USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Sixth congressional district, Maryland V. 2 > Part 7
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J. A. Young, born April 22, 1839, is the youngest child and only son of his parents. His elder sister, Susan E., who was the wife of Will- iam H. Snook, of Frederick County, died when about forty years old; Clara, unmarried, lives in Carroll County, Md. In his boyhood our sub- ject attended the district schools a portion of each year, and he continued to dwell with his parents until he was twenty-three years old. He then became a brakeman on the Baltimore & Ohio Railway, and a little later was fireman on an engine. About the time of the battle of Gettys- burg he returned to the old farm, and again turned his attention to the cultivation of the soil for five years. Up to 1870 he was variously oc- cupied, selling sewing machines, etc., but in that year came to Hagerstown. Here he carried on a dairy business for four years, and was succeeding very well, when he unfortunately went security for a friend and lost all of his property by so doing. About this time he was appointed to the office of constable, and upon the expiration of his two years' term received a further continuance in office, which in all covered a term of ten years. The next eleven years he was interested in real estate and insurance, and in the spring of 1896 came into his present position. He is a member of the Knights of the Ancient Essenic Order and is interested in the success of the Republican party.
The first wife of Mr. Young bore the maiden name of Mary J. Wolf, she being a daughter of John S. Wolf, of this county. The marriage of this worthy couple was solemnized in January,
1866. Their eldest child, Vesta A., is the wife of Prof. Joseph F. Kimler, of Williamsport, and their only child is Irene. Rosa M. is the wife of William. C. Anders, a paperhanger and painter of this place. Their two children are Violet and Richard. Daisy E., a trained nurse, graduated from the Woman's Hospital in March, 1898; Sadie May married Samuel Bowers, a civil engi- neer, formerly of Brooklyn, N. Y., but now of Hagerstown; Jacob W., who was a clerk and trusted employe of William Updegraff & Sons, of this place, went to California for the sake of his health in April, 1894, and is engaged in gold mining; Mollie Viola is a teacher and principal at Samples Manor, this, county; Benjamin F., who learned the printer's trade, is in the employ of a railroad company. He married Marie Sweitzer and has one child. Mrs. Mary (Wolf Young died June 5, 1888, aged forty-eight years. January 17, 1889, Mr. Young married Miss Mary C. Hawbecker, daughter of Daniel Hawbecker, of this county, but formerly of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Young have two children: Clar- ence McKinley and Clara Belle.
HOMAS MARTIN is engaged in the hack and livery business in Oakland, the county seat of Garrett County. He was one of .. the early settlers of the town, to which he came when it contained only about thirty houses; and its gradual growth he has not only witnessed, but also materially enhanced by his personal efforts. The owner of considerable property in and near the village, he has built five houses here and has also for years superintended the management of his farm situated near town.
The parents of Mr. Martin were Joseph and Betsy (Jamison) Martin, natives of Ireland, where they were reared and married. In their family were three children, namely: Eliza, now the widow of David Little; Thomas and George. The wife and mother died when our subject was three years of age. The family continued to
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reside in Ireland until 1856, when they crossed the ocean and settled in Oneida County, N. Y., but after a sojourn of only a few months there they came to Oakland, Md., where the father engaged in railroading until his death, in 1874. He had married again, his second wife being Mary A. Dare, by whom he had four children. 'Two of these are living, Joseph and Mary Jane.
Born in County Down, Ireland, in 1833, the subject of this sketch was twenty-three years of age at the time he came to America. He and his brother George settled in New York state, and soon afterward sent for their father and step- mother, who joined them there. In 1858 he came to Oakland and secured employment on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, continuing in the same position for four years. In 1862 he began in the trucking business for himself, but after a time he turned his attention to the livery busi- ness, and has since carried this on, in addition to engaging in general trucking. He is an indus- trious, hard-working man, who has labored from early manhood and who deserves the competence that he now possesses.
In 1870 Mr. Martin married Miss Ellen, daugh- ter of John Graham. They are the parents of five children, named as follows: Thomas S., who is his father's mainstay in the business, being a young man of energy and perseverance; Arabell, Margaret, Ella and Dora, all of whom are at home. The family are identified with the Presbyterian Church of Oakland and contribute to its maintenance financially, at the same time taking an active part in its work.
ENRY S. HERMAN, M. D., is a promi- nent physician and surgeon of Hagerstown and also owns a drug store here, the man- agement of which is in the hands of his son. He was one of the prime movers in securing the reorganization of the Washington County Medi- cal Society and is now its vice-president. The Maryland Medical Association also numbers him
among its members. In all the improvements made in the science of therapeutics he keeps posted, and such as are available for use in his practice he adopts, thus keeping in touch with the latest developments and discoveries in the profession.
Dr. Herman was born in Waynesboro, Frank- lin County, Pa., August 10, 1850, and is a son of George D. and Nancy (Shank) Herman. His father, who was born in York County, Pa., January 5, 1818, learned the carpenter's trade in youth, and worked at that occupation until 1851. He then removed to Washington County, Md., and purchased a farm four miles north of Hagers- town. To the cultivation of that place his re- maining years were devoted. He died at the age of seventy years, March 19, 1888. Though he would not accept office, he was active in politics and always voted the Democratic ticket. In re- ligion he was identified with the German Baptist Church until a short time before his death. Few of the people of his community were so well liked as he. He was a man whom everyone respected. Especially did he deserve commenda- tion when the fact is taken into consideration that he was orphaned at the age of two years and had few opportunities for obtaining an educa- tion. However, in spite of disadvantages, he succeeded in acquiring a broad fund of informa- tion, the result of study at home in his leisure moments. Though he never became rich, yet he accumulated a competency and left his wife in comfortable circumstances. She is still living and is now seventy years of age. She is a mem- ber of an old family of Pennsylvania and a daughter of John Shank, of Waynesboro, that state. In religious belief she is connected with the German Baptist Church. In her family there are four children, namely: Susan R., wife of Emanuel Spessard, of Washington County; Henry S .; Amanda E., who married A. C. Vost, of Pennsylvania; and Alice, wife of Samuel Hicks, of Morgansville, Md.
At the age of fourteen years our subject entered the Gettysburg high school, where he remained for a short time. He then matriculated in the Pennsylvania College, where he was a student
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for six years, but left a short time before he generations ago and were numbered among the founders of Somerset County, Pa. In that por- tion of the Keystone state the grandfather of our subject, George Weimer, was born and lived until 1850, when he removed to Garrett County. Here he engaged in agricultural pursuits up to the time of his death, at the ripe age of eighty years. Joseph Weimer, father of our subject, was born upon his father's homestead in Somer- set County, Pa., and with the other members of the family came to this locality nearly half a century ago. Here he turned his attention to would have graduated. During his vacation, in the summer months, he took a business course at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Leaving college in 1870, he afterward taught school in Washington County for four years, and while thus engaged he also read medicine under Dr. Simmons, of Hagers- town. February 29, 1876, he graduated from the medical department of the University of Maryland with the degree of M. D. He opened an office and began to practice at State Line, near his father's home, and remained in that place for fifteen years, when he came to Hagerstown. He - farming, meeting with success in his chosen has been in continuous practice here since, with the exception of two years, 1891-92, when he took charge of the sheriff's office. In 1893 he built his present house and opened a drug store.
In 1872 Dr. Herman married Siloam C. Stocks- lager, of Washington County. Two children were born of their union, but only one of these is living, George Henry Guy, who has charge of the drug store owned by his father. As a Demo- crat Dr. Herman has taken an active part in politics. He is a member of the Fraternal Mystic Circle and the Woodmen of the World, in both of which he is medical examiner. Since thirty- three years of age he has been a member of the Church of God.
DWIN ARTHUR WEIMER, an enterpris- ing young business man of McHenry, Garrett County, is a native of this section, and from his early years has been greatly inter- ested in the prosperity and progress of the county. He comes from honest, industrious, God-fearing ancestry and has inherited many of their most substantial and noble characteristics. He is a worker for the nominees and policy of the Repub- lican party and advocates the best possible educa- tional advantages for the rising generation, believing that in this direction lies the solution of many of the evils that threaten our land.
The Weimers came from Germany several
vocation. During the Civil war he enlisted as a member of Company A, Third Maryland In- fantry, and for gallantry was promoted to be corporal and color-sergeant. He was one of those captured at Harper's Ferry, but was later set free upon parole. After the formation of the Republican party he became one of its allies, but was never an aspirant to public office. He died when in the prime of manhood, being in his forty-second year. His wife bore the maiden name of Martha A. Friend, her father being Israel Friend, of this county. She is still living and makes her home at Mountain Lake Park, a beautiful spot in the mountains near. Of the six children born to Joseph and Martha Weimer, the eldest died in infancy, and the others are E. A., Lillie B., Charles R., Anna Cora and Josie Alice.
The birth of E. A. Weimer took place upon his father's farm near McHenry, in 1868. He received a liberal public-school education, sup- plementing this with a course of studies in the higher branches in the normal and in Mount Union College, at Alliance, Ohio. Thus well equipped, he engaged in teaching school for some three years in the schools of his native county, and met with gratifying success as a pedagogue. It was not his intention, however, to devote his entire life to this work, and in 1892 he purchased the general merchandising business of D. W. Fraker, of McHenry. This enterprise he carried on for eighteen months, at the end of which time he sold out and removed to Alliance, Ohio, where, for a short time, he was similarly occupied in business. Returning then, he built
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VICTOR CUSHWA.
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his present commodious store and, fitting it up with a well-selected stock of goods, has since given his energies to meeting the demands of the local trade. He is a young man of good judg- ment and far-seeing business methods, and enjoys the respect of all with whom he has had dealings. The postoffice is located in his store building, and he has acted as assistant to the postmaster.
In 1894 Mr. Weimer married Effie M. Glot- felty, daughter of Jonas Glotfelty. The young couple have had two children, Joseph Harrison and one who died in infancy. He .is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is steward and trustee and superintendent of the Sunday-school. His wife is a member of the United Brethren Church.
ICTOR CUSHWA. No firm in the western part of Maryland has attained a higher posi- tion in its particular line than that of which Mr. Cushwa is the head. Besides himself, his son, V. Monroe Cushwa, and son-in-law, M. Emmett Cullen, are connected with the business, the firm title being Victor Cushwa & Sons. They own warehouses at Williamsport and Hagerstown, where a large wholesale and retail business is carried on in coal, cement and plaster; also at Powell's Bend, two miles below Williamsport, where they make shipments over the Cumberland Valley and Pennsylvania Railroads. In addition to this enterprise, they are engaged in the manu- facture of plain, ornamental and pressed brick, with extensive works at Williamsport, under the title of the Conococheague Brick and Earthen- ware Company.
At the old family mansion, situated in the Dry Run neighborhood, northeast of Clear Spring, Washington County, Md., the birth of the sub- ject of this sketch occurred February 2, 1833. In 1847 he was apprenticed to learn the trade of a tanner and currier, at which he served until 1854, and then began in the business for himself. In the spring of 1858 he married Miss Mary A.
Kriegh, daughter of William Kriegh. For two years he engaged in tanning and currying at the old home place, after which he bought the tannery and property of the late Isaac Motter in Williams- port, and moved to this place in the spring of 1860. After a time he sold the tannery and became gen- eral manager of the Washington County Leather Manufacturing Company, located at Hagerstown, and in this capacity he continued until the de- struction of the large plant by fire in March, 1872. His next venture was the purchase of one-half in- terest in the coal, cement and plaster business and property of the late Charles Embrey & Son, at Williamsport. On his admission to the busi- ness, the firm name was changed to Embrey & Cushwa, and continued the same until July, 1880, when he bought his partner's interest. After carrying on the business alone for six years, in 1886 he bought property in Hagerstown, and this he improved with large warehouses and other buildings necessary for the management of a large coal, cement, plaster and brick business.
In the summer of 1888 Mr. Cushwa took into partnership his son, V. Monroe, and son in-law, M. Emmett Cullen, forming the firm of Victor Cushwa & Sons. They have built up a profit- able business in their special lines, their trade amounting to a quarter of a million dollars an- nually. The extensive business interests fully occupy the time of the founder and head of the firm. He has therefore had no opportunity to iden- tify himself with public and political matters, even if he had the inclination. However, he has held a number of positions of trust, among them that of receiver of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal for the District of Columbia, to which he was appointed by Judge Cox in 1890. He is also a director in the Potomac Valley Railroad. Since the found- ing of the Conococheague Brick and Earthenware Company, at Williamsport, he has been its presi- dent.
The genealogical record of the Cushwa family shows that John and Catherine Cushwa emigrated to America between 1670 and 1680 from Alsace- Lorraine, a province that for centuries has be- longed alternately to Germany and France. Arriving in America, they made settlement near
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Womelsdorf and Stouchsburg, Berks County, Pa., Flautt, of the Catholic Church. They are the upon land patented by William Penn. They parents of the following-named children: Mar- garet E., wife of M. Emmett Cullen, of the firm of Cushwa & Sons; Sarah C., Mrs. N. Bruce Martin; Mary Louise, wife of Charles A. Mullen; Victor Monroe, who is in business with his father: Ellen S., who married John M. Dugan; David Kriegh, of Williamsport; Charles Franklin; and Frances Jane, who is with her parents. possessed ample means, with the character that always wins the respect of others. They stood staunchly for liberty, independence and good government. Among their children was John Cushwa, who with his wife, moved from Pennsyl- vania to western Maryland, settling in the valley of the Conococheague, near where Clear Spring now stands, and in what is yet known as the Dry Run and Cushwa settlement. They were the parents of four daughters and five sons, one of whom was Capt. David Cushwa, our subject's grandfather, who served as an officer in the sec- ond war with England, at the time that the Brit- ish, under General Ross, invaded our coast. The other sons and daughters married and settled in different sections of Maryland and Virginia, and their children and grandchildren have borne their part as honorable, useful and prominent citizens of our nation. Originally the family were iden- tified with the German Reformed Church, but within the past thirty years several families of the descendants, including our subject's, became adherents of the Catholic religion.
In the busy and useful life that Mr. Cushwa has led, he has gained financial success and the respect of all with whom he has had business and social relations. The success of his ventures is due mainly to correct business principles, and honesty in dealing with all customers. In his youth educational advantages were rare. Schools were few, and the method of instruction crude. In fact little effort was made to educate children except during the winter months, when subscrip- tion schools were occasionally taught. Collegiate education was costly, and few could enjoy that great privilege. Only those who have survived that time can fully appreciate the many oppor- tunities now offered by our schools. In spite, however, of his lack of advantages, Mr. Cushwa obtained a good business education in the school of experience, while by reading newspapers and current literature he has kept posted upon sub- jects of general importance.
April 13, 1858, Mr. Cushwa married Mary Ann Kriegh, the ceremony being performed by Father
ILLIAM E. GLADSTONE HITCHINS, manager of the Hotel Gladstone, Frost- burg, is a native of this town, and was born February 22, 1867. He was educated in the public schools here and Bryant and Strat- ton's Business College in Baltimore. At the age of twenty years he became mining clerk under his father, whose assistant he continued to be until the death of the latter, and afterward he engaged in mining with an uncle until 1897. He realized that Frostburg needed a better hotel, and in 1896, in connection with William R. Percy, his father-in-law, he began the erection of the fine hotel property, which was opened January 1, 1897. Six months later he took active charge of the hotel. The Hotel Glad- stone is under the management of our subject, William E. Gladstone Hitchins, and is owned by the firm of W. E. G. Hitchins & Co., composed of the following members: Mrs. Anna E. Percy, Rosamond K. Percy, Helen A. Hitchins and W. E. G. Hitchins.
There is not a finer hotel in the state, outside of Baltimore, than Hotel Gladstone, and for the size of the town there is probably none better in the country. The building is a four-story brick, of the latest approved construction, and contain- ing all modern conveniences, including plumb- ing and steam heat. Frostburg being located twenty-two hundred feet above the sea level affords an ideal place for a summer outing, and many people, among them some of prominence in society, politics and commerce, have spent
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their vacations here. Tennis courts and other games are provided as a means of recreation for the guests.
In addition to owning a half interest in the hotel, Mr. Hitchins is interested in the Barton ind George's Creek Valley Coal Company, and the Hitchins Brothers Company, in both of which companies he is a director. He is also a stockholder in the Citizens' National Bank of Frostburg and the Olive Hill Fire Brick Works at Olive Hill, Ky. Politically he is a Republican, but has never sought office. In 1896, without his seeking and in fact without his knowledge, he was appointed tax collector of the third dis- trict of Allegany County, and in 1896 and 1897 his returns were in with less delinquent tax- payers than any collector the county ever had. Fraternally he is connected with the Royal Arcanuni. In 1892 he erected a fine residence at No. 143 Union street, near the Methodist Church.
The marriage of Mr. Hitchins united him with Helen A., daughter of William R. and Annie E. (Bishop) Percy, of Frostburg, and they have one daughter, Elizabeth. Mr. Percy was one of the most prominent men of the place. He was a director in the Second National Bank of Cum- berland, held an interest in several stores, and owned a number of farms, one of which is as fine a farm as can be found in the state. A man of generous, charitable impulses, with a very kind heart, he gave liberally to the poor, and his bene- factions amounted to more than those of any citizen in the town. In his death, which was caused by drowning, May 26, 1897, the poor lost a helping friend, and the town a most pro- gressive citizen-one who was held in the highest esteem by all.
The subject of this sketch has a brother, Jo- seph H. Hitchins, who was born in Frostburg, September 20, 1861, and upon completing his education entered the store of Hitchins Brothers, conducted by his father and uncle. After three years he went west and worked with the Union Pa- cific Railroad Company in Kansas City and other points. On his return to Frostburg, in January, 1890, he accepted the position of agent for the
Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad, which he still holds. August 13, 1888, he married Mag- gie, daughter of Robert Matheny, of Lonaconing. They have two children, Lawrence and Holt. He is interested in the Barton and George's Creek Valley Coal Company, and is a director of the Hitchins Brothers Company, which is by far the largest and oldest mercantile establish- ment in Allegany County.
The Hitchins family was founded in America by Owen Eaton Hitchins, who was born in the south of Wales May 25, 1831, and came to this country, settling in Frostburg in 1854, and work- ing in the mines here. During the war he was engaged in the butcher business, supplying meat to the army. Shortly afterward he entered the mercantile business with his brother, Adam E., as Hitchins Brothers, which firm is continued by the sons of both under the title of the Hitchins Brothers Company. Later he engaged in mining for coal, in which he was successful. One of his mines (once known as the Miller, but now the National mine) has been worked out, but the Barton and George's Creek Valley mine is still in operation. He was general superintendent of the mine and was interested in it and the store until his death, March 20, 1893. In political matters he was an adherent of the principles of the Republican party, but was not a politician, and though often urged to run for office he al- ways refused. The only orders to which he be- longed were the Masons, to which he gave some attention in his younger days, and the American Legion of Honor, in which he was a third degree member of Fraternity Council No. 659. In church matters he was prominent, being an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was one of the prime movers in the building of the church at Frostburg, and contributed liber- ally to its support. For many years, and until his death, he was a member of the official board. Though the church building is no longer new, it is still one of the finest in the town, and the erection of a structure so substantial showed his enterprise and zeal.
The first wife of Mr. Hitchins was Elizabeth Jeffries, who bore him ten children, of whom two
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sons and two daughters survive, namely: Minnie E., Joseph H., Anna E. and William E. Glad- stone. After the death of his first wife he mar- ried Nannie Powell, of Eckhart Mines, Md., and they had four children, three now living: Owen E., Adam E. and James J. Mr. Hitchins was treasurer of the Frostburg Gas and Electric Light Company, and also served as trustee of public school No. 1. He was a tireless reader of the best modern literature, and his library, collected through forty years of discriminating reading, was one of the choicest collections in the neigh- borhood.
12 ANIEL S. REMSBERG is a well-to-do and enterprising farmer of Jefferson District, Frederick County, his homestead being situ- ated about two miles southwest of the town of Jefferson. He was born in this locality in 1836 and has spent his entire life here. His ancestors came from Germany and in an early day cast in their fortunes with the inhabitants of New Jer- sey, since which time succeeding generations have occupied an honored place in her advancing civilization and prosperity.
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