USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Sixth congressional district, Maryland V. 2 > Part 38
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
Francis Dade, brothers of the aforesaid Robert Dade, were large property holders in Loudoun County, and most prominently identified with the growth and development of that part of Vir- ginia, which was but sparingly settled up to 1730.
Townshend Dade, a son of Robert Dade, edu- cated in England and ordained by the Bishop of London in 1765, was the first rector of old Christ Church in Alexandria, Va., which num- bered General Washington among its members. He remained in charge of that parish until 1778, when he removed to Montgomery County, Md., and here he settled upon a tract of land that he called Friend's Advice, four miles from Pooles- ville, but now known as Walldene.
Rev. Townshend Dade had but one son, Col. Robert Townshend Dade, who as a captain of militia marched to the defense of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Colonel Dade was several times a member of the state senate. He died in 1873, aged eighty-four years. His son, Robert, who inherited the old homestead in his turn, received his education in the schools of his native neigh- borhood, and later removed to Mount Airy, Car- roll County, and for some years was extensively engaged in agricultural pursuits. On the con- clusion of the Civil war he located in Baltimore and engaged in the commission business, dealing principally in tobacco. He retired in 1875 to his country estate, where he remained until his death, in 1881. For several terms he served as a member of the state legislature.
William E. Wall, the present owner: of the property, married in 1870 Miss Mary Catherine, a daughter of the said Robert Dade and a great- granddaughter of Rev. Townshend Dade. Mr. Wall is a son of the late Jacob Wall, a prominent architect of Baltimore, who was born in that city in 1800 and died there in 1854, and he was the grandson of Jacob Wall, who was born in 1765 and died in Baltimore in 1820. The great-grandfather was born in York, Pa., in the early part of the eighteenth century. On the maternal side, his great-grandfather, Frederick Deems, served in the American army during the entire war of independence. The grandfather, Capt. Jacob
770
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Deems, was wounded in the battle of North Point in 1814, while leading his company against the British. Mr. Wall is at present engaged in the dry-goods commission business in New York City. To Mr. and Mrs. Wall have been born six children: Katharine, Mrs. Jaquelin P. Taylor, of Henderson, N. C .; William Guy, who is a graduate of the Boston School of Technology; Ethel, Lawrence, Stanley and Robert Earle.
AHLON T. LEWIS, who is engaged in the mercantile business at Boyds, Mont- gomery County, was born near Clarksburg, Md., August 24, 1834, a. son of Edward and Mary A. (King) Lewis, and grandson of John D. and Jemima (Miles) King. His father, who spent his entire active life as a farmer in Clarks- burg District, Montgomery County, took an active part in local affairs and held a number of offices, among them that of school commissioner. During the existence of the Whig party he was identified with it and later became a Democrat. As a class-leader, and in other ways, he assisted in the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was born November 19, 1808, and died Au- gust 30, 1884; while his wife, whose birth oc- curred in 1813, passed away May 25, 1894, at the age of eighty-one years, two months and five days. In their family were four children who attained years of maturity. Of these, John A., who remained on a farm adjoining the homestead until his death, married Julia, daughter of Will- iam Shaw, of Clarksburg District; like his father, he maintained a warm interest in the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he was a member. He died April 27, 1886, at the age of fifty-four years, two months and fourteen days. The sub- ject of this sketch was second in order of birth. Elizabeth A., who is unmarried, resides at the old home farm, which our subject personally superintends for her. Mary C., the youngest of the family, was born April 25, 1839, and died January 8, 1896.
The paternal grandfather of our subject, Jere- miah Lewis, was born in this county and engaged in farm pursuits in Clarksburg District. In re- ligion he was connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church and in politics was a Whig. By his marriage to Mary Windsor, a native of this county, twelve children were born, all of whom attained years of maturity, namely: Mrs. Elisha Beall; Edward; Jane, the first wife of Singleton King, of Frederick County; Arnold T., who was a farmer; Catherine, Mrs. Samuel Will- iams, of this county; John R., who married Mary Browning; William, who married Mrs. Gibbons, a member of the Browning family; Caroline, Mrs. Warfield, who is the sole survivor of the family; Jeremiah, who moved to Virginia and from there went to Kentucky, dying in the latter state; Alexander H., who married Emeline Burdette; Angeline, Mrs. Asbury Warfield; and Mary A., who, after the death of her sister Jane, be- came the second wife of Singleton King. The Lewis family has been represented in Maryland for many generations.
After completing his studies, our subject taught school in the western part of Montgomery County. In 1856 he entered the store of Claggett, Newton, May & Co., corner of Ninth street and Pennsyl- vania avenue, Washington, D. C., but on ac- count of illness was forced to return home. He remained on the farm from that time until 1860, when he secured a clerkship in Clarksburg, where he remained for seven years as a clerk, and then, in partnership with William J. Neil, under the firm name of Lewis & Neil, bought the business from his employer. This connection continued for six years, when Mr. Lewis sold his interest to Alonzo Sellman in the fall of 1872. In the spring of 1873 he formed a partnership with James E. Williams at Boyds, under the title of Williams & Lewis, which existed until 1878. Upon the death of Mr. Sellman at Clarksburg, Williams & Lewis bought the business, which Mr. Lewis conducted under the firm name of Lewis & Will- iams, while the business at Boyds was under the supervision of Mr. Williams, with the firm title Williams & Lewis. The partnership was con- tinued in this way from 1878 to 1887, when Mr.
771
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Lewis disposed of the business at Boyds, con- tinuing at Clarksburg until November 1, 1893, when he returned to Boyds. In April, 1894, he bought out Mr. Williams and has since carried on the business alone.
A Democrat in politics, Mr. Lewis has used his influence in behalf of his party rather than himself. For the past twenty-one years he has been a member of the Presbyterian Church, and since the organization of the Boyds church he has been one of its elders. Fraternally he was identi- fied with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was past grand of his lodge, but upon remov- ing from Clarksburg allowed his membership to lapse. December 12, 1876, he married Mrs. Georgiana Moriarty, who was a daughter of William and Mary (Hamill) Milstead, and was born in Prince George County, Md., of Virginian parentage. The two children of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are: J. Frank, who assists his father in the store, and Georgiana. By her former mar- riage, Mrs. Lewis has one son, Pearre, who is connected with the Maryland Steel Company at Sparrows Point. In 1875 Mr. Lewis built the elegant residence where he has since made his home; it is one of the most commodious and best arranged houses in the village and indicates good taste in its arrangement.
SA M. STABLER has spent his entire life upon a finely improved farm in Berry Dis- trict, Montgomery County, where he engages in raising cereals, and also has horses and cattle. He was born here July 2, 1837, and is of remote English descent, belonging to a family that was established in Maryland in an early day. Refer- ence to the genealogy of the Stabler family occurs in the sketch of Warwick Price Miller; presented upon another page. His father, the late Caleb Stabler, was born at Sandy Spring, and was one of five brothers born on the farm from which Sandy Spring village took its name. During a part of his life he engaged in the mercantile busi-
ness at Ashton, Montgomery County, but most of his time was spent in farm pursuits. A man of progressive spirit he favored every scheme for the benefit of the people and the development of the county. He was among the first to introduce fertilizer, which he sold for fifteen years. In the organization of the Sandy Spring Savings institution he was a prime factor, and for many years he officiated as its president. He was greatly interested in securing good roads for the county, and gave much of his time and energy gratuitously to this end. He inclined toward the Democratic party, but was conservative in his opinions and refrained from entrance into public life. Forty-three years of his life were spent on the farm now owned by his son, our subject. A Quaker by birthright, he always maintained an interest in that society, and his generosity was of the utmost value to it in laying a foundation for work in this locality. For years he was president of the Washington and Coles- ville pike. He led a very active life and was a leader among his fellow-citizens. He was among the first to introduce Peruvian guano in this sec- tion, and along many lines he was prominent in introducing plans for the development of the land and the advancement of the people. At his death, which occurred when he was eighty-four, he left five hundred acres of land to be divided among his sons. This land, at the time of its purchase, when he was young, was poor and unimproved, considered in fact worthless, but by his energy and industry it was brought under a fine state of cultivation.
On the homestead which he now owns, the early years of our subject's life were spent. He was educated in the schools of this county and of Virginia. At the age of twenty-two he assumed management of the place he has since owned, and in addition he owns another fine farm in this section. In 1866 he married Albina, daughter of Mortimer and Mary Osburn, of Loudoun County, Va., where they spent their early years, afterward removing to Baltimore, where Mr. Osburn engaged in the mercantile business from 1850 to the time of his death, in 1875. He was a Friend in principle, and a warm admirer
772
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
of Henry Clay, whose political principles he Pa .; George F. holds a position in the postoffice supported. His wife, Mary (Sumers) Osburn, department in Washington, D. C .; and Oscar is engaged in farming in New York. was the daughter of a builder of mills. Mrs. Stabler was finely educated in girlhood, and is a lady of refinement and the highest culture. She is identified with the Society of Friends, and in that faith her sons were reared. She was the mother of four sons and one daughter, but the daughter died in 1882, at the age of nine years. The sons are Newton, who married Miss May S. Hallowell; Mortimer, who carries on the home farm; Llewellyn, who is connected with a life insurance company in Baltimore; and Herbert, at home. Mr. Stabler is liberal in politics, but favors the Republican party and usually supports its tickets. For two years he was an assessor- at-large. At one time he was a candidate for the legislature, but was defeated, as the Democrats have a majority usually and carried the ticket that time by seven hundred majority.
ON. HORACE FRANCIS PAGE, deceased, formerly an influential resident of Berry Dis- trict, Montgomery County, was born in Orleans County, N. Y., in 1834. His father, Jacob Page, a native of Mifflin County, Pa., born in 1805. moved from his native place to Lycoming County, where he remained until 1826, then going to Orleans County, N. Y., where the remaining years of his life were spent. His first wife, whose maiden name was Eliza Nash, died in 1840, leav- ing three children. His second wife bore the maiden name of Mary Field. He was honored and respected by all who knew him, and, in fol- lowing the occupation of a farmer he accumu- lated a competence.
Of the children of Jacob Page we note the fol- lowing: A. J., the eldest, resides in Reading, Mich .. and is employed by a Chicago firm; Cath- arine is the widow of the late John C. Parsons, and, with her two daughters, lives in Oakfield, N. V .: Mrs. Alonzo Crane resides near the old homestead: Mrs. Mark Clark resides in Pittsburg,
The fact that his mother died when he was young and that he was one of a large family made the subject of this sketch more self-reliant than boys usually are. At an early age he went . to California and operated a sawmill near Colfax, in which line of work he was successful. After a time he went to Placerville, where he staked a claim and also built a large network of stage lines, connecting El Dorado and Sacramento. After he had been in Placerville a few years he married Miss Jane Waters, an accomplished young lady, whose affability made her very popular in society. She was a daughter of Col. James Waters, a colonel in the Indian wars and a native of Phila- delphia, Pa., born February 22, 1794. When a youth of eighteen he served in the War of 1812. In 1819 he moved to Missouri, and in 1823 he was united in marriage with May Wills. He served with distinction in the Indian wars in Florida in 1834, bearing the rank of colonel.
At the close of the Indian troubles Colonel Waters resumed farm work, in which he con- tinued until 1843, and then went west with a train of emigrants, of which he was captain, and which consisted of men of brave, hardy spirits like him- self. The wagons of his trains were the first to cross the plains, and finally reached the Wil- amette Valley. In 1849, accompanied by a large number of men, he hastened to California im- mediately upon learning of the discovery of gold in that state. . After a year there the Indian out- break of 1857 occurred, and he offered his serv- ices to his country, serving from the first of the war to the close. His life was largely identified with the history of California, its growth and de- velopment, and he was to that state what Daniel Boone was to Kentucky-a sturdy pioneer, brave, hardy and energetic, whose work was a necessity to the opening of civilization. In religion he was identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and that faith brightened the ninety-five years of his life and rendered peaceful his death, which occurred September 27, 1889.
Actively interested in politics, the subject of
-
.
773
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
this sketch was a power in behalf of the Repub- lican party. He contested with Judges Porter, Cavis and Tuttle for nomination for congress and was successful. His nomination was a surprise to the Sacramento Daily Union, the most influen- tial newspaper in the district. He was duly elected and served ten years, introducing many bills in congress and opposing some that he be- lieved prejudicial to the welfare of the people. In his support of bills it was always noticeable that he was a friend to the laboring classes and the poor. In 1882 he established his home at El Dorado, in Montgomery County, which place he named after his old home in California. His death occurred in 1890, in California. Frater- nally he was a Mason. During his last years he engaged in the practice of law, in which he was strikingly successful, often taking cases where he had for his opponent Colonel Ingersoll and other men equally gifted. He and his wife had three sons and one daughter: Frank Marion, who is married and has two children; George, who is employed in the government printing office; Fred and Pearl, who are at home. The family are identified with the Episcopal Church.
hood, being influential in public affairs and highly respected as a man. From his father, who was a Scotchman, he inherited qualities of thrift and energy, as well as an unflinching in- tegrity of character. He was devoted to his native county and, while three of his brothers removed to Tennessee, he was content to remain here throughout his entire life, and until he passed away at sixty-two years of age. He pur- chased a tract of six hundred acres adjoining
Chevy Chase, and to the cultivation of this prop- erty much of his active life was given. In religion he was connected with the Presbyterian Church. Twice he was elected to represent his district in the state legislature, and while a member of that body he served as chairman of the committee on ways and means. He was a delegate to the con- stitutional convention of 1867.
The mother of our subject was Helen, daugh- ter of Zachariah Gatton, a native of this county and a farmer by occupation. Little is known of the lineage of the Gatton family, save that they originated in Holland. Our subject has one sister, Kate, who married Thomas Skiles and re- sides in Washington, D. C .; and a younger sister, Alice, who is the wife of Judge McDow Venable; also a brother, Edgar P., who is retired and makes his home in Washington. In the public schools of Brookeville, Montgomery County, our subject gained the rudiments of his education, and afterward he was a student in Columbia College, Washington. In 1867 he went to Mis- sissippi, but after three years returned to Mary- land, and, in connection with his father, built three miles of the Metropolitan branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Later, with his brother, he built the railroad from Hagerstown to Williamsport, also the transportation lock at Georgetown and other short lines. He owned a large tract of land in Bethesda District, and in 1890 PENCER WATKINS, who makes his home in Bethesda District, Montgomery County, was born in 1845 upon a farm adjoining his present home. His father, Greenbury M. Wat- kins, who was also a native of this county, en- gaged in agricultural pursuits and held a position sold a portion of the property to the Chevy Chase Land Company, reserving six acres in Bethesda, near the street car line, where he spends much of his time. He also has a city residence in Washington; where he and his family spend a part of each year. Both of these places he has im- of prominence among the people of his neighbor- . proved by planting trees, adding necessary build-
ings and keeping the houses in excellent repair. Since 1890 he has lived practically retired.
At one time Mr. Watkins was a director of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, and he was also its secretary and treasurer for some eight years. He served as chairman of the county central Democratic committee for a number of years, was secretary for six years, and secretary and treasurer of the state Democratic central committee, of which he is now treasurer, during which time he had
774
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
his headquarters in Baltimore. He has always been a stanch friend of the Democratic party and has done all within his power to promote its pros- perity and secure its success. In 1896 he was one of the delegates to the Democratic convention at Chicago. In 1870 he married a daughter of Col. E. H. Brook, paymaster of the regular army. They have two daughters, Helen and Ann, both of whom were educated in Washing- ton. The family usually attend the Episcopal Church, of which Mrs. Watkins is a member, his membership being in the Presbyterian Church. They have many friends among the best people of the county, as well as in the city of Washing- ton, and are highly respected for their many noble qualities of character.
ENRY C. CHANEY purchased a tract of one hundred and forty acres in Berry Dis- trict, Montgomery County, in 1878, and has since engaged in clearing, improving and culti- vating the place, in which endeavor he has been so successful that he now has one of the finest farms of his section. At the time of purchase, the land was unimproved, without buildings of any kind and destitute of fences and the other necessities of a good farm. He has tilled the soil, divided the fields from one another by substantial fencing, erected good buildings and made the place valuable financially and desirable as a home.
Near Millersville, Anne Arundel County, Md., the subject of this sketch was born in 1846, being a son of Samuel and Catherine (Warfield) Chaney, natives of the same county as himself. His father, who was a farmer by occupation, was especially interested in educational matters and served efficiently as a school trustee for some years. He was a member of one of the old fami- lies of his county. His death occurred when he was forty and when his son, our subject, was a small boy. The mother also passed away some years ago. Of their four sons and two daughters,
all are living but Joel W., who died in 1866. Andrew is a farmer in Anne Arundel County; Frank F. lives at Burtonsville, Montgomery County ; Hester A. married Francis Bell, of Anne Arundel County; and Julia A. is the wife of Richard Phelps, of Georgetown.
At the age of sixteen our subject began to earn his own livelihood. He followed clerking until he was twenty-one, when he embarked in the mercantile business, opening a store at Patuxent, where he remained for five years. Later he en- gaged in business at Larell for a similar period, and from there went to Spencerville. In 1878 he removed to the farm where he has since re- sided. In 1868, at the age of twenty-two, he married Annie Griffith, who was born in Howard County and died there in 1872. His second mar- riage united him with Leona M., daughter of John S. and Melissa G. Poler, of western New York; she died in 1889. He was again married in 1895, his wife being Elizabeth B. Yerkes, of Philadelphia; they have one son, John Kendrick. In politics he is a Republican, and while engaged in the mercantile business he served as postmaster, the office being in his store. He has been his party's nominee for the state legislature, received a large number of votes, but owing to the Democratic majority he was defeated. In religious connections he is identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church.
ACOB POSS, ex-mayor of Rockville and for four years a member of the town council, has been engaged in the livery business in that place for a quarter of a century. Since ISSo he has handled a full line of carriages, wagons, harness, etc., in addition to managing his livery, and has enjoyed a large and lucrative trade throughout this section of Montgomery County. He is a self-made man, and by energy and well- directed business methods, has become well-to-do and influential among the people of this com- munity.
775
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
In starting out upon his commercial career Mr. Poss was handicapped by the fact that he was almost a stranger to the English language and customs. He was born in Prussia near the castled Rhine, August 1, 1839, being a son of Henry Jacob and Apolonia (Emrich) Poss, who were farmers by occupation. Our subject at- tended the public schools of his native land until he was about twelve years old, when, with an aunt, he came to America. For several years he lived in Washington, Md., giving his assist- ance to his uncle until his twenty-third year. The young man then opened a hotel at Bright- wood, D. C., and conducted it during 1362, 1863 and 1864, but the war proved disastrous to him, as time and again his goods and effects were ap- propriated by soldiers, and for much of what was thus confiscated he has never received any com- pensation. He had dealt to some extent in live stock and in 1864 became exclusively interested in farming. At first he carried on a homestead in the District of Columbia and then, for one year was a resident of Prince George County, Md. In 1867 he came to this county and cultivated a farm here up to 1874, when, on account of rheumatism he gave it up. During this time he was very successfully engaged in buying, selling and shipping live stock, cattle and horses. He continued to deal in stock for six years after com- ing to Rockville, but has since had all the other business he could conveniently manage. Start- ing with a small equipment he now has an aver- age of eighteen or twenty horses in his stables and also boards and takes care of horses for their owners. Politically he is a Democrat, and re- ligiously he is a Lutheran and an active mem- ber of the church. Honest and straightforward in all his dealings, he justly enjoys the esteem of a large circle of friends and neighbors.
In February, 1862, Mr. Poss married Mary Ellen Dobson, of Washington, D. C. She was summoned to the silent land February 21, 1887, at the age of forty years, ten months and sixteen days. Of the twelve children born to our subject and wife all but two are living, their names being as follows: Apolonia Estelle; Lillian, wife of Curtis Robertson, a carpenter of Rockville; Marion,
wife of Albert Felka, a confectioner in Frederick, Md .; Harry G., who is assisting his father in the livery business; Bernard, who married Mary Tall, of Frederick County, and is a blacksmith of this town; William S., a plumber by trade, and a member of Company K, First Regiment of Maryland Militia; Rhoda, Claude J., Ethel and Clyde.
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.