USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Sixth congressional district, Maryland V. 2 > Part 27
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Having pursued one year's course of studies in St. Francis College, at Loretto, he entered Mount St. Mary's College, near the town of his birth, and gave his attention to the mastery of the classics and philosophy. Later he took up theological studies at St. Mary's Seminary, in Baltimore, Md., and after completing the cur- riculum was ordained by His Eminence Cardinal James Gibbons, December 20, 1884. From that time until the present he has labored unceasingly for the good of those in his charge, and by his earnestness and strong personality has made numerous converts to the Catholic faith. His pleasant and affable manners have won for him the esteem of other denominations at the same time, wherever he has been located.
January 1, 1885, Father Rosensteel entered upon his new duties as' assistant priest at St. Ann's Church, in Baltimore, and the following autumn became pastor of St. Mary's Church, in Newport, Charles County, Md., and of the church of the Holy Ghost at Cob Neck, Charles County. In these two missions he continued until No- vember 5, 1889, when he was appointed to the three parishes mentioned at the beginning of this article. He has succeeded in getting the Rock- ville Church remodeled and otherwise materially improved, and at Forest Glen the enterprise of the pastor and people has resulted in a new house of worship -- a brown stone structure with stained glass memorial windows and a memorial altar of marble. It was erected to the memory of Rev. John Carroll, D. D., the first pastor of the
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congregation, and first arch-bishop of Baltimore. The cornerstone was laid, with imposing cere- monies, by Cardinal Gibbons, May 11, 1893, and less than a year later, April 29, 1894, he dedicat- ed the structure; Rt .- Rev. John J. Keane, of the Catholic University, preaching the sermon. A large concourse of people and many priests were present on the occasion, and the church, which is one of the finest in the county, stands as a monu- ment to the zeal and devotion of the parish. In April, 1898, Cardinal Gibbons appointed Father Rosensteel to make preparations for building a new church at Brightwood, D. C., and another one at Olney, to take the place of the old one, known as St. Peter's, at Mount Zion.
HARLES B. PEIRCE is a wealthy and pro- gressive farmer of Rockville District, Mont- gomery County, and enjoys the honor of having one of the best homesteads in this section of the state. Indeed, it would be hard to find a better-equipped and more comfortable and well- kept country home anywhere, and for years it has been the pride and pleasure of the owner to spare no work or expense in its improvement.
In tracing the history of our subject it is found that he is of English descent. A family of six members, bearing the name of Peirce, and be- longing to the Society of Friends, sailed for Amer- ica soon after William Penn had made a settle- ment in the state called in his honor. In the line of descent from them was Joshua Peirce, the grandfather of Charles B. He lived in Phila- delphia in early life, but came to Maryland in 1820. Here he began farming upon the land known as the "black meadows," in this county. He was the originator of the Montgomery Mu- tual Fire Insurance Company, the plan of the as- sociation resulting from his own sad experience in having his fine barns burned just after he had placed within them the year's harvests. His wife was Miss Hannah Chandlee before their mar- riage, and of their four sons and two daughters
George, father of our subject, was born in 1814. He was educated in a Friends' school on his fa- ther's farm. When starting out to fight life's battles he was employed for a period on the con- struction of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the main line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Afterwards he went to Ohio and, having mas- tered the trade of brick and stone masonry, fol- lowed that calling for some time. Upon his re- turn to his native state he taught school for a few terms, and in 1847 went to Washington, where he conducted a mercantile business for two or three years. Then locating in Howard County, Md., he operated a farm and was quite successfully engaged in building lime-kilns, as the art of burning lime for various purposes was just then coming into vogue. For thirty-five years prior to his death he was troubled with epileptic fits, and consequently was unable to engage in active work. From 1851 until his death, in June, 1887, he lived in this county. He was a member of the Society of Friends and was loved and honored by all who knew him. In 1840 he married Margaret Cissel, daughter of Samuel and Isabella Cissel, of Howard County. Of their four children, Hannah is married and resides in southern California; Joshua is employed in the Arlington Mills in Lawrence, Mass., and Samuel is a resident of Salinas, Cal.
C. B. Peirce was born in Howard County, Md., September 13, 1850, and it so happened that he had but meager chances for obtaining an educa- tion in his youth. However, as he has always been eager for knowledge he has made up for this by persistent study and reading and as he has trav- eled considerably in later years, is much better informed than the average man. When he was in his twelfth year he went to live with an uncle in Montgomery County, and worked for him for his board and small wages for about three years. He then returned home, and worked at whatever he could find to do, running a market wagon for two or three years, among other things. He next lived in Cincinnati, and then in Washington; in the last-mentioned city being in a mercantile business. From 1878 to 1888 he was similarly occupied in Bethesda, Md., thence removing to
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Tennallytown, and finally back to Washington, where he turned his attention to real-estate busi- ness. While at Bethesda he was an indefatigable worker, carried on his regular business; operated a stage route; was the postmaster and also the proprietor of a blacksmith shop. His varied con- cerns kept him busy from eighteen to twenty-two hours a day, frequently, and he cut his hours of rest and sleep down to the last endurable limit.
Having been appointed co-administrator of the estate of Joseph T. Bailey, and desiring to close up the business, he purchased the property where he now lives, a place of four hundred and eight- een acres. Since coming here he has expended about $17,000 in improvements and has devoted all his energies to bringing it into the condition it is in to-day. Most thoroughly systematic in all his affairs, he keeps a detailed account of every expense connected with his farm, and knows, to a cent, just what is the cost of each crop and the proceeds from the sale of the same, each year. A thirty-five hundred gallon tank of water operated by a wind-mill pump provides water for the modern bath room, which is furnished with improved sanitary plumbing and hot and cold water. Three large barns, in which can be stored three hundred tons of hay; a well-constructed, roomy stable, with accommodation for a score of horses, and most of the stalls filled, farm build- ings for all purposes; harness shop, blacksmith shop, ice house and machinery, etc., and all of these kept in fine condition and repair, give ample evidence that the owner is fully abreast of the times as an agriculturist. He employs five or six men all of the time to attend to the work of the farm, and at certain times of the year hires additional hands. In politics a Democrat, Mr. Peirce is unusually liberal and somewhat inde- pendent of party ties, and has never yet been persuaded to accept official honors.
October 25, 1877, the marriage of Mr. Peirce and Calista Bailey was solemnized in this county. Her father, Joseph Bailey, was a pioneer circus- man, and was associated with P. T. Barnum at the time that he started out in the business which gave them both more than national fame. Eleven children have been born to our subject
and wife. The eight mentioned below are liv- ing: Frank, Bessie, Robert, Charles B., Jr., Nannie, John Barry, Edward Lee and Lillian. The eldest son is now living in Washington. Once or twice a year Mr. and Mrs. Peirce leave home and take a pleasure trip to some portion of this country. He has traveled in thirty-four of the states and territories, as well as in Mexico and Cuba, and his accounts of such pilgrimages are very entertaining to the many friends and acquaintances of the family.
APT. JAMES ANDERSON, a prominent citizen of Rockville, has led a very active life until recently, his services having been mainly given to the public in various capacities. He has ever held his personal interests secondary to the general welfare and has endeavored, in every possible manner, to promote the march of progress and civilization. He comes from one of the oldest and most honored families of this region, and for more than a century his name has been closely associated with the development of the county.
The paternal grandfather of the captain, for whom he was named, was Dr. James Anderson, whose life was passed in Rockville. He was considered a very successful physician in those days and was actively engaged in practice here- abouts from 1791 to 1835. . He was a patriot and enlisted in the colonial struggle for independence, though but sixteen years of age at the time, and fought bravely for the cause. One of his chil- dren, Col. James W. Anderson, was the father of our subject. He was born in Rockville and was long one of her ablest citizens and lawyers. In 1852 he was a member of the state constitutional convention and for years he occupied a very notable position in the public affairs of this sec- tion of the state. He served as register of wills; was judge of the orphans' court; president of the board of trustees of Rockville Academy and colonel of a regiment of state militia. For a
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number of years he was a vestryman in the Epis- copal Church. His death took place at his resi- dence near Rockville when he was in his eighty- sixth year. He chose for his wife Miss Mary Minor, a native of Fairfax County, Va., and to their union ten children were born. In order of birth they are as follows: James; Mary E., wife of Charles B. Rozer, of Montgomery County; Thomas, of the law firm of Anderson & Bouic, of Rockville; Frances V., wife of Francis W. Rozer, of Washington, D. C .; Richard, who died at the age of eighteen years; Dr. Edward, a suc- cessful physician of Rockville; George and Lil- lian, who died in early childhood; Lillian, who died at the age of eighteen years; and Hon. George M., an attorney and member of the Mary- land legislature.
Capt. James Anderson was born June 9, 1831, in Rockville, and was reared under the paternal roof tree. He was given good educational ad- vantages. After graduating from Rockville Acad- emy he turned his attention to teaching for sev- eral years, and was one of the faculty of the academy mentioned for some time. Then he was brought forward as a candidate for the position of county surveyor and was duly elected to that office, and served as such for four years. When the Civil war came on he enlisted in the Con- federate army as a soldier of the Thirty-fifth Battalion of Virginia Cavalry, with the rank of first lieutenant. His meritorious service on the field of battle and in many hardly-fought cam- paigns was rewarded by promotion, and up to the close of the war he held the commission of a captain. Upon his return home from the south his fellow-citizens elected him treasurer and ex- aminer for the schools of Montgomery County, and in this responsible position he served for eleven years, to the satisfaction of the people. In 1885 he was further honored by being elected clerk of the circuit court of this county, in which capacity he served this community most accept- ably for twelve years. His term of office expir- ing the end of 1897, he has since lived somewhat retired, in the full enjoyment of rest and quiet that he has earned by long and arduous public service. He has always been loyal in his allegi-
arce to the Democratic party since he arrived at his majority. During the past four years he has been a director in the National Bank of Gaithers- burg, Md. Fraternally he is a Mason, and is treasurer of Montgomery Lodge No. 195, A. F. & A. M.
While in Virginia during the war the captain made the acquaintance of Miss Sally R. M. Thrift, daughter of Dr. George N. Thrift, of Madison Courthouse. They were married No- vember 12; 1868. Mrs. Anderson's mother was Miss Eliza Early, of the old Virginia family of that name. To the captain and wife six children were born, namely: Mary; George T., who died at the age of ten years; Sally M., who died in her twenty-fifth year, March 20, 1898; Eliza E., James and John W. The family are identified with the Episcopal Church.
EONIDAS RICKETTS was appointed to the position he now holds as superintendent of the county almshouse of Montgomery County, in 1891, and that he has given entire satisfaction to all concerned is shown by the fact that he has been re-appointed to this responsible post every year since he assumed the manage- ment. He is business-like and enterprising, and personally looks after every department of the institution and farm.
The Ricketts family is of English descent, and has been represented in this county for many generations. John T. Ricketts, father of our subject, was born in this county and has been occupied in agricultural pursuits during his en- tire mature life. He married Martha Jane Ray, a daughter of Nicholas Ray, of this county, and their children are Leonidas and Minerva. The latter is the wife of L. Selby, of Rockville.
The birth of Leonidas Ricketts took place upon the parental homestead in this county, May 8, 1857. He received a general education in the public schools, and early learned the various de- tails of farming from his father, a practical man
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of business. His experience well qualified him for the duties and responsibilities now resting upon his shoulders. In the county farm there are one hundred and fifty-five acres of land under cultivation, and each year large quantities of hay, corn, potatoes and vegetables are raised here. From four to five thousand pounds of pork are pro- duced yearly on the farm, and much of this is disposed of to outside buyers. At present there are about thirty inmates of the household, and every provision within reason is made for their comfort. Many improvements have been made since. Mr. Ricketts has had charge of the place, among others, that of steam heating. He follows his father's example in politics, voting the Demo- cratic ticket. In religion he is a Catholic.
August 6, 1878, Mr. Ricketts married Geneva, daughter of Jacob Ricketts, also of this county. Of the five children born to this worthy couple, two daughters, M. Victoria and Lottie are de- ceased. Three sons remain to them, namely: Raymond J., who is employed in a drug store in Rockville and is a most promising young man; and Emory and Alvah, who assist their father in the work of the farm.
HARLES E. SMITH, ex-sheriff of Wash- ington County, was elected to the office in 1895 on the Republican ticket and made a record that was gratifying to all concerned. He received a majority of five hundred and fifty votes, his competitor being Mr. Colliflower, a very popular man with the opposition.
Samuel Smith, father of our subject, was a native of Frederick County, Md., while the mother, Rebecca (Wachtel) Smith, was born in this county. He was a farmer by occupation, attended strictly to his own affairs and left to his children a spotless name and an honorable record. In 1868 he removed with his family to this county and continued to be interested in agricultural matters until the time of his death, August 19, 1884, at the age of sixty-nine years.
He was an influential member and an elder in the Lutheran Church of Boonsboro and was well and favorably known in a large portion of the two counties in which his career was enacted. His widow, who arrived at the age of seventy-six years, died November 3, 1897. She was identi- fied with the same church as her husband. Of the nine children born to their marriage, five are yet living. Jacob S., whose home is near Indiana- polis, Ind., is employed on the Vandalia line of railway. The eldest son, Daniel W., D. D., who was a graduate of Wurtemberg College, Springfield, Ohio, and a minister for twenty-five years in that city and elsewhere, died May 4, 1894, when in his fifty-fifth year. Jonas, who was very anxious to join the Federal forces during the war, was unable to carry out his intentions on account of poor health, and died before the close of hostilities. Charlotte died in infancy and Sarah when eight years of age. Arbela and Carrie C. are still at home. Mary is the wife of H. F. Cost, a mechanic of Beaver Creek District, this county.
C. E. Smith, the youngest in his parents' fam- ily, was born in Middletown, Frederick County, May 9, 1861, and was reared on a farm. He came to this county in 1868, and alternated his time between school and farm work until the death of his father, when he took charge of the farm for his mother. With the other families that lived along the border of the Confederacy, his father's family suffered greatly at the hands of the contending factions during the stormy war period and in the last raid of General Early, the senior Smith lost about all of his possessions. Our subject learned all of the practical details of work pertaining to the management of a farm while he was yet a mere boy, and developed into a first-class agriculturist. He was still engaged in agriculture at the time that he was elected three years ago, and has always been noted in his community for the excellence of his crops and the thrift that he has manifested. He has given his loyal support to the Republican party since he became of age, but has never before occupied an official position of any particular importance.
February 25, 1886, Mr. Smith was united in
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marriage with Nannie C. Cost, a daughter of has since conducted. He resides on the old Elder Andrew Cost, a minister of the Pro- gressive Brethren Church. He is a native of Germany, and came to this country with his mother when he was about fourteen years of age. Two bright boys, Clarence Wellington and Dwight L., aged respectively ten and eight years, comprise the family of our worthy subject and wife. Mrs. Smith adheres to the faith in which she was reared, and is a member of the Progressive Brethren Church. homestead, and is engaged in raising grain and stock. June 3, 1856, he married Sallie A. Ches- well, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Jones) Cheswell, farmers living near Edwards' Ferry. Nine children were born of their union, namely: Mary V .; Milton G., who lives in Dawsonville; Susan F. and Grace; Thomas D., who is mar- ried and resides on the home farm; Edward; Mar- garet, who is married to Dr. W. L. Lewis, of Kensington; Lawrence A. and Roger W.
AWRENCE A. DARBY, judge of the or- phans' court, resides upon a farm near Daw- sonville, Montgomery County, where he owns six hundred acres of well-improved land. He was born January 1, 1829, upon the farm where he still lives, and where his father and grandfather lived before him. His father, George Darby, was also born here and here spent his entire life, dying at the age of sixty-six years. An industrious farmer, he gave himself actively to the cultivation of the three hundred and nine acres, of which the farm then consisted. Since then the judge has added to the place by the purchase of two hundred and twenty acres.
In the family of George and Valinda Darby there were five children, namely: Basil, who died in early manhood; Thomas D., who mar- ried Elizabeth Dawson and resided in this vicinity; Lawrence A .; Susan E., who married Benjamin C. Gott; and Rose M., who became the wife of John A. Jones, of this locality. Of this family the judge is the sole survivor. His grandfather, Basil Darby, was the first of the family who owned this place and was a farmer by occupation, devoting himself through life to the cultivation and improvement of land.
In the old log schoolhouse which still stands near his home, the subject of this sketch ob- tained his education. At the age of twenty- seven he left home and settled upon a farm across Big Seneca Creek, which he purchased and
Active in public affairs, in 1882 our subject was elected a member of the board of county commissioners and at the expiration of his term he was re-elected. In 1891 he was elected judge of the orphans' court for a term of four years, at the expiration of which, in 1895, he was re- elected, upon the Democratic ticket. Three times as candidate for commissioner and twice as candidate for judge he has been before the public, and at each of these elections he won by a good majority. The last time he was elected he led his ticket, which speaks well for his stand- ing in his community. He is a man of excellent business judgment and upright, forceful char- acter, and deserves the high position he holds in the estimation of others. In 1891 his residence was destroyed by fire. He was building a barn at the time, and was of necessity obliged to build a new house also. He has a comfortable and at- tractive home and a hospitable welcome for all who enter its portals. For five years he was. a member of the Darnestown Grange, of which he was master until its dissolution ..
OHN E. EDWARDS, A. M., principal of the Allegany County Academy, of Cumber- land, Md., and now school examiner of Alle- gany County, is a young man of exceptional ability, both as an educator and as a financier. His scholarship is of a high order and he is building up the reputation of the academy to a degree that is most gratifying to those who have
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watched over this justly honored old institution, and who were much concerned in the few years prior to the coming of Mr. Edwards, as the school seemed steadily deteriorating. He has been en- abled to change the current, which is now drifting toward old-time prosperity.
The father of the professor is Edward Edwards, president of the Slatington Rolling Mill Company, of Slatington, Pa., and for nearly thirty years closely identified with the iron industry of Lehigh County. He is a native of Wales. His wife, Mary Miller Edwards, is. a native of Lehigh County, Pa.
John E. Edwards was born May 8, 1869, in Catasauqua, Lehigh County, Pa., and was reared in that town. His preliminary education was obtained in the grammar and high schools of the place, after which he entered Lafayette College, of Easton, Pa. He was then only fifteen years of age, and graduated in due course of time, in the class of 1888, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. As a teacher, his initial work was in the Pennsylvania State Normal school, at Mans- field, Pa., where he had full charge of the Latin and Greek department. This important position he occupied during the following four years, at the end of which period he took a post-graduate course, covering two years, at Lafayette College, paying special attention to philology and psy- chology. In 1894 he accepted his present posi- tion, and under his jurisdiction the enrollment of pupils has increased more than double what it was four years ago. Mr. Edwards is a member of the Masonic Order, the Elks and the Essenic Order, and is still connected with the Delta Kappa Epsilon Society of Lafayette College. In July, 1897, he married Miss Mary Lamar Read, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Clark Read, of Cumberland.
new building, while the county donated the ground. The site is in the prettiest residence district of the city, and upon the other half of the square of which it occupies a part, a fine court- house has recently been erected. A special feature of the academic department is that the boys receive instructions in military tactics and this discipline is of incalculable benefit to every youth. The teacher in this line is a thorough, practical man, who has had excellent military training himself, and he is meeting with marked success. Pupils are prepared for college here and the standard of education is kept up with the best institutions of learning of the period. No better place could be found in all the associations and environments for young people who must go away from home to school, and the terms of tuition and other expenses are very low, in view of all the facts.
ENJAMIN F. FRIEND, who is now prac- tically retired from active farming, to which vocation he has hitherto devoted his whole life, is one of the leading citizens in the vicinity of Friendsville, Garrett County. His ancestors were among the early pioneers of this locality and the town was named in their honor. Indians were then quite troublesome and, for protection in case of attack, the settlers built forts, in which they sometimes took refuge. Bears and other wild game were to be found in abundance and the pioneer Friends were noted, far and wide, for their skill as hunters and trappers. John, the great-grandfather of our subject, and his sons upon one occasion captured seven bears, taking them from their cave near the stream which has ever since been known as Bear's Creek.
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