USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Sixth congressional district, Maryland V. 1 > Part 33
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In 1870 Dr. Nelson married Harriet M. Wil- son, daughter of the late John I. Wilson, who was a man of wealth. She is a granddaughter of Dr. William Bradley Tyler and on her mother's side a cousin of Francis Scott Key, author of the "Star Spangled Banner." They are the parents of one son, Madison, who is studying dentistry in his father's office. The family own and occupy a residence on West Church street. Politically Dr. Nelson is a Dem- ocrat and keeps posted concerning matters of public interest, but has never cared for official position. He has served as president of the Odontological Society, and was three times ap- pointed by the government on the board of state examiners of this society. In 1891 he was elected president of the state board of dental examiners and is still connected with that board.
OHN B. BRAWNER, M. D., has been en -.. gaged in practice in the town of Emmits- burg, Frederick County, and vicinity for over a quarter of a century and enjoys the re- spect of the entire population of this community. Left an orphan at an early age, he had to strug- gle single-handed in the battle of life from his boyhood, and, to his credit be it said, he came off victor in the end. He possesses that self-reli- ance and perseverance essential to success in any given line of endeavor, and has wrought out success by earnest and long continued effort.
The Brawner family is numbered among the oldest and most honored ones of this county.
William Brawner, the grandfather of the doctor, was born, reared to manhood and spent his whole life in this vicinity. He was a farmer by occupation and owned a large and well-im- proved homestead in this district. The doctor's father, John Brawner, was born on the old home place in this neighborhood and from the time that he reached maturity until his death he was engaged in running a tannery. He became well- to-do and was the owner of a tract of land near Mount St. Mary's College. For a few years he lived in the state of Virginia, and there, as here, was interested in a tannery. He died in the faith of the Catholic Church, to which his ances- tors and relatives have adhered for generations. His wife, Rebecca Barbour, was likewise a na- tive of this section of Frederick County, and her death took place in the '50s. They were the parents of five children, three sons and two daughters, and now but two sons survive.
Dr. J. B. Brawner is a native of Virginia, his birth having occurred August 16, 1852, while his parents were making their home in that state. After the death of his parents he was taken into the home of his aunts in Emmitsburg, and here he was educated in the public and paro- chial schools. He was not yet fourteen years of age when he went to Philadelphia to learn the drug business and for the following five years he gave his whole time and attention to this work, for a few years being located on the eastern shore of Maryland. In 1870 he entered the medical department of the University of Maryland, and upon his graduation from that well-known insti- tution of learning two years later, he returned to Emmitsburg and established himself in prac- tice. He has been a resident of this town ever since and has succeeded in building up a large and remunerative practice and an enviable repu- tation for skill and general ability in his chosen field of labor. His recognized worth and attain- ments led to his being appointed the house phy- sician to two of the largest institutions in the state, Mount St. Mary's College and St. Josephi Academy, both located near this place; the first- mentioned situated about two miles distant and the latter within half a mile of the town limits.
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The doctor has never married, but is devoted, heart and soul, to hiis noble and humanitarian work. He is a director in the Emmitsburg Rail- road, and has other valuable investments in real estate and other enterprises. He is respected and highly esteemed by all who have the pleasure of his acquaintance, and takes an active interest in local affairs. Politically he is an adherent of the Democratic party. Religiously he follows the example of his forefathers and is a member of the Catholic Church.
OL. LUKE TIERNAN BRIEN. history of the life of Colonel Brien, well known among the citizens of Frederick County, contains much that is of interest and affords many a lesson worthy of emulation by the young. Through his maternal ancestors lie is a descendant of a family living in the county of Meath, Ireland. The name Tiernan is Celtic, tier signifying chief. There are many legends connected with the family, and their name is fre- quently mentioned in Irish history. The Princess of Brefni Mara, who belonged to that race, is spoken of in Moore's Irish melodies, in the poem commencing "The valley lay smiling before me." Some representatives of the family still reside in Drogheda, where they are prominent in state and church affairs.
The Dublin Penny Journal, in 1729, published a picture of the then new church of Kil Tiernan, in the county of Dublin. This is a very ancient parish and the original edifice, a small but pict- uresque reminder of the earliest days of Christian- ity on the island, still exists, a cherished ruin. At present the parish is a vicarage in the diocese of Dublin and is united with the old parish of Kilgobbin.
In an early day members of the Tiernan family emigrated to America. Patrick Tiernan, a cousin of Luke Tiernan of Baltimore, participated in the Revolution. Paul Tiernan, who was born in the county of Meath in 1728 and died near Dublin at
the age of ninety-one, had a son, Luke, who was born on the River Boyne in 1757, and came to America about 1783, settling in Hagerstown, Md. January 6, 1793, he married Miss Nancy Owen, daughter of Robert and Rebecca (Swearingen) Owen, of Hagerstown. She was a lady of philan- thropic disposition and considerable executive ability, and was connected with many of the pub- lic charities of Maryland, among them the Balti- more Orphan Asylum, of whose board of trustees she was president.
Removing from Hagerstown to Baltimore in 1795, Luke Tiernan engaged in business as a com- mission merchant and was the first person engaged in the shipping trade between Baltimore and Liver- pool. He was an active factor in the organization The of the Hibernian Society and succeeded John Oliver as its president, holding that office for ten years. He was the first treasurer of the Maryland branch of the African Colonization Society. The legislature of Maryland in 1797 appointed him one of the managers of the turnpike road from Balti- more to Frederick and Williamsport. May 21, 1812, he and other members of the committee signed the resolutions to be presented to the pres- ident of the United States, pledging their support, at every hazard, to the government in the war with Great Britain which was then impending. In 1813 he was a member of the committee on defense of the city of Baltimore. He was one of the original board of trustees of the Cathedral of Baltimore, and his grandson has the following receipt: "Baltimore, July 6, 1816. Received of Luke Tiernan $3,000 on account of the lot of ground sold to the trustees of the Catholic Church building the Cathedral." Signed, "J. E. Howard." He was one of the presidential electors of John Quincy Adams, and was a warm personal friend of Henry Clay, who frequently visited him in his house in Baltimore and who spoke of him as the "patriarch of the Whig party in Maryland." In December, 1831, he was a member of the national Republican convention which nominated Henry Clay for the presidency.
The Baltimore Sun, March 17, 1848, contained an account of an anniversary supper of the Balti- more Hibernian Society, at which the president,
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Hugh Jenkins, gave as a toast "The Honorable Henry Clay, America's distinguished son, the Star of the West, like the glorious king of day, as he advances to his close, he casts a brighter radi- ance around his name." Mr. Clay arose amid the most deafening cheers. Addressing the com- pany he said among other things: "I have during a life by no means short been honored with the respect, love and friendship of many Irishmen, a friendship that could never be broken, bonded by mutual love and esteem, that still causes the fond remembranees of some who are now no more to cling to my heartstrings with still eloser fervency, as life speeds to its close. One, whose friendship is fondly eherished by me, as it is also doubtless by many of those now present, was the antiable and philanthropic friend of man, Luke Tiernan of Baltimore, a man whose character I may hold up to your view as a true example of the generosity, the hospitality and the noble devotion of Irishmen wherever I have met them. Luke Tiernan was a member of the committee appointed at the inau- guration of the movement for the erection of the Washington monument in Baltimore. He was one of the committee appointed February IS, 1826, to urge upon the legislature of Maryland the incorporation of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, whose charter was the first railroad eharter in the United States; and the Herald, one of its ships, brouglit from England the first locomotive for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He was greatly re- spected and beloved, and strongly attached to the people and the government of this country."
Ann, a daughter of Luke Tiernan, became the wife of Robert Coleman Brien, who was born in Frederick County, Md., in 1805, and died in 1834. Our subject, who was named in honor of his grandfather, was born in Frederick County, December, 22, 1827. At the age of seven years he was taken to Baltimore, where he received his primary education. Later lie took a collegiate course, graduating from Georgetown College. In 1847 he married Mary V. Wilson, of Baltimore, and settled on a farmi at Mount Washington, Bal- timore County, where he remained until 1854. He then spent a year in Europe, and on his return purchased a farin near Hagerstown, Md., where
he continued to make his home until the spring of 1861. For one year he was chief of staff for Gen. J. E. B. Stuart and on the re-organization of the army was elected lieutenant-colonel of the First Virginia Cavalry, Fitzhugh Lee being eleeted colonel, and after two months was made colonel of the regiment of cavalry. In April, 1864, lie was made chief of staff of Gen. W. H. F. Lee, in which capacity he was retained until the elose of the war, participating in all the engagements of the army.
In the fall of 1855 Colonel Brien went to New York and embarked in the commission business, but afterward became interested in the building of railroads. In 1874 he went west with James C. Clark, who was general manager of the Illinois Central Railroad, and under him lie acted as assistant manager for three years. Later his ter- ritory covered the road from Cairo to New Orleans. of which he was assistant manager from 1877 to 1882. In the latter year he came to Urbana District, Frederick County, where he purchased one hundred and eighty acres, and upon this beautiful homestead he has since resided. Among his personal friends he numbers Potter Palmer, of Chicago, of whose hotel in Chicago he has had the management at different times. In his family there were six children: Robert C., William H., Lawrence W., Annie I., Ada and Mary, all of whom are deceased excepting the youngest. In religion Colonel Brien is an adherent of the Catholic Church.
REDERICK J. NELSON, one of the repre- sentative old citizens of Frederick, has been a member of the local bar for the past thirty- five or more years. From both sides of the family he inherited superior talents of mind and, while still young in years, had already given promise of marked ability as a lawyer, a prophesy which, it is needless to say, he has amply fulfilled. In polities he has been noted for liis uncompromis- ing attitude along the lines of the Democracy,
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and, as he is an orator of force and eloquence, he Josephine is the wife of Dr. William H. Baltzell is ever in great demand during election campaigns. (see his sketch); Rose married a Mr. Lawrence, an attorney of Baltimore; Emma is the wife of Dr. Manning, of Chicago. With one exception he has never allowed his name to be presented as a candidate for official distinction, however, and has never held a public position. The exception referred to was in 1884, when he yielded to the earnest wishes of his many friends and ran for congress, his opponent being Judge McComas. The race was a very close one, though the judge was the winner.
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The father of our subject was Chief Justice Madison Nelson, who for many decades was one of the most distinguished men of this country. He was born in this city in 1803, and after leaving Georgetown College began the practice of law in Frederick. For a quarter of a century he held the position of chief judge of Maryland, at the same time holding the judgeship of the circuit court of the state. He was a life-long friend of Thomas Jefferson and was a Democrat of the old school. He died in 1870, aged sixty-seven years. Few men among his associates had more sincere friends and well-wishers than he, and few were more deserving of love and honor than he. Though he was reared as an Episcopalian, he died in the faith of the Catholic Church, and, by the side of his devoted wife, lies in the Catholic Cemetery near this place. Mrs. Nelson bore the maiden name of Josephine Marcilly. Her father, Francis Marcilly, a native of Paris, France, was for years a successful coffee planter in the island of San Domingo, and had accumulated a large fortune by the time that the celebrated insurrec- tion of the natives forced foreigners to leave the country. He came to Maryland and took up his residence in Harford County, buying a large plan- tation there. Later he accepted a position as a professor in Mount St. Mary's College, remaining there for several years. His death occurred upon his farm, the Hermitage, and he was placed to rest in the Catholic Cemetery. To Madison and Josephine Nelson there were born eight children; of these, tlie eldest, Roger, died when fifteen years old ; Lewis is a physician in Missouri; Arthur is engaged in farming in the same state; John is a dentist, and is a resident of Missouri; Edward, also a dentist, lives in Frederick;
Frederick J. Nelson, of whom we write, was born in this city in 1830 and is a graduate of Mount St. Mary's College, where he received hisde- gree of Doctor of Laws. He opened an office and continued his practice in this, his native city, until 1855, when he went to Chicago. There he continued busily occupied in professional work about four years, but as he was a strong southern man in sentiment and an open advocate of state rights, he met with so much opposition and antag- onism that he concluded to remove to Missouri, where he found many of the people in accord with his ideas. Nevertheless, he remained in that state only until 1862, then returning to Frederick, which has since been his home. He was a mem- ber of the state committee that drew up the pres- ent State Constitutional Convention of Maryland in 1867. Religiously he is a devout member of the Catholic Church. In 1872 he married Miss Catherine, daughter of Dr. Hiram Schissler, then a retired physician of this place. Mrs. Nelson departed this life in 1889. Her mother was a Miss Gibson in her girlhood. The paternal grand- father of our subject was Roger Nelson, who was born on the banks of the Potomac River, in this county. When he was a youth of sixteen he ran away from home and in time became a lieutenant in General Washington's troop of horse. He con- tinued to serve in the Continental Army until peace was declared, and, among others, was in the battles of Camden and Creek Hill. In the engage- ment last mentioned he received a severe wound, which subsequently resulted in his death. He returned to Frederick at the close of the war and began the practice of law. For several years he served in Congress with distinction, later being elected to the bench. For a long period he was chief justice of this circuit, resigning that position on account of his failing health. Then he took the place of clerk of the court, as this position required much less physical effort than did his former position. In the Masonic order he held a high place and for years was grand master of
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the state of Maryland. He died when in the His forefathers had also located in the Nutmeg prime of life, being but forty years old. Before state about 1660 or 1670. Elias S. Ely lived to attain the ripe age of fourscore years, and died in 1879. His wife reached her threescore and ten years. Of their four sons and four daughters only three survive. Elias H. is a merchant in Columbus, Ohio; Edgar S. and Willoughby W. both served through the entire Civil war as non- commissioned officers in Connecticut regiments; Cornelia M. is the wife of Rev. W. T. Sutherland, D. D., of Oxford, N. Y. leaving the army he was brevetted general His father, Arthur Nelson, was a country gentleman, owning large plantations on the Potomac River, in this county. He also owned numerous siaves. In the war of the Revolution he took sides with the colonists, though his own father, Jobn Nel- son, was a native of England. The latter had first located in Virginia upon his arrival upon these shores, and purchased great tracts of laud in that state, and later extensive plantations in Maryland, on the Potomac.
HARLES W. ELY is the able superintend- ent of the Maryland School for the Deaf and Dumb of Frederick, with which fine institu- tion he has been connected for nearly thirty years. It owes to him, in a very large measure, the high standing it occupies among the educational schools of the kind in this country, and no one could have its best interests more deeply at heart than he has always done. In fact the best years of his life and the finest energies of his mind have been di- rected toward perfecting the system here in use, and the result is thoroughly gratifying to the most casual observer.
The Ely family is one of the oldest in New England, dating, as it does, from 1660, at which time the ancestor of our subject settled in Con- necticut. His father, Elias S. Ely,-was a native of the beautiful little village of Madison, Conn., and was a well-to-do thrifty farmer by occupa- tion. In his neighborhood he was considered one of the leading citizens, and there was scarce- ly a local office that he did not hold at one time or another. He was an old-line Whig and was elected to represent his fellow-citizens in the state legislature upon one occasion. Religiously he was a stanch member of tlie Congregational Church. His wife, whose maiden name was Hester Wright, was a daughter of Jedediah Wright, who was a sea captain in his early life.
Charles W. Ely was born in Madison, Conn., in 1839, and lived upon the old homestead until he was nineteen years of age. He was a good student, and after leaving the public schools he entered Yale College, graduating with the class of 1862. He then offered his services in defense of the Union, and was sergeant, and after the battle of Fredericksburg was promoted to be lieutenant of the Twenty-seventh Connecticut In- fantry. In that famous engagement his regiment lost about one-third of their men. Altogether he served nine months, and in 1863 went to Column- bus, Ohio, where he engaged in teaching in the State Institute for the Deaf and Dumb. During the seven years that followed he became thor- oughly familiar with the system employed, the routine of the management and many other prac- tical things in regard to the working of an insti- tution of this class.
It was in 1870 that Mr. Ely was induced to come to Frederick in order to take charge of the Deaf and Dunib Asylum here. For the first three years the institution was located in the old sol- diers' barracks, but that has been supplanted by the present fine structure, which now accommo- dates about one hundred pupils and could easily care for half as many more. The grounds com- prise about ten acres, and all modern facilities and appliances are to be found in the buildings. Mr. Ely has always adhered to the Republican party but has never sought public notice or office. For a long period he has been an elder in the Presbyterian Church here and gives liberally to its work.
In 1867 Mr. Ely married Miss Mary G. Dar- ling, daughter of S. R. Darling, of Elyria, Ohio.
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They have four children: Charles R., a graduate of Yale College, and now professor of chemistry in the Gallandet College, in Washington, D. C .; Grace D., a teacher in the same institute as is her father; Mabel D., a student in the Baltimore Art School; and Richard G., a school-boy here.
REDERICK A. ORDEMAN. The success which has attended the efforts of Mr. Orde- man is the result of his determination of will and energy of disposition. Starting out for himself with limited means, he followed agricult- ural pursuits so successfully that he is now the owner of six hundred and thirty-nine acres, lying in Urbana District, Frederick County, the man- agement of which he still superintends. He is also the owner and proprietor of a general store at Park Mills, which he opened in 1891 and has since conducted: and besides this owns a large steam sawmill near the village.
Born in 1858 in the town where he still makes his home, Mr. Ordeman is the son of Capt. H. D. and Catherine (Thomas) Ordeman, the former a native of Germany, the latter of France. He was one of seven children, the others being John, Charles, Georgiana, Daniel T .; Mary C., wife of John E. Price; and Emma C., Mrs. Eugene Hughes. His father, who began as a sailor on the high seas at the age of nineteen, finally settled in America, and in 1856 abandoned a seafaring life, after having followed the water on merchant vessels for thirty-two years. He had made his home in Baltimore for some time before leaving the sea, but in 1856 he removed from there to Park Mills and began to operate a sawmill and distillery. In 1862 he sold the mill, but continued to run the distillery for some time afterward. Fraternally he was connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He died in 1884, when he was seventy-two years of age.
In the district schools and the Frederick high school our subject received a fair education. On attaining his majority he started out in life for
himself, selecting for his occupation the work of a farmer. He is now the owner of three farms, aggregating, as before stated, six hundred and thirty-nine acres, but all joining in one unbroken tract. In 1879 he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah C. Smeltzer, of Springfield, Ohio, an. estimable lady, who shares with him in the regard of the people of the village and district. A Demo- crat in politics, he was chosen to serve as post- master at Park Mills under President Cleveland, and has at different times filled minor offices, serving in every capacity with credit to himself. He has made a number of improvements upon his farms, which are among the best and most highly cultivated for miles around. As a farmer he was progressive, as a citizen he favors all pro- gressive projects, and as a merchant he is reli- able and energetic.
TIS BUSH STONE, M. D. As a physician Dr. Stone takes front rank in his profession. While he is still a young man, not yet in the prime of life, he has already gained considerable experience in professional work and has won a reputation for skill which his talents merit. His careful study of the science of medicine and his acknowledged skill in the treatment of diseases not easy to conquer have given him a position among the best-known practitioners of Liberty- town and of Frederick County as well.
"A native of the Old Dominion, born at Lovetts- ville in 1870, and a son of William J. and Annie E. (Fry) Stone, Dr. Stone has spent his entire life in this section of the country, nor has he any desire to follow the example of those who seek new fields of labor in the west. He believes that in- dustry and perseverance will win success here as readily as in any other part of our country, and lience lie lias been content to remain a citizen of the commonwealth of Maryland. In boyhood he was given good educational advantages, attend- ing the public schools and later taking the regular course in Roanoke College at Salem, Va.
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On the completion of his literary education he came to Maryland and for one year read medicine under the preceptorship of his cousin, Dr. D. E. Stone, at Mount Pleasant. After one year in that place he entered the medical department of the University of Maryland, from which he grad- uated with the class of 1893, winning the prize in obstetrics known as the Mittenberger prize and standing fourth in general average in a class of "sixty-five. He then accepted a position as phy- sician in the hospital connected with that institu- tion, remaining there for a year, after which he came to Libertytown and opened an office. He spent one year here and then went to Chelten- ham, where he had been appointed resident phy- sician to the reform school. He filled the posi- tion for eighteen months and then resigning, turned his attention once more to private prac- tice. He has since given his entire time and at- tention to the building up of a general practice at Libertytown, where he makes his home. His practice is not confined to this village, but ex- tends over a large scope of country and demands his whole time. He has been a hard worker in his profession, studying every improvement and such discoveries as advance the interests of the science. In practice he is self-reliant, yet careful and exercising good judgment in diagnosis and treatment. The success which he has already won is doubtless but the precursor of which the future holds for him.
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