USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland > Part 63
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ing on his farm. He was a loyal citizen and patriot, but would never accept office of a public character. He established a tannery in Quantico and was quite successful upon the whole finan- cially. He married Mrs. Mary Nelson, of this county, who died in 1836, and his death occurred the same year. They were faithful members of the Baptist Church, and beloved by all who knew them. Of their two children one is deceased.
H. N. Crawford was born on the identical farm which he now owns, Mount Pleasant, and tlie memories and associations of a lifetime cluster around this lovely spot. The date of his birth was July 13, 1824, and thus he is past the three-score and ten years spoken of by the psalmist as the usual limit of man's life. Yet he is still in the enjoyment of sound health and his mind is as clear and active as it ever was in his prime. His education was gained before he was sixteen years old, in the district schools and in Georgetown, D. C., where he was a student for a short time. When he was in his seventeenth year he commenced the business of farming upon his own account, and has ever since been actively engaged in the enterprise. His parents had both passed to their reward and the property legally fell to him as the heir. He exercised great dis- cretion and good judgment for a youth of his age and before he reached his majority had shown the upright principles of action that have ever since governed his life. His farm comprises three hundred acres of excellent land suitable for the raising of a great variety of grains and other products.
In politics Mr. Crawford has always been loyal in his support of the Democratic party. Several times he has held the office of county surveyor and he has also served in the interests of educa- tion as a school commissioner and school trustee. He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church. January 15, 1862, Mr. Crawford mar- ried Elizabeth A. Phillips, daughter of Johnson Phillips, of this county. Five children came to bless their hearthstone, but two of the number are all that remain, viz .: Sarah E. and Henry T. The latter is of great assistance in the man- agement of the farm and has gradually taken
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from his father's shoulders the more arduous duties pertaining to it. He is an energetic, prac- tical young business man, and is universally respected in his community: A. J. Crawford, another son, whose death occurred in March, 1897, was a rising young politician and statesman. His home was in the village of Quantico, where he was quite prominent, and from there had been elected to the state senate.
OHN W. DASHIELL, M. D., formerly a very active member of his profession, is now passing his declining years in quiet and con- tent in his handsome residence in Princess Anne, Somerset County. This old mansion, once the property of Littleton D. Teagle, is one of the notable landmarks of the town and is one of the oldest and largest houses in the county. It is built in the old English style, and the bricks used in portions of the structure were manufac- tured in the mother country, and at great ex- pense were conveyed here in a sailing-vessel of the period.
Though past the allotted age of man, Dr. Dashiell is still quite hale and hearty, and enjoys good health. He was born January 30, 1817, in this district, of which locality his father, Robert K. W., was also a native. The latter was a graduate of the medical department of the Uni- versity of Maryland but never practiced, as his extensive land interests and homestead kept his time fully occupied. He spent his entire life upon his homestead, dying when about sixty- seven years of age. In his early life he was a Whig, but later allied himself with the Democ- racy. During the war of 1812 he was one of the coast guards. Religiously he was a member of the Episcopal Church. His father, John Dash- iell, was likewise born in this district and after living here about seventy-seven years passed to his reward. He left a large estate and a number of slaves, and was, on the whole, a very success- ful business man. He was a vestryman in the Episcopal Church for years and was esteemed
one of the substantial men of the times. His father, Levin Dashiell, was also born within the boundaries of Somerset County, and was one of the pioneer settlers of the county. He was a large land holder, owned many slaves and was a very influential man of his day. He lived to be over eighty-four years old. The mother of our sub- ject, who was Miss Elinor Leatherbury, of this place, before her marriage, died in 1839, when thirty-nine years of age, leaving eight children, of whom four still survive. She was a lovely Christian woman and was universally esteemed.
The boyhood of Dr. John W. Dashiell was spent quietly enough with his parents, and when he was in his sixteenth year he went away to school. Entering Bristol College, he pursued his studies there three years and then became a member of the freshman class of Kenyon College, of Knox County, Ohio. He was nearly ready to graduate from that institution when he was obliged to give up that honor on account of a severe sickness. A couple of years later he com- menced the study of medicine in the office of Dr. Nathan R. Smith, of Baltimore, and attended lectures in the medical department of the Uni -. versity of Maryland, where he graduated in 1842. His initial practice was begun in Vienna, Dor- chester County, Md., but at the end of two years he went west with the intention of locating in a newer country. However, though he traveled extensively through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Vir- ginia, he saw no place that could reconcile him to leaving his dear old home and loved state for a permanent thing. He returned here and taught for a short time, and in the spring of 1847 opened an office in Princess Anne, and has been here ever since. In 1886 he gave up all of his prac- tice with the exception of a few old friends and family patients, who would not be given up. In 1875 he abandoned his arduous country work, and from that on devoted himself solely to his patients who were located near. He carried on a drug store here for a number of years, also. He was originally a Whig and cast his first vote for W. H. Harrison, but after the decadence of that party he espoused the principles of the Democracy. He was never fond of holding public office and
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was never persuaded to do so but once, when he was a town commissionor here for a few years. The only fraternal order with which he has been associated is the Knights of Pythias, he belonging to the Shekinah Lodge No. 35, of this place. For nearly half a century he has been a vestry- man of the Episcopal Church here and has been greatly interested in the upbuilding and pros- perity of the same.
In 1852 Dr. Dashiell married Eliza Polk, who came from one of the good old families of the Eastern Shore, and whose brother was Col. Will- iam T. G. Polk. She was a consistent member of the Episcopal Church, and died at the age of seventy-seven years, January 9, 1897. To the doctor and his wife three children were born: Robert Kemp, a merchant here up to the time of his death, when he was nearly forty years old; Sarah, wife of Francis H. Dashiell, of this county; and Ella B., wife of E. O. Smith, a inerchant of Princess Anne.
RANK P. CORKRAN has been engaged in merchandising for eighteen years in Will- iamsburg, Dorchester County, and is one of the representative business men of that county. He takes a leading part in the public affairs of the community, and has served as supervisor of elections and in minor local offices. He served as postmaster of Williamsburg during President Cleveland's first term, and was again appointed in 1896, and is filling the office to the entire sat- isfaction of his fellow-citizens. Like his father before him, he is a firm believer in the principles of the Democracy and advocates them freely.
For a number of generations the Corkran fam- ily has been one of distinction upon the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and many of our men of genius and statemanship have been called from among their ranks. 'The great-grandfather of our subject on the paternal side was James Cork- ran, who owned a large tract of land on this side of Chesapeake Bay in the last century. His son,
the next in the line of descent, John by name, was a sea captain, but left that calling about the time that the war of 1812 broke out, and thence- forth devoted his energies to farming in this county.
John Burton Corkran, father of Frank P., was born in the neighborhood of Williamsburg some eighty-five years ago, was given a much better education than most of his associates of that period received, and was thus qualified to engage in teaching, as he subsequently did. Later he commenced his career as a farmer, and continued in this branch of endeavor until recently, when he gave up his property, turning it over to his sons. He has perfect control of his mental facul- ties, his mind being as clear and keen as of yore. He held numerous offices of local trust and honor and enjoys the entire confidence of those who have known him a lifetime. Prior to the war he owned several slaves, but was always a kind mas- ter. He married Ann L. Shryock, of Baltimore, and their eldest daughter, Rachel, is now the wife of John C. Corkran, of this county. Their other children are George S .; Sarah A., Mrs. Joseph H. Corkran; John R., Frank P., Joseph B. and Edward E., who died unmarried.
Frank P. Corkran was born near this village in 1852, and was reared to maturity in this dis- trict. He made the best of his educational privi- leges, and as he was an apt and earnest student, stood at the head of his classes much of the time. Later he taught in his home neighborhood with very marked success for a period of some seven years. At twenty he had no means whatever, and at the end of the seven years just referred to he had saved several hundred dollars, with which he started in business on a small scale. He gradu- ally increased his stock and now carries a full line of general merchandise. He is a member of the Improved Order of Heptasophs, and relig- iously belongs to the Swedenborgian Church of Preston.
In 1884 Mr. Corkran married Alice M., daugh- ter of Samuel D. Fairbanks, M. D., of Talbot County. Her maternal grandfather, William Frazier, was a resident of this county, and was sent from here as a representative to the state
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legislature of Maryland eleven terms. The two children of Mr. and Mrs. Corkran are named respectively John Ellsworth and Alice Estelle.
G EORGE A. DEVER, whose home is prettily named Glendale, is a prosperous and ener- getic farmer of the sixth district of Queen Anne's County, Md., his postoffice address being Hope. From 1877 to 1883 he occupied the im- portant post of assistant superintendent in the house of correction in Baltimore, and discharged the numerous and arduous duties which devolved upon him in a manner that met with the com- mendation of all concerned. He makes a good public official, as he is a man of high principle, strict integrity and justice, and has never stooped to the petty meannesses which are, alas, too com- mon among the men whom the people have trusted and raised to high places among them. In November, 1897, Mr. Dever was elected to the office of county commissioner of Queen Anne's County, for a term of six years, to succeed James Benjamin Bright, and assumed the duties of that responsible office November 30.
William Dever, father of the gentleman of whom we write, was a native of Churchville, Harford County, in which locality the family have been represented for many years. William Dever always followed the occupation of farming and met with success. In 1862 he came to this county and purchased the homestead now in the possession of our subject. It is a valu- able farm of two hundred and forty acres, de- voted to the raising of grain and fruit. In 1887 he was elected clerk of Queen Anne's County, and was in that responsible position at the time of his death, in 1892. While a resident of Harford County he held the office of county commissioner, having been elected by a Demo- cratic majority. He married a Miss Angeline Hopkins, of the same county, and four children canie to bless their union. Annie J. is the wife of Rev. F. T. Tagg, of Baltimore. Addie is the widow of John Mulligan, and is living
in this locality. Mamie, Mrs. Joseph E. Elliot, died in 1875. The mother is still hale and hearty, and is now in her seventy-fifth year.
The subject of this sketch was born in Staf- ford, Harford County, Md., January 19, 1848, and was a youth of about fourteen when he came to this county with his parents. He attended the public schools until he was sixteen, when he took charge of the old farm. He was married April 20, 1876, to Lottie M. Lucas, a daughter of William B. Lucas, and their two children are William K. and Mamie I., both still at home with their parents. Mrs. Dever is a faithful wife and mother and is devoted to the best interests of her family. She received a liberal education and, with her husband, occupies a high place in the social circles of this community.
B URTON W. PARKER has been identified with the best interests and development of Caroline County for over twenty years and is now considered one of her most substantial business men. He is the proprietor of a well- stocked store at American Corners and has also been financially concerned in the large canneries here for the past seven years. In 1893 he put in operation a large sawmill, which is running up to the present time, and from this source alone he derives a good income. His possessions have ac- cumulated year by year in the strictly legitimate channels of business enterprise, and at all times and under any circumstances, let it be said to his credit, he is conscientious, just, and a man of his word. It cannot be truly maintained that he has ever been grasping and ready to make capital out of his neighbors' necessities, but on the con- trary he has assisted many a one in time of stress instead of taking advantage of him.
The parents of B. W. Parker were William and Julia (Moore) Parker, who both came from fine old families of Delaware. The mother was a daughter of Edward Moore. Four of the children of William and JuliaParker grew to maturity and became honored and upright citizens. Joseph H.
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and William are still living in their native state, Delaware, and the only daughter, Emily, is the wife of C. W. Scott, of Sussex County, Del. The father was a man of great influence and high standing in the community where he always re- sided, in Sussex County.
Burton W. Parker was born upon his parents' old homestead in Sussex County, in 1855, and received training in agricultural duties from the time he was old enough to handle a hoe or spade. He was of great help to his father, and gained a robust, rugged constitution, which farmer lads are proverbial for. He made the most of his educational advantages and remained at home until 1876. Having married Annie B., daughter of Thomas Noble, he came to Caroline County and together they started their new and happy home. Three years passed away, which were devoted chiefly to farming, after which he en- gaged in mercantile enterprises as well. To sum up his success briefly, he now owns four farms, comprising about six hundred acres, mainly the result of his own well-directed efforts; he is the owner of a finely equipped store, one of the best of the kind in the country, and he is the pro- prietor of the sawmills mentioned above, besides having money invested in several minor concerns.
Two bright, pretty daughters and three sturdy sons bless the hearthstone of Mr. and Mrs. Parker, and in order of their births are named as follows: Lillian R., Lulu V., Wilmer B., Thomas Orville and Carl A. The family are members of the Methodist Protestant Church, and are active workers in various religious and charitable en- terprises. In his political preference Mr. Parker is Democratic.
ILLIAM W. SEWARD. Numbered among the most enterprising and wide-awake young farmers of Caroline County is the gentleman of whom we write. Though but little over thirty years of age, he has already made a place in the front ranks of our local agricultur- ists, and is also recognized as a man of unusual
ability in political circles. He is an ardent Re- publican, and is strongly in favor of the gold standard advocated by that party. His name is now being mentioned in connection with the can- didacy for legislative honors, and without doubt he will yet achieve distinction in the house of dele- gates. His valuable farm is situated in the seventh district, near the town of Ridgely, and contains within its boundaries some ninety-two acres. The place is well improved and every- thing about it bespeaks the constant attention and care that are bestowed upon it by the pro- prietor.
Born in Caroline County, September 30, 1865, W. W. Seward is a son of Joshua Seward, who is also a native of this county. His mother, Ella Byns, as she was known in her girlhood, was born in Dorchester County. By the marriage of Joshua and Ella Seward six children were born, but two of the number died in infancy, and those who remain are William, Lida, Alta and Frank. The father was a teacher for a few years, then took a position as a clerk in a general store, and still later engaged in operating a farm. He was quite successful from a financial point of view, and is now living retired from active business cares, his home being in Ridgely. His father, William Seward, was born and reared in this county, and spent most of his life here.
The education of W. W. Seward was such as was to be obtained in the public schools of his boyhood, until he commenced studying and read- ing for self-improvement later. When he was about seventeen he accepted a position as clerk in a general store in Sudlersville, Queen Anne's County, Md., and there he remained about twelve months. About 1883 he returned home and soon located upon the farm he has since been engaged in cultivating and has purchased in the mean- time.
There is no more important step in the life of a young man than his choice of a wife, and in this respect Mr. Seward has been especially fortunate, and is to be congratulated. February 9, 1887, he married Miss Anna Deyo, daughter of Broad- head Deyo, a prosperous merchant of Wallkill, N. Y. Mrs. Seward was born and brought up in
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the Empire State, and received exceptional ad- vantages in the matter of education, completing the same in a ladies' seminary in New Jersey. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as is also Mr. Seward, and both are valued workers in the local congregation. They liave one sweet little child, Olive by name, 110w about three years old, and she is the joy and sunshine of their happy home.
LIAS W. WILLIAMSON. There is a cer- tain sense of satisfaction in tracing the his- tory of a self-made man, one who has risen by his strength of character and the exercise of the better qualities with which he has been en- dowed by nature, from the ranks of the poor and lowly to a high place in the business and social world. Success such as has been achieved by the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this article means long years of unremitting effort and industry, fine executive ability and per- severance in a given line of enterprise, undaunted by the difficulties which assail upon every hand. From a long line of New England ancestors he unquestionably inherited not only that keen busi- ness talent but the high standard of integrity for which they are noted, for his career has been singularly free from that over-reaching and petty meanness, which is, alas, too often intimately associated with distinctive prosperity. Since 1866 he has been a resident of Caroline County, and has been numbered among the representative citizens of the third district.
The great-grandfather of our subject, Stephen Williamson, was a native of England, but in his early manhood decided to seek a new home and a fortune, it might be, in America. Accordingly, in company with his two brothers he crossed the ocean aud landed in the town (as it was then) of Boston, Mass. Later he settled in the forests of Maine, at a date antecedent to the war of the Revolution, and there he reared his family in the love of God and mankind. One of his children was Capt. Stephen Williamson, who was born in
the pine woods of Maine and became a wealthy man ere his death. He was the father of Rev. Stephen Williamson, who, in turn, was the father of our subject. He was also a native of Maine, and there married Betsy Greenlea, by whom he had eleven children, only three of whom are now living, viz .: Orrin, Elias W. and Manly. The father was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was a very patriotic and respected citizen of his com- munity. He was a minister of the Baptist de- nomination and was an earnest and zealous worker in the Master's vineyard. He lived to a ripe old age, dying when over eighty years old. He and his family removed to Caroline County in 1864, and here he passed his last years.
Elias W. Williamson was born February 3, 1823, in Maine, and was brought up on a farmi, early learning habits of industry and application which have stood him in good stead ever since. When arriving at his majority he commenced working as a carpenter, and steadily advanced in that calling until he became a master builder. He took and executed contracts in various places, and in Camden, N. J., alone erected over one hundred houses. His workmanship always gave perfect satisfaction and as his fame spread he was obliged to increase his force of employes and found his time occupied to the utmost limit. His wealth accumulated and he made good invest- ments of his funds, so at last he awoke to the fact that he could be justly considered a man of means, even in America. From boyhood he had looked forward to the prospect of ultimately having a residence in the country, and since 1866 has had a pretty and comfortable home near the village of Williston, Md.
November 3, 1850, Mr. Williamson married Eliza A. Fisher, a native of Augusta, Me., and to this worthy couple six children were born. Two of the number are deceased, and those sur- viving are Addie, Allie, Charles and William E. Mrs. Williamson is a daughter of John and El- mira (Davis) Fisher, both natives of Maine. The father was a carpenter and a contractor, and at one time was the foreman of our subject. He was left upon his own resources when a mere youth, and the success which he eventually won
WILLIAM H. RADCLIFFE.
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was the more of a victory in view of the strug- gles which were part of his early life. Our sub- ject and wife are members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church and are very generous in their do- nations to religious and charitable enterprises. In political matters Mr. Williamson is interested to the extent that he faithfully uses his right of franchise, the party of his choice being the Re- publican, but he has never sought or desired office.
ILLIAM H. RADCLIFFE. One of the largest land owners of Dorchester County is this gentleman, who has a valuable farm situated on the Little Choptank River in Cam- bridge district. Here he makes his home, super- intending the management of the place, as well as his other important property interests. The three hundred and six acres comprising the place have been brought under a high state of cultiva- tion and improved with the accessories of a first- class farm. Besides this place, he owns five farms, having respectively two hundred and nineteen1, four hundred and sixty-four, one hundred and fifty, two hundred and fifty and one hundred and one acres. He has also some timber land, so that altogether his possessions aggregate seven- teen hundred acres.
The boyhood days of our subject were spent in Neck district, Dorchester County, where he was born January 9, 1824. His education was ob- tained in the common schools. He remained with his parents, James and Margaret (Harris) Radcliffe, the latter a descendant of the old Beck- with family, until he was twenty-one, when he began to work at the trade of a ship carpenter, and with his brother engaged in building sailing vessels near Cornersville. Three years were spent there, after which he came to Cambridge district, where he had a ship yard on the Little Choptank River, and continued as a ship builder until 1860. The following year he spent in trav- eling through the west, and on his return to Maryland settled upon the farm which he had
purchased in 1860. Here he has since resided, engaged in farming and the timber business.
The marriage of Mr. Radcliffe, May 2, 1877, united him with Miss Annia Hooper, grand- daughter of Samuel Pattison and a cousin of ex- Governor Pattison of Pennsylvania. They are the parents of one son, William H., Jr. While not active in public affairs, Mr. Radcliffe is well posted concerning the problems of the age and in his political belief is a Democrat. For seventeen years he has been a director in the National Bank of Cambridge.
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