow was married Au- gust 22, 1848, to Richard Estep. She died Au- gust 17, 1877, aged seventy-four years.
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The parents of Dr. Smith have a family of four children: Fielder B., Mary L., Andrew P. and William L. The last-named was born in Mary -. land, December 18, 1862, and was rcared and educated on a farm in Calvert County. At the age of seventeen he entered the Maryland Agri- cultural College in Prince George County, where he pursued his studies for two years, after which he returned home and began reading medicine under the direction of Dr. Lewis A. Griffith. He also attended the College of Physicians and Sur- geons of Baltimore, and was graduated from that institution in the spring of 1887. He is now suc- cessfully engaged in practice in District No. 4, Harford County. He has made a close study of his profession, his knowledge is comprehensive and accurate, and he ranks among the skilled and leading physicians in this section of the state.
In the fall of 1887 Dr. Smith married Miss Eleanor O. Smith, a native of Calvert County. Her father, Dr. John S. Smith, also a native of that county, practiced medicine at Smithville with excellent success for many years. His children . are Frank O., Gertrude, Eleanor O., R. Percy and Allen W. The doctor and his wife had two chil- dren, but lost the younger, Anna B., at the age of
three years. Miriam L. is still at home. Dr. and Mrs. Smith hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church South. His political support is given the Democracy. He is a young man of superior ability, of sterling worth and of noble purpose. His courteous, genial manner has won him the regard of all, and he has a large circle of friends in Harford County.
HOMAS M. TYSON was born October 27, 1843, upon the farm where he now resides, in District No. 5, Cecil County. He is one of a family of twelve children, of whom six are living, those besides himself being Emily C., who is married and resides in Conshohocken, Pa .; Margaret J., a widow, living in Media, Pa .; Sa- rah K., who is married and lives near the old home; John P., a resident of Pennsylvania; and I. B., of Media, Pa. The father of this family, John W. Tyson, was a member of an English family that settled in Maryland many generations ago. Throughout life he engaged in farming here. Politically he was first an old-line Whig, later a Democrat, and finally a Republican. At one time he held the office of constable. He was identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church and was one of its influential workers. His death occurred November 29, 1896. His wife, Sarah Jane, was a daughter of Cloud Carter, a farmer of Cherryhill, Cecil County; she died in Septem- ber, IS91.
In the schoolhouse near his father's home, our subject gained the rudiments of his education, and later he was a student at Southampton, in this county. August 13, 1862, he enlisted as a member of Company A, Eighth Maryland Regi- ment, and served from that time until he was honorably discharged, June 28, 1865. After his return home he farmned the old place, after which he bought the store that he has since conducted. He makes his home at Mechanics Valley, aud gives his attention to the management of his busi-
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ness. Politically he is a Republican, fraternally is identified with the Independent Order of Odd , Fellows, and in religious connections is associated with the Methodist Episcopal congregation, be- ing church and parsonage trustee. December S, . 1869, he married Lydia Field, daughter of John R. Field, of this county. They have one daugh- ter, Mamic, wife of William K. Blake.
1 OHN A. LAMBERT, of North East, was bori at the family home near this place October 13, 1844. He was a son of Adam Lambert, a native of Lancaster County, Pa., and an iron worker and farmer by occupation. At the age of seventy-six, he is now living in Ches- ter County, Pa. Politically he is a Democrat, and in religious belief holds connection with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He married Mary Reed Adams, a descendant of George M. Rced, of Delaware, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. She was a daughter of John Adams, who moved to Cecil County in 1840, but six years later went to Pennsylvania. She is still living and is now eighty-one years of age. Her family consists of the following children: Susan, wife of Benjamin Farnan, of Kimballville, Pa .; John A .; Mary A., who married Knox Reed, of Hickory Hill, Chester County, Pa .; Martha; Matthew Watson, of Lewisville, Chester County, Pa .; Lydia, Mrs. Harry Lemon, of West Grove, Pa .; Robert, of Easton, Md .; and Caleb, of Ox- ford, Chester County, Pa.
For one year our subject was a pupil in the public school at Pine Grove, Chester County, Pa. He then attended school in this district, near Mechanics Valley, for one year, and for a short time was a pupil in the school at North East, also at Oak Grove. His attendance at school was limited to the winter months, as in the summer season he was obliged to assist in the cultivation of the farm. Like his father, he learned the trade of an iron worker. From the time he was sixteen years until he was forty-eight he was em-
ployed in the Mccullough iron works, and dur- ing most of that time was a shingler or iron drawer, being considered a first-class mechanic and skilled workman. In 1892 hie resigned his position and since then has been town bailiff, tax collector and auctioncer. In politics he is a Re- publican, in religion a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and fraternally is connected with the Junior Order of American Mechanics and the Knights of Pythias.
The first wife of Mr. Lambert, who died in 1871, was Georgianna, daughter of Robert Barrett, of North East. The only child of this union is Ida M., who is married and lives in West Grove, Chester County, Pa. Afterward Mr. Lambert married Emily Veach, of District No. 1. She died in 1886, leaving a daughter, Laura, who is now engaged in teaching school. The present wife of Mr. Lambert is Harriet L., daughter of Enoch Johnson, of College Green.
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12 H. RICHARDSON, M. D., of District No. 9, Cecil County, was born in 1851, in Dis- trict No. 8, and is a son of Joseph and Mar- garet (Mccullough) Richardson, of the same placc. During the Revolutionary War three brothers by the name of Richardson came from England to America, one of whom settled on the Elk River, another near Wilmington, Del., and the third in Kent County. The doctor is a de- scendant of the first of these. Throughout the inost of his life Joseph Richardson followed the carpenter's trade in District No. 6. The Demo- cratic party received his vote, but he was not active in public affairs. By his marriage ten children were born, of whom six are now living: D. H .; William, of District No. 6; Elizabeth, wife of Zachariah Leonard; George, of District No. 6; Annie, Mrs. Robert Aiken; and Joseph P., of Wilmington. The father still resides in District No. 6, and though eighty years of age is still in the enjoyment of good health.
Dr. Richardson was educated in West Notting-
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ham Academy, and completed liis course of study at the age of twenty-one, after which he taught for five years in the academy and for seven years in public schools. He then began the study of medicine under a physician in Rising Sun, and on the completion of his studies lie comunenced to practice in this district, going one year later to Brick Meeting House, where he has resided since 1886. In politics he affiliates with the Democrats. By his marriage to Miss M. A. Williamson of Chester County, he has two children, Daisy C. and Margaret A. In fraternal relations he is con- nected with the Senior Order of American Mechanics, and has been through all the chairs and served as representative to state and national council. He is a member of the Zion Presbyte- rian Church, which his family also attend.
ION. ALBERT CONSTABLE, one of the most prominent attorneys of Elkton, was born in the city of Baltimore October 24, 1838, the son of Albert and Hannah (Archer) Constable, natives respectively of Kent and Har- ford Counties. Both the Archer and Constable families have been prominent in their respective localities for a number of generations and have been noted for superior intelligence and culture. Dr. John Archer, an ancestor of our subject, was the first graduate of medicine in the United States and attained prominence in the profession. Albert Constable, son of Jolin Constable, was born June 3, 1805, and spent his boyhood days on the home farm. On arriving at manhood he entered the legal profession, which lie followed in Bel Air, then in Baltimore. From 1851 to 1855 he was circuit judge for the district compris- ing Harford and Baltimore Counties; and held the office at the time of his death, August 22, 1855. A Democrat in politics, he was elected to the legislature on the party ticket and served in that body in 1846-47. His influence was felt in many public measures and was potent in the ad-
vancement of local enterprises. ITis wife, who, like himself, was a member of the Episcopal Church, died in 1866. Of their family Albert and his sister, Isabel S., are the survivors, two daughters being deceased. Isabel S. is the wife of S. E. Gittings, of Washington; Johanna died unmarried; Alice became the wife of John C. Gittings, of Baltimore County.
When a boy our subject was the recipient of excellent advantages. He attended school in Norwich and New London, Conn., and New- ark, Del. In the year 1861 he began in legal practice at Towson and two years later removed his office to Elkton, his present location. In IS76 he was elected to the legislature, where he was chairman of the judiciary committee and prominent in his advocacy of all progressive measures. In 1866 he married Elizabeth Black Groome, who was born in Elkton, daughter of Col. John C. Groome, a prominent lawyer. Eight children were born of the union that are still living, four being deceased. The survivors are Albert, an attorney; Jolin Groome, Henry Lyttleton, Reginald, William P., Arline, Cather- ine and Mary.
THOMAS WEBSTER, who is engaged in the canning business at Harford Furnace, Harford County, was born in District No. 3 of this county. He is the son of John Lester and Susan (Brown) Webster, natives, respectively, of Districts Nos. 3 and 2, the former of whom died in September, 1869, and the latter in June, 1885. His paternal grandfather was John Webster, and his maternal, Jacob Brown, of Primrose. The family of which he is a member consists of six children, those besides himself being Jacob B., of District No. 3; William E .; Mary E .; Martha A. S., Mrs. J. F. Mitchell; and Sarah, ail of the same district.
At the age of twenty years the subject of this sketch married and rented a farm, upon which he began agricultural pursuits. In 1849 he was
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given charge of the old Harford Furnace prop- eity, where he remained until 1887, and from , that time was in charge of the farm owned by Mrs. Walsh, until March, 1897. At this writing he is engaged in canning tomatoes. Politically he is a Democrat, but is not narrow in his views, .
. voting for the man rather than the party. In the Presbyterian Church he holds the office of elder.
April 18, 1867, Mr. Webster married Susannah .
.Mitchell, daughter of Alfred Mitchell, of Church- ville. They have three daughters, namely: Car- rie M .; Ann L., who is engaged in teaching in Alabama; and Harriet, at home.
ON. CHARLES E. BEATTY, judge of the orphans' court of Cecil County, was born October 8, 1843, on Elk River, about six miles from North East, his present home. His father, William, was a son of Arthur and Caro- line Beatty, the former a native of County Tyrone, Ireland. William, who was born in Delaware, removed to Cecil County, and at different times was variously employed. In his youth he was a contractor and engaged in railroad work. By trade he was a millwright. In 1848 he en- tered the drug business in North East, estab- lishing the first drug store here. Politically he was a Democrat and for ten years served as magistrate. In the Methodist Episcopal Church he officiated as class leader, trustee and superin- tendent of the Sunday-school for many years. He died in 1882, at the age of eighty-two.
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