Portrait and biographical record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Part 13

Author: Chapman Publishing Company
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: New York, Chapman pub. co.
Number of Pages: 906

USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland > Part 13

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The boyhood of our subject was such as is common to children who live upon farms, his time being divided in work and play, and a share of it given to the acquisition of learning in the schools of the neigliborhood. He resided with his parents until death claimed first one and then the other. Then the old homestead was sold for division of the proceeds among the heirs, and since that event Edward Woodall has rented the place and carried it on successfully. He had been well trained in every department of work pertaining to the place, and is competent to deal with all difficulties as they present themselves. The farm is a valuable one, comprising four hun- dred acres, most of this being under fine cultiva- tion, and usually planted with cereals, chiefly corn and wheat. A ready market exists near at hand in the numerous great cities of the coast, and the skillful agriculturist here is better off than the farmer of the western prairie states, whose profits must be shared with the great rail- roads and transportation companies.

The marriage of Mr. Woodall and Araminta

Lynch, of Galena, was celebrated in 1885. A son and two daughters constitute the family of this worthy couple, their names being respect- ively, Edward E., Jr., Mary E. and Agnes L. They are regular attendants at the services of the Catholic Church. Mr. Woodall is an ardent supporter of the Democracy, but has never been an aspirant for political honors as yet.

G EORGE E. LEARY. It is no idle boast that a man makes when he affirms that he is what is commonly termed self-made, for this fact is one to be proud of, and means infinitely more than the mere accident of noble birth or inherited wealth. In America it means that a man has risen to a place of prominence and influ- ence in a community, by the sheer force of will, and other strong and admirable qualities, in the face of unfavorable circumstances. A man who starts out to fight life's battles without money, friends or position, and has won all these and more, deserves and commands the respect and praise of all. In the case of our subject is found one who has accomplished just such things and has had developed in him great strength and force of character in the process.

A native of Galena, Kent County, Mr. Leary was born September 26, 1837, being a son of George and Mary (Sims) Leary, and brother of Capt, Columbus Leary, whose sketch, together with the family history, is printed elsewhere in this volume. Our subject was ever a very indus- trious person, and while yet merely a boy assist- ed his father very materially in the management of the old farm. He did not have great advant- ages in an educational way, but made the best of his privileges. When he was only twelve he commenced an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade, and was thus employed several years, in the meantime remaining under the parental roof. When in his eighteenth year he went to Minne- sota and the northwest with a little colony of per- haps twenty men, who represented various trades and useful occupations. The project was a very

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ambitious one, originated by Senators Pettit, Cornell and others, and had, as its partial object, the laying out of new towns along the recently completed railways and the settlement of the same by people desirous of acquiring a homestead. The band of mechanics and tradesmen worked diligently in the furtherance of this scheme with fourteen yoke of oxen. They stayed only a short time in a place, then removing to another site. Among the towns which they laid out is Belmont, and the time which they spent at this business comprised the years between 1857 and 1861. In the fall of the year last mentioned Mr. Leary re- turned home and turned his attention to different lines of business until 1870.

In that year our subject built the fine saw-mill at Rock Hall which he has since owned and oper- ated successfully. He owns a good wharf also cn the river side, and his mill is now one of the largest in the county and is in constant opera- tion. The proprietor buys the logs which he manufactures into lumber, mostly in Virginia and North Carolina. He is thoroughly conversant with the business in all its details and is making a comfortable income. In national elections he always uses his franchise on behalf of the candi- dates of the Democratic party.

In 1862 was celebrated a marriage in Kent County, the contracting parties being Mr. Leary and Mary White, of Salem, N. J. They have but one child, a son, Elmer E., who is an energetic young man, now in partnership with his father in the milling business. The family hold an envi- able position here in society and enjoy the friend- ship of all our best citizens.

OBERT W. ADAMS represents the fourth generation of the Adams family that has resided on the farm known as Maple Grove, and situated in Dublin district, Somerset County. The first of the name to settle here was Philip Adams, a native of England, who came to this country and built a log cabin on the site of the present family residence, taking possession of the

surrounding land under terms of a grant from the English government. At the time of his death he was succeeded in the ownership of the prop- erty by his only son, Thomas, who spent his entire life here engaged in farm pursuits, dying when about seventy-one years of age.

The only son of Thomas was Morris H. Adams, who was born on the old homestead in 1804 and remained a resident of the same place throughout his entire life, with the exception of one year, 1865-66, spent in Princess Anne. At the time of the emancipation proclamation he was the owner of twenty-six slaves, representing thousands of dollars. He also owned valuable real estate, and was one of the most prosperous men of the county. In common with other slave owners, however, he suffered severely from the war and its effects in the loss of slaves and depreciation of property. A Democrat in political faith, he was active in the party. He served for one term as county commissioner and for many years was judge of elections. During the earlier part of his life he held membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church, but in the latter part he was a Presbyterian. He died in 1874, being in his sev- enty-second year.

By the marriage of Morris H. Adams and Eleanor, daughter of John Williams, of Delaware, there were born seven children, namely: Joseph- ine, wife of J. D. A. Robinson, of Pocomoke City; Milton Leroy, who died when seven years old; Adeline, who married William Ruark, of West Point, Va .; Olivia, wife of Dr. I. T. Cost- on, of Pocomoke City; Laura, who married Thomas H. Tull, both now dead; Robert W .; and Elizabeth, wife of R. J. Dryden, of Pocomoke City. The mother of these children died when seventy-five years of age. It is a noteworthy fact that our subject represents the fourth gener- ation in which there has been an only son to reach maturity and who has occupied continu- ously the old Adams homestead.

Reared on the old homestead, where he was born in 1847, and educated in the academy at Princess Anne, the subject of this article was fitted for the responsibilities of life when it fell to him to assume them. After the death of his

JAMES BORDLEY, M. D.

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father he took charge of the home place, where he has since carried on truck and general farming. In 1886 he bought an interest in a steam saw and grist mill, situated opposite his home, and this he has since operated. He is also a member of the firm of M. L. Tull & Co., oyster planters and packers on the Annamessex River, and owners of large and valuable oyster planting grounds.

Interested in public affairs and well informed regarding them, Mr. Adams is a Democrat in belief and always votes as he believes. In 1896 he was the general assessor for Somerset County, representing the Democratic party. For a num- ber of years he has been an elder in the Presbyter- ian Church, whose benevolences receive his reg- ular support. In 1881 he was united in mar- riage with Rose, daughter of J. M. Dryden, of Somerset County. Three children comprise their family, Eleanor W., Morris H. and Mary Louise.

AMES BORDLEY, M. D., of Centreville, is one of the most eminent physicians on the Eastern Shore, and is a worthy representative of one of the most distinguished and honored families of the state. He traces his ancestry back to residents of Yorkshire, England, who were prosperous at an early period and afterward were tossed upon the streams of adversity by one of those waves which the tide of time deals sooner or later to most of the families of the earth. Several of its members were ordained clergymen and men of learning, one of them becoming a prebendary of St. Paul's.

Thomas Bordley, from whom the doctor is de- scended, was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1682, and was the youngest son of Stephen Bord- ley, a prebendary, and a nephew of Rev. William Bordley, of Westmoreland, England. In 1694, at the age of twelve years, Thomas Bordley came to America. His father had previously died, leaving him to the care of an older brother, Stephen Bordley, a clergyman of Kent County, Md., who was in rather limited circumstances. Thus Thomas was early thrown upon his own

resources. Going to Annapolis, by his own en- ergies he qualified himself for the practice of law and soon became eminent in his profession, being recognized as the most prominent lawyer of the state at that time. He was a member of the gen- eral assembly, and for eleven years, from 1715 to 1726, served as attorney-general. He was an active supporter of the rights of the colonies and injured both his health and his estate by giving himself up to his patriotic efforts. His first wife, Rachel Beard, of.Annapolis, died in 1722, leaving four children, Stephen, William, Elizabeth and John W. Later he married Mrs. Ariana Frisby, née Vanderheyden, and to them were born three sons, Thomas, Matthias and John, the birth of the last-named occurring four months after his father's death. Mr. Bordley had gone to London for surgical treatment, which was unsuccessful, and he died there October 11, 1726.

John Bordley, the doctor's great-grandfather, was born in Annapolis, February 11, 1727. When he was ten years old his mother married again and went to England, leaving him in the care of Colonel Hynson, of Chestertown, Md., whose wife was his maternal aunt. He was pro- vided with a good common-school education, and when he was seventeen his brother, Stephen, who had taken a nine years' law course in Eng- land, established himself in practice in Annap- olis, and invited the younger brother to enter his office as a student, which he did, carrying on a course not only in law, but also in general litera- ture and the sciences. He married Miss Mar- garet Chew, who inherited considerable property from her father, Samuel Chew, of Maryland. A short time after their marriage they left Annap- olis and located in Joppa, a small town on the Gunpowder River, in Harford County, Md., in the neighborhood of which lay a large tract of his patrimonial estate.

In 1753 John Bordley was appointed clerk of Butler County, which then included Harford County, the position being the most important and lucrative of any of the clerkships at that time. He continued to hold the office for many years. For about thirteen years he resided in or near Joppa, and in connection with the practice

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of law he also operated his farm. He was em- ployed as an attorney in Cecil, Harford and Bal- timore Counties until 1765, when he removed to the city of Baltimore and opened an office. The following year he was appointed judge of the provincial court. In 1767 he was also appointed judge of the admiralty, and continued to hold that position, as well as the other, until the change of government in 1776. Being a lover of nature, lie decided to take possession of a beauti- ful estate on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a portion of the lovely island at the mouth of the Wye River, left him by his wife's brother, Phile- mon Lloyd Chew, and there he removed with his family in 1770. By this removal he exchanged forever a public for a private life, it being his choice to do so. As he expressed it, he felt him- self in a state of slavery to the British ministry. Twice, however, he was subsequently called by the general voice of Maryland to take part in her public affairs, once as a member of the committee of public safety formed by the provincial govern- ment assembled at Annapolis in 1774, and in 1777 he was appointed one of the judges of the general court of Maryland. After locating on Wye Island he devoted much time to writing patriotic articles for publication, but the greater part of his attention was given to the manage- ment of his fine estate of sixteen hundred acres. He was a man of high standing in society and was connected either by birth or marriage with many of the most prominent families of the state.

John Wesley Bordley, son of John Bordley and the doctor's grandfather, was a native of Mary- land, and was one of a large family of children. He became an extensive planter and slave holder and was one of the most wealthy men of the state, his landed possessions being situated in Queen Anne's and Talbot Counties. He was a prominent member of the Methodist Church and lost consid- erable money by going security for his brethren. His friends were many throughout the state and he was greatly beloved by all who knew him. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Deborah Fisher, also possessed a large landed estate.

Our subject's father, Dr. James Bordley, Sr., was born in 1808. He was a man of culture and

a writer of some note, contributing many articles to various medical journals. He was a graduate of Washington College in Chestertown, and pre- pared for the medical profession in the University of Maryland, which granted him the degree of M. D. Opening an office in Centreville, he there successfully engaged in practice until 1849, when he removed to Baltimore, and there continued to prosecute his profession. From 1861 until 1869, however, he lived upon his farm, known as Bord- lington, Queen Anne's County, and then re- turned to Centreville, where he engaged in prac- tice up to the time of his death, in December, 1871. He was a life-long member of the Protest- ant Episcopal Church, in which he served as warden and vestryman both in Baltimore and Centreville. One of his brothers, Dr. Willianı Wesley Bordley, was also a talented physician, but died in early manhood.

Dr. James Bordley, Sr., married Miss Marcella Worthington Mummey, who was born in Balti- more and died in 1865. She was a daughter of Thomas Mummey, a leading merchant of Balti- more. The gentleman whose name introduces this sketch was born in Centreville March 14, 1846, and was taken by his parents in 1849 to Balti- more, where he remained until 1861. He then entered St. John's College, Annapolis, but that institution was broken up by the war. He then began the study of medicine in the University of Maryland at Baltimore, under the direction of Prof. Nathan R. Smith, who was then at the head of that institution and the nestor of Ameri- can surgery. After his graduation in 1868 he opened an office in Centreville, where he has since successfully engaged in practice. He was elected the second president of the Maryland State Board of Medical Examiners, serving in that responsible position from 1893 until his res- ignation in 1896, and is still a member of the board. He was also president of the County Medical Society of Queen Anne's County during its existence and has ever occupied an enviable position in professional circles. Other interests have also claimed his attention, and he has for many years been a director of the Centreville National Bank, of which he is now president,

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having been elected to succeed Gen. William Mc- Kenney, deceased. He is also president of tlie Building and Loan Association of Queen Anne's County, of which he was one of the original stock- holders.

In 1868 Dr. Bordley married Miss Henrietta M. Chamberlaine, of Cecil County, who died within a year. In 1871 he was united with Miss Ella F., a sister of Edwin H. and John B. Brown, of Centreville, Md. They have three children: Madison Brown, who graduated from the Univer- sity of Maryland and is now a prominent young attorney of Centreville; Dr. James, Jr., who graduated from the medical department of the same institution in 1896 and was then appointed resident physician at Bay View Hospital, in which position he served one year, now being assistant to professor of diseases of the eye and ear at Johns Hopkins Hospital; and Marcello Worthington, who is still attending school.

In connection with his other numerous business and professional duties, Dr. Bordley superintends the operation of his farms in Queen Anne's Coun- ty. He is accounted one of the most successful and energetic business men as well as one of the leading physicians of the Eastern Shore. He is a prominent member of various civic societies and is their medical examiner. In politics he is a Democrat. He has long held membership in the Protestant Episcopal Church and was for years a vestryman of St. Paul's, Centreville, Md. A genial, pleasant gentleman, he is popular with all classes of people, and a stranger in his presence soon feels perfectly at ease.

ILLIAM THOMAS. Among the sturdy tillers of the soil in Kent County, those who have not only wrested a livelihood but a comfortable fortune from the land is he of whom we write. He is one of the native sons of this region, as he was born and reared in the third district. For the past thirty years he has been the proprietor and manager of a valuable place situated in the fifth district, and here he

raises a full line of the crops common to this locality, including many fine varieties of fruit. He is a practical agriculturist, understanding every- thing pertaining to the calling, and is a subscriber to many of the leading farmers' journals.

As the name implies, to those familiar with the subject of surnames the Thomas family is of Welsh origin. About 1680 one William Thomas left his home in Wales to found a new one in Maryland. Arriving here he settled upon Qua- ker's Neck, and his descendants still live in this locality. James Thomas, great-grandfather of our subject, took up about eight hundred acres of land in this county, and thereon spent the rest of his life. William, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was in the war of 1776, serving for a short time, and his son William was a hero of the war of 1812, being a soldier in a company stationed on the Eastern Shore for the protection of the homes thereabouts. He was a farmer, and owned twenty-five slaves. His whole life was spent in this locality, and was a useful and busy one. He married Eliza Pierce, who came from a family that was even older than his own, in Maryland, and the records of which are preserved back to 1600. This couple had twelve children, only three of whom survive to this day, viz .: Matilda, wife of Rev. L. Palmer, of Connecticut; Sarah E. Bacon, of St. Joseph, Mo., and William. The father died in September, 1854, aged fifty-eight years.

William Thomas was born April 9, 1833, on the home farm, and from his earliest years has been concerned in agriculture. He grew to youth under the training of a wise father, and received better advantages in the matter of education than most of his boy hood associates. After leaving the common schools he was permitted to enter Wash- ington College, and in those classic halls of learn- ing he pursued the higher branches of study. In 1854, having imbibed something of the prevailing western excitement, he set forth to try his fortune also, and went across the plains to California. The possibilities of the beautiful middle portion of that state for dairying and stock-raising at- tracted his attention, and led him to engage in the business, instead of seeking a precarious living

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in the gold mines. However, he remained there but fifteen months, when he turned his face east- ward again, and upon reaching Missouri he stayed there for several months. In 1857 we find him back in dear old Maryland, never to leave the scenes of his youth again. He took charge of the old homestead, and ten years later purchased the place known as the Thomas Millett farm. Here he has dwelt in quiet and content ever since, and during the intervening years has laid up a com- petence for old age. The farm comprises about one hundred and twenty acres, well improved with good fences and buildings. He is independ- ent in the matter of politics, using his franchise as he considers best under the circumstances, re- gardless of party lines.

In 1860 Mr. Thomas married Eleanora S. Elmes, who was born in Philadelphia, Pa., and grew to womanhood in the Keystone State. She is a daughter of Lazel and Mary E. (Candler) Elmes, the latter a daughter of Samuel Candler, of New York. Her parents were both natives of Massachusetts. Though not members of any church organization, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas at- tend the Methodist Episcopal Church in the neighborhood and give liberally of their means to its support. They are beloved and held in the highest respect by a large circle of life-long friends.

HOMAS J. KEATING, JR., a practicing at- torney of Centreville, was born in this place January 22, 1872, and is a son of Thomas J. Keating, Sr., of American birth and Irish parentage. He had four brothers, one of whom, Michael, was postmaster of Centreville under President Harrison and was a prominent Repub- lican of the place, taking an active part in public affairs until his death, in 1896. Another brother, B. Palmer, is an attorney in Centreville.

The father of our subject was a child of five years when his parents removed from Smyrna, Del., to Centreville, Queen Anne's County. His higher education was obtained in Princeton, after

which he studied law and was admitted to the bar. During the war he published a state's rights paper, but his plant was burned by Union soldiers in 1862. In 1867 he was a member of the constitutional convention. For three terms of two years each he held the important office of comptroller of the treasury of Maryland and for sixteen years he served as state's attorney. For many years he has been chairman of the state central committee. At this writing he has the distinction of being the only Democrat in Mary- land wlio holds a state office, he having been state tax commissioner since 1894.

Our subject's mother, Sarah F. Webster, was a sister of Colonel Webster, of Harford County, a member of an old and prominent family there. She died in 1880, leaving one daughter and four sons, namely: Elizabeth; Henry Webster, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and now a professor in the schools of Duxbury, Mass .; Frank Keating, M. D., a graduate of the medical department of the University of Maryland, and now superintendent of the asylum for feeble- minded children at Owings Mills; Thomas J., Jr., and Arthur B. The subject of this sketch was ed- ucated in the common schools, and studied law in the University of Maryland, from which he was graduated in 1893. The same year he was ad- mitted to the bar and commenced to practice in Centreville, where he has since built up a valuable clientage. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias, and in politics adheres to the Democracy.

HARLES P. GILPIN, D. D. S. A profes- sion which owes much of its present high standing to the developments of modern times is that of dentistry. Its importance can scarcely be overestimated. Its intimate connec- tion with the general health of the body is known to few, but all professional men are cognizant of the fact. In modern times many men of ability have turned their attention to this profession and, choosing it as their life work, have found in it the

HON. CHARLES FITZ-HUGH GOLDSBOROUGH.

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source of a lucrative practice. To succeed in it, one must be skillful, patient and energetic, with force of character and perfect control of the nerv- ous system. These qualities almost invariably bring their possessor success.

The characteristics of Dr. Gilpin are those which would naturally bring him success in the dental profession, and he has met with such sub- stantial returns that he may rest assured he made no mistake in the selection of a calling in life. Through the years of his residence in Chestertown he has built up a large and valuable patronage, and has gained many friends, both in professional circles and in society. He is a native of Mary- land, born in Elkton, September 3, 1856, and has spent his entire life in this state, with the excep- tion of the period in which he attended college in Philadelphia. On completing his literary studies he turned his attention to the study of dentistry and entered the Philadelphia Dental College, from which he graduated in 1876.

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Portrait and biographical record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Part 13

Author: Chapman Publishing Company Publication date: 1898 Publisher: New York, Chapman pub. co. Number of Pages: 906

Author: Chapman Publishing Company
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: New York, Chapman pub. co.
Number of Pages: 906