Portrait and biographical record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Part 61

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

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N. A. Hutson was born May 9, 1841, in Georgetown, Kent County, Md., and when he was about a year old his parents moved to Smyrna, Del., at which place he attended the public schools in his boyhood. When he was in his fifteenth year he began learning the tinner's trade, which calling he followed exclusively until 1863. About that time he became financially concerned in a large canning establishment, and was connected therewith until 1882 with fair suc- cess. His public life and practice as a justice led him to enter into the study of law, with the result that in 1896 he was regularly admitted to the bar of this county and is now devoting himself solely to this profession. Socially he is a member of the Heptasophs and the Masonic fraternity. In religion he is an earnest Christian, of the· Meth- odist Episcopal denomination.

In 1863 Mr. Hutson married Ann P. Murphy, a native of Caroline County, who was summoned to the home beyond in April, 1883, when but forty years old, and left one daughter, Ella F. The mother was a faithful member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. In 1888 Mr. Hutson inarried Mary F. Horney of Queen Anne's County, and they had one child, Lillian A. Mrs. Hutson,

who was identified with the Methodist Church, died in November, 1890, aged forty years. The lady who now bears the name of our subject was formerly Miss Cora B. McIlvain and was born and reared to womanhood in Delaware. She is a sec- ond cousin of ex-President Harrison on the mother's side.

ILLIAM. H. KELLEY. Among the brave men who devoted the opening years of their manhood to the defense of our country from the internal foes who sought her dismem- berment was Mr. Kelley, now a prominent resi- dent and leading business man of Locust Grove. A native of Maryland, he was born in Baltimore County in 1844, and is a son of Amos and Susan (Hildbrandt) Kelley, in whose family were eleven children, but only four are now living. His paternal ancestors were of Scotch-Irish de- scent. His father spent his entire life in Balti- more County, following the occupation of farm- ing near Towson, where he died in 1889, at the ripe old age of eighty-two years.

Upon the liome farm William H. Kelley was reared to habits of thrift and industry, and in the public schools of the neighborhood obtained a good practical education. He began learning the blacksmith's trade, but his labors were inter- rupted by his enlistment in Company D, Seventh Maryland Infantry, for three years. Wounded at the battle of Petersburg, he was for four months confined in the hospital before he was able to re- join his command. With his regiment he par- ticipated in the battles of the Wilderness, Spott- sylvania, Cold Harbor, South Mountain, Peters- burg, Five Forks, Hatcher's Run, Chancellors- ville, Fredericksburg and Appomattox, and when the war was over was honorably discharged, in 1865.

On his return to his home in Baltimore County, Mr. Kelley completed his apprenticeship and has since successfully followed his trade of blacksmith- ing, having established a shop in Locust Grove, whither he removed in 1870. He also does con-

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siderable business as a millwright, and in 1896, in connection with his son, Harry P., opened a store in Locust Grove, carrying a full and com- plete line of hardware, farm implements, dry goods and groceries. An enterprising, progress- ive business man, he has met with a well-de- served success in his undertakings and has gained the confidence and respect of all with whom he has come in contact.

Mr. Kelley led to the marriage altar Miss Ella Pennington, and they have become the parents of three children, as follows: Henrietta E., now the wife of Barkley Kilburn; Grace A., wife of J. E. Sylvanius; and Harry P. The family holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and occupies an enviable position in social circles. For some time Mr. Kelley served as justice of the peace and has ever been found prompt and faith. ful in the discharge of every duty devolving upon hint, whether public or private. His career has ever been such as to command the respect and esteem of all who know him, and his friends are many.

2 ROF. ALEXANDER CHAPLAIN, one of the most eminent educators residing on the Eastern Shore, has for almost thirty years been the efficient superintendent of schools in Talbot County. Endowed by nature with high intellectual qualities, to which are added the discipline and embellishments of culture, his is an attractive personality, and among his friends are numbered some of the most brilliant and accomplished citizens of this section of the state.

A native of Talbot County, the professor was born in Trappe, March 31, 1835, and is a son of James and Eliza (Stevens) Chaplain, also natives of that locality, the former born in 1784, and the latter in 1804. On both sides he is descended from honored and highly respected ancestry. The Chaplain family is of English origin and its members have principally been connected with the Society of Friends, attending the Third Haven Meeting House in Talbot County. The

inaternal grandfather, John Stevens, who be- longed to one of the oldest families of Talbot County, was a large land holder and slave owner, and also operated a mill and conducted a bark and tan yard. He was one of the most prosper- ous business men as well as prominent citizens of his community. In his family were four sons: John, a merchant and banker; James, a shipping merchant of Philadelphia; William, who died when young; and George, a farmer.

The professor's father, James Chaplain, was throughout his active business life engaged in farming and merchandising and met with a fair degree of success in his undertakings. For many years he served as magistrate and was one of the most influential and prominent men of his locality. He died in 1844 in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he had for many years been a devout member. During the war of 1812 he valiantly aided in defense of the country. His widow never married again but long survived him, dying in 1888. Of their six children, one died in childhood, and the others are as follows: John F. Chaplain, D. D., was a graduate of Dickinson College, became a prominent Methodist Episcopal minister, and was for a time located in Philadelphia, but at the time of his death had charge of a congregation in Allentown, Pa .; James Stevens graduated at the Maryland University with the degree of M. D., and is now successfully engaged in practice in Trappe, Md .; Sarah married James Robinson, who was for some time a merchant in Trappe, Md., and later removed to Baltimore, where her death occurred; Alexander is next in order of birth; and Mary Elizabeth became the wife of Thomas J. Willis, a farmer of Kent County, Md., where she passed away.

In his birthplace, Professor Chaplain spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and in the schools of Trappe prepared for Dickinson Col- lege, which he entered in 1851. After leav- ing college in 1854 he commenced teaching in Trappe, where he remained five years, and then came to Easton as assistant teacher in the Easton Academy, serving in that capacity during the year 1859-60. Returning to Trappe, he taught

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there until elected county superintendent of schools in 1868, and has since acceptably served in that capacity, making his home in Easton. Under his careful supervision the standard of the schools has been greatly raised, so that they are now among the best in the state.

In 1863 Professor Chaplain married Miss Elma Kemp, of Trappe, who died in 1869, leaving one child, Maude, who is with her father. The pro- fessor was again married in 1872, his second union being with Miss Emily Thomas, of Dorchester County, Md., and to them was born a daughter, Eleanor. He is quite an active and prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and is now serving in the capacity of trustee of the church. With the exception of his college societies he has never joined any fraternal organ- izations. He is a pleasant, genial and polished gentleman, of high social qualities and very popular, having a most extensive circle of friends and acquaintances, who esteem him highly for his genuine worth.

D LARENCE S. HURLOCK. One of the most successful farmers and business men of Kent County is the subject of this sketch, who re- sides upon a finely improved farm in the first dis- trict. In addition to the management of this place he carries on a canning business at Massey, where he built a canning factory in 1894 and en- gaged in canning tomatoes and peaches. The products of the cannery have become well known on the Eastern Shore and his trade is large and increasing. He also owns a sawmill, situated in the upper part of Queen Anne's County.

In the district where he now resides the sub- ject of this sketch was born June 3, 1851. His father, Samuel Hurlock, was born near Massey, in this district, April 12, 1821, and when about twelve years of age began to clerk in Millington, where he remained for two years. Shortly after attaining his majority he bought a farm in this district and upon it he resided, engaged in its

cultivation, until 1881. He then removed to a large farm in Cecil County, near Cecilton, where he has since made his home. His advancing years have not brought the usual infirmities of age. He is robust and hale, and can ride in a fox hunt to-day with the same speed that made him noted in his neighborhood when he was a younger man. Firm in his allegiance to the Dem- ocratic party, he has nevertheless always refused official honors and positions of prominence.

The grandfather of our subject, Samuel Hur- lock, was born in Delaware, and served in the war of 1812, participating in the battle of George- town. His wife was a member of the Seamans family, one of the most prominent in their lo- cality. Our subject's mother, Mary Rebecca, was a daughter of Benjamin Money, and died October 19, 1866, at the age of thirty-four. In religious belief she was identified with the Epis- copal Church. Four children born of her mar- riage died in infancy, and she left but one child, our subject. The latter remained at home until fifteen years of age, when he became a student in the academy at Smyrna, Del., and there the two ensuing terms were spent. Afterward he con- tinued his studies in the state normal school of Pennsylvania. Returning home in July, 1869, he took up the active work of farming, and now superintends two large farms for liis father. Janu- ary 23, 1873, he married Adelaide Meginniss, of the first district, and they have four children, Mary, Samuel S., Florence and Eleanor.

In the councils of the Democratic party Mr. Hurlock has been very active and influential. However, he has never sought office, and those that have been given him have come unsought and unsolicited. In 1892 he was elected treas- urer of Kent County, which responsible position he filled for two years. In 1897 he was elected register of wills for a term of six years. He has the greatest faith in the principles for which his party stands, and believes that if fully carried out they would bring prosperity to our nation and happiness to our people. His financial interests are large. He is engaged in the stock business, also owns a sawmill in Queen Anne's County, has a threshing machine that is extensively used

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in the season, and is proprietor of the cannery at Massey. He and his family are members of the Episcopal Church and he has officiated as vestry- 111an since 1875.

AMES T. DANIEL is engaged in the mer- cantile business on Deal's Island, Somerset County, and also devotes some attention to the cultivation of his farm of twenty acres. The store that he owns is situated in the lower end of the island, at Wenona postoffice, and is stocked with a full line of supplies adapted to the needs of the people of this section. He is interested in matters relating to the welfare of the people and takes a warm interest in prohibition. For four years, from 1876 to 1880, he held office as judge of the orphans' court. At one time he was nomi- nated for the legislature, and again for the state senate, but declined both nominations.

Traverse Daniel, our subject's father, was born in North Carolina, whence at the age of about eighteen he came to Deal's Island. For a time he taught school here, but later gave his time to the cultivation of a farm, becoming the owner of large tracts of land and securing a competency. On the dissolution of the Whig party he allied him- self with the Republicans. For some time he served as magistrate and also held the position of deputy collector of customs at this port. In the Methodist Episcopal Church he held office as trustee and steward. He died here at the age of eighty-one years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Wallace, died at seventy-eight years of age. They were the parents of eighteen children, two of whom are living: Mrs. Biddy Mister, a widow residing in Baltimore, and James T. William died October 13, 1897.

On Deal's Island the subject of this sketch was born in 1830, and here he received his elementary education. At the age of eighteen he entered Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., where he was a student for two years. On returning home he became interested in the mercantile business, which he has since followed. In his fraternal

relations he is identified with the Heptasophs. His first wife was Louisa E. Rowe, who became the mother of fourteen children, six now living, viz .: James F .; Mary T., wife of Thomas H. Kir- wan; Nettie; Charles G .; Gertrude, who is mar- ried to Arthur Andrews; and Nancy B., wife of Thomas K. Adreon. By his second marriage, which united him with Elizabeth Andrews, our subject has seven children: Nellie, Clarence, Earl, Mabel, Arthur, William and Thomas W. The family are connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is a steward and trustee, and has also been a local preacher for fifteen years or more.

OSEPH W. BROOKS owns a well-equipped ship yard with marine railway, situated on the Little Choptank River, in Parsons Creek district, Dorchester County. Besides the man- agement of the yard, he also owns and operates a sawmill, employing in both places as many as twenty men and carrying on an extensive busi- ness. In one year he has frequently built ten or eleven vessels, and it is probable that he has built more sailing boats than any other man in the state. Altogether, he has built about one hun- dred and fifty vessels.

The parents of our subject, John W. and Sallie (Saunders) Brooks, were born in Parsons Creek district, and here died, the latter at fifty-four years, and the former when only thirty-five. Joseph W. was the only child of the marriage and was born after the death of his father. He remained with his mother until seventeen years of age, when he began to work in a ship yard. At the expiration of his apprenticeship of four years, lie began to follow his chosen trade. Being prompt, industrious and energetic, he prospered from the first; this, too, in spite of the fact that his educational advantages had been limited and his knowledge of business he was obliged to gain by experience rather than study. Born June 21, 1832, he was less than thirty years of age when he started a small ship yard in Parsons Creek, his

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native district, and here he has since carried on an increasing business. He is known as a reli- able, honest and enterprising business man, one who is prompt to seize an opportunity for ad- vancing his personal interests, though always re- fusing to do so if others would be injured thereby.

Miss Louisa Tolley, of Dorchester County, be- came the wife of Mr. Brooks, and remained his faithful helpmate until her death, at the age of fifty-three years. She left three children namely: Joseph W., Jr., who is in partnership with his father; Birdie, at home; and Benja- min L. In politics a Democrat, Mr. Brooks was elected on that ticket to the office of county com- missioner, which he held for one term, retiring in 1894. For thirty years or more he has been iden- tified with the Methodist Protestant Church, and during a portion of this time he has served as superintendent of the Sunday-school.

OUIS KOSSUTH WARREN, a miller of Cambridge, Md., is a man of keen discrim- ination, industrious habits and straight- forward business methods. He is a good type of the self-made. man, and by reason of his many Christian and manly qualities commands the re- spect and confidence of all who know him. If England has since the days of the Revolution contributed anything to America's prosperity, it has been by giving birth to the men who, like our subject, are inbred with principles of integ- rity, thrift and industry, expressed in lives of activity and replete with the manly virtues so essential to the commercial and industrial prog- ress of our country, as well as forming the basis of a noble, patriotic citizenship, upon which alone can the American government ever hope to stand.

Mr. Warren was born in England November 6, 1849, but when only six months old was brought to the United States by his parents, Jabez and Margaret (Webb) Warren, who lo- cated in Philadelphia. The father, who is well remembered by the people of Cambridge, was also a native of England, where he married. The family of his first wife, Lydia Smith, were en-

gaged in the manufacture of silk goods, and while she lived he was their American represent- ative with headquarters at Philadelphia. This no doubt accounts for his selection of the Quaker City as his future home. There were four chil- dren by the first union, two of whom are still living, and our subject is one of eight children of the second marriage. From Philadelphia the family removed to Cecil County, Md., and thence after the war to Caroline County. The father was a man of decided Union sentiments and is said to have been one of three men in his district to vote for Abraham Lincoln. He alternately engaged in the manufacture of brick and tile and in the sawmill business. In 1870 he came to Cambridge, where his last days were passed.

Louis K. Warren always remained with his fa- ther, assisting him in his business, and long be- fore he reached maturity became a practical miller and brick and tile maker. He built a brickyard in Cambridge, which he operated successfully for several years, but finally sold, and in the mean- time also engaged in the saw and grist mill busi- ness. In 1895 he erected his present flouring mill in Cambridge, it being built and designed for local custom and merchant work, operated by steam power, fitted with the latest and most improved machinery and supplied with three sets of rollers, as well as the justly celebrated Woolf's gyrator. He manufactures two brands of flour, Sunbeam Patent Flour and White Loaf, and also turns out large quantities of hominy, cornmeal and chopped feed. From the beginning his trade has constantly increased until it has assumed extensive proportions.

The lady who now bears the name of Mrs. Warren was in her maidenhood Mary Eliza- beth Noble, daughter of Solomon Noble, of Sus- sex County, Del. By her marriage she became the mother of eight children, five of whom are still living: Louis E., Ruskin B., Gretha V., Robert Noble and Mary Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Warren are faithful members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, and under Christian in- fluences they are rearing their family. Their home is a very pleasant and happy one. Mr. Warren is serving as trustee and steward of his

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church, and is a Republican and Prohibitionist, his voice as well as his vote being used for tem- perance.

ILLIAM K. TRAVERS, for many years a prominent merchant of Taylor's Island, was a member of a family conspicuous in the history of Dorchester County, and especially in that portion of the county comprised within Parsons Creek district. Nor was he himself less worthy of honor than the others of the name. He was the soul of honor, strictly just in every transaction; energetic and of an aggressive and enterprising nature. The sagacity that he showed in every action, and the judgment with which he prosecuted his business affairs, led to the accu- mulation of a valuable property, and this his widow now owns and manages.

The record of the Travers' ancestry appears in the sketch of Judge Levi D. Travers upon another page. William K. was born in Parsons Creek district and received his education in Dick- inson College, at Carlisle, Pa., from which institu- tion he graduated. When about twenty years of age he began in the mercantile business at Tay- lor's Island and gradually built up an important trade among the people of the village and the district. He also took an active part in political affairs and his opinion was sought in the decision of important matters. In his personal views he advocates the principles of the Democratic party. When he died, April 9, 1888, at the age of forty- five, it was felt that one of the ablest men of the town had passed away, one who had been a friend to all and a foe to none except those who sought by corrupt methods to undermine the prosperity of others.

May 30, 1865, Mr. Travers married Eugenia Keene, daughter of Vachel J. and Mary ( Meek- ins) Keene. Her father, who was a native of Golden Hill, Dorchester County, spent his entire life engaged in farm pursuits, and died at the age of eighty-five. During the war of 1812 he was a member of the home guards. In religious belief he was identified with the Catholic Church. His

father, B. J. Keene, was one of five brothers who came from England to America and settled upon a farm in Dorchester County, continuing to make his home here until his death, at eighty years. He was a member of the home guards during the second war with England.

The mother of Mrs. Travers was Mary Meek- ins, a native of Dorchester County, where she died at seventy-five years. She was a daughter of Dennard Meekins, who was born in Scotland, and emigrating to America settled in Dorchester County at what is still known as Meekins Neck. Mrs. Travers was one of four children, and was third in order of birth among the number. Her brother, Samuel, is a physician of Baltimore; the sister, Laura, is the wife of Dr. De Unger, of Chicago, Ill .; and Lewis B. is the youngest' of the family, a resident of Golden Hill. The chil- dren of Mr. and Mrs. Travers were named as follows: William Dove, who succeeded his father in the management of the store at Taylor's Is- land; John Chaplin, M. D., a graduate of the University of Maryland and now a physician at Baltimore; Philip Lee, a student at Rock Hall, Md .; Nanuleita, a student of the state normal school; and Edgar Eugene, who is with his mother. The family stand high in the respect of all by whom they are known. Mrs. Travers and her family are members of the Catholic Church.

W T. H. LEE, a leading citizen of Easton, has been prominently identified with the business and political history of Talbot County throughout the greater part of his life. He was born in Broad Creek Neck, January 12, 1850, and is a son of Robert and Milcah (Bridges) Lee, who were natives of Baltimore City and Talbot County, Md., respectively. The paternal grandfather, Abraham Lee, was born in Dorches- ter County, this state, of Scotch ancestry, and was for many years engaged in the shoe business in Baltimore, where he died at the age of seventy years. Richard Bridges, the maternal grand- father, was a farmer by occupation, and belonged

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to an old and honored family of Talbot County. One of his sons, Thomas F. Bridges, also an agriculturist, served as sheriff of the county for some time. Our subject's father engaged in farming as a life work and died when his son was quite young. His wife long survived him, passing away in Camden, N. J., in 1896, at the age of sixty-five years. In their family were only two children, the daughter being Mary, now the wife of Thomas J. McQuay, a contractor liv- ing in Camden, N. J.

The public schools afforded our subject his early educational privileges, and he later attended the academy in Cambridge, Md. On laying aside his text-books he learned the carpenter's trade and as a contractor and builder erected many fine houses and public buildings. In Baltimore he also studied architecture, which pro- fession he successfully followed in Baltimore and Easton for about twelve years, during which time he made the plans for the bishop's residence and several churches and schoolhouses in Talbot County. For six years he served as tax collector of the county, and for the same length of time was deputy sheriff, though he discharged most of the duties of the superior office.

As a companion and helpmeet on life's journey Mr. Lee chose Miss Emma, the oldest daughter of Judge William Roberts, chief judge of the orphans' court, and by their marriage they have become the parents of five children, three sons and two daughters: Maude, now the wife of Win- throp Blakesley, of Anne Arundel County, Md .; Claude, who is clerking in the drug store of his uncle; Dodson, at home; Hoburg, a page in the United States senate, and Emma, now thirteen years of age.

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Portrait and biographical record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Part 61

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