USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Sixth congressional district, Maryland V. 2 > Part 5
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
In 1875 Mr. Seibert married Miss Ella Pit- tenger, daughter of Henry R. Pittenger, and they have four children, namely: Stanley C., a druggist in Hagerstown; Ritta, who is still at school; Corrinne F. and Paul. The family attend the services of the Reformed Church, of which the parents are members.
JOHN B. WRIGHT. During the long pe- riod of his residence in Allegany County the subject of this sketch has maintained the principles of integrity and industry to which he was reared. His has been a busy and active life and is fittingly crowned by a twilight of tranquil leisure, with no duty more burdensome than the oversight of his financial interests. An active worker in the ranks of the Republican party, this organization has acknowledged the results of his efforts by electing him to several important
516
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
offices. During the '7os he was elected mayor of farm, our subject again assumed the management Frostburg and again in 1886 he was chosen to of the homestead, visiting it daily and superin- tending the work there. He has been engaged in the mercantile business from 1876 to the pres- ent time, but no longer has the active manage- ment of the business, having turned this over to his son. occupy this important position, the city hall being buift during his second term of office. He has served as treasurer of Frostburg and in the fall of 1893, by one of the largest majorities ever given in the county, he was elected county com- missioner, serving in that capacity for two years.
A native of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, Mr. Wright was born August 8, 1835. His grand- father, Henry Wright, was engaged in farming in Allegany County during the early days of its history as an agricultural community. Samuel, father of our subject, was the youngest of the family and was reared in his native county of Allegany, but in 1829 removed to Ohio, where he engaged in farm pursuits until his death. Religiously he was a Lutheran. He married Margaret Huffman, of Maryland, and ten chil- dren were born of their union, but only three are now living, namely: George, who carries on a farm in Putnam County, Ohio; John B .; and William, who makes his home in Van Wert County, Ohio.
The early life of our subject did not differ materially from that of the average Ohio boy of his day, who was expected to contribute to his own support as soon as he became physically able to perform any kind of manual labor. While his facilities for obtaining an education were slight, yet he attended school with reasonable regularity for a few months of each year during his boyhood, and afterward by a systematic course of reading of newspapers and current literature he gained a broad fund of general in- formation. At the age of twenty-one years he came to Allegany County to take charge of the Wright farm of three hundred and seventy acres upon the death of his uncle William. Taking up the work on the farm, he remained there for ten years, superintending the cultivation of the land. In 1864 he removed to Frostburg and took charge of a lumber yard, retaining its management until 1876, when he sold out and at the same time built a brick store and residence. In 1885, upon the death of Curtin M. Graham, who had mar- ried Susan Wright and taken charge of the home
Fraternally Mr. Wright is identified with the Royal Arcanum. He is a member of the Method- ist Church, in which he has acted as steward, trustee and treasurer. He was a member of the building committee having in charge the erection of the new church and hauled the first load of dirt at the time the work was started, also con- tributed very liberally toward the work of con- struction. He is a strictly temperate man, both in theory and practice, advocating the neces- sity of upholding temperance principles. De- cember 1, 1864, he married Mary E., daughter of Michael and Emily (Biggard) Miller, of Eliza- beth, Allegany County, Pa. They are the par- ents of three children, viz .: William C., who is engaged in the furnishing-goods business in Frostburg, and who married Amy M. Williams, October 2, 1896; Sarah C .; and Charles C., who carries on a mercantile business in Frostburg.
AMES E. S. PRYOR, attorney at law, sur- veyor and city engineer of Hagerstown, was born three miles north of this city November 6, 1841. On his father's side he is of remote English descent, while his maternal ancestors were of Irish lineage. He is a son of Samuel Pryor, who was born and reared in Frederick County, Md., and about 1848 removed from there to Washington County, settling at Cavetown, and he died in 1857, at the age of fifty-eight. In politics he was a stanch, but not an active mem- ber of the Democratic party. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret A. King, was born in Frederick County in 1812 and died in Wash- ington County in 1893, at the age of eighty-one years.
517
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
At the time of his father's death our subject was about sixteen years of age. He then started out in the world for himself, working at any oc- cupation that offered him an honest livelihood. After two years he began to teach school and was successful. By self-culture he had acquired a good education. Early in the year 1863 he went to Ogle County, Ill., where he taught for a short time, and then, with some friends and relatives, proceeded to Madison, Wis., where he enlisted in Company I, First Wisconsin Cavalry, as a private. He served until the close of the war, being mustered out July 23, 1865. Under General Sherman he participated in the battles of the Atlanta campaign, after which he was with General Thomas until the spring of 1865, and then served under General Wilson until the close of the war. Though in a number of engage- ments, he was never wounded or taken prisoner. He was a brave soldier, ever at his post of duty, undaunted by danger, undismayed by hardships.
At the close of the war Mr. Pryor returned to Washington County and taught school here until he was admitted to the bar, carrying on the study of law with Judge Syester, of Hagerstown, during the vacation seasons and in hours when at leisure from schoolroom duties. He married Miss Amelia J. Dunn, of this county, and they have one child, Minnie G. As a Democrat Mr. Pryor has taken an active interest in public affairs. In 1885 he was appointed to the office of city engin- eer, which position he has since held, under six years of Republican, and six years of Democratic administration. His attention is given to survey- ing, engineering and his law practice, which consume his entire time, leaving him no leisure The marriage of Colonel Porter united him with Alcinda Gibson, daughter of Minor Gibson, who was born in Fauquier County, Va., May 7, 1797, the eldest son of Minor Gibson, a prominent planter and merchant. While still an infant, Minor Gibson was taken to Culpeper County, Va., where he was reared. His education was obtained principally in William and Mary College at Williamsburg, Va. The study of law he car- ried on with Hon. John Shackleford, of Culpeper Courthouse, Va., with whom he afterward for political offices, even had he the desire to ac- cept nomination for any elective position. He has accumulated considerable property, including the largest brickyard in Hagerstown. His suc- cess is especially noteworthy, when we consider the fact that he was unable to attend school in childhood and had no opportunities save those which he made for himself. His father was a laboring man, who at his death left a large family and no money for their support. Fraternally Mr. Pryor is connected with the Knights of engaged in practice. In June, 1819, he married
Honor, Improved Order of Red Men, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Fraternal Mystic Circle, Junior Order United American Mechanics, Knights of the Golden Eagle and Knights of the Ancient Essenic Order. He is a Grand Army man and belongs to Reno Post No. 4, at Hagers- town. In religious belief he is a Lutheran and holds membership in St. John's Church, of Hagerstown.
INOR GIBSON PORTER, M. D., of Lonaconing, is the descendant of English ancestors. The family, however, has been identified with the history of Maryland since an early period of its settlement. Gabriel Porter, who was born in Frostburg, this state, had a son Moses, the doctor's grandfather, who was born near Frostburg January 10, 1804, and engaged extensively in farming until his death, in 1880. The doctor's father, Col. G. Ellis Porter, M. D., was born July 9, 1830, and for thirty-six years engaged in professional practice at Frostburg, Cumberland and Lonaconing, Allegany County. At the opening of the war, in 1861, he enlisted in the Second Maryland Infantry, with the rank of major, and later was made lieutenant-colonel. From August, 1864, to the close of the war he served as surgeon, being stationed at Cumber- land. In 1871 he was chosen to represent Alle- gany County in the state legislature, where his service was of a most efficient nature.
518
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Elizabeth Shackleford, his partner's eldest daughter, and they had four sons and four daughters, Rev. Isaac Gibson, John Gibson, M. D., Moses, James, Lucy, Mary, Martha and Alcinda, Mrs. Porter. In 1842 Mr. Gibson re- moved to Allegany County, Md., but in 1851 went back to his old home in Virginia, returning to Allegany County after the war. He was a. man of refined and cultured tastes, with marked literary ability, and possessed the qualities that invariably bring one the esteem of associates. His death occurred June 14, 1877.
The subject of this sketch was born in Cum- berland, Md., October 11, 1865. At the age of fifteen he entered the Allegany County Academy, where he studied one year, and then became a student in Dickinson College, at Carlisle, Pa., from which he graduated with the class of 1884. During the same year he began the study of medicine, graduating in 1886. He began in practice with his father at Frostburg and upon the death of the latter he and a brother continued the practice, remaining together until 1893, since which time he has been alone.
Politically a Republican, Dr. Porter was elected mayor of Lonaconing upon that ticket in 1896 and the following year was re-elected. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Knights of the Golden Eagle, Rising Sun Lodge No. 86, K. of P., Junior Order United American Mechanics, Knights of Honor, Royal Arcanum, George Creek Valley Lodge No. 161, A. F. & A. M., and Garfield Chapter No. 30, R. A. M., of Lonaconing. He is a member of Tri-State Medi- cal Association, the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland, and the various local organizations of the profession. He resides at the old family home in Lonaconing, over which his mother still presides.
-
Slight reference has already been made to the family ancestry. Dr. Porter is a representative of the sixth generation in descent from Jolin Porter, a native of Gloucester, near Bristol, England, who made himself obnoxious to the party in power by singing a song of his own composition at a gathering of his neighbors, in which he made an uncomplimentary allusion to
the reigning monarch, George I. On account of this he was compelled to leave the country. About :715 he came to America and settled in Baltimore County, Md. His son, John, Jr., was born in that county and was the first of the name to settle in Allegany County, where he estab- lished his home in 1782, locating first near the Pennsylvania line, but later moving to Mount Savage, thence settling near Eckhart Mines, where he died in 1810. By his wife, who was a Miss Mckenzie, he had eight children, Michael, Samuel, Thomas, Gabriel, Henry, Moses, John and Nellie. The fourth son, Gabriel, was born in September, 1776, and for his first wife married Rebecca Frost, of Frostburg, by whom he had five children, Jane, Josiah, John, Moses and Margaret, all of whom married and settled in Allegany County. He died at the residence of his son, Moses, April 20, 1862.
Next in line of descent was Moses Porter, whose birth occurred January 10, 1804. He was united in marriage, April 20, 1826, with Amy Wade, of Frostburg, who was born in Allegany County in April, 1810. In 1836 he removed to Fayette County, where he engaged in farming until his death, June 9, 1880. Among his fifteen children was a son, G. Ellis, who was educated in the public schools of Tyrone and Connellsville and Uniontown academies. He studied medicine with James M. Porter, of Frostburg, and Lu- tellus Lindley, of Connellsville, Pa., and in 1850- 53 attended Jefferson Medical College, from which he graduated in March, 1853. Immedi- ately afterward he began in practice with his former preceptor, Dr. J. M. Porter, of Frostburg, and remained with him until September, 1856, when he settled at Lonaconing, being the only physician of this locality until the outbreak of the war. He took a decided stand in favor of the Union and. made the opening speech at a mass meeting called at Lonaconing, upon the president's call for seventy-five thousand volun- teers for three months' service. He raised a company and was elected captain. Upon the organization of the Second Maryland Potomac Home Brigade, in August, 1861, he was appointed major, and in January of the following year be-
-
--
519
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
came lieutenant-colonel. From December, 1863, he had command of the regiment until it was mustered out in October, 1864. He was then appointed assistant surgeon, and post surgeon in charge of the hospital at Cumberland, which po- sition he held until the close of the war.
In October, 1865, he returned to his former practice at Lonaconing, where he continued to reside until his death. He made a specialty of surgery, to which department of medicine he was obliged to devote much attention, owing to the fact that he lived in a mining region. He con- tributed a number of valuable articles to the Medical and Surgical Reporter, of Philadelphia. In 1876 he was president of the medical society of Allegany County, and in 1880 was vice-presi- dent of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland. Fraternally he was connected with the Masons, Knights of Honor and Odd Fellows, and in religious belief was identified with the Presbyterian Church. His marriage, October 18, 1853, united him with Alcinda Gibson, who was born in Rappahannock County, Va., Febru- ary 20, 1830. Nine children comprised their family, named as follows: Muscoe Shackleford, Francis Gibson, Emma E., Elizabeth Pendleton, Minor Gibson, Alexander Shaw, John St. Pierre, Robert Bruce and Lindley.
D LAYTON PURNELL, city attorney of Frost- burg, and one of the influential professional men of this place, has resided here since the fall of 1882, when he entered upon the duties of assistant principal of the public school. After five years in that capacity he became the head of a private school which he had established, and for nearly three years continued in that work. However, since 1889 his entire attention has been given to the legal profession, in which he has built up a large and valuable practice in all the courts.
The Purnell family is of English descent. The first of the name in this country was Thomas
Purnell, who emigrated from Berkeley, Northamp- tonshire, England, in 1635 and settled Northamp- ton, Va. Succeeding generations were identified with the development of that section of country. William T., father of Clayton Purnell, was born in the state of Delaware and received his educa- tion in the schools of Worcester County, Md. In youth he entered the law office of John M. Clay- ton, at Milford, Del., where he carried on the study of law until his admission to the bar. Af- ter one year devoted to practice in Milford, he re- moved to Port Gibson, Miss., and there became a prominent attorney. While John M. Clayton held the office of secretary of state he received an appointment in Brazil as consul and afterward spent some time in that empire. On his return to the United States he settled in Worcester County, Md., which he represented both in the lower and upper houses of the state legislature. He was a member of the constitutional conven- tion of 1867. Prominent in public life, he was re- cognized as a man of large resources and great executive ability. On retiring from official serv- ice he gave his attention to the management of his estate, never resuming legal practice. He died at his home near Cambridge, Md., in 1873.
The marriage of Mr. Purnell united him with Henrietta Spence, daughter of Hon. John S. Spence, M. D., of Worcester County, who was one of the United States senators from Maryland. They became the parents of six children, three of whom attained mature years, and two are living, Clayton and Maria L., the latter living on the Eastern Shore. Clayton was born in Worcester County, Md., October 12, 1857, and his education, until fourteen years of age, was carried on under his mother's guidance. After that he studied under private tutors. At the age of seventeen he began to teach in the public schools of Dor- chester County, and while following that occu- pation his leisure hours were given to the study of law under the preceptorship of S. T. Mil- bourne, at Cambridge, and Daniel M. Henry, Jr., of the same place. November 15, 1881, he was admitted to the bar, and for one year after- ward he engaged in professional practice there. In the fall of 1882 he removed to Frostburg,
520
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
where he has since made his home. For a num- ber of terms he has filled the office of city attor- ney, discharging its duties with efficiency and dispatch. His political affiliations are with the Democratic party. Under all circumstances and at all times he displays the interest of a public- spirited citizen in the welfare of his city, state and country. However, he avoids partisanship, and, though firm, is not radical in his opinions. In addition to his private practice and the position that he fills, he is attorney for the Citizens' Na- tional Bank, and other corporations. In 1891 he assisted in the organization of the Equitable Savings and Loan Society, of which he is now secretary. He also aided in the organization of the Allegany Cemetery Company, and is its secretary and treasurer. In religious belief he is identified with St. John's Episcopal Church of Frostburg, in which he is vestryman. June 12, 1889, he married May, daughter of Thomas G. and Sarah E. (Huddleston ) McCulloh, of Alle- gany County, and they have one child, named Henrietta Spence, in honor of her grandmother.
HARLES NICHOLAS HAUER is the enterprising and popular proprietor and manager of a restaurant, which is not only one of the best in the city of Frederick, but in the western portion of Maryland. He thoroughly understands the needs and wishes of the trade and deserves commendation for the systematic and thoroughgoing methods that he employs in attending to his business. The restaurant, which enjoys a large patronage, is centrally located, being near the city hotel on the north side of Patrick street.
The city of Frederick can lay claim to having been the birthplace of our subject, for here he first saw the light October 5, 1859. His father, George N., was likewise a native of this county, and for many years was numbered among the business men of this city. He was interested in the manufacture of cigars and had a large trade,
both local and general. He was chiefly engaged in the wholesale department of the business and succeeded very well in his enterprises. During the term of Postmaster Jenks he held a position in the office for a short time, but he was not an office-seeker, and with this slight exception was never in the employ of the public. He was an honored member of the Masonic order and be- longed to Ben Howard Lodge, Order of Red Men. He died in 1872, regretted by a large cir- cle of friends to whom he had endeared himself in many ways. He attended the Reformed Church, though he was not a member of any, but his life was strictly in harmony with the teaching of the Golden Rule and was replete with kindly deeds towards others. Though he was not a man of means, he was ever generous and ready to lend a helping hand to those in trouble. He and his loved wife sleep side by side in beautiful Mount Olivet Cemetery. Her maiden name was Lucretia 1 .. Pool, and her father was a blacksmith and wagon manufacturer in Frederick for years. Mrs. Hauer died in September, 1896. Of her five sons John H. is a painter engaged with Michael Kennedy in this city; George W. is an engineer on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad; F. H. is con- nected with Fire Company No. 3; William J. is a resident of this place; Margaret, the eldest daughter in the family, is the wife of H. Stouch, of York, Pa .; Mamie is Mrs. William Rowe; Jessie M. and Annie K., the unmarried daughters, are members of our subject's family circle.
C. N. Hauer attended the schools of Frederick in his early years, and was still quite young when he left home to go out into the world for the purpose of earning his own livelihood. For fourteen years he worked at various employments in different places in Pennsylvania and in Wash- ington, D. C .. In the National capital he held the responsible position of manager of the Bright- wood Hotel for several years, and there it was that he gained an accurate knowledge of his present line of business. In 1890 he returned to his old home in Frederick, with the intention of becoming once more a permanent resident, and in a short time he opened the restaurant which
521
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
he is still conducting with so much ability. He the same town. During that time he was laying is affiliated with the Republican party and has never had any aspirations to political office.
In 1888 Mr. Hauer married Clara E. Filby, who was born in this city. Her father was a loyal Union soldier and died on the field of battle, in one of the most critical and dreadful battles of the Civil war, Gettysburg.
1 OSEPH BENSON ODER, editor and pro- prietor of the Mining Journal at Frostburg, is a man eminently fitted for the work he has undertaken. By native gifts and tastes, as well as by education and experience, he is adapted for successful work in the field of journalism. In spite of the fact that his education was limited and his opportunities few, he overcame the lack of early advantages by sheer force of will and de- termination of character, and gained a fund of general knowledge not always possessed by col- lege graduates.
While not a native of Maryland, Mr. Oder has been connected with the interests of Frostburg since 1871, and is stanchly devoted to the wel- fare of his adopted home. Born August 5, 1841, near Luray, Page County, Va., he remained in that state, except during the time of his service in the Civil war, until he came to Frostburg. He is a son of Henry and Margaret (Blakemore) Oder. His maternal ancestors were from the north of Ireland, while on his father's side the family is of French lineage, but has been repre- sented in this country for generations, the first to cross the ocean being a physician who settled in Fredericksburg, Va.
For a short time Mr. Oder attended Franklin Seminary at Luray. When fourteen years of age he was apprenticed to the publishers of a paper at Front Royal, Va., with whom he re- mained for four years. In 1859 he entered the composing room of the Citizen, at Harrisonburg, Va., as a typesetter, but a few months later left that paper to accept a case with the Register, in
the foundation for the thorough education he has obtained through his own efforts. His ability to read character and his quickness to perceive the aims and intents of others, together with his marked ability to give expression to his thoughts, make him pre-eminently qualified for his chosen vocation.
Boru and bred in the south, his sympathies were immediately enlisted for his own people upon the outbreak of the war. For some time he had been a member of a volunteer military organization known as the Rockingham Rifles, and with that company he went into the Tenth Regiment of Virginia Infantry, Third Brigade of Stonewall Jackson's division. He followed his great commander through all his campaigns, and he regards the experience thus gained, though one of danger, toil and privation, as one of the most profitable lessons of his life. He is proud of the fact that he was one of the heroic and his- toric body known and honored as "Stonewall Jackson's foot cavalry." After General Jack- son's death, he continued in the same division under General Ewell. After the close of the war he began to teach, being thus engaged for three years in a private school, and for a similar period he engaged in clerical work at Linden, Va.
Coming to Frostburg in 1871, Mr. Oder estab- lished the Mining Journal in partnership with J. R. Grove, whose place was afterward taken by C. H. Walker and the latter in turn was suc- ceeded by C. W. Oder, a brother of our subject. In 1876 he also retired, since which time J. Ben- son Oder has been the sole owner. During all these years, whether holding a subordinate posi- tion or as sole proprietor, he has always been the editor, and to-day enjoys the honor bestowed upon him by one of his contemporaries, of being the "Nestor of the Allegany County press." By his own personal power he has built up a paper that, independent in politics, has an influ- ence far beyond the confines of its immediate locality, and his editorials are copied far and wide. In political matters he adheres to the tenets of the Democratic party, of which, per- sonally, he is an able ally. In 1877 he was
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.