USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Sixth congressional district, Maryland V. 2 > Part 28
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The Allegany County Academy was estab- lished by the act of the General Assembly of Maryland in the last year of last century. The William E., father of B. F. Friend, was born near the site of Friendsville in 1807, and spent most of his life in that neighborhood. He was a son of Joseph Friend, who had accompanied his parents from Oldtown (near Cumberland) to this first school building was erected on the present site of the German Catholic Church, but by 1849 this structure was declared too small for the ac- commodation of the pupils. The citizens came to the rescue and contributed liberally toward a district in his boyhood, and here was reared to
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man's estate. William E. Friend learned the trade of a blacksmith, and was also well versed in the manufacture of guns and articles of silver. For that early day he was considered a skilled workman, and thoroughly master of his chosen trade. During the Civil war, though his health was not of the best, he enlisted and served in the capacity of armorer for several months, but at length was obliged to be discharged on the grounds of general disability. He was an old- time Whig and a devoted patriot, bringing up his son to high principles of action, and when the time came was ready to give him up to the serv- ice of his country. He died in 1872, aged about sixty-five years. His wife, the mother of our subject, was Miss Harriet Wilt before her mar- riage, and her death took place when she was about fifty years of age.
Benjamin F. Friend was born in Somerset County, Pa., in 1847, and removed with his par- ents to this section when he was a mere child. Here he grew to maturity, and such education as fell to his share was that afforded by the common schools. January 4, 1864, he enlisted in Com- pany D, Third Maryland Volunteer Infantry, as private, and served until May 29, 1865. He par- ticipated in the two days' fight at Frederick City, Md., and in the battle of Monocacy and other engagements, and was so fortunate as to escape injury from the bullets of the enemy, but con- tracted chronic diarrhea at Bolivar Heights, Va., and from this he has ever since suffered. When his services on behalf of the Union were no longer needed, he returned home, and turning his energies into a business channel, engaged in farm- ing and lumbering until about eight years ago. At that time he opened a general store at Friends- ville, and carried it on successfully until 1898, when he sold out his interest in the concern. He has dealt in live-stock, hides and wool, and has been prospered in most of his financial ventures.
Beginning his career without capital or re- sources of any kind, Mr. Friend became well-to-do by industry and perseverance in whatever he un- dertook, and has for years enjoyed the esteem and high regard of all who know him. Though he has met with reverses, he has borne them with a
brave spirit and has quietly pursued the path he had marked out for himself in youth. He has been an active member of the Methodist Episco- pal Church, and for the past eight years has been an exhorter in his congregation. Fraternally he is connected with Sherman Post No. 11, G. A. R., and is now acting in the capacity of senior vice- commander of the same. In politics he is a Re- publican, and for two terms he officiated as con- stable, but with this exception has not been much in public life. December 24, 1872, he married Mary C., daughter of Joshua N. Friend. She is an earnest Christian lady, loved and respected by a large circle of friends and neighbors.
OUIS. R. MOBLEY is one of the sterling business men of Hagerstown. As a busi- ness man he is noted for his strict integrity of word and deed and his general reliability. The well-equipped drug store which he owns and carries on is finely situated in the commercial center of the town, and commands a large and lucrative trade. The business is conducted under the name of the proprietor, L. R. Mobley.
The parents of the above-named gentleman are Col. E. M. and Ellen C. (Carver) Mobley, na- tives of Frederick City, Md., and Hagerstown, respectively. (See sketch of Colonel Mobley.) He and his faithful companion and helpmate, to whom he was married in the fall of 1843, are liv- ing with their son, L. R , of this article.
Of the ten sons who were born to Col. E. M. Mobley and wife, our subject is the seventh. He was born in Hagerstown January 13, 1860, and was educated in the public schools of this place. He was but fourteen years of age when he entered into the world of business by taking a position as a clerk in a drug store. He was an apt pupil, soon mastering the details of the trade, and as soon as possible he invested his earnings in an es- tablishment of his own. Politically he is a Re- publican, doing his duty as a citizen and voter, but he has never been an aspirant to public office,
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GEORGE W. SPANGLER.
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preferring to attend solely to his business and personal affairs. Socially he is a member of the Royal Arcanum.
January 19, 1892, Mr. Mobley married Miss Emma L. Kepler, who was born and grew to womanhood in Xenia, Ohio. Her father, Peter Kepler, was a merchant tailor, but is now de- ceased, as is also the mother. Mr. and Mrs. Mobley are the parents of one child, Charles L. They have a very pleasant home at No. 525 North Locust street.
GEORGE WASHINGTON SPANGLER. The family represented by this well-known citizen of Westernport is of German extrac- tion. The first of the name to achieve distinc- tion was George Spengler (as the name was then spelled ), who was cup-bearer to the prince-bishop of the ecclesiastical principality of Wurtzburg, Godfrey of Piesenburg, who was also chancellor to the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. He accom- panied his bishop and emperor on the crusade to the holy land, where the emperor was drowned in the Syrian River in 1190. George died the same year of the plague, being then about forty years of age. One of the descendants of this George Spengler (eleventh in line of descent from him) was Lazarus Spengler, a reformer, who acted with Martin Luther, and was present with that distinguished divine at the celebrated Diet of Worms.
From George the descent is traced direct to Henry Spengler, who was a son of Hans Rudolph Spengler. He was born June 8, 1704, and mar- ried Susanne Mueller January 17, 1730. In 1732, accompanied by his wife, he sailed to America on the ship Pleasant. Settling in York County, Pa., he engaged in farming there, also followed the trade of a linen weaver, until his death July 6, 1776, two days after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. They had five children, of whom the eldest, Henry, was a member of York County militia, Third Battalion, during the Revolution. The youngest son, Rut-
dolph, our subject's ancestor, was a weaver by trade. August 5. 1759, he married Maria Cath- erine, daughter of Henry Bahn; they had two children, Henry and Elizabeth, Mrs. Peter Streber.
Henry, our subject's grandfather, was born at York, Pa., January 2, 1761, and married Susan- nah Lightner, of Lancaster, Pa. Shortly after his marriage he and his wife removed to Mercers- burg, Franklin County, Pa., where he engaged in the manufacture of wagons and also kept a hotel. Enterprise, industry and hospitality were the most conspicuous traits in his character. He died August 17, 1837, and his wife afterward carried on the hotel business, which was quite profitable, the inn being on the road from Balti- more to Wheeling and Pittsburg. She attained the age of eighty-seven years and eight months. Of her thirteen children, George, father of our subject, was the eldest. He was born in York July 25, 1789. At the breaking out of the sec- ond war with Great Britain he became sergeant in Capt. Thomas Bard's company of riflemen, of Mercersburg, Pa. This company volunteered its service and was assigned to the northern bound- ary on Lake Erie, marching all the way there, with him as color-bearer. The company being divided into two parts, he was given charge of one division, which he piloted through deep snow and over frozen and swollen streams and uninhabitable forests. Shortly after their return and disbandment the city of Baltimore was threatened and he at once called upon his former comrades to join him and go to its defense. Not enough responded to form a separate company, and those who enlisted joined with others at Greencastle, and he was chosen orderly sergeant of the new company. They proceeded to Balti- more and aided in the defense of that city, after- ward returning home. In 1818 he removed to Williamsport, Md., and followed the trade of a wagon-maker. Early in life he associated him- self with the Lutheran Church, of which he remained a member for many years, but in 1840 he and his wife joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which they were exemplary members during the remainder of their lives. Politically
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he was an old-line Whig, and for some years served as councilman. When attending school he had among his schoolmates James Buchanan, afterward president of the United States. He was noted for his sterling qualities and his sup- port of all measures for the benefit of the people and the town.
September 4, 1817, George Spangler. married Mary, the beautiful daughter of William and Elizabeth Fields, of Martinsburg, W. Va. Seven children were born of their union, the eldest of whom, William Henry, died in boyhood. The second, Rev. Joseph Norris Spangler, who was born March 12, 1823, entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church and continued to preach the doctrines of that denomination until his death, in Baltimore, in 1887. The third son, John Franklin, was born March 6, 1825, and at the opening of the war, while a resident of Mur- freesboro, Tenn., he enlisted in the Union army; he died, while in active service, at Clear Spring, Washington County, Md., February 8, 1864. The fourth son, George Washington Spangler, was born in Williamsport, Washington County, Md., October 25, 1827, and forms the subject of this sketch. Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, married Frederick W. Schmidt and resides in Williamsport, Md .; the second daughter, Mary Susan, is the wife of Joseph Paxton, of Baltimore. Luther Richard, the youngest member of the family, was born September 13, 1839, and during the war rendered valuable service as a member of the Union secret service; he is now engaged in the mercantile business at Williamsport, Md.
The education of the subject of this sketch was acquired mainly by self-culture. He has always been fond of reading, which he has carried on in a systematic manner. His library is well sup- plied with all works relating to the history of Maryland, in which line of reading he takes a special interest. When a youth he started west, in 1847, but stopping at Frostburg, here met an acquaintance who prevailed upon him to stop. However, a year later he went to Grantsville, Garrett County. In 1848 the favorablereports con- cerning Westernport induced him to come here. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was then build-
ing, and he assisted in forming a militia company for the purpose of protecting the town from the rowdies working on the road. The company was hired by the railroad company and was used in different places. After having been in charge of a squad for eighteen months, he engaged with the railroad company, in whose employ he con- tinued for twenty-five years. In 1858 he became the resident agent for the vast Hammond prop- erty and estate at Westernport and this he managed until the land was sold, he himself be- coming the purchaser, after a time, of all that remained unsold of the lots, coal mines and interests.
In the building up of Westernport Mr. Spang- ler was a pioneer. At the time he settled here there was not a house in what is now Piedmont, nor a clear space of ground on what is now the Hill. It is largely due to his instrumentality that local interests have been promoted and the welfare of the town advanced. From his home on the Hill may be obtained a magnificent view of Westernport and the river, with Piedmont lying on the other side, as well as the ranges of mountains in the distance. Here, surrounded by every comfort, the twilight of his useful life is being happily passed, secure in the affection of family and friends. In spite of his seventy-one active years, he is hale and robust, apparently as vigorous as most men of fifty.
Mr. Spangler has served several terms as a member of the board of commissioners and has occupied the honorable position of president of the board. For many years he served as school trustee. He was one of the incorporators of the Piedmont & Cumberland Railroad, in which he later served as a director. In former years he adhered to the Democracy, but now gives his in- fluence and vote to Prohibition candidates. At the outbreak of the war he was opposed to co- ercion in the liberation of slaves, though not a believer in secession. Even in those trying times he had the courage to voice his opinions and was seriously threatened for so doing, but was never arrested. He was not the kind of man to become frightened through threats, however, as those knew who had seen him in dangerous positions
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while working on the railroad. In the Lutheran Church he has served for some time as an elder. November 15, 1853, he married Catherine, laughter of David Koontz, of York County, Pa. They became the parents of four children, namely: Charles M., deceased; Parker M., who is with the West Virginia Central Railroad as agent at Keyser, W. Va .; William H., a dentist at No. :19 North Eutaw street, Baltimore; and Susan Virginia, the only daughter, residing with her parents.
For some years past Mr. Spangler has engaged in the real-estate business, but has on sale no property except that belonging to himself. He is a man whose life has been eminently success- ful, and whose success has been gained, not by luck, but by energy, perseverance and shrewd business qualities. He is recognized as a man of wound and careful judgment, one whose opinion in business matters carries weight, and whose business transactions have always been conducted with such a regard for fairness, honesty and in- tegrity that not a stain rests upon his reputation. While his opportunities for success were, in the start, no greater than most men enjoy, yet, while many failed, he, guided by an indomitable will, advanced little by little until he attained financial success and a position of influence among his fellow-men.
ON. SOMERSET O. JONES, ex-member of the Maryland house of representatives, is an old and honored citizen of Montgomery County. He was born and reared to manhood upon the old family estate, where his whole life, in fact, has been passed. The bulk of the land which belonged to his ancestors is still in the possession of the family. The farm owned by him is situated near the village of Goshen, in the first district. The property now under his super- vision comprises almost four hundred acres of finely improved land.
above, was of remote Welsh descent, it is sup- posed. He was a native of Montgomery County, born about the middle of the last century, and, in company with his brother Nathan, he took up and settled upon the land styled Jones' Inherit- ance. He married a Miss O'Neil, a descendant of Lord O'Neil of Ireland. One of their children, John of E., was the father of our subject. He was born in 1788 in Rockville District, this county, and was reared to maturity upon the parental farm, early learning the various duties of an agri- cultural life. He became a successful and prac- tical fariner, and brought up a large family to be good and useful citizens of the several communi- ties in which they afterwards dwelt. Politically he was a Whig. For his wife he chose a Miss Aun S. Waters, whose father, Dr. Richard Waters, was a pioneer physician of this county. Mr. Jones departed this life in 1847, loved and respected by all.
Hon. S. O. Jones is the eighth in order of birth in a family numbering ten children, the others being as follows: Mary E., Mrs. Lloyd W. Lin- thicum, of Howard County; Margaret A., who lived to be fifty-five years of age; Priscilla, un- married; Evan, of Howard County; Richard W., who died in 1895; Elizabeth R., wife of William T. Jones, of Kensington; William J., who died in 1853, aged twenty years; Eugene W., a Balti- more merchant, who died in 1892 and left one daughter, Nannie E .; and Emma, wife of Reuben Riggs.
The birth of Hon. S. O. Jones occurred De- cember 9, 1834, on the homestead where he is still living. His father died when the lad was but thirteen years old, and from that time he was more or less actively engaged in agricultural pur- suits, gradually assuming charge of the various departments of farm work. He has been quite successful in business and has taken an active part in politics in this vicinity. He assisted in nominating Governor Hamilton for the Demo- cratic candidate before the election of 1875 in which Governor Carroll was the victorious man. In his early manhood he was a Whig, but subse- quently became an ally of the Democratic party.
Evan Jones, the paternal grandfather of the In 1875 he was elected on the Democratic ticket
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and represented his district in the house of dele- gates for one term, his colleagues being Howard Griffith and William M. Canby. In 1883 he was again honored by being elected to the house, and served in that body for another term. While the incumbent of this position he served on the agri- culture and insolvency committees. He is a director and was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Gaithersburg. He has never married, and makes his home with his sister, Mrs. Riggs, on the old homestead. Religiously he is connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church South, of Goshen. At the time the church building was erected he served as a trustee and on the finance committee.
ILLIAM F. RABBITT is the manager of the Western Union Telegraph Company and operator for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Rockville. This position he has held since August, 1893, and is recognized as one of the most efficient employes of the railroad in his special department. He is fond of athletics and has been a recognized authority in several kinds of sports. In the spring of 1895 he or- ganized and brought into prominence one of the best amateur base-ball teams in the country, it being known as the "Rockville Athletics." He is at present agent for the famous " Rambler" and "Ideal" wheels, and has sold more bicycles than any other representative in the county. -
The paternal ancestor of our subject came to Maryland about the time of its first settlement by the Calverts. The family name, which was originally Cony, was changed by an act of legis- lature to Rabbitt, several generations ago. The grandfather of W. F. Rabbitt bore the Christian name of Thomas. He was for years the pro- prietor of the old Ball Inn, on the Georgetown Pike, eight miles from Georgetown. This fam- ous tavern was founded by his wife's father (she was a Miss Catherine Ball prior to her marriage) at the present site of Montrose, where the only
perpetuator of the name, Frank Ball, lives to- day. His two sisters are Mrs. Osborne Wilson, of Montrose, and Mrs. Cephas Hardy, of Wheaton, Montgomery County. Thomas and Catherine Rabbitt had six children: Thomas T., who was in the government employ and as chief lineman for the Western Union put in the first electric light plant in Washington, D. C .; William H .; James R., agent for the Humane Society for the District of Columbia; Mary, wife of Lieut. R. B. Boyle, who for thirty-five years has been con- nected with the police force of Washington; Jen- nie, Mrs. C. W. Fields, of this vicinity; and Ida, unmarried.
The parents of our subject are William H. and Lucy J. (Davis) Rabbitt, both natives of Montgomery County. The father was born and reared in the neighborhood of Rockville and now resides on a farm near Derwood, Md. He owns considerable property and is a much-respected citizen of the community in which he dwells. His wife is a daughter of Joshua and Lucy (Mc- Donald) Davis, and sister of William A. A., a carpenter of Rockville; Charles, a farmer near Potomac; and Mrs. S. A. Matlack, whose hus- band is a special correspondent of the Star and Sentinel. Joshua Davis was for years the only blacksmith in Rockville, and was an expert in the craft. W. H. Rabbitt and wife had the fol- lowing-named children: William F., Albert S., Irvin E., M. Pauline, Nora J., Walter, Ella, Har- vey, Maurice, Murray, Avis and Davis. The two last-mentioned are twins.
The birthplace of William F. Rabbitt, of this sketch, is the Corcoran Hotel ( formerly the Union House) and the date of the event May 12, 1868. For several years his father was engaged in the livery business here and the youth received a good education, finishing his studies in Rockville Academy. He was about seventeen when he entered the office of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- road at Rockville, M. D. Knight being agent for the company at that time. He stayed here for two years, and then, for a similar period, acted as a supply operator at various points along the road between Wheeling and Philadelphia. His first permanent position was at Bay Ridge, in
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:889, when he was the Baltimore & Ohio oper. itor for one season, and from there he went to Cumberland, where for a short time he was in the despatcher's office. He next was placed in charge of the newly-established office of Hobbs, at the top of the nine-mile grade, and his first message was sent from the top of a post and rail ience, for the station had not yet been built. It was erected on the historic spot where Colonei Mosby and his men captured and robbed the pay- car of the Baltimore & Ohio during the Civil war.
After spending two or three years there the young man was sent to Halpine, another new of- fice, where he put in the first block system used on the line and since that time there has not been an accident on the road. In 1891 he was transferred . to Derwood, on account of extra traffic on the road owing to' the Grand Army en- campment at Washington. From there he came to Rockville, and operated another "block" of- fice in the western part of the town for a year, since which he has had charge of the new tele- graph office near the center of the place. Po- litically he is a Democrat.
The marriage of Mr. Rabbitt and Alice R. Larkins, of Martinsburg, W. Va., was celebrated February 8, 1893. Mrs. Rabbitt is a daughter of James Larkins, and by her marriage became the mother of two children, one of whom died in infancy and the other is Marjorie.
RLINGTON GROVE HORINE, M. D., is one of the progressive young physicians of Frederick County, his home being in Bruns- wick. He is surgeon for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, having been appointed to this important position some seven years ago. In many ways he has been of substantial help in the upbuilding and development of the resources of Brunswick. When the project of establishing the Brunswick Savings Bank was being agitated he used his means and influence in favor of the
plan and upon its becoming an assured fact he was honored by being elected president of the new institution, and has since acted in this ca- pacity -- some three years or more. In 1897 he was elected city physician, and is at the head of the board of health.
John Horine, the doctor's father, was born in Burkittsville, Frederick County, and has been engaged in agricultural pursuits since his early years. He is now retired from the more arduous duties pertaining to a farm and is enjoying a well-earned rest. He has always used his fran- chise in favor of the nominees of the Democratic party, and religiously is a Lutheran. His father, Tobias Horine, was likewise a well-to-do farmer of the same locality. The mother of our subject was Miss Frances Grove in her girlhood days. Her father was George W. Grove and one of her brothers is the Hon. Manasses J. Grove, of Lime Kiln. : (See his sketch, printed elsewhere in this volume, for the history of the Grove family.) Seven children blessed the marriage of John and Frances Horine, those besides our subject being: John J , who is in the grain business in Burkitts- ville, Md .; Amos, in partnership with the subject of this narrative in the drug business in Bruns- wick; Edward M., a successful farmer in the neighborhood of Burkittsville; Mrs. Effie Mag- hart, of Montgomery County, Md .; Mrs. Lottie Maghart; and Emma, who is at home with her parents.
The birth of Dr. A. G. Horine occurred in 1862 in Burkittsville, and in the well-known school and seminary of the village he received an excellent education. In 1883 he was enrolled as . a student in the Philadelphia College, from which institution he graduated with honors four years later. Having fully made up his mind to enter the medical profession he next entered Jefferson Medical College in the Quaker city, and imme- diately subsequent to his graduation from that celebrated institution he came to Brunswick. Here he opened a drug store and embarked in the practice of the healing art. In a short time he had won the esteem and respect of our citizens and of the medical fraternity as well, and now enjoys an extensive patronage. He numbers
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