Portrait and biographical record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Part 72

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

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AMES E. BACON, a resident of Mardela Springs, Wicomico County, was born in the town where he now resides, May 6, 1853, and is a son of William and Maria J. (Dashiell) Bacon, natives of Sussex County, Del. His paternal grandfather, Henry Bacon, was one of three brothers who came to this country from

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England, one of whom settled in New Jersey, another went to the west and Henry became a resident of Sussex County, Del. For some years William Bacon operated a sawmill and engaged in the mercantile business; his life occupation, however, was that of a farmer. When the Whig party was in existence he advocated its prin- ciples, and after its disintegration he became a Democrat. At one time he served as county commissioner. About 1842 he came to Wicom- ico County and here he continued to reside until his death in 1891. His wife, who was a member of a wealthy and prominent French family residing in Delaware, died in Wicomico County in 1886. They were the parents of nine children, of whom our subject and three others survive: Mary; Thomas Humphreys, of Mardela Springs; and Rebecca, wife of Robert G. Robert- son, also of this town.

At the age of twenty-one our subject began as a farmer upon a piece of property given him by his father, and there he carried on a general farn- ing business successfully. For a time he was also engaged in the milling business. He is the owner of several farms, his possessions aggre- gating five hundred acres, the most of which is under cultivation. In politics he adheres to the Democratic party. He is a member of the Meth- odist Protestant Church and a trustee of the con- gregation. Fraternally he is a Mason, Odd Fel- low and Red Man, and has gone through all the chairs in these various orders.

In October, 1875, Mr. Bacon married Lizzie, daughter of C. M. Wright, member of an old family of Barren Creek district. They. became the parents of six children, five of whom are liv- ing: Charles, who cultivates the home farm; Lillie, Maud, Lorenzo and Edna.

OL. JAMES C. NORRIS. There are few of those accustomed to travel throughout Maryland to whom the name of the Avon ) Hotel is unfamiliar. Erected at Easton in March, 1891, it has since been under the efficient man-

agement of Colonel Norris, an experienced hotel man, who is well qualified to carry it on in a successful manner. The building is substantial and commodious, containing fifty-six bedrooms, and is said to be the best hotel in the state out- side of Baltimore. The cuisine is unexcelled and the systematic manner in which every department of the business is conducted has had much to do with the success of the enterprise.

The Norris family has had representatives in Talbot County for many generations. On their old homestead was erected the first three-story house ever built in the county. During the war of 1812, when the danger of an attack by the British was imminent, the silverware was moved from Easton to their place, where it was held in safety until the British left the state. Thomas , F., the colonel's father, was a son of Lambert Norris, and was born at the old homestead, where much of his life was spent in the prosecu- tion of farm work. He was a reliable and honest man, kind to the poor, generous to the needy, upright in every transaction, and thoughtful in his intercourse with others. He assisted in the maintenance of the Methodist Protestant Church of Easton, of which his wife was a member. Local enterprises also received his co-operation. He married Mary, daughter of James Chambers. She survived him twenty-five years, passing away August 2, 1897, when ninety years of age. Of their thirteen children, five are now living: Thomas, whose home is in Oxford, Md .; James C .; Edmund W., of Hamilton, Talbot County; Kate, widow of J. B. Elliott, and a resident of Talbot County; and Samuel, a merchant in Easton.

In Talbot County, where he was born Decem- ber 15, 1835, our subject received a public-school education. After leaving school he was inter- ested in the mercantile business in Easton for ten years. In May, 1865, he began in the hotel business, becoming proprietor of the old Brick Hotel in Easton, which he conducted until the Avon Hotel was built in 1891. He is well known to the traveling public and has a large share of the transient trade, as well as a nuni- ber of regular boarders, among the latter Judge

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Stump, who has boarded with him for thirty years. Politically he votes the Democratic ticket. The title by which he is known was given him while serving on the staff of Governor Jackson. For years lie has been identified with and inter- ested in the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He is a member of the American Legion of Honor, the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has been through the chairs. His first wife, who was Miss M. E. Kirby, died in 1872, leaving two children, William and Kate. His present wife bore the maiden name of Helen M. Dobson.

OUIS N. WILSON, M. D., is a leading phy- sician and surgeon of Mardela Springs, Wicomico County, and has been engaged in the practice of his profession here ever since he started out in his chosen field of enterprise, a period of over twenty years. He has won all enviable reputation for ability and skill and aims to keep fully abreast of the times in everything new in the treatment of disease. He was wise in gaining varied experience in hospital practice, under judicious and old physicians' superintend- ence before setting forth by himself, and to this fact, no doubt, is attributable much of his success.

The father of the doctor, Levin M. Wilson, was born near this town, as was also his father before him. The latter's Christian name was Thomas. Levin M. Wilson was a life-long agri- culturist and was a man of influence and promi- nence in his own community. He used his right of franchise in favor of the Republican party, and was elected to the Maryland house of dele- gates in 1856, where he did good service to his loyal constituents. He chose for his companion along the journey of life Miss Elizabeth Bailey, who proved a faithful and loving helpmate, shar- ing his sorrows bravely and cheerfully and enter- ing into all his happiness. She was a daughter of Johnston Bailey, a respected citizen of the state of Delaware. She became the mother of seven children and died in 1861, regretted by all

who had had the pleasure of knowing her. In order of birth thechildren are as follows: Aurelia V., who is unmarried; John T., a resident of this place; J. Frank, deceased; Louis N .; Letitia J., wife of P. S. Pusey, of Quantico district; Levin A., a merchant of this town; and Elizabeth A., wife of S. J. Brown, of Mardela Springs.

Dr. L. N. Wilson was born about a mile from this village upon his paternal homestead, May I, 1852. He attended school in the neighborhood and at Salisbury, later going to Baltimore, where lie entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating from that celebrated institution in 1876, the year of the Centennial. The next five years he devoted to practice in Baltimore and then for a year was in Bellevue Medical College and Hospital in New York City, justly renowned for its thoroughness of discipline and training. After a course of lectures there he settled down here, near his boyhood's home, and is doing very well and meeting all the requirements of his pro- fession with ability. In politics the doctor is a Republican.

ON. L. H. COOPER, judge of the orphans' court and formerly county commissioner, is one of the well-known public men of Barren Creek district, Wicomico County, and is also a successful agriculturist. He is the owner of one hundred and sixty-three acres of well-improved land comprising the farm known as Miles' End, which he has owned and occupied since 1858. During this long period he has given his atten- tion to the supervision of his farming interests and to the advancement of local enterprises, in all of which he maintains a deep interest.

The Cooper family has long been identified with the history of Wicomico County. The fa- ther of our subject, Levin, and the grandfather, Samuel Cooper, were born upon the same farm, situated near Riverton, in Barren Creek district. Both were farmers by occupation and were men of honest and intelligent characters. Levin was twice married, our subject's mother being Mary

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Walker, who died in 1845. Of the five children born of that union two are living, our subject and Severn H., who occupies the old homestead.

While still quite young our subject left school and began work upon the farm, remaining at home until he purchased his present place in 1858. He was then twenty-three years of age, having been born October 31, 1835. He has been prominent in the conventions of the Democratic party and is a firm advocate of its principles. In 1886-87 he was county commissioner, and in 1895 he was elected to the orphans' court for a term of four years. February 8, 1860, he mar- ried Martha T., daughter of William H. Bradley. Eight children were born to their marriage, of whom the following survive: Irving, a merchant at Mardela Springs; William M., of Salisbury; Samantha, wife of William T. Wilson; Philena and Charles S., who are with their parents; and Mark R., who is in Mardela Springs.

EMUEL DUMBRACCO, chief deputy clerk of the circuit court of Queen Anne's Coun- ty, Md., was born December 2, 1846, in Queen Anne's County. He was educated at the Agricultural College of Maryland and at Wash- ington College of the same state. His father, Lemuel Dumbracco, was a descendant of an early Scotch settler of this country. His mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Banning Hicks, was a descendant of the Hicks family of Dorchester County, Md., and the Bannings of Talbot County, Md. Her parents were of English extraction. Mr. Dumbracco's father was for many years prominent in the politics of the state of Maryland, being a leader in the Whig party, and represented his party several times in both branches of the Maryland state legislature.

The subject of this sketch came into office as deputy clerk of the circuit court, April 3, 1871, under James Wooters, and has remained in the office ever since. He was appointed clerk by the court upon the death of William Dever, in 1892, and served his unexpired term, but was

not a candidate for re-election. He was re- appointed to the position by William H. Cecil, the present clerk. From 1871 to 1882 he served as chancery commissioner of Queen Anne's County, but in the latter year the court of ap- peals promulgated new rules requiring examiners to be members of the bar, thus debarring Mr. Dumbracco from this office, he not being an at- torney. Previous to his removing to Centreville he had learned the drug business in Baltimore, and for eight years was engaged in that line of enterprise in Baltimore and Church Hill, Md., retiring from it in 1871. Fraternally he is a Master Mason, being a member of Centreville Lodge No. 180, A. F. & A. M., and has taken all the degrees in the Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. He is also a member of the Episcopal Church of Centreville.

Mr. Dumbracco was married on June 20, 1872, to Ella Faithful, daughter of the late W. E. B. Faithful, a prominent landholder and merchant of Queen Anne's County. She died May 15, 1873. Mr. Dumbracco resides on his farm, known as Fishingham, the estate of the late Ward Tilghman, located near Centreville, where he frequently entertains his numerous friends.

ON. JOSHUA WELDON MILES is not only one of the leading attorneys of Somerset County, but is considered one of the rep- resentative members of the legal profession in Maryland. He was admitted to the bar in July, 1880, at Princess Anne, Md., and at once opened an office in that place, and has since been actively engaged in the practice of his chosen profession in the state and federal courts of Maryland. In November, 1883, he was honored by being elected state's attorney, and served efficiently in that capacity four years. He became a partner of Judge Page (whose sketcli is to be found else- where in this volume) in January, 1888, and the firm of Page & Miles continued in business until the withdrawal of the judge in 1892, because of his acceptance of a public office. Mr. Miles was

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then alone until 1894, when he was elected o11 the Democratic ticket to congress, and became the senior member of the law firm of Miles & Stanford, which connection is still in existence. While a member of congress he acted on the judi- ciary committee. Ever since he attained his ma- jority he has attended the state and congressional conventions of his party and is by nature and training a leader. He was defeated for re-election to congress in 1896, the Republican party elect- ing their entire delegation to the fifty-fifth con- gress from Maryland for the first time since the war, although the majority against Mr. Miles was small.

A native of the southern part of Somerset County, our subject was born upon his father's farm December 9, 1858, and there passed his early years. He was a pupil in the public schools and also had private tutors until he was sixteen, when he entered the Western Maryland College (of Westminster), in the sophomore class, and was graduated in June, 1878. He then took up the study of law in the legal department .of the University of Maryland, and was also in the offices of Judge Roberts, of Westminster, and Dennis & Brattan, well-known attorneys of Prin- cess Anne. At the close of this preparation he was admitted to the bar and, as related above, had not long been in practice before his merits became a matter of public notice. While in con- gress he received unusual recognition for so young a man, for when a vacancy occurred in the judi- ciary committee he was appointed by Speaker Reed to fill said vacancy, having been endorsed by the entire Democratic membership of the said committee, and also by the Republican chairman of the same, General Henderson, of Iowa. He also served on the committees on invalid pensions and private land claims. He is a director in the Somerset County Savings Bank (and its attorney) and is solicitor of the New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk Railway Company, for the state of Mary- land.

In February, 1884, Mr. Miles married Miss Lillian M., only daughter of William P. and Margaret A. Rider, old and respected residents of Princess Anne. Mr. Miles was reared in the

faith of the Methodist Protestant Church, but there being no church of that denomination in Princess Anne, he became identified with the Manokin Presbyterian Church shortly after his removal to that town.

The father of Hon. Joshua W. Miles, Southey F. Miles, is a native of Somerset County, and has followed agricultural pursuits chiefly throughout his life, though he has also been engaged in sev- eral other lines of business for brief periods. He is now retired from active cares, and is passing in restful ease his declining days, being now seventy-six years old. He was sheriff of this county one term, and was once defeated when running for the same office. Under the first ad- ministration of President Cleveland he was col- lector of customs for the Eastern district of Mary- land. His wife, the mother of Hon. Joshua W. Miles, formerly Christiana Roach, was a lady of marked intelligence and great force of character. She died in 1885, in the sixty-second year of her age.

The paternal grandfather of our subject, Will- iam Miles, was a native of this county and lived to be eighty-four years of age. In addition to owning several large tracts of real estate, he was interested financially in the coasting trade and owned large vessels, which made frequent trips to the West Indies. The father of William Miles, whose Christian name was Henry, the paternal great-grandfather of Joshua Weldon Miles, was likewise a resident of this section, his father hav- ing emigrated to Maryland from England, and thus it can be seen that the family has been asso- ciated with the history of this county from its formation.

- LFRED J. MOBRAY, justice of the peace and real-estate broker, residing in Vienna, Dorchester County, was born near Canı- bridge, Md., Friday, May 20, 1836, at 9:30 A. M. Through his mother he traces his lineage in ą collateral line to Sir Walter Raleigh, while on his father's side he is a descendant of John Lord

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Mobray, one of the crusaders of England. His grandfather, Levin, was the son of Thomas Mo- bray, an Englishman by birth and a surveyor by occupation. He was born in Dorchester County, about eight miles from Cambridge, and owned large tracts of land and many slaves.

The father of our subject, Levin Mobray, Jr., was born on the family estate and was a man of excellent moral character, honorable in his inter- course with all, and energetic in the management of his real-estate interests. Decided in political opinions, he adhered strictly to Whig tenets. While not a member of any church, he was al- ways liberal in his contributions to religious enterprises. He died in 1856 at the old home- stead. His first wife, who passed away in 1844, was Leah L., daughter of Hooper Raleigh, of Dorchester County. Of their six children three are living, namely: Levin W., of Cambridge; Alfred J .; and George W., of Washington, D. C. Mr. Mobray's second marriage was to Mrs. Leah J. Howard, by whom he had one child, Mary L., now deceased.

When a boy our subject attended the academy at Cambridge. In 1851 he became an assistant in the circuit clerk's office in Dorchester County, and while there devoted his leisure hours to reading law, with which he became so familiar that he could have passed an examination had he wished to do so. Six years were spent in the same office, when failing health caused him to change his occupation and for a year he taught school. On the death of his father lie became administrator of the estate, to which and to gen- eral farming he devoted himself from 1858 to 1865. During the late war there was much ill feeling between those who favored the south and those who favored the north. He was a strong Union man, and did not fear to express his senti- ments, though he made enemies in doing so. At his own expense he recruited a company of one hundred men at Cambridge and sent them to the camp at Baltimore.

In 1866-67 Mr. Mobray was sheriff of the county. He was also collector of state and county taxes for the seventh and thirteenth districts, an office then more important than at the present

time. The bond, amounting to a large sum, was furnished by his friends. On the conclusion of his official duties he resumed farm work. At the Republican county convention, in 1873, he was unanimously nominated for clerk of the circuit court of Dorchester County, but the county at that time being overwhelmingly Democratic, he was defeated by the Democratic nominee. Dur- ing that campaign the seeds of discontent were sown in the Democratic ranks, which culminated in an independent movement in 1875 and resulted in the election of several Republicans to office. From that time on the fight has been fought be- tween the two parties with varying success; in 1895, however, the county was Republican by a large majority and is still under Republican rule. He was chairman of the Republican state central committee of Dorchester County and the member from his county on the Republican state execu- tive committee from the year 1875 to August, 1885, at which time he resigned from both com- mittees and partially withdrew from active poli- tics. From 1879 until 1885 he was in the office of the clerk, after which he engaged in farming until 1888. In 1889 he was appointed to a posi- tion in the navy department in Washington, where he remained until 1893. Since the latter year he has resided in Vienna.

May 1, 1896, Governor Lowndes appointed Mr. Mobray justice of the peace, without any solicitation on his part. He is also secretary and treasurer of the Vienna branch of the Mutual Protective Building and Loan Association, of Baltimore City, representing a stock of $13,000 here. Since coming to Vienna, he has sold forty farms to thrifty farmers, who have made desirable additions to the citizenship of the county, and so honest has he been in every transaction that he has yet to find one who believes he misrepre- sented in even the smallest detail. His business is large and extends throughout the state, and his activity and enterprise have been most helpful to the Eastern Shore. At one time he was a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he is still prominent in church work.

November 14, 1861, Mr. Mobray married Laura E., daughter of Dr. Robert W. Williams,

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a physician and local preacher residing in Dor- chester County. She died February 14, 1873, and of her six children three are also deceased. Those who survive are: Robert W., a lawyer of Baltimore; Laura E., wife of Thomas B. Hackett, of Vienna; and Ada G., who married James Hampson, Jr., an attorney of Baltimore.

AMES McFADDIN DICK, M. D., a gen- tleman of large experience in hospital work, is now holding the position of house physi- cian in the Peninsular General Hospital, located in Salisbury, Wicomico County. Though he is comparatively a young man he possesses great energy and determination of character, and when he came to this place for the purpose of organiz- ing a hospital, in September, 1897, the success of the enterprise was assured from the start. There had been great need of such an institution in this portion of the Eastern Shore, and there is no doubt but that it will be well patronized by those who prefer not to leave home to go to distant cities, when they can receive the same advan- tages and skilled assistance nearer at hand.

While making the business of getting a broad and liberal education his main concern, Dr. Dick was a student in Columbia (S. C.) high school and later in the University of South Carolina, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Having decided to become a member of the medical profession the doctor ma- triculated in the University of Maryland, in Bal- timore, and in due time was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. His scholarship had been so high that he was appointed to serve in the hospital connected with the University of Maryland, quite an honor, by the way, and there under the supervision of many of the most dis- tinguished physicians and surgeons of the city and state he accomplished his initial work in his future vocation. Next he practiced in the Free Lying-in Hospital of Baltimore for one year, and for a similar period was physician in charge of the Hospital for the Women of Maryland. With

this wide and general experience he has come to Salisbury and is already doing well in building up a practice. He is a native of Sumter County, S. C., and was born September 24, 1871.

The parents of the doctor were Capt. Thomas H. Dick and Margaret, daughter of Capt. J. D. McFaddin. The father won his title during the war, when he was in command of a company of Confederate cavalry. He came from a respected old family in South Carolina, and was a planter by occupation. His youngest son, T. M. Dick, is an engineer in the United States navy, having graduated at the head of the engineers at the naval academy in 1895.

RANCIS E. LOOMIS is numbered among the enterprising agriculturists of Dorchester County, his home being in East New Mar- ket district. He was one of the members of the board of control and review of assessments of 1896, and has served since 1893 as one of the commissioners of this county. He is stanchly in favor of the Democracy and has frequently been called upon to act in local minor positions. For four years he was a trustee of the almshouse, and assisted in instituting some useful reforms there during this period. He is actively con- cerned in the advancement of all measures which he believes will accrue to the benefit and lasting good of the community in which he has his abode, and has a high standard of the duties of a citi- zen and voter.

Born April 15, 1850, at Pittsfield, Mass., Mr. Loomis is of good old New England stock. He was reared in the county in which his birth oc- curred, Berkshire, and received fine educational privileges in the schools of Pittsfield. Upon his arrival at maturity he looked around him for a wife, and found a true companion and helpmate in the person of Miss Ellen Nichols, of Pittsfield, Mass. They were married in 1870 and soon afterwards they came to this locality. He pur- chased a farm and devoted himself assiduously to its cultivation and improvement. The place con-

JOHN F. RUTH.

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tains one hundred and fifty acres within its boundaries, and is one of the best in the district.

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Portrait and biographical record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Part 72

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