USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland > Part 79
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110
ILLIAM J. WOOLLEN, a well-to-do farmer of New Market district of Dorches- ter County, passed his boyhood and youth upon the fine homestead which he now super- vises and cultivates as his own. The place com-
prises one hundred and forty-four acres, and the proprietor has recently built a substantial, pretty house upon it and has made other material im- provements within a few years past. As a busi- ness man and member of the community he is honored and trusted for his acknowledged worth, and in the church and home circle he is beloved and looked up to as he deserves. For the past nineteen consecutive years he has been the su- perintendent of the Sunday-school of the Shiloh Methodist Protestant Church, and for years he held one official position or another in the congre- gation. It was in 1878 that he joined the church, and from that time to this he has taken the deepest interest in its growth and prosperity and has worked hard to effect this end.
The parents of our subject were John and Mary (Cheesman) Woollen. The father was a native of Caroline County, Md., and was married there when arriving at man's estate. By trade he was a carpenter and wheelwright, and his life was one of industrious, persevering toil. He was noted for his sterling traits of character, and trained his children in integrity of word and deed. He died in 1860, and his widow subsequently became the wife of William Willoughby and the mother of a daughter, Nettie, now the wife of Oliver Simpson, of New Jersey. The father of John Woollen also bore the Christian name of John, and was a native of Federalsburg, Caro- line County. He was a farmer and miller, and died in young manhood. Mrs. Mary (Cheesman) Woollen Willoughby was a daughter of Thomas Cheesman, and by her marriage with Mr. Wool- len had four children, viz .: George M., now of Falls County, Tex .; Sallie E., wife of Columbus N. Ross; William J .; and Mary J., wife of Jacob Charles.
William J. Woollen was born on the farm which he is now engaged in cultivating, Febru- ary 21, 1856, and received a liberal practical education in the public schools. From boyhood he was trained in the duties pertaining to the management of a farm, and was thus enabled to assume the entire responsibility of a homestead by the time he had reached his majority. Polit- ically he is a Democrat and has served two terms
715
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
as tax collector. He is a member of the Im - proved Order of Heptasophs of New Market. In the spring of 1897 he was sent as a delegate to the annual conference of his denomination at Baltimore and, as was his father before him, is recognized to be a leader in the councils of the same.
December 21, 1880, Mr. Woollen married Lillie B., daughter of James H. Cockran, of New Market, and five children were born to them, viz .: Nellie H., May, Lloyd, Katie and Grace. The only son, Lloyd, died when but five years old. He was a bright, winsome little fellow whom every one loved, and his cheerful, sunny presence in the household is deeply missed.
EORGE W. TARBUTTON, a most worthy old citizen of Trappe district, Talbot Coun- ty, has been retired from active cares for a few years, his more arduous duties having been assumed by his son. His home is but a short distance from the village of Trappe, and is in consequence a very desirable property. He is a member of the Methodist Protestant Church and attends the services regularly. In his political affiliations he is a Republican, but has never de- sired to hold public office, as he preferred to devote " his time to his family and business affairs.
William, father of our subject, was born in Queen Anne's County, Md., and came to this county in boyhood. He settled in Chapel district, where he dwelt as long as he lived. He was a soldier of the war of 1812, and was a true patriot and model citizen. His death took place in 1843, when he was in his sixty-eighth year. His wife was Miss Mary Fairbanks before their marriage, and twelve children were born to them, viz .: James, William, Nancy, John, Elizabeth, Ed- ward, Thomas, George W., Charles H., Mary E., and the two eldest, who died in infancy.
George W. Tarbutton was born in Chapel dis- trict September 27, 1821, and was reared to farm life. He did not leave home until he had passed his majority, and continued exclusively engaged
in agricultural pursuits up to 1851. Having mastered the carpenter's trade, he followed this calling for about twenty years with good success in this district, and laid aside a goodly sum of money for future investment. It was in 1871 that he purchased the homestead where he is still dwelling at the time of this writing. He owns altogether one hundred and thirty-seven acres, all but thirty-two of which are in the home place.
September 27, 1849, Mr. Tarbutton married Mary N. Newman, and their three children are: Anne I., wife of John Rice, of this locality; Emily J., wife of James C. Tarbutton, a farmer of this district; and George B., who manages the home- stead, as previously stated. This industrious young man possesses good ability and is a first- class farmer in every respect. His wife was formerly Elma M. Mullikin, and by their union two sons and a daughter have been born, their names being, respectively: George R., Addison G. and Mary S. The whole family are much respected in the community and are always act- ively concerned in all works of improvement or steps taken in the direction of order and progress.
SAAC H. TAWES, of the firm of Tawes & Co., is a well-known business man of Cris- field, and in partnership with his brother, carries on the fish and oyster business started by their father in 1867. He was born in Crisfield district, Somerset County, September 26, 1863, and when a boy was a pupil in the local schools. About 1880 he became an employe of L. T. Dry- den & Co., in the wholesale oyster and fish busi- ness at Crisfield, remaining with them as assist- ant and partner for about two years. He then formed a partnership with his father in the same business, carrying it on until the death of the latter, January 30, 1890, when his brother, James C., purchased the father's interest, and the firm has since been Tawes & Co.
As did his father, Mr. Tawes favors Repub- lican principles. He has been active in public affairs since he attained his majority, but has
716
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
never been a candidate for office. Fraternally lie is connected with Chesapeake Lodge No. 47, A. F. & A. M., of Crisfield, in which he is now Master Mason. When seventeen years of age he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in it is now a trustee and steward. While his time is given principally to the wholesale fish and oyster business, with which he is identified, lie finds time for other enterprises, principal among which is the Crisfield Ice Manufacturing Company, of which he was one of the originators and is now a director. He married Miss Addie B., daughter of Washington S. Croswell, of Somer- set County, a ship builder by occupation.
STANLEY TOADVIN, senior member of the law firm of Toadvin & Bell, of Salisbury, and for eight years the representative of Wicomico County in the state senate of Mary- land, was born in Salisbury, December 3, 1848. He is a member of a family long and honorably associated with the history of the Eastern Shore. His father, Purnell Toadvin, was a successful merchant of Salisbury and was very well known throughout Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester Counties. He died in 1878, when about seventy years of age. His wife, Amanda, was a daughter of Jehu Parsons, a merchant of Salisbury. She died in 1862, when about fifty years of age.
Of five sons and daughters who attained years of maturity E. Stanley Toadvin was the youngest. His childhood years were passed in Salisbury and his early education was obtained in the pub- lic schools of his native town and Salisbury Academy. Later he became a student in Prince- ton College, entering the freshman class and re- maining until his graduation in 1869. For two years afterward he was a student in the depart- ments of general literature and law in the Uni- versity of Virginia and then continued his legal readings under the preceptorship of Judge Thomas A. Spence, of Salisbury, being admitted to the bar in 1872.
At once after completing his studies Mr.
Toadvin opened a law office in Salisbury, where he practiced alone until 1892. In 1878 he was appointed state's attorney to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James E. Ellegood. In 1879 he was regularly elected to the office, which he filled for four years. His faithful and able service in the position won for him the re- spect of judges and lawyers. In 1887 he was elected to represent Wicomico County in the state senate and served so acceptably to his constituents that he was re-elected in 1891. As a senator he has been efficient and capable, supporting meas- ures for the benefit of the people and the pros- perity of the state. An advocate of Democratic principles and an active politician, he has attended many of the state conventions. However, he is not narrow in his preferences, but is less of a partisan and a politician than a patriot, for he is devoted to the welfare of his state and country and loyal to their institutions.
The marriage of Mr. Toadvin occurred in 1889 and united him with Miss Kate H. Tilghman, daughter of William B. Tilghman, president of the Farmers and Merchants' Bank of Salisbury. They have one child, a daughter, Catherine H.
ON. ROBERT F. MADDOX. Among the foremost citizens of Princess Anne, Somerset County, is this gentleman, who was elected to the Maryland house of delegates in 1887 on the Democratic ticket and served efficiently, and who was elected to the office of register of wills in 1891, his term to run for six years. He has been a very capable and popular official, his record being to his own and party's credit. He is a part owner in a drug store here and owns a pretty farm in the county.
Five generations ago Lazarus Maddox, the ancestor of our subject, held a patent to a large tract of land in Fairmount district, Somerset County, said patents being made out under date of 1716, and a small part of this original estate has come down to Robert F., the great,-great- great-grandson. His great-great-grandfather
717
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
was a native of this county and died here in 1776, and his great-grandfather, Daniel, died in 1819. Grandfather William Maddox was born in this county and was a well-to-do farmer until he was claimed by death in 1823.
Daniel H. Maddox, father of our subject, was born on the old family estate in Fairmount district in 1812, and though he learned the carpenter's trade and worked at that calling for a few years in his young manhood in Baltimore, and to some extent during the rest of liis life, his main business was that of farming. He was allied with the Democracy, but was not very active in political matters. However, he was a great worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church and was very generous in his contributions to its support. At the close of a most busy and useful life, he passed quietly to his reward, aged sixty- five years, and to him it was surely said "well done, good and faithful servant."
The good wife of Daniel Maddox bore the maiden name of Susan Ballard. She was born in 1816, her father being Daniel Ballard, a prom- inent man and at one time sheriff of this county. He died in 1847, aged about seventy-five years. Mrs. Susan Maddox departed this life in 1891 and left nine children to mourn her loss. She was a devoted wife and mother, and was a con- sistent Christian, a member of the same church as was her husband. The sons and daughters are as follows: Daniel James, a fariner of Fair- mount district; Elizabeth, wife of Gustavus. A. Maddox, of this county; Joseph G., who is in the employ of a railway company in Baltimore; George W., a merchant of Manokin; Laura H., Sarah E. and Clara U., all living at the old home; Robert F .; and William E., who is also residing upon the old homestead and has charge of its management.
Robert F. Maddox was born September 26, 1853, in Fairmount district and remained at home attending the common schools of the neighborhood until he was about eighteen, when he entered St. John's College at Annapolis, Md., graduating from that excellent institution of learning in 1876. Then the following year he was occupied in teaching school on Deal's Island
and did so well that he managed to obtain a position as principal of Fairmount Academy, a place which he kept six years, to the satisfaction of both pupils and parents. He now turned his attention to merchandising, and for four years carried on a business in Fairmount. He gave up this enterprise upon being elected to the legis- lature in 1887, and finally sold out his whole interest in the store owing to poor health. He wisely determined to try rural life for a time and did so, gaining a lasting benefit. Fraternal- ly he is associated with the Improved Order of Heptasophs and is a member of Manokin Lodge No. 106, A. F. & A. M., of this village. For some twelve years he has officiated as superin- tendent of the Sunday-school of the Jamestown Methodist Protestant Church, of which he is a member.
December 22, 1881, Mr. Maddox married Mollie Lankford, who was from the same locality as himself. She was a talented woman, and ranked high in her class when she graduated from the Western Maryland College. She died August 15, 1883, when only twenty-one years old. She was a sweet, Christian character, and was a faithful member of the Methodist Church. April 17, 1895, Mr. Maddox married Ella, daughter of Rev. S. A. Hoblitzell, of Bel Air, Md., and they have one son, Robert H.
OHN N. WRIGHT is a prosperous and influential agriculturist of Fork or first district, Dorchester County. He owns sev- eral hundred acres of land, which he person- ally supervises, and has many farms which he rents to reliable tenants. He has inade a great success of the raising of peaches, apples and small fruits and in addition to these interests is quite extensively engaged in the manufacture of lumber, owning and operating large mills for the purpose. He is a man of public spirit and is always certain to stand by any measure which has for its object the upbuilding and betterment of the people of this community. In the cause
.
718
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
of education he is particularly concerned, and was for ten years one of the county school com- missioners. Always a Democrat in his political belief, he was elected by the local partisans to hold the office of assessor, but aside from that lias not aspired to public positions. During his long residence here, he has frequently served as foreman of the grand jury of this county, and in many ways has placed himself upon the side of law and good government.
The father of our subject, Isaac Wright, mar- ried a Mrs. Anne Adkins, whose maiden name was Jackson. Her great-grandfather, Admiral Abner Jackson, a soldier under Lord Nelson, in the British army, was promoted for distinguished bravery at the battle of Trafalgar, to the rank of admiral, his commission to that effect being awarded him by King George. His family coat-of-arms is still in the possession of some of his lineal descendants in Delaware. Isaac Wright was born in Caroline County, Md., in 1761, and resided in the same neighborhood all of his busy and active life, dying in 1850, at the ripe age of eighty-nine. He was a very successful business man, and in addition to owning large numbers of slaves, was the possessor of between four and five thousand acres of land, much of which is still owned by his children. His father, Edward Wright, born in 1712, came to America in 1737, from the Isle of Wight, England (of which he was a native), and settled in Caroline County, Md., where he afterwards resided. He held an extensive grant of land under Lord Baltimore and was a wealthy and influential planter. His three sons were: Isaac, Jesse and Jacob, all of whom left families in the county.
The children of Isaac and Anne Wright were six in number, viz .: William W., now of Seaford, Del .; Isaac H., of East New Market, Md .; John N .; Anne, deceased, who married William T. Vickers, of East New Market; Celia, who mar- ried Dr. Shipley, of Delaware, and died, leaving one son; and Harriet P., who married Hon. Daniel M. Fields, of Caroline County, who twice repre- sented his county in the Maryland senate and once served as the president of that body.
John N. Wright was born in 1829, upon Maple
Grove farm, where he is to be found to-day and here his happy childhood days were spent. He was married in 1856 to Rebecca C. Phillips, the daugh- ter of Igrus S. and Amelia Phillips, who were very prominent people in Delaware, and they began housekeeping upon the old farm, where over forty years of happy companionship together fol- lowed. She was called to the home above, De- cember 7, 1896, her life-work having been ac- complished. Of their children, John is now liv- ing in Cripple Creek, Colo .; Henry M. is in As- pen, Colo .; Frank is in Caroline County, Md .; Hattie is the wife of C. P. Tatem, of Baltimore; May is at home; Lyda is the wife of Dr. F. H. Elder, of Philadelphia, Pa .; and Robert Lee is at home. Mr. Wright is of the Protestant Epis- copal faith, and is a valued worker in the church.
OL. JAMES MARION LOWE, of St. Mi- chael's, Talbot County, son of William Webb and Mary Ann (Wrightson) Lowe, was born near McDanieltown, said county, May 23, 1837. He was given good educational advan- tages in his youth, and attended the schools of the town, being taught by the best teachers of the time, until he had reached his fifteenth year. He then entered the Maryland Military Academy at Oxford, Md., and when nineteen he began teaching in the public schools. During the following eighteen years most of his time was devoted to this occupation, in which he was very successful. In 1868 and 1869 he served as coun- ty school commissioner.
The death of the colonel's father occurred Jan- uary 20, 1863, and he was appointed adminis- trator to settle up his large estate. He was twice drafted into the Union army during the war, but was exempted on account of physical disability. His brother, William E. Lowe, having returned from the south, after serving through the war in Capt. William H. Murray's company of Mary- land Infantry, they engaged in farming together at the old homestead until 1875. At that time our subject was married and soon afterwards sold out his interest in the farm to his brother, moving
719
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
to a small one which he purchased near by. There- on he resided for ten years, not only cultivating the land, but also engaging in business as a capi- talist, conveyancer and surveyor. His marriage, solemnized December 16, 1875, was with Dorcas Elizabeth, daughter of John Wesley Sedgwick and Ann (Wrightson) McDaniel, the latter a child of James and Elizabeth (Orem) Wrightson. Both the colonel and his wife are members of the Methodist Protestant Church, and interested in its welfare.
Col. J. M. Lowe has always taken an active part in politics, being affiliated with the Demo- cratic party. He served as committee clerk in the Maryland senate during the sessions of 1874- 76, and in June, 1880, was appointed by Governor Hamilton a colonel on his staff. He was twice elected to the legislature, serving in the sessions of 1880-90. The only fraternal order with which he has ever been identified is the Masons, to which he has belonged for thirty-three years.
In tracing the lineage of the colonel, it is found that one John Lowe (supposed to have belonged to the Denby or Derbyshire family of Lowes, in Eng- land, as the family coat-of-arms and other facts point to them) married, December 2, 1700, Mary Bartlett, "Quakeress," daughter of Thomas and Mary (Goodchild). Bartlett, of Radcliffe Manor, near Easton, Md. They came here from York- shire, England. Mr. Lowe resided in Bay Side, on his farm, and in 1701 was one of the founders of the Quaker Meeting-house near McDanieltown. He survived his wife, died in 1726, and the home- stead is still held by his descendants. On the maternal side of the family Colonel Lowe is descended from John and Mary Wrightson. The latter was an active business woman in her day, owning and managing many farms. One of these was the ancestral home of the great statesman, Henry Clay. She was closely related to Col. Thomas Smithman, and to the Sedgwicks. She died in 1740, having survived her husband twenty-three years. Two of the great-grandfathers of our subject, Ensign James Lowe and Col. William Webb Haddaway (a descendant of Row- land and Ursula Haddaway), served in the war of the Revolution in this country.
The earliest known ancestor on the paternal side of Mrs. J. M. Lowe was Laughlin McDan- iel, who died in 1732, and his wife was Mary Lowe McDaniel. Their grandson, John McDaniel, March 30, 1777, married Mary, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Sedgwick) Morsell, who came to this county from Calvert County, Md. Her sis- ter, Dorcas Sedgwick, who married Joshua John- son, of London, was the mother of Thomas John- son, one of Maryland's governors, and of Louisa Catherine Johnson, a beautiful and accomplished woman, who became the wife of John Quincy Adams (afterwards president of the United States) July 26, 1797. (For additional family history the reader is referred to the sketch of Albert Lowe, which appears elsewhere in this volume. )
APT. NATHAN J. COCKRAN is one of the representative citizens and farmers of the eighth district of Caroline County. He is an honorable, unassuming man, and bears an en- viable reputation among his neighbors. In his early life he suffered many hardships and priva- tions, but he was constructed of solid, reliable material, and did not give way to the discourage- ment which would surely have conquered the spirit of a man less brave and hopeful than him- self. He has literally worked his way up from the lower rounds in the social and financial lad- der to a position of influence and honor in the community where he dwells.
The paternal grandfather of the captain was Nathan Cockran, probably a native of this county, but born quite near the dividing line between this and Dorchester Counties. The maternal grand- father, "Kiah" Jamies, was one of her majesty's subjects, as he was born in England. The cap- tain is a son of Ezekiel Cockran, who was a wheelwright and carpenter by trade and who died in early manhood. At that time Nathan was only nine years old, he having been born in 1826. His birthplace was at a point not far from his present liome in Caroline County, and soon after deatlı had deprived him of his kind father he was
720
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
bound ont to Capt. Levin T. Dukes, and sailed from Baltimore to Philadelphia through the canal, back and fortlı, until he was seventeen. Hethen returned home with some money which he had saved and invested it in a one- third interest in a vessel which lie sailed for three years. At the expiration of that time he bought a vessel out- right and a year later purchased an interest in a ship which he was the master upon in southern waters for several years. In fact, he did not discontinue liis voyages until just as the war was about to break out, when all commercial interests seemed in a state of paralysis. He next turned his attention to various mercantile enterprises and to managing his farm, which he had purchased in the meantime. About 1869 he located upon the homestead where he may yet be found, a place of two hundred acres, and has since been occupied in its cultivation and development. He favors the Democratic party platform and lends his influence to whatever he believes to be for the public good.
In 1856 the captain married Margaret, daugh- ter of Capt. Dennis Wilson, and after her death he wedded Irene Blades, daughter of Isaiah C. Blades and granddaughter of Isaiah Blades, who first settled upon and cleared the homestead where our subject now resides, and who was buried on the farm. The mother of Mrs. N. J. Cockran was in girlhood Milcha Todd. Captain Cockran's children are Algy J., a farmer; An- thony B., an oysterman and boatman of Oxford; Elmina, wife of Harry R. Merican; and Mar- garet I. , wife of E. M. Willey, a farmer in the third district.
OSEPH G. HARRISON, sheriff of Wor- cester County, and senior member of the firm known as J. G. Harrison & Sons, of Berlin district, is a live, energetic business man. Aside from carrying on regular farming upon his fine liomiestead here he is especially interested in the nursery business and has over one hundred and thirty acres devoted to nursery stock. The
firm are doing very well financially, and now that they have a fine start in the business will unquestionably prosper more and more as the merit of their enterprise becomes generally known to this part of the Eastern Shore.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.