USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland > Part 24
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his time to the management of his extensive property interests. He owns one hundred and nine acres, comprised within his home farm and two other tracts of about three hundred acres each. In addition to these he is in partnership with A. J. Gadd in the ownership of three hundred acres and a canning factory, where a full line of the vegetables and fruits raised in this vicinity are preserved for the general consumption of the pub- lic. He also has large real-estate holdings in the village of Sudlersville. The enterprise has proved a good investment and brings in sure returns.
Dr. Sudler is a pillar in the Methodist Episco- pal Church, and has not only served as a class- leader and exhorter, but was called upon to rep- resent the church in the general conference which convened in Omaha in 1892. In politics he is a Democrat and has acted in the capacity of school commissioner of this county since 1882. His marriage with Miss Annie R. P. Foster was cele- brated in 1869, and their happy life together con- tinued but a few brief years, as she was summoned to the home beyond in 1876. Their only child, Foster, was educated in Wilmington Conference Academy, of Dover, Del., and in Dickinson Col- lege, from which he received his degree of A. M. in 1894. In 1896 he graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, spending one year in the University and Havard hospital in Philadelphia, and has since been en- gaged in practice here. He is a young man of excellent attainments, was always at the head of his classes, and has a most promising future before him.
John Wells Emory Sudler, father of our sub- ject, was born in Sudlersville, January 11, 1817, and when fourteen commenced serving as a clerk. He remained here for two years, after which he went to Philadelphia and there held a similar po- sition some three years. With the experience thus gained, he returned home and went into business with his father and to this branch of endeavor devoted his energies from 1838 to 1850. He then retired to Rose Villa, a part of the old family es- tate, and here he made his home during the rest of his busy career. In 1857 he was elected to the house of delegates and two years later was made
judge of the orphans' court, serving four years. Again, in 1867, he was sent to the legislature and his public life did not terminate until 1881. He was a most valued member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and was at various times recording secretary or steward, trustee, class leader, Sun- day-school superintendent, etc. April 26, 1838, he married Mary R., only daughter of John Mor- ling, of Wye Landing, Talbot County. She died in March, 1865, leaving four children: Dr. A. E., John M., William Jackson and Eugenia (Mrs. S. S. Goodhand). June 11, 1868, Mr. Sudler married Martha Virginia, daughter of Thomas Hopkins, of Caroline County, and they have two sons and a daughter: Carroll H., of Chicago; Charles H., a member of the city corps of engineers of Philadelphia; and Virginia, of Philadelphia.
ON. JAMES McREA ROBERTSON. The subject of this sketch, one of the honored sons of Maryland, and a most distinguished resident of Cambridge, is pre-eminently a self- made man. He began life with a definite pur- pose in view, worked faithfully, honestly and with a will for its accomplishment, and now en- joys a reputation that is by no means limited by the boundaries of Dorchester County. In public affairs he has taken a prominent and active part, and is now serving as clerk of the board of county commissioners and treasurer of Dorchester County.
Mr. Robertson was born November 15, 1842, near what is now Mardela Springs, in Wicomico County, but at that time was Barren Creek Springs, Somerset County, and is a son of Thomas and Henrietta Elizabeth (Jones) Robertson, both now deceased, the former dying in 1889, at the age of seventy-three years, and the latter when our subject was only two years and a-half old. There were two children by this union, the younger being Maria Henrietta, now the widow of Nathaniel Dashiell and the mother of three children, She lives at Quantico, Md. The fa-
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ther was again married, his second union being he has ever discharged with marked fidelity and with Miss Leah Evans, of Somerset County, Md., and of the five children born to them only one is now living, Albert, a lumberman of Whaleyville, Va. The paternal grandmother of our subject bore the maiden name of Dougherty, and be- longed to a family that was early established in Nanticoke Township, Wicomico County, near the mouth of Nanticoke River.
The days of his boyhood until seventeen years of age our subject passed upon a farm, after which he learned the carpenter's trade, and on locating at Vienna, Dorchester County, in 1866, he engaged in contracting and building. While attending school in his native district he took up the study of surveying under the direction of liis teacher, James Benton Armstrong, of Pennsyl- vania, to whom he has ever since been bound by the strongest ties of friendship.
In early manhood Mr. Robertson wedded Miss Mary Hester Le Compte, a daughter of Solomon S. and Henrietta (Nichols) Le Compte, but she died after a short married life of five years. In 1878 Mr. Robertson led to the marriage altar Miss Susie C. Judson, of Troy, N. Y., who is a sister of Dr. Harry P. Judson, dean of the Uni- versity of Chicago, and is second cousin of ex- President Cleveland. Two children grace this union, Edgar Wallace and Gilbert Bernard.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Robertson has been a prominent and influential member of the Democratic party in his locality, and his fellow- citizens, recognizing his worth and ability, have chosen him to several important positions. While residing in Vienna, in 1870, he was appointed by the governor justice of the peace, which office he held for four consecutive years, and in 1877 he was nominated and elected county surveyor, the duties of which office he capably discharged for six years. In 1885 he was elected to the Mary- land house of delegates on the Democratic ticket, and upon his retirement from that office in 1887 he resumed contracting and building in Vienna. He was appointed school commissioner by Judge Charles F. Goldsborough in January, 1892, and continued as such up to July, 1894, when lie was made treasurer of Dorchester County. His duties
promptness, and lie has proved a most capable and popular official. He is a man of fine appear- ance, warm-hearted and generous, and wherever known is held in high regard, his public and private life being alike above reproach. Al- though his own educational advantages were meager, he has a great regard for scholarship and learning, and does all in his power to pro- mote the educational as well as the material in- terests of liis adopted county.
ACOB B. CROWDING, who was born in Newcastle County, Del., April 9, 1840, and in that state spent the first thirty-one years of his busy, prosperous life, has been an honored citizen of Kent County, Md., for over a quarter of a century. His well-improved and valuable estate is prettily situated, and was formerly known as the Muddy Branch farm, when owned by Will- iam Thomas. It numbers some three hundred and fifty acres, most of which is under a high state of cultivation, and is well kept up and thrifty in appearance.
The father of our subject, George Crowding by name, was a native of Delaware, and was a life- long resident of Newcastle County. His father, Jacob, likewise born in Delaware, operated and owned a fine farm which was located on the shore of Delaware Bay, and was styled High Woods farm. The family is of German descent, but has had representatives in America for several generations and has been remarkable for traits of sobriety, honesty and industry. All of these characteristics are to be found strongly fixed in the person of the subject of this article, and many other admirable qualities have come down to him by inheritance. George Crowding died when in the prime of early manhood, being but thirty-five years old when death released him from his labors, in 1848. His wife, whose maiden name was Anna Suthall, is still in the enjoyment of good health, and has reached the ripe old age of eighty years. She is a native of Newcastle
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County, and is now living in Wilmington, Del. By her marriage she became the mother of four children, as named : Mary, widow of George Daniels ; Jacob B .; Anna, wife of William Ba- con, of Philadelphia; and Janet, deceased wife of Samuel Thomas.
The early years in the life of Jacob B. Crowd- ing were devoted to the routine of agriculture, as much of his maturer career has also been. Such education as he boasted was that to be found in the neighboring schools, but to this foundation he added wide general information. When he was about thirty-one years old he came to this vicinity and located upon the Debby Turner farm, and cultivated the place some thirteen years suc- cessfully. It was in 1883 that he purchased the Muddy Branch homestead. Though his father was a Whig in politics, he favors the Democracy, but is not an aspirant for office. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was formerly a trustee in the same.
October 17, 1867, Mr. Crowding married Ruth Robinson and to them have been born nine children. Two of the number died in infancy, and two when grown, and those who survive are Walter, Jacob B., Jr., Eddie, Ida and Charles. Walter is at Still Pond, but is working for his father on the farm.
ON. THOMAS F. J. RIDER. In every community there are a few men whose ability and energy make them conspicuous figures in the professional, educational, social or business life of the locality. Such a man is the subject of this review, who has long and ably filled the responsible position of state's attorney for Wicomico County. A prominent member of the Democratic party, he has always taken an active part in every campaign, and is true to his party, whether it rests under the shadow of defeat or triumphs in a splendid victory. As a speaker he has few superiors on the Eastern Shore, and his ability in this direction causes his service to be brought into requisition in the political campaigns.
At Wellington, on the Wicomico River, near Quantico, Somerset County (now within the limits of Wicomico County), the subject of this sketch was born February 3, 1836, being the son of Charles Rider, a lieutenant-colonel in the Maryland militia and the owner of a very large landed estate, In 1854 he graduated from Washington Academy, in Princess Anne, Md., and in the fall of the same year he entered the junior class at Jefferson College, Washington County, Pa., where he took the regular course of study, graduating in 1856, with honors. On his return to Wicomico County he was chosen principal of the Salisbury Academy, where he proved a successful and efficient instructor. However, it was not his intention to follow teach- ing for a life work. In 1858 he resigned his position in the academy, and began to read law in the office of Jones & Irving, at Princess Anne, and after two years of study was admitted to the bar. From 1861 to 1864 he was school examiner for Somerset County and in the latter year was elected to the legislature, where he served one term and was also a member of the extra session of 1866.
A member of the constitutional convention of 1867, Mr. Rider was conspicuous for his partici- pation in the legislation in that distinguished body. In the November election of 1867 he was chosen clerk of the circuit court for the new county of Wicomico, and held that position for six years, after which he declined further re- nomination. In 1885 he was appointed state's attorney, by the bench, to fill the unexpired term of three years of Joseph A. Graham. Since then he has been elected three terms to the same office, and at the third election, in 1895, he was chosen without opposition, although there were three other tickets besides the Democratic in the field. This fact is a well-merited testimonial of his popularity and the efficiency with which he had conducted affairs connected with the office. In addition to holding the office of state's attorney he has been counsel for the board of county commissioners for a number of years.
In 1873 Mr. Rider married Miss Josephine A. Toadvine, of Salisbury, Md., and the same
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year hie removed to Washington, D. C., where he practiced for five years. On the death of his father-in-law, Purnell Toadvine, he returned to Salisbury, where he lias since resided. I11 1883 his wife died, leaving an only daugliter, Mary, who graduated from Melrose in 1890 and now presides over her father's home. Fraternally Mr. Rider is connected with the Improved Order of Heptasophis, in which he has been honored with the highest office, that of supreme archon.
ACOB S. DENNY is a well-to-do merchant of Queenstown, Queen Anne's County, and resides in a beautiful home in the village, having built and planned the structure himself. He is one of the native products of this town, his birth having occurred here in March, 1860, and here he was reared to man's estate. His educa- tion was such as the schools of the place afforded, and here he learned the initial steps that are necessary to a man of business. In short, his whole history has been closely associated with our pretty little town, and none of our merchants and representative citizens are more highly es- teemed by all classes than he. He takes great interest in the advancement of all improvements and movements calculated to benefit the locality, and can always be relied upon to promote what- ever is best and right, in so far as his power extends.
He is the son of Jacob Tolson and Henrietta ( Mowbray) Denny. The former was born on the western shore, and followed boating and farming extensively until within a few months of his death, he having been drowned in August, 1859, in the Patapsco River. He was married on Kent Island to the daughter of Henry Mowbray, of Bal- timore, and was a resident of Kent Island for many years. His eldest son, John F., died when he was a bright and promising young man of eighteen years. William H. and Charles H. are well and favorably known residents of Kent Island.
Jacob S. Denny commenced his career in the
world of business by obtaining a clerkship in this place, and occupied a similar position for some twelve or thirteen years. He thoroughly mas- tered all the details of the work and was thus well equipped to enter the field on his own account, which he did in 1893. He bought the stock of William H. Denny, his brother, and has suc- ceeded beyond his expectations. He is a stalwart Democrat, and fraternally is a member of the Improved Order of Heptasophis. He is entitled to great credit, for he is literally a self-made man. His father died a few months before the birth of Jacob S., and he was thus left without the pro- tection and care of a father during his tender years, when such training is of untold value to the impressionable mind of youth.
In 1889 the marriage of Mr. Denny and Miss Clara V. Bryan took place in the Queenstown Methodist Episcopal Church. She is a daughter of Robert and granddaughter of Robert S. Bryan, and by her marriage has become the mother of one child, Mary Edith. She is a lady of good educa- tion and culture, and is a devoted member of the Methodist Protestant Church of Queenstown. Both she and her husband are generous in their contributions to the work of religious and charit- able enterprises in their locality, and are heartily in touch with all worthy philanthropies which aim to uplift the downcast and afflicted.
OHN DAVID URIE is one of the ablest members of the Chestertown bar, and for several years past has been the efficient and capable state's attorney for Kent County. We are glad, indeed, to place the record of so worthy a citizen among those who have won honors and fame in this section of Maryland. His history is an interesting and instructive one, for it shows what can be accomplished by an intelligent, ener- getic young man who is not discouraged by ob- stacles in his pathway. The founder of the Urie family in America was one Thomas. He was a Scotchiman, from the city of Glasgow, Scotland, and settled in the lower part of Kent
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County, Md., near the Chesapeake Bay, about 1725. From that time to the present the Urie family have been numbered among the substan- tial land holders of the county. He was a mem- ber of the Church of England, and highly esteemed by the community. His son John was also a member of the same church. He operated a coopering establishment for many years in Kent County and accumulated a moderate fortune. James, his son, and grandfather of our subject, was one of the first to introduce the industry of manufacturing woolen goods in the south. His extensive mills employed a large force of men at Urieville, Md. He was a man of wealth and im- portance in the county, and frequently served as a member of the board of what is now known as the board of county commissioners. So high was his financial standing that during the panic of 1837 his personal notes or obligations circulated as money. He died in 1856, leaving two sons, James and William. The latter was a successful homœopathic physician in Chester, Pa., until his death, in the summer of 1897. James, father of our subject, died in 1866, when in the prime of life, being but thirty-five years old. He was a successful farmer and extensively engaged in horticultural pursuits. He married Mary E. Kendall, and left five young children to mourn his loss. H. Frank, of Orlando, Fla., is a mer- chant; Dr. James W. is a practicing homeopathic physician of Still Pond, Md. Mary became the wife of E. L. McGinniss and is now a widow; Helen is the wife of James F. Hammond, of Hawthorn, Fla. John David Urie was born in Kent County, Md., December 18, 1860, and is the eldest son in the family. His higher educa- tion was obtained at Washington College, Md., where he took the degrees of Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts. His education was acquired only by the severest economy and exertion, as his father died when he was but five years of age, and the estate was soon dissipated through mis- management.
After completing his collegiate course he studied law under the late Richard Hynson, Esq. (the Nestor of the Kent County Bar), and was admitted to practice in 1884. From that
time forward he has been actively engaged in a general practice of the law. Out of his slender income, when first beginning the practice of his profession, he provided means to enable his brother to complete his medical education. He was elected as an independent candidate in 1895 to the office of state's attorney for Kent County, after the most exciting campaign in the history of the county. Among the societies he is identified with one only, the Masonic order, and is past master of his lodge (Chester No. 115).
In 1893 he organized the Kent County Savings Bank, and is now a director and attorney for that institution and its largest stockholder. The bank has been remarkably successful and has never lost one dollar since it opened its doors.
In 1888 Mr. Urie married Lilian Baker, whose father, Charles H. Baker, was a leading member of the Chestertown Bar. They have two children living: Mary Louisa and Helen Lilian; James, their only son, died in infancy. They are mem- bers of the Methodist Protestant Church, and in all denominational or charitable enterprises take an active part.
( OHN W. CLARK. Purchasing one hundred and sixty-five acres in 1857, Mr. Clark began the accumulation of the present large prop- erty now in his possession. He placed the land under cultivation as far as possible, and intro- duced valuable improvements in the way of build- ings. From time to time he made additions to the acreage, until his possessions now aggregate more than one thousand acres of land, with a valuation of $75 to $100 per acre, and lie in the sixth district of Caroline County.
In Delaware, about twelve miles from Dover, Mr. Clark was born March 14, 1825, to the union of John and Mary (Truitt) Clark, natives of Dela- ware. He was one of a family of thirteen chil- dren, of whom all but two are living. Their father and mother attained the ages of eighty-four and ninety years, respectively. The grandfather, Samuel Clark, was also a native of Delaware and
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an extensive farmer in that state. Reared in the neighborhood of Dover, our subject was early trained to a knowledge of agricultural affairs, and on attaining manhood selected farming for his life work.
December 24, 1846, Mr. Clark married Mary E., daugliter of Manlove and Magdalene (McNitt) Smith, and a native of Delaware. Six children were born of the union, namely: Robert, who is living upon a portion of his father's farm; Mary M .; Laura; John W., Jr., who is an auctioneer and crier of the court at Denton; Sarah M. and Anna. All of the children are married and in prosperous circumstances. The parents are mem- bers of the Methodist Protestant Church, in which Mr. Clark has held several important offices. He assisted in organizing the Denton National Bank, of which he has since been a director. Himself a man of temperate habits, he is a believer in pro- hibition, but does not make it a party principle, being a supporter of Democratic doctrines. He has served as judge of elections and in other lo- cal offices. The prosperity which he has secured shows that he is a man of energy and intelligence, and one worthy of a high place among the agri- culturists of the county.
NDREW J. FOBLE. Enterprise, industry and sound judgment are all marked ele- ments in the character of Mr. Foble, who to-day stands as one of the leading business men of Cambridge. He was born in this city, a son of John Foble, who for many years was engaged in the manufacture of plug tobacco in Baltimore. The grandfather, William Foble, was a native of Germany, and emigrating to America located in Baltimore, where he became a loyal American citi- zen. He entered the service of his adopted country in the war of 1812 and was wounded off North Point, his death resulting from his injuries two years later. John Foble removed from Baltimore to Cambridge in 1842 and established the first plug tobacco factory on the peninsula. He married Elizabeth Disney, a native of Dorchester County,
and a representative of one of the old families of Anne Arundel County, Md. Mr. and Mrs. Fo- ble were the parents of four children, who reaclied years of maturity: William T., a bookkeeper in his brother's factory; J. James, who has charge of a machine in the factory; Henry D., a cigar manu- facturer; and A. J.
Andrew Jackson Foble was born in Cambridge, December 14, 1854, attended the Cambridge Academy and when sixteen years of age began working in his father's tobacco factory. He was thus engaged for nine years and obtained a thor- ough knowledge of the business. In January, 1880, he embarked in merchandising, which he followed with success until 1893, then he sold out to E. C. Hopkins and purchased the shirt factory owned by L. S. McNamara, of Cambridge, buy- ing the same at a forced sale, as it had not proved a profitable investment. Mr. Foble at once in- fused into the enterprise his progressive, resolute spirit and soon had the concern on a paying basis. He has enlarged the facilities to three times the original, and employs one hundred hands, mostly girls. It is equipped with the latest improved machinery and the most perfect facilities for turn- ing out first-class work, being unsurpassed in this direction in the entire country. His trade is ex- tensive and constantly increasing and the enter- prise is one which adds not alone to his individual prosperity, but also promotes the material welfare of the city in which it is located.
Mr. Foble is a charter member of the Dorchester National Bank of Cambridge, one of the original stockholders and has served as a member of its board of directors from the beginning. He was a charter member of the Cambridge Ice Company, which built the Cambridge ice plant and water- works and is still a director of the concern which is now doing business under the name of the Cam- bridge Water Company. He is also the owner of a very handsome residence on Race street, which was erected under his supervision.
Mr. Foble was married September 16, 1880, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary E., daughter of William Hopkins, of Cambridge. Her father is a well-to-do and respected old gentleman of eighty-three years of age. Mr. Foble is also a
JAMES C. DIRICKSON, M. D.
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prominent Mason, having attained the thirty- second degree of the Scottish Rite. He is also a member of the Royal Arcanum, the Order of Heptasophs and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and is deeply interested in politics as an advocate of Republican principles and believes firmly in protection to American industries. His business methods are careful and methodical. His commercial interests have made him an in- tegral factor in the business life of the city, his sterling worth has gained him prominence in so- cial circles and he is uniformly esteemed by young and old, rich and poor.
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