Families

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1906 Biographies

REV. JOSEPH SPANGLER KIEFFER, D. D., son of Rev. Ephriam and Eleanor (Spangler) Kieffer, was born in Mifflinburg, Pa., February 3, 1842.

In the year 1748, Dewald Kieffer, of Germany, emigrated with his father, Abraham Kieffer, Jr., and two brothers, from Zwei-Brucken, on the Rhine, to America; they landed at Philadelphia, September 15, 1748. Dewald Kieffer grew to manhood in Berks County, Pa., near Kutztown. After the Revolution, he removed to Franklin County, Pa., and in 1789 purchased from James Clark the tract of land called "Clark’s Fancy," now the site of the village of Upper Strasburg. Mr. Kieffer laid out that town in the same year, naming it for the famous German city of Strasburg; and here he passed the remainder of his life. The village prospered for many years; before the day of turnpikes, it was the most important place in the County. Mr. Kieffer’s house of "entertainment for man and beast" was long a noted resort. Dewald Kieffer married Hannah Fox; their children were: Abraham; Peter; Dewald; Gideon, Ludwig, Jacob; Christian; Hannah; Catherine; and Rebecca.

Abraham Kieffer, their eldest son, was born near Kutztown, Pa., November 18, 1758; he died August 18, 1855. He was a farmer and teamster, residing near "Kieffer’s Post-office." He was widely known as "Uncle Abraham." He served in the Revolution, and upon his monument is inscribed his name, with the simple words, "A Revolutionary Soldier." He died at the extreme age of ninety-six years; his remains are interred at Kieffer’s Church, in Franklin County, Pa. Abraham Kieffer married Catherine, daughter of George Beaver; she was born November 9, 1763, and died August 10, 1833. Their children were: John; Joseph; Abraham; Daniel; Dewald; Louis; Simon; Hannah; Sibbie; Mary; Rebecca; Elizabeth; Catherine; and Susan.

Joseph Kieffer, second son of Abraham and Catherine (Beaver) Kieffer, was born in Franklin County, Pa., June 22, 1784; he died October 5, 1849. He was a farmer and tanner, and passed most of his business life in Virginia. He married Hannah Falk; their children were: Ephriam; Maria; Stephen; and Justus. After Mrs. Hannah Kieffer’s death, he married Miss Stuckey; of this marriage there was no issue.

Ephriam Kieffer, eldest son of Joseph and Hannah (Falk) Kieffer, was born January 17, 1812; he died May 11, 1871. He was reared in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, Virginia, and at the age of eighteen years, went to Chambersburg, Pa. There, while employed in a store, he received catechetical instruction from the Rev. Frederick Rahauser, through which he was led to adopt as his life-work the ministry of the Reformed Church. He obtained his literary and theological training at the German Reformed High School and Theological Seminary at York, Pa., from 1831 to 1835. In 1836, he was ordained pastor of a new charge, comprising Bellefonte, Schneider’s and Best’s churches, in Centre County, Pa. He was afterwards pastor of Mifflinburg charge, Union Co., Pa., 1840-57; of the Lykens Valley charge, 1857-64; and of the Sulphur Spring charge, near Carlisle, Pa., 1866-70.

Rev. Ephriam Kieffer was married to Eleanor, daughter of Martin and Lydia Spangler, of York, Pa. The offspring of this marriage are: Hannah M., the widow of John R. Cornelius; Dr. John B., who was born October 20, 1839, for many years professor of Greek at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa., Rev. J. Spangler Kieffer, D. D.; Lydia J., who married Luther C. Furst; Rev. Dr. Henry M., also a Reformed pastor, and Benjamin Ephriam, deceased.

Rev. Dr. Kieffer received his elementary training in the schools of his native town, Mifflinburg, and there also was prepared for college in the Mifflinburg Academy, chiefly under the instruction of Aaron Crosby Fisher, a graduate of Amherst College. In 1860, he was graduated, as valedictorian of his class, from Franklin and Marshall College, after which he taught school for two years, in Aaronsburg, Pa., and Middletown, Md. In 1862, he entered the Theological Seminary at Mercersburg, Pa., and completed his course in 1866, having in the meantime been absent from the Seminary for a year. In May, 1866, he was licensed to preach, and accepted a call to the charge of the Reformed Church in Huntingdon, Pa., where he was ordained in September of that year. After a pastorate of about sixteen months, he was called to his present congregation, with which his connection has since continued uninterruptedly. This congregation belongs to the Synod of the Potomac, of which the Rev. Dr. Kieffer has officiated as the honored president. Besides his pastoral labors, he is Associate Editor of the Reformed Church Messenger, published in Philadelphia; and is a member of the Board of Foreign Missions, of the Board of Visitors of the Theological Seminary at Lancaster, Pa., and of the Board of Regents of the Mercersburg Academy.

The Rev. J. Spangler Kieffer was married, November 11, 1869, to Mary M., daughter of James and Elizabeth Clark, of Huntingdon, Pa. Mr. Clark was for several years editor and proprietor of the Huntingdon Journal. Sydney B., sister of Mrs. Kieffer, is the wife of W. H. Knisely, of Harrisburg, Pa. The Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Kieffer have seven children, as follows: Elizabeth Buffington, who married William A. Lewis, of Rutherford, N. J.; John Brainerd, cashier of the Hagerstown Bank; James Clark, editor of the Daily News, of Frederick, Md.; Eleanor Spangler, who is married to B. George White; the Rev. Henri Louis Grandlienard, pastor of the Reformed Church at Mercersburg, Pa.; Paul, the first Cecil Rhodes scholar from Maryland, at Oxford University, England; and Richard Fulton, a student at Franklin, and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa. All of this family are identified with the Reformed Church in the United States, and are active in the good work which, as a denomination, it is carrying on.

The Rev. Dr. Kieffer is still actively engaged in his duties as pastor of Zion Reformed Church of Hagerstown, to which he was called in 1868; he being the eleventh pastor since the organization of the charge, in 1766. During his years of service, the church edifice has been extensively remodeled, and many members have been added to the congregation. He is one of the leading pastors of the Reformed Church, and is much loved and respected, not only by his own congregation, but throughout the denomination. The Rev. Dr. Kieffer has recently returned from a trip to Europe and the Holy Land, having been sent by his congregation at their expense, as a token of their gratitude, esteem and affection.

REV. CONRAD CLEVER, D. D., pastor of Christ’s and Salem Reformed Churches, Hagerstown, Md., was born at Cleversburg, Cumberland Co., Pa., February 11, 1848, and is a son of George and Isabella (Kelso) Clever.

George Clever was a son of Conrad Clever, a grandson of Barnabas Clever, a native of Germany, who came to America among the early German emigrants of Pennsylvania. Barnabas Clever, the great-great-grandfather of the Rev. Dr. Clever, was murdered by the Indians on the banks of Swatara creek in Dauphin County, then within the boundaries of Lancaster Co., Pa.

George Clever, Dr. Clever's father, died in 1904, at the age of 86 years. He was the father of eight children, of whom Conrad, the second child, was dedicated to the ministry of the Reformed Church in early childhood. As a boy he evinced qualities of industry, patience, perseverance, enthusiasm, and faith, which, nurtured in a Christian home, have borne the fruit of a successful life.

Young Conrad Clever began his education in the country schools of Cumberland County, Pa., and continued his studies at Pennsylvania College, Gettysburg, and Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Fa. He entered the latter institution as a junior and was graduated with the class of 1870. After completing a full course of study at the Eastern Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church, he was ordained pastor of Trinity Reformed Church, at Columbia, Pa., in June, 1873; here he remained six years. He found that this charge had been a mission for upwards of a quarter of a century; he left the congregation almost self supporting.

In March, 1879, Mr. Clever was installed pastor of the Third Reformed Church, of Baltimore, Md., with which he remained until August, 1904. When he assumed charge of the Third Church, of Baltimore, the congregation was threatened with dangers that made its future existence very problematical, but by his energy and devotion to his people he succeeded, by the help of God in rescuing it from its troubles. The church property was saved, the debts were paid, the disaffected members were won back, and the membership was largely increased. After twenty-five years of service in his Baltimore pastorate, his flock, in appreciation of his self-sacrificing labors, fittingly celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of his pastorate. These anniversary services were intended to be a testimonial to the character of the work that he had accomplished. During this quarter of a century, six men received through him the impulse that brought them into the Gospel ministry. One of these served a mission faithfully for two years, and was then called to his eternal reward. Five are in the active ministry, one having only recently been graduated from the Seminary. Dr. Clever is fond of speaking of these six ministers of the Reformed Church as his boys.

Dr. Clever received a call to Christ’s and Salem Reformed Churches of Hagerstown, in August, 1904, which he accepted in September of the same year, and entered upon the pastorate which he is now filling. He has always been a conscientious pastor and is a strong and helpful preacher. Already he has endeared himself to the people of his third charge. He is a close student, and his private library of more than 4000 volumes is an evidence of his taste for books and his love of study. He is well abreast with the theological thought of the epoch, and is a frequent contributor on theological and other subjects to the "Reformed Church Messenger," "The Christian World," "The Reformed Church Quarterly Review," and "The Reformed and Presbyterian Review."

Dr. Clever has served as president of Maryland Classis and Potomac Synod of the Reformed Church, and has been a member of the Board of Home Missions, and of the Board of Visitors of the Eastern Theological Seminary. He is president of the Sunday-School Board of the General Synod, and a member of the Board of Managers of the Maryland Sunday-School Union. He has also served as a director in the State Christian Endeavor Union of Maryland, and as vice-president of the Maryland Bible Society, of the Maryland Tract Society, of the Florence Crittenton Mission, and of the Mainland Anti-Saloon League. Pie received the degree of D. D. from Ursinus College in 1889.

Dr. Clever married, June 6, 1879, Miss Mary L. Everhart, a daughter of the late David and Mary (Hoke) Everhart; they have only one child, Elizabeth Clever, who is living with her parents in Hagerstown.

REV. S. G. DORNBLASER, pastor of St. Mark’s Lutheran, Church, of Hagerstown, Md., was born at Lamar, Clinton County, Pa., May 10, 1861, and is a son of Gideon and Catharine (Miller) Dornblaser.

Gideon Dornblaser was born in Clinton Co., Pa., in 1817, and died in 1866. He was a life long farmer. Mr. Dornblaser was a Lutheran and a supporter of the Republican party. His wife, Catharine Miller, died in 1861, when her youngest child, S. G., was an infant about six months old. John Dornblaser, the father of Gideon Dornblaser, also a native of Clinton county, was a son of Thomas Dornblaser, who was among the early German settlers of Pennsylvania. Thomas Dornblaser settled between Allentown and Bethlehem. John Dornblaser was captain of a company of volunteers in the War of 1812.

Gideon and Catharine Dornblaser were the parents of six children: Henry, a farmer of Clinton County, Pa.; John M., a merchant of Valley Falls, Kansas; Mary, wife of Jacob P. Krope, of Clinton Co., Pa.; Sarah C., wife of William J. Bunnell, of Clinton Co., Pa.; Emma, unmarried; and Rev. S. G.

Rev. S. G. Dornblaser was reared on his father’s farm and attended the public schools while a lad. He was graduated at the Lock Haven High School in 1879. In 1880 he entered Wittenburg College, Springfield, Ohio, where he remained during tile freshman and sophomore years. In 1882 he entered Princeton University and was graduated in 1884. He then entered the Lutheran Theological Seminary, at Gettysburg, Pa., was graduated in theology in 1887, and was ordained by the Wittenburg Synod at Gallon, Ohio, in October, 1887. His first charge was in Marion County, Ohio, where he remained for three years. He next accepted a call from Emporia, Kansas, where he remained four years. His third charge was in Columbus, Ohio, where he remained until 1903; he then accepted a call from St. Mark's Lutheran Church, of Hagerstown.

Mr. Dornblaser was married in October, 1887, to Miss Carrie Tressler Billow, daughter of George W. and Sarah (Tressler) Billow, of Springfield, Ohio; they are the parents of three children: Helen Tressler, Ruth Miller, and George Billow.

The Rev. Mr. Dornblaser is a Republican. He is a member of the college fraternity Beta Theta Pi. Mr. Dornblaser is a self-made man and is popular among his people.

THE REV. ADAM BAER was born July 4, 1826, in Lancaster County, Pa., son of Henry and Susan (Landis) Baer, whose children were as follows: Benjamin, who died in Lancaster County; Adam; Elizabeth, deceased, who was married to Jacob Harnish, a dry goods merchant of Lancaster, Pa.; Henry, who was killed by the running away of his team; Maria, who married Jacob Kauffman, is now a widow; John, of Lancaster, Pa.

Rev. Adam Baer was educated in the common schools. In 1846, he married Susan, daughter of Martin Herr. They began house-keeping in the spring of 1847, on a. farm of 75 acres. In 1848 a daughter was born to them, but lived only a little while, mother and child dying at about the same time.

In 1850, Mr. Baer was married to Hannah Herr, a sister of his first wife. He sold his farm in 1869, and removed to Washington County, Md., where he had several acquaintances. He purchased a farm then owned by Daniel Middlekauff, and known as "Spriggs’ Paradise." In the year 1870, Adam Baer was ordained a deacon in the Mennonite Church; in 1876, he was ordained a minister in the same communion; he faithfully and conscientiously discharged both duties until his death, which occurred April 20, 1904. Rev. Mr. Baer remained on his farm until 1892, when he bought, from Charles Bikle, a house on East Baltimore street, Hagerstown. Here he and his wife resided during the remainder of his life, except during three years of ill health, late in his life, which were spent at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Jacob Eshleman, at Reid Station. Two years before his death he, with Jacob Eshleman, his son-in-law, removed to Hagerstown again. He died in Hagerstown and was the first grown person buried at Paradise Mennonite Church. The children of Rev. Adam and Hannah (Herr) Baer are: Henry; Maria, who married Jacob Eshleman; Martin, of York County, Pa.; Adam, residing on the old homestead.

The Rev. Henry Baer, the eldest of these four children, was born May 15, 1853, in Lancaster County, Pa. He was educated in the common schools, and trained to farm labor. He was married, March 16, 1874, to Susan, daughter of Abraham and Mary (Lesher) Horst, a native of Franklin County, Pa. She died in 1884, leaving five children: Mary, who married Martin Horst; Anna, who married S. L. Horst; Abraham, who married Elizabeth Shank, of Franklin County; Susan, who married Abraham Horst; Amanda, married Elmer Martin of Franklin Co., Pa.; all of those married are members of the Mennonite Church, as are also their companions. Mr. Baer in 1885 afterwards married Barbara, daughter of Abraham Martin, and widow of John Risser. They have seven children, as follows: Henry; Barbara, who died when fifteen days old; Adam; Isaac; Leah; Lizzie; Benjamin; and Martha.

Henry H. Baer began business life in 1875, settling where he now lives, having rented the property for six years. In 1881, he purchased 130 acres from his father, to which he has added 30 acres, making a tract of 160 acres. In 1884, he lost his barn and its contents by fire, caused by his children’s playing with matches. There was no insurance on the property, and the loss was very severe. But kind and sympathetic neighbors and friends, remembering the Golden Rule, came to his assistance, and a new barn was built on the site of the former one. In 1890, Mr. Baer made extensive improvements in his bouse, which is now a model of convenience and comfort.

Henry Baer was ordained a minister in the Mennonite Church in 1883, and is serving the congregations at Miller’s Church, in Leitersburg District, and Paradise Church in Hagerstown District. He is assisted in this work by Rev. Daniel Strite, who was ordained a minister in 1901.

Adam Baer, son of Rev. Adam Baer, and brother of Rev. Henry Baer, was born September 18, 1865, in Lancaster County, Pa. He was educated in the common schools. Adam Baer was married in 1895 to Bertie, daughter of Jacob Metz; their children are: Martin; Grace and Hannah. Mr. Baer is the owner of 208 acres of land, including all of the land that his father bought from Daniel Hiddlekauff. He and his wife are members of the Mennonite Church.

BISHOP GEORGE S. KEENER was born February 27, 1859, in Mechanicstown, Lancaster County, Pa., and is a son of George and Frances (Stouffer) Keener, natives of Germany who emigrated to America at the ages respectively of eighteen and fourteen years. George Keener came with his brothers, Henry, Stephen, Peter, and Adam, and their sisters, Lena and Margaret. The young men left their native land principally to avoid enforced service in the army. They settled in Lancaster County, Pa.

John Stouffer, father of Mrs. Frances Keener, was born in Ehrstadt, Germany, September 4, 1791; his wife, Christiana Herr, was born in 1795, at Berkach, Germany. Both became Mennonites, and they were married, according to the rules of the Church, before the congregation, at the Castle of Berkach, on Sunday, January 21, 1816. They leased the leasehold estates of Junkershausen and Voelkershausen, and bought, in the year 1835, the "Red Mill," near Schweinfurth, Bavaria. Their children are as follows: Magdalene, born October 21, 1816, died December 13, 1817; Philip, born July 27, 1818; John, born February 2, 1820; Maria, born December 12, 1821; Christian, born May 19, 1823; Henry, born November 16, 1824; lost his life by the explosion of a powder-mill, near Baltimore, Md.; Veronica Fannie, born July 11, 1826; Michael, born March 30, 1828, died in service during the Civil War, in 1861; Jacob, born November 24, 1829, is deceased; Magdalene, born December 23, 1830, died November 8, 1831; August, born October 27, 1835. Mrs. Christiana (Herr) Stouffer died January 21, 1837. In 1842, John Stouffer came to America, and settled in Lancaster County, Pa. Here he died July 26, 1861, at Wabash Mill, in East Cocalico Township; he was buried at Indiantown meeting-house, where a tombstone marks his grave.

After his marriage with Fannie Stouffer, George Keener continued farming in Lancaster County until the spring of 1877, when he removed to Washington County, Md., settling on the "Samuel Strite farm," near Fairview. Here he died, May 3, 1878. His widow lives at the house of Samuel Martin, in Conocoecheague District. The children of George and Fannie Keener were: John, born May 3, 1854, owns and resides upon a farm of 45 acres, near Paramount; Henry, born January 29, 1856; George S., born February 27, 1859; Maggie, born in November, 1861, married J. C. Miller, of Hanover, Pa.; Christiana, born in 1863; Fannie, born in February, 1864, is deceased; Amos, born in 1865, Mr. and Mrs. Keener were members of the Mennonite Church.

George S. Keener was educated in the common schools of Lancaster County, and was brought up as a farmer, which vocation he has followed during all his active life. He was married to Eliza Strite, a sister of Rev. C. R. Strite; their children are: Mary M., born January 3, 1883, died October 5, 1884; F. Ella, born January 3, 1884; Aaron D., born July 12, 1886; John C., born November 14, 1887; an infant, born August 28, 1891, died a few days later; Anna F., born April 10, 1893; Paul Edgar, born June 24, 1901. At the time of his marriage, Mr. Keener settled on the old "Reiff farm," containing 100 acres of excellent land, which he owns. He is also a stockholder in the Cearfoss and Hagerstown turnpike.

On November 24, 1892, Mr. Keener was ordained a minister in the Mennonite Church. On October 12, 1899, he was ordained Bishop, and has the oversight of all Mennonite churches in Franklin County, Pa, and Washington County, Md. He and his wife and eldest daughter belong to the Reiff Mennonite Church.

REV. STEPHEN W. OWEN, D. D., pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, of Hagerstown, Md., was born near Scotland, Franklin County, Pa., September 13, 1837, son of John W. and Elizabeth (Kieffer) Owen.

The Owen family is of Welsh extraction. Dr. Owen’s paternal grandfather came to this country in early manhood, before the Revolution. He married Miss Walker, an English lady, who was a relative of the celebrated lexicographer of that name. Their son, John W. Owen, was born April 22, 1786, in Franklin County, Pa.; he died near Fort Loudon, in the same county, in 1853. He was of a studious nature, and obtained, largely by' his own efforts, a fine education. For forty years, he taught in the Franklin County schools. His politics were originally Democratic, but in 1840 he voted for Gen. Harrison, and from that time was an adherent of the Whig party.

John W. Owen was married, February 19, 1820, to Elizabeth, daughter of Abraham Kieffer, of Franklin County, Pa., whose German forefathers were also early settlers of that State. She was born April 27, 1799, and died September 13, 1860. They had thirteen children, of whom eight attained to mature age: Alexander, deceased, a minister of the United Brethren Church, and at the time of his death, in 1861, president of the Otterbein University, in Ohio; Abraham K., for over half of a century in the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, died in 1904, aged eighty years; Wilson, also a minister of the United Brethren Church, who died at Orrstown, Pa., in 1875; William O., a minister of the Baptist Church, who served several congregations in eastern Pennsylvania, including one at Valley Forge, and is now retired; Catherine, deceased; Eleanor, deceased; Selina, deceased; and Stephen W. John W. Owen was a life-long member of the Presbyterian Church, and the thorough and beautiful Christian training bestowed upon their family by himself and his excellent wife, bore fruit in the very unusual spectacle of five brothers, all of whose lives were devoted to the ministry of the Church.

Rev. Dr. Stephen W. Owen received his education in the Franklin County schools, under the care of his father. At the age of eighteen, after his father's death, he went to Richland County, 0., where he began, teaching school, and at the same time, studying law under the guidance of Delino, Sapp & Smith, of Mount Vernon, O. But before being admitted to the bar, his attention was turned to the work of the ministry, and, feeling that to be his true vocation, he returned to Pennsylvania. and entered the Missionary Institute of Theology, now Susquehanna University, at Selm’s Grove, Snyder County. This was about 1860. In 1863, he graduated from the theological school and was licensed to preach the gospel in 1864, by the Central Pennsylvania Synod of the Lutheran Church. In the Fall of that year, Mr. Owen was ordained; he then became pastor of a charge at Centreville, Cumberland Co., Pa., where he remained two years. In 1866, he received a call from Woodsboro, Frederick Co., Md., where he became pastor of five congregations; these he served until November, 1869, when he accepted the call from St. John’s Church of Hagerstown, and has faithfully discharged his pastoral duties there for a period of more than thirty-six years. During that time, the church edifice has been three times remodeled, and improvements have been made which have aggregated in cost, over $60,000. The membership of the congregation and Sunday-school has been greatly increased, and all branches of church work extended.

Rev. Dr. Owen has been forty-six years in the ministry. He is president of the Board of Directors of the Susquehanna University, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Home for the Aged at Washington, D. C. For two terms, he has been president of the Maryland Synod, and eight or ten times a delegate to the General Synod of the U. S. He received the degree of D. D. in 1892, from Newbury College. S. C.

Rev. Dr. Owen was married, July 10, 1862, to Cordelia A., daughter of Col. Joseph and Elizabeth Levers, of a well-known family of Montour County, Pa. Of their five children, three grew to mature years: Clarence W., of Chicago, Ill.; Newton S., of Joliet, Ill.; and Eva May, who married Nevin J. Brandt, bookkeeper in the First National Bank of Hagerstown. Md.

Of fraternal orders. Rev. Dr. Owen was for some rears affiliated with the I. O. 0. F., and the Masonic.

In 1869, when Rev. Dr. Owen became pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, of Hagerstown, the church edifice was an old-fashioned building, with old-time galleries. It was remodeled in 1870, making it a two-story building, with Sunday-school below and auditorium above, at a total cost of $18,000; its seating capacity being increased to about seven hundred. In 1888, the building re- frescoed, and beautiful stained glass windows were added, at a total cost of $2200. In 1899, an addition was made to the church, which afforded accommodation for an Infant Department, on the first floor, besides a pastor’s study.

Above, in the auditorium, a deep recess pulpit was added, and a room for a new pipe organ, at a total cost of about $17,000. In 1889, Edward W. Mealey placed a beautiful window in the auditorium, as a memorial of his mother, at a cost of $1350. In 1899, Mrs. John W. Kausler, her son, John S. and daughter, Sally C. Kausler, placed a handsome memorial window, to the memory of John H. Kausler, their husband and father, at a cost of $1500. In 1904, Miss Rebecca Rouskulp placed a beautiful memorial window, in honor of her departed relatives, at a cost of $1400. All the above windows were designed at the Tiffany Art Studios of New York City.

The organ in St. John’s Church is a three manual instrument, of forty stops, and about eighteen hundred pipes. It is one of the finest of its kind in Hagerstown, and is valued at about $6000. It was built by the well-known firm of M. P. Moller & Co., of Hagerstown.

WINFIELD SCOTT REICHARD, of the well known firm of Reichard, Schindel & Co., at Nos. 24-26 South Potomac Street, Hagerstown, was born in Tilghmanton district, No. 12, November 5, 1847, and is the son of John and Julia Ann (Ringer) Reichard, both deceased.

John Reichard was born November 4, 1816, and died August 3, 1881. He was a son of Daniel and Catherine (Balsbaugh) Reichard, of German descent, who removed from Dauphin Co., Pa., over a hundred years ago, and established the Arch Spring Nursery in Tilghmanton district, the farm of which still remains in the family. He was a Bishop in the German Baptist Brethren Church and the father of a large family; his children were: David; Daniel; Jacob; Valentine; John; Catharine; Mary; Susan, Francis; and Annie.

John Reichard succeeded his father at the Arch Spring Nursery and was a very successful farmer and nurseryman. He served three terms as County Commissioner of Washington County, and one term as judge of the Orphans’ Court. He married Mary Witmer Ringer, a daughter of John and Julia Witmer Ringer, of Washington County; they had issue: Winfield Scott, the subject of this sketch; Mary Witmer, wife of Andrew Coffman; Daniel Webster, (see sketch); Julia Orpha, wife of Benjamin Schindel, of the firm of Reichard, Schindel & Co.; John Ringer, deceased; Robert Howard, living on the old "Arch Spring" homestead; Dr. Valentine Milton, of Fairplay, this county; Bessie Katharine; wife of Dr. Edward Downs, of Pittsburg, Pa.

Winfield Scott Reichard was educated in the public schools and at the Pennsylvania State Normal School, at Millersville, Lancaster County. He was a farmer and nursery-man near Lappan’s Cross Roads in the Tilghmanton district, until 1881, when he removed to Hagerstown and engaged in the grocery business with J. H. Jones, under the firm name of Jones & Reichard. Failing in health, he retired from the grocery business in the spring of 1888, and bought a farm in the Cearfoss District, where he established a Fruit Tree Nursery, to which he gave his personal attention, residing, however, in Hagerstown, at 136 South Potomac street. In 1892 he gave up business on the farm, and engaged in the hardware business with his brother-in-law, Benjamin P. Schindel, forming the firm of Reichard & Schindel. John R. Schindel was afterwards taken into the firm, and the present firm of Reichard, Schindel & Co. was formed. They are now in business at 24-26 South Potomac street. Mr. Reichard married November 24, 1874, Miss Louisa B. Funk, daughter of Jacob and Christiana Funk, of Washington County: they have four children: Christie Funk, wife of Van C. Beachley, of Hagerstown; John L.; Ada Catharine, wife of Prof. C. C. Johnson of Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pa.; and Lawson C., of Hagerstown. Van C. and Christie F. Beachley have two children: Donovan and Louise. John L. Reichard married Miss Frances Byers; they have no children. In politics, Mr. Reichard is an independent Republican.

Mr. Reichard became a member of the German Baptist Brethren Church in 1875, and in 1878 was called to the ministry. He was one of the organizers of the Hagerstown congregation in 1883. He was the Secretary of the Executive Board which had charge of the National Annual Conference of the Church, held at Hagerstown in 1891. In 1894 he was ordained to the Eldership, and was given the oversight of the Hagerstown congregation, which charge he has held to the present writing, 1906.

THE REV. J. S. SIMON, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, of Hagerstown, was born near Lisbon, Columbiana. Co., Ohio, February 10, 1865, and is a son of Philip and Catharine (Halverstadt) Simon, of Ohio.

Philip Simon lives at Akron, Ohio. He is of German descent, and is the father of seven children: Ezra H., of Ohio; Rev. E. W., pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Akron, Ohio; Rebecca, wife of Morris Roller; Rev. Jonas D., and Clarence R., both dead; Rev. J. S., of Hagerstown; and Rev. Harvey E., pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, at Ashland, Ohio.

The Rev. J. S. Simon received his early education at the High School of Lisbon, Ohio. He entered Wittenberg College, Springfield, O., in 1883, and was graduated A. B. in 1887. He then entered the Theological Department, and was graduated in 1890. He received the degree of A. M. in 1893. Mr. Simon’s first charge was at Urbana, Ohio, he having been ordained by the Miami Synod, at Cincinnati, in the autumn of 1890. He remained at Urbana one year, when he received and accepted a call from Emanuel Lutheran Church, at New Philadelphia, Ohio, and remained there for two years. In the autumn of 1893 he received a call from the First Lutheran Church of San Francisco, Cal., which he accepted. After serving the San Francisco charge for two years, he returned to the east and was with the Lutheran Home Board at Cleveland, Ohio, for one year. His next call was to the Walnut Hills Lutheran Church, Cincinnati, O., which he served until the autumn of 1902, when he received and accepted the call of Trinity Lutheran Church, of Hagerstown.

The Rev. Mr. Simon married, in June, 1890, Miss Lois E. Vose, a daughter of E. J. Vose, of Springfield, Ohio; this marriage has been blessed with three children: Walter Vose; Carl Robert; and Lois Juliet.

In politics Mr. Simon is an independent Republican. He is very popular with his people, his charge being the largest Lutheran congregation in Hagerstown.

REV. ROBERT ALEXANDER BOYLE, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Hagerstown, Md., was born in County Londonderry, Ireland, and is a son of Herrington James and Jane (Miller) Boyle.

Dorrington James Boyle was for many years proprietor of corn and flax mills in County Derry. He was a stanch Tenant’s Eights man, and was a life-long supporter of Gladstone. He was a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Boyle was for many years, and until his death, an elder of the church at Scriggan. Dorrington J. and Jane (Miller) Boyle, both of whom are deceased, had seven children, four of whom are now living: Dorrington James, a minister of the Presbyterian Church in County Fermanagh, Ireland; Patterson, a merchant at Dungiven County, Derry, Ireland; Robert A., of Hagerstown, Md.; and Mary Patterson, unmarried, who lives at Portstwart, a village on the seashore, midway between Portrush and Coleraine.

Robert A. Boyle was educated for the ministry at the Presbyterian colleges of Belfast and Londonderry. Regarding America as a promising field for his labors, he determined to emigrate, and landed in New York from Ireland, November 12, 1898. After his arrival in New York he determined to spend a few months at Princeton Seminary, where he soon afterwards received a call to the First Presbytrian Church, of Hagerstown; this he determined to accent and was ordained as its pastor, October 26, 1899. This was his first and thus far it is his only charge. He had the good fortune to become a popular pastor, and is endeared to his people. He is an active church-worker, and is held in high esteem in the Presbytery of which he is a member. Not only is he regarded as one of the leading ministers of Washington County, but he is recognized as being thoroughly original. The Rev. Mr. Boyle married, October 8, 1901, Miss Nancy Irwin Findlay, daughter of James and Sarah R. (Carter) Findlay. Mrs. Boyle is a great-granddaughter of Governor William Findlay, of Pennsylvania, and a great-great-great-granddaughter of Adjutant Brown who was a cornet in the defense of Derry against the army of King James II, in 1688.

THE REV. A. M. EVERS, of Hagerstown, Md., was born in Rockingham County, Va., October 2, 1837. He is a son of John and Catharine (Showalter) Evers, of German descent. John Evers was born in Cumberland County, Pa., in 1797, and died in Rockingham County, Va., in 1863. He was a son of John Evers, who emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania among the early German settlers of that State. John Evers the second, with his wife, Catharine Showalter, removed to Virginia when he was still a young man; they had ten children: Sophia; Diana; Elizabeth; Jacob; Samuel; Catharine; John; Abraham M.; William B.: and Priscilla. Samuel, John, Abraham M., and William B. were ministers of the Gospel. Of these ten children, only Abraham M., William B., and Priscilla are living at this writing.

Abraham Evers grew up on a farm near Cross Keys, Va. He was educated in the common schools and at Pleasant Grove Academy. When twenty-one years of age, he received from the Quarterly Conference a license to preach in the United Brethren Church; he joined the Virginia Annual Conference at Edinburg, Shenandoah Co., Va., in February, 1862, and was ordained to the office of Elder at Keezletown, Va., in March 1863. His Annual Conference and ordination licenses were both signed by Bishop J. J. Glossbrenner. Rev. Mr. Evers at once entered upon the active duties of the ministry, and for forty-five years he has served various churches in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. For seven years he was Presiding Elder of the Maryland and Virginia Conferences, and was three times chosen to represent the churches in the Quadrennial General Conference of the denomination.

During his long term of service, Mr. Evers built the first U. B. Church in Frederick, which was free of debt soon after its dedication; also Mount Vernon church, on Frederick Circuit, and the beautiful church in Boonsboro. He also organized and built Grace U. B. Church of Hagerstown, Md. He has served in various branches of the work of the church, being a frequent contributor to the church papers and other journals.

No minister of the Gospel is so well known throughout Maryland, Virginia and parts of Pennsylvania. Always active as a pastor and elder, he did much toward bringing the church he loved to the front, and during his ministry many souls were converted and added to the church. He has many Warm friends throughout the church and the states in which he labored. A well known and liberal contributor to every interest of the church, his worth as a pastor and a man is fully recognized.

Mr. Eyers married in 1863, Miss Jennie Rhinehart, daughter of Samuel and Lydia Rhinehart, of Grant County, West Virginia. This marriage has been blessed with five children, two of whom are living: Alice M.; the wife of the Rev. D. E. Burtner, pastor of the Congregational Church at Williamsport, Pa.; and Samuel J., a minister of the United Brethren Church, pastor of the Glenbrook Union Memorial Church of Stamford, Conn.

The Rev. Evers makes his home in Hagerstown, Md., and is frequently in demand as a supply for various pulpits.

THE REV. CHRISTIAN R. STRITE was born February 23, 1864, in Washington County, Md., son of John and Magdalene (Reiff) Strite.

John Strite was a son of Christian Strite, and was a native of Lancaster County, Pa. Christian Strite was born near Manheim, Lancaster County, Pa., and died in Franklin County, Pa. His children were: Samuel, who died at the age of 66 years; Isaac, killed by Confederate soldiers near Brown’s Mill in Franklin County, during the Civil War; John; Nancy, deceased, was the wife of John Hess; Sallie, who married Dr. Jeremiah Hess; Barbara, who married John Singer; Christian, who died at Greencastle, Pa., in his seventy-third year, and who was the father of Mrs. A. B. Zarger; Ella K.; Mahala; Ann E.; E. Belle; Edith M.; Benjamin S.; Charles L.; Frank. Barbara (Mrs. Singer), is the only one now living; she resides in Quincy, Pa.

John Strite, although his educational advantages were meagre, became a very successful farmer. He married Magdalene, daughter of David and Nancy (Horst) Reiff, natives of Lancaster County, Pa., who removed to Washington County, Md., about 1846, and settled on the farm now owned by Christian R. Strite and his brother, John B. Strite. In this neighborhood John Strite died, August 9, 1892; his wife died January 13, 1894. The children of John and Magdalene (Reiff) Strite were: Anna, died unmarried; David, died young; Mattie, died young; Mary, who married Aaron Hartranft; Eliza, who married George S. Keener; John B., who married Mary Loose; Christian R. John and Magdalene Strite were members of the Mennonite Church, highly respected citizens, kind and beloved parents. Mr. Strite was a Republican.

Rev. Christian R. Strite received a common school education, and has always followed agricultural pursuits. He was married, December 18, 1884, to Ella V., daughter of Edward and Elizabeth (Carolus) Binkley, born July 26, 1859. Mr. Strite is the owner of fifty-eight and one-half acres of the old Reiff homestead. He is the father of two children, both at home: Florence E. and Edgar I. Alethea Binkley, daughter of Mr. E. L. Binkley, a brother of Mrs. Strite, resides with Mr. Strite’s family.

In 1897, Christian R. Strite was ordained a minister in the Mennonite Church, to which he and his family belong; he is serving the congregations at the Reiff and Clear Spring Churches.

THE REV. BARTON R. CARNAHAN, A. M., son of the late Samuel and Margaret (Irwin) Carnahan, was born, July 26, 1850, in Westmoreland County, Pa. His grandfather and grandmother, David C. and Mary (Bash) Carnahan, were both natives of Westmoreland County, where they lived, died, and were buried; and in this same county their son, Samuel Carnahan, was born and reared on the farm owned by his father.

The family name is Irish, or Scotch-Irish, and many who bear that name are to be found in north Ireland at the present time. They are Presbyterians in faith. The name Bash is German, and in faith, Reformed. The Irwin ancestors came to this country from Scotland, when, no one seems to know, but they were among the early settlers of Blair County, Pa. Mrs. Margaret (Irwin) Carnahan was a daughter of John and Sophia (Crane) Irwin, and was born in a farmhouse, situated where now is the heart of the city of Altoona, Pa., on July 30, 1830. A considerable number of descendants of the Irwins are still living in Altoona, Bellwood, and the surrounding country. Sophia (Crane) Irwin, the maternal grandmother of the Rev. Mr. Carnahan, was probably of German stock. She was a native of Blair County, Pa.; but, if tradition is true, her father removed to that county from Brandywine, possibly not long after the Revolutionary War, in which he took part.

In 1851, typhoid fever became an epidemic in the Carnahan family. In July of that year, Mr. Samuel Carnahan died, in the prime of young manhood; in August his wife was laid to rest, and two days later their little son, Albert. The next victims were the grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. David C. Carnahan, then another son and a daughter of theirs, making seven who died within a year from that treacherous disease. At the time of their death, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Carnahan resided at McKeesport, Pa., where their bodies were interred. They left two children, Barton and Alice, the latter an infant, to the care of their maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. John Irwin.

In the spring of 1856, Mr. and Mrs. Irwin, with their four sons, one daughter, and the two orphan grandchildren, removed to Iowa, and settled on a farm in Jackson County, within a half-mile of Zwingle, a very small village on the line between Dubuque and Jackson counties. It was about fifteen miles south of the city of Dubuque, which was then the market for all farm products of the surrounding country, and the place where lumber, dry goods, groceries, &c., were to be obtained. There was at that time no railroads so that everything had to be hauled to and from the city. The educational advantages of the vicinity were then meagre, for Iowa, as a State, was but ten years old. The first school attended by Mr. Carnahan was a subscription school conducted by a lady in a private home, some two miles distant from that of his grandparents. In the course of a few years, however, the public school system was brought into working order. A school-house was erected in Zwingle, and here the boy received some mental culture, and training; but it was only a taste, as his grandfather was a farmer, and the youth’s help was required from early spring until late in the fall. Especially was this true from April, 1861, to July, 1865, during which time two sons of Mr. John Irwin were serving in the Federal Army.

After their return home, and when the burden was to some extent lifted from the youth’s shoulders, came the necessity for making choice of his life’s work. Barton R. Carnahan was then fifteen years of age, at which period boys often debate more profoundly than the world gives them credit for doing upon thus momentous question. His ambition was to secure at least a good common school education, and then, if possible, to study law. But the remembrance of his grandmother’s prayers and wishes for him, seconded by those of his only sister, inclined him to devote himself to the work of the Christian ministry. The summer of 1867 had been spent in hard work, and the young man had saved enough to take a three months’ course in a small institution of learning, which would enable him to teach in the public schools, and to prosecute his studies. He settled down to hard work; but the great, unsettled question continued to disturb his peace, until after hearing a sermon preached by the pastor of the Presbyterian Church which he attended, on the text, "How long halt ye between two opinions?" he was led carefully to review the question of privilege and duty. After prayerful consideration, he felt himself called to the work of the Gospel ministry, and decided to accept the call. He at once made known his decision to his pastor, and asked to be taken under the care of Iowa Classis of the Reformed Church in the United States, which request was granted.

On December 30, 1867, Mr. Carnahan left home for Mercersburg College, Mercersburg, Pa., of which the late Rev. Thomas G. Apple, D. D., was President. At the opening of the winter term, he was received and enrolled as a member of the Preparatory Department. The prescribed course was finished in the spring of 1870; in the Fall, he entered the Freshman Class, and four years later (1874), received his degree of A. B., in a class of nine graduates. In the Fall of the same year, Mr. Carnahan took up the study of Theology under the instruction of the late Rev. E. E. Higbee, D. D., and the Rev. Prof. J. B. Kerschner; the course was completed in the Spring of 1877, and he at once entered upon the active work of the ministry, having received a call from Mill Creek charge, composed of four congregations, three in Shenandoah and one in Rockingham County, Va. He was examined at the annual meeting of Virginia Classis, at Lovettsville, Va., in May, by a committee of which the late Rev. S. N. Callender, D. D., was chairman, and licensed to preach the Gospel. A few weeks later, he was regularly ordained and installed pastor of the charge. He served Mill Creek charge five years and six months, during which time much pastoral work was done, all on horseback; a new church was erected at Timberville, and a parsonage property purchased, near Mt. Jackson. The field was free of debt, and the membership greatly increased and encouraged when Mr. Carnahan left it, in the face of unanimous protests. Having received a call from the Rockingham charge, composed of two congregations in Rockingham and one in Augusta County, Va., he entered upon the duties of pastor, November 1, 1882. This field he served for five years, during which time the membership was greatly increased; a new church was erected at McGaheysville, and consecrated free of debt; the parsonage, at Cross Keys, was enlarged and improved, and much hard work done. Mr. Carnahan left this field of labor with much regret. On October 1, 1887, he became pastor of the Mt. Moriah charge, composed of the Reformed churches at Keedysville, Sharpsburg and Mt. Moriah, near Downsville, Md. During the period of about nineteen years, spent in serving this charge, the pastor has seen many changes, some pleasant, others sad to remember. The church at Sharpsburg, built in 1832, and used by the Federal troops for hospital purposes after the battle of Antietam, was in need of repairs. The congregation was weak numerically and financially, and it seemed impossible to undertake the work demanded; but after three or four years of patient waiting and persistent urging, it was begun, and was crowned with success. Then the church at Keedysville, also used for hospital purposes, and badly abused, was torn down; a modern, up-to-date building taking its place. This was erected at a cost of $7,000, and consecrated free of debt. Three years ago, the parsonage at Keedysville, through untiring perseverance of the pastor, was enlarged and improved, at a cost of nearly $500.

On May 28, 1878, at Mercersburg, Pa., the Rev. Barton R. Carnahan was united in marriage to Alice P., third daughter of the late Harman Hause. The marriage ceremony was performed by the late Rev. I. G. Brown, assisted by the late Rev. Dr. E. E. Higbee. Of this marriage there are three children: Grace Hause and Houston Earl, born in Virginia, and Margaret Irwin, born in Keedysville, Md. On August 16, 1902, death claimed this companion of nearly a quarter of a century. She was loving and faithful, peculiarly adapted to her position as a pastor's wife; a devoted mother, a true friend, a devout Christian, ever ready to minister to the needs of others; wherever she went she won friends. Her body was laid to rest, amid many sorrowing friends, in the beautiful cemetery at Sharpsburg, to await the resurrection of the just. In July, 1876, the Rev. Mr. Carnahan was summoned to the bedside of his dying sister, the companion of childhood and youthful days, the source of comfort and inspiration when the brother was struggling to secure an education such as would fit him for the profession of her choice. On the 4th of August, she passed through death into life. Her mortal remains were laid to rest in the graveyard adjoining the Reformed Church at Zwingle, Iowa, of which she had been a faithful and devoted member. "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."

The Rev. Mr. Carnahan was Stated Clerk of Virginia Classis for six or seven years; a delegate to General Synod from that Classis in June, 1887; president of the Maryland Classic at its annual session in the Reformed Church, at Silver Run, Md.; and for one term a member of the Board of Regents of Mercersburg College. This College conferred upon him the degree of A. M., in 1878.

On March 4, 1904, the Rev. Barton R. Carnahan was married by the Rev. John M. Schick, D. D., a schoolmate at Mercersburg, in Washington. D. C., to Mrs. Barbara A. Baker, the widow of Otho Baker, who was cut down in the prime of manhood over twenty years ago. She is the daughter of Elder Alfred Cost, of Keedysville, a brother of Elder Jacob A. Cost, well known in Hagerstown. Having been born and reared in this community, she is well and favorably known. She was the mother of two children, Carrie L. and H. Claude, both of whom lived to reach mature years, loved and respected by all. But both have been taken from their earthly home to a home "not made with hands."

ELDER ELI YOURTEE, minister of the German Baptist Brethren Church at Brownsville, Md., was born July 3, 1834, at Brownsville, son of George W. and Mary (Marr) Yourtee.

Elder Yourtee’s great-grandfather, Peter Yourtee, was a native of Alsace who came to America at an early date, and settled at Sample’s Manor, where he became the father of two sons, Abraham and Jacob, and three daughters, Elizabeth, who married John Brown; Mary, who married Daniel Brown, the first minister elected to the Brownsville German Brethren Church, and Barbara, who married Jacob Houser, and lived and died on Sample’s Manor.

Abraham, grandfather of Elder Yourtee, lived where Dr. J. T. Yourtee mm resides. He married Mary Magdalene Brown; they had eight children: George W.; Mary, who married Jacob Grimm; Elizabeth, who married Jacob Himes; Sallie, who married David Himes; Sophia, second wife of David Himes; Samuel, who married Elsie Alpaugh; Aaron B., who married Catharine McDade; and John, who died unmarried.

Jacob Yourtee, brother of Abraham Yourtee, married Polly Johnson, and had children: Daniel, who died young; Nancy, who married Richard Johnson, and had children, Jacob, Daniel, Joseph, Lizzie and Abigail. Jacob Yourtee died at Sample’s Manor. Jacob Yourtee did not belong to the church. Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Yourtee, were members of the German Baptist Church. Abraham Yourtee donated the land on which the Brownsville Church stands, also the cemetery ground. He was a prime mover in the building of the said church.

George W. Yourtee, son of Abraham and Mary (Brown) Yourtee, was born on Sample’s Manor, November 28, 1803. Mrs. Abraham Yourtee was a sister of Elder Daniel Brown. George W. Yourtee received a common school education, and learned the trade of shoemaker, which occupation he followed successfully for eighteen years in Brownsville. In October, 1839, he purchased eighty acres of land, where Elder Eli Yourtee now lives, from Priscilla Morrison. Here he lived until his death, which occurred December 28, 1882. His wife died September 17, 1864. Their remains were interred in the cemetery at Brownsville; they were members of the German Baptist Church of that town, in which congregation Mr. Yourtee was a deacon. He was the owner of two houses in Brownsville, and of seventy acres of mountain land, all worth about $5,000, which he divided among his children. The maiden name of his wife was Mary Marr. Their children were: Amanda, who married Archibald Knode; Eli; Mary Ann, who married William P. Bartholow, and had children, Mary E., Rose and John.

Elder Eli Yourtee was educated in the common schools, and worked on a farm. It was in 1871 that he was elected a minister in the German Baptist Church in Kansas City, and he has served congregations ever since. He was married, March 7, 1865, to Susan A., daughter of David and Mary (Reichard) Long; Mrs. Long was an aunt of Elder W. S. Reichard, of Hagerstown. The children of this marriage are: 1. Ella M., who married John Wolfe, and has children, Nellie, Edith. Ralph, Robert and Mary; 2. Edith; 3. Catherine, who is attending school at Huntingdon, Pa.; 4. Bessie, who married Dr. Harry Fahrney, and has children, Catherine and Lawrence; 5. John, who married Catherine R. Karn, and is farming the homestead; 6. George, unmarried, is a practising physician at Burkittsville, Md.; 7. Howard, also unmarried, is a machinist. Mrs. Eli Yourtee died, June 5, 1904, and was buried at the Manor Church in Tilghmanton District.

The house in which Elder Yourtee now lives was used by Gen. McClellan for two weeks after the battle of Antietam, while he was recruiting his army. George Yourtee boarded the noted general and his staff, including Gen. Burnside and wife, and Gen. and Mrs. Marcy, the parents of Mrs. McClellan. A battery was mounted near the house, and thousands of soldiers were encamped at a little distance. Mr. Yourtee lost the most of his fences, the timber being used for firewood. This was a period of excitement unequalled in the long and useful life of Elder Yourtee, and one which he will not forget until time for him is no more.

It was in 1872 that Elder Yourtee became minister of the church at Brownsville, and he has officiated ever since, a period of thirty-four years. The good that he has done in this long lapse of time will only be known in that day when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed.

THE REV. WALTER S. HOYE, pastor of the Disciples’ Church, at Beaver Creek, was born at Beaver Dam (now State Farm) Goochland Co., Va., December 7, 1853. He is a son of James and Martha B. (Davenport) Hoye.

The pioneers of the Hoye family in this country came with an early colony to Georgetown, Md. Their names are found on the earliest records in the Clerk’s office at Rockville, Montgomery Co., Md. The Davenport ancestors emigrated from England, and settled in York County, Va.

About 1865, the Rev. Mr. Hoye’s father purchased a place in Goochland County, Va., known as Watkinsville, to which the family removed, and which has ever since been their home. Mr. Hoye was then twelve years of age, and he grew up on this estate, attending the schools of the community. In the Fall of 1874, he entered Bethany College, in West Virginia, and graduated from that institution in June, 1879, in a class numbering twenty-three members. In the summer of that year, he became a resident of Gordansville, Va.; here he preached for neighboring churches with encouraging success. A call being extended to him from the congregations at Beaver Creek and Downsville, Md., in December, 1882, he accepted it, and began his pastorate of those churches, March 1, 1883, Since that time, he has been constantly and actively engaged in pastoral duties, and in preaching the Word of God, not only to the congregations under his charge, but in evangelistic tours through Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware, and to some extent, in Pennsylvania. These labors have led to the establishment of a goodly number of churches, and have helped, encouraged and largely increased the membership of congregations already existing. Strongly impressed with the absolute need of having educated young men for the ministry', the Rev. Mr. Hoye secured the co-operation of his brethren in raising an Educational Fund, by which nineteen young men have been educated, either in part or wholly, and are preaching acceptably in this land, and in foreign countries. Many more have partially completed their studies, so that the enterprise gives good promise of future usefulness. For more than twelve years, the Rev. Mr. Hoye has been the Corresponding Secretary of the Christian Missionary Society of Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. He says of this work that although laborious, it has been to him a source of pleasure. The Rev. Mr. Hoye is well known as a man of high character and excellent abilities, a faithful, devoted Christian pastor, full of missionary spirit and zeal.

The Rev. Walter S. Hoye was married, October 9, 1895, to Miss M. Esther Mitchell, of Hadensville, Va. She died October 10, 1899. They had two sons, J. Mitchell Hoye, and one who died an infant. On January 25, 1905, the Rev. Mr. Hoye was again married, to Miss R. Anna Owens, daughter of Mrs. Clara (McCormick) Owens, of Rockville, Md.

THE REV. FREDERICK WILLIAM BALD, B. D., pastor of the Clearspring Reformed charge, was born in Baltimore, Md., August 8, 1867, son of Frederick William, deceased, and Christiana (Rittase) Bald.

Frederick William Bald, Sr., was born in Berleberg, Germany, in 1823; when he was but eleven years old, his parents, John Martin and Elizabeth Bald, emigrated to America, and settled in Baltimore. There he engaged in the manufacture and sale of guns, and continued in the same business throughout his life.

His son, the Rev. Frederick W. Bald, was the youngest. of six children, was educated in Baltimore, and graduated from the Baltimore City College in 1886. He was afterwards clerk in a gentlemen's furnishing store until 1891, when he became a partner in a laundry firm, under the name of Nixdorff & Bald. This connection was of brief duration, for in 1892, Mr. Bald entered the Reformed Theological Seminary at Lancaster, Pa., from which he was graduated in 1895. In May, 1896, he was ordained, and installed as pastor of Grace Reformed Church, Baltimore. This was a mission church whose congregation numbered only twenty-nine members, worshipping in a small public hall on Hamburg St., South Baltimore. But the young pastor's efforts were zealous and untiring; and when his ministry to that charge ended, in February, 1901, he left a congregation of one hundred and fifty-five members, worshipping in a fine, commodious church, erected at a cost of ten thousand dollars, and a Sunday-school whose attendance had swelled from almost none to three hundred and eighty-five. In the spring of 1901, Rev. Mr. Bald accepted a call from the Clearspring charge; this charge, besides St. John’s church, in ClearSspring, includes St. Paul’s, a flourishing congregation two and a half miles east of the town, on the old National turnpike. Since Mr. Bald became pastor of this charge, a handsome two-story brick parsonage has been built in Clearspring. He still ministers to this, his second charge, and his intellectual ability and faithfulness as a pastor are warmly appreciated.

While in Baltimore, the Rev. Mr. Bald was secretary of the Reformed Ministerial Association of that city, besides being actively identified with various Organizations for benevolent work. He has also been chairman of several committees and is now serving as president of the Reformed Classis of Maryland. He has frequently been chosen to represent that body at Synod. He is treasurer of the Franklin and Marshall Alumni Association. With all these activities, he has found time for much literary work, having been for some years a regular contributor to various periodicals. In June, 1904, the degree of Bachelor of Divinity was conferred upon him by Franklin and Marshall College. He is a member of the A. F. and A. M., Arcana Lodge No. 110, Baltimore, Md.

On October 22, 1896 the Rev. Frederick W. Bald was married to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of William and Rebecca Krise. This union has been blessed with three sons, F. Clever, Milton Stover, and Frederick William.

REV. J. P. ANTHONY, pastor of Salem United Brethren Church, at Keedysville, was born January 31, 1813 to, at Dillsburg, York County, Pa., the son of Michael and Rebecca (Smith) Anthony. Michael Anthony was born near York, Pa., November 29, 1818, the son of John and Catharine (Baker) Anthony, who were the parents of two children: Michael and John, both deceased. John was a farmer and left children. Michael died in York county, Pa., May 28, 1901; his wife died January 3, 1880; they were the parents of three children: Rev. J. P.; Rachel, who married John Altland, of York county; Calvin C., a merchant for twenty-five years, now a large land owner in the state of Washington. Rebecca Anthony was buried in Mt. Zion graveyard in York county. She was a member of the United Brethren Church. Michael Anthony was again married to Miss Lydia Elicker, whose maiden name was Filler. She is also dead. Michael Anthony was a farmer and merchant at Mt. Top, York county, Pa.

J. P. Anthony secured his literary education at Dillsburg Academy and Normal School. He taught School for snipe years. He studied theology in the Conference course and began to preach in 1869, having as his first charge, for two years, Path Valley, in Franklin county, Pa. From there he went to Orrstown, thence to Mt. Alto, Shiremanstown, Baltimore and to Manchester, Md. He spent five years as presiding elder in the Chambersburg district. Following this he was pastor, for three years at York, Pa., and four years at Keedysville.

Rev. J. P. Anthony was married to Salana Diehl, a native of Dillsburg. She died in December, 1904, leaving these children: Eleanor, who was educated for a trained nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, served in the Presbyterian Hospital, New York, and in Boston, Mass. She is now keeping house for her father in Keedysville; John C., who is engaged in the insurance and loan business, in Baltimore; Otterbein, who is a clerk in York, Pa.; Edward, who is engaged in the automobile and bicycle business in Des Moines, Iowa; Grace, married B. F. Durr, who is in the employ of the United States Government printing office in Manila, Philippine Islands.

Rev. J. P. Anthony is now serving Salem United Brethren Church in Keedysville, and is held in high esteem by his congregation as well as by the citizens of the community.

THE REV. M. D. GAVER, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, of Williamsport, Md., was born in Burkittsville, Frederick Co., Md., November 14, 1849, son of Daniel and Margaret (Shafer) Gaver, deceased.

David Gaver, the grandfather of the Rev. Mr. Clever, belonged to one of the old German families of Frederick County. His son, Daniel Gaver, was a tailor and followed that calling for many years. His political convictions were Republican. He married Margaret Shafer; their children were: Mary, who married D. M. Whipp; Emma, who married M. P. Horine, of Frederick County; the Rev. M. D.; Thomas M., of Minnesota; William, of Frederick County; other children, deceased. Mr. Daniel Gaver was born in Frederick County in 1810, and died near Burkittsville in 1874. He was a member of the Lutheran Church.

The Rev. M. D. Gaver, after attending the schools of Burkittsville during his boyhood, began teaching in the public schools at the age of eighteen. After spending five years in this work, he became a student of Pennsylvania College, Gettysburg, Pa., where he took the degree of A. B. in 1879. From the College he passed to the Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, from which he was graduated in 1881, and was ordained by the Synod of Western Pennsylvania in the Fall of that year. His first charge was the Lutheran Church at Mount. Holly Springs, Cumberland County, Pa, of which he was the pastor for eight years. He then received a call from the church at Williamsport, which he accepted, and has, since 1890, been actively engaged in his ministerial duties there.

The Rev. M. D. Gaver was married in 1881, to Miss Emma Fairbank, of Baltimore; their children are: Ella F.; Emma; Carroll D.; and Mary, who died in infancy. In politics, the Rev. Mr. Gaver is independent, but usually votes the Prohibition ticket. He is highly esteemed as a citizen, and as a faithful pastor.

THE REV. S. H. SNELL, a United Brethren minister, now living in Keedysville, Washington County, Md., was born March 20, 1854, in Rockingham Co., Va., son of Benjamin and Susan (Frank) Snell. Benjamin Snell was born near Dayton, Va., in Rockingham Co., August 3, 1822, son of Joseph and (Sherfey) Snell. Joseph Snell was the father of the following children: Jacob, who was a farmer, died leaving children in West Va.; Margaret, who married Peter Driver, settled near Lima, O.; Mary, who married David Fabborn, removed to Ohio; Lydia, who is living, unmarried, near Lima, O.; Benjamin. Joseph Snell and wife were Dunkards in religion.

Benjamin Snell was a carpenter and barn builder. He built many of file barns in Rockingham Co., Va., continuing in that occupation until his death, which occurred Sept. 17, 1858. He left four children; 1. Rebecca R., who married George Swartz, of Rockingham Co, a machinist and lumber manufacturer, who is the father of seven children; 2. Joseph F., who married Miss Boone, of Salem, Va., has no children and is engaged in business in Washington, D. C.; 3. Jacob M., who married Miss Funkhouser, is a wholesale grocer in Harrisonburg, Va., and has three boys, Arthur B., Elmer R., and Walstein M. Snell; 4. The Rev. S. H. Snell. Mrs. Benjamin Snell died February 28, 1897, aged 71 years, 4 months and 13 days. She is buried in her father’s old churchyard with her relatives. For several years after her husband’s death, Mrs. Snell lived with her father, Joseph Frank, and later she was married to John Swartz. She was a liberal Mennonite in religion, while Benjamin. Snell was a Dunkard.

The Rev. S. H. Snell was educated in the common schools and also spent two years at Dayton, Va., at the Shenandoah Institute, now known as Shenandoah College Institute and School of Music. He obtained the money to defray his expensed at school by working on the farm and by teaching. The Rev. Mr. Snell began preaching the doctrines of the United Brethren Church in 1880, joining the Virginia Conference on March 10th of that year. His first charge was the Bloomery Circuit, west of Winchester, Va., the congregations being partly in Virginia and partly in West Virginia. He received for the first year a salary of $173. He had his home with Jacob and Susan Peacemaker, who only charged him $25 for the year's board. During this year he had eight appointments, covering a space of thirty by twenty miles, over which he travelled on horseback. His second charge was the New Cheek Circuit in West Virginia, where he remained for one year at a salary of $232. Here he had six appointments in a radius of about the same extent as his first. His third year was spent at Edinburg, Va., having associated with him the Rev. J. W. Hicks, the two having six appointments. The Rev. Mr. Snell's fourth charge was at St. Paul’s United Brethren Church in Hagerstown, where he remained one year. It was during this pastorate, on October 18, 1883, that he married C. Arbelm Spessard, daughter of Daniel D. Spessard, and a sister of Melvin T. Spessard, whose family history is given in this book.

The Rev. and Mrs. Snell removed to Walkersville, Frederick Co., where he spent two years in the Frederick Circuit. Then, in 1886, they removed to the Spessard farm in Chewsville district, to care for Mrs. Snell’s mother. While there the Rev. Mr. Snell preached on the Hagerstown Circuit, having charge of congregations at White Hall, Chewsville, Shiloh and Middleburg. About 1887 they established their home in Keedysville, where they have since remained. In May of that year the Rev. Mr. Snell’s health having failed, he relinquished active ministerial duties, except as a supply. Since then he has preached at various times at Greencastle, Chewsville, Rohrersville, Williamsport, Laurel and Martinsburg, W. Va.

The Rev. and Mrs. Snell have no children of their own, but adopted Anna B. Swartz when she was five years old, and have given her a liberal education. She was graduated in the English course at Dayton, Va., in 1904, and completed a musical course, in voice, violin and piano, at the same institution in 1906. She was taught music and English in her alma mater. Rev. S. H. Snell and wife own a fine home in Keedysville and a farm in Funkstown district, containing 159 acres. Mrs. Snell and Anna are members of the United Brethren Church. In politics, the Rev. Snell is independent.

THE REV. CALEB LONG, was born December 4, 1861, in Rockingham County, Va., a son of Samuel E. and Barbara (Shickel) Long, both natives, of Rockingham County.

Samuel E. Long was twice married, his first wife being a Miss Heatwole, by whom he had issue: David, was a farmer and never married; Emanuel, is a minister of the German Baptist church at Bridgewater, Va.; Barbara, who married Isaac Bowman, a farmer; Gabriel, a farmer; Simeon, a farmer; Catharine, who married Daniel Shickel. Mr. Long’s second wife was Barbara Shickel, by whom he had nine children, of whom six survive: Levi, who is a school teacher and surveyor in Rockingham County; Fannie, who is unmarried; the Rev. Caleb; Mollie, who married Charles Ritchie; William, a carpenter; Jennie, who married Edward Garber.

Samuel E. Long is deceased; his widow is living. They became attached to the German Baptist Church in childhood, and were active and consistent members. Mr. Long was a deacon at the time of his death in what is known as Beaver Creek German Baptist Church, near his homestead in Rockingham County. Mrs. Long holds her membership in the same church. During the Civil War, Samuel E. Long lost much from his farm by the ravages of soldiers. There is not living today an uncle or an aunt of the Rev. Caleb Long, on his father’s side.

The Rev. Caleb Long is the only member of the family residing in Washington County, Md. He was educated in the public schools and at Bridgewater, in his native county. He taught school for six years in Virginia, and for one year in Washington County. On November 26, 1885, Caleb Long was married to Fannie Mullendore, a daughter of Daniel Mullendore, and representative of one of the well known and respected families of Rohrersville district. Mr. and Mrs. Long are the parents of six children: Edgar, who is a student at Union Bridge, Md.; Ina Virginia; Edna B.; Wilber, deceased; Verdie E.; and Everett C.

In the spring of 1889, the Rev. Caleb Long removed with his family to his present farm of 95 acres, situated about one mile from Boonsboro, where he has since remained, enjoying the fine and commodious residence. About 75 acres of this farm are planted with fruit trees, 8000 peach and 500 apples, all of choice species. He is recognized as one of the leading fruit raisers in his section of the county.

In 1897, the Rev. Caleb Long began to preach the doctrines of the German Baptist denomination at the Fahrnov Church and the Beaver Creek Church, two of the oldest churches of this denomination in Washington County. He has continued to serve these congregations and makes frequent trips to preach the gospel in other portions of Maryland and Virginia. The Rev. Mr. Long was instrumental in establishing the Brethren Church at Chewsville in 1900, and assists the Rev. J. O. Butterbaugh, and the Rev. Calvin Byers in conducting worship at that church.

The Rev. Caleb Long is a director of the Boonsboro Bank and is a Republican in political ideas. He is not only a conscientious Christian gentleman, but an upright citizen, enjoying the confidence of his neighbors.

THE REV. GEORGE ADAM ROYER, pastor of the Clearspring (Lutheran) charge, a minister very highly esteemed, was born in the village of Keyser, in Allegheny, now Garrett, County, Md., and is a son of John and Eliza (Schultz) Royer. John Royer was a native of Germany, born in 1808; he emigrated to America while a young man, was during the greater part of his life a farmer, and died in 1888.

George A. Royer passed his boyhood on his father’s farm, attending the common schools during the winter, and using his opportunities so faithfully as to prepare himself for teaching at an early age. For five years, he followed this vocation in the public schools. He then entered Mt. Union College, then at Mt. Union, Ohio, but now at Alliance, in the same state. After a six years’ course of study, Mr. Royer was graduated in 1888. From college he passed to the Theological Seminary, from which he was graduated in 1891; he was ordained in September of that year, at Altoona, Pa. The Rev. Mr. Royer’s first call was to a charge at Accident, Garrett Co., Md., where he served five congregations until the year 1896. In the summer of that year, he received a call to the Aurora charge, consisting of six congregations, in Preston Count, W. Va. Here he labored diligently until June, 1901, when he was called to his present field of labor, the Clearspring charge, which includes St. Peter’s congregation, in Clearspring, St. Paul’s, two and one-half miles east of that place, on the old National turnpike, and Mt. Tabor Church, at Fairview, Washington Co. As a true Christian pastor, the Rev. Mr. Royer faithfully devotes his abilities to the cause of religion, and the uplifting of his fellow-men.

On December 24, 1889, the Rev. George A. Royer was married to Miss Annabelle, daughter of Jacob L. and Mahala J. (Broadwater) Augustine, of Addison, Somerset Co., Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Royer have two daughters, Leonora Augustine and Mabel Pauline.

THE REVEREND HENRY EDWARDS was born in New Haven, Conn., December 31, 1821. He was the son of Horace Hampton and Maria (Golding) Edwards, a lineal descendant of the Rev. Jonathan Edwards, the distinguished metaphysician. His ancestors came from England about 1640. Richard Edwards was a clergyman of the established church who came to Connecticut from Wales, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. His grandfather was the Honorable Pierrepont Edwards, and tradition says that the Edwards family existed in Wales in the thirteenth century.

Henry Edwards attended the public schools and Hopkins Grammar School of New Haven. He prepared for College at Flushing Institute, Flushing, Long Island, and graduated with high honors from Yale College in 1841. Among his classmates at Yale were Donald G. Mitchell (Ike Marvel), and other prominent men. After graduation, he taught one year in the family of George Rives, Albemarle County, Va.; and during the next year was private tutor at Dansbammer, Newburgh, N. Y. In 1843 Mr. Edwards had a small school in Louisville, Ky.

From 1845 to 1847, he studied theology, first in New Haven, under the Rev. Henry Crosswell, D. D., and afterwards at the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church in New York. Henry Edwards was ordained deacon in Trinity Church, New Haven, Conn., September 16, 1847, by Bishop Brownwell, and was in charge of Christ Church, East Haven, Conn., until he resigned in the summer of 1848. He was ordained priest in New Haven, August 13, 1848, by Bishop Ives, of North Carolina, and became Rector of the church of Saint John the Evangelist, Stockport, N. Y., where he remained until May, 1850. After filling charges at Palmer, Mass., and at Irvington, N. Y., he spent three years at Cumberland Teaching School, and serving as assistant in Emmanuel Parish.

On the first of January, 1857, the Rev. Henry Edwards became Rector of Saint John’s parish, Hagerstown, Md., and remained through all the commotion of those troubled times. In 1862 and later, a large majority of his congregation sympathized with the Confederacy. He writes: "In March, 1863, we had a visit from the whole of Longstreet's Division, and on the Sunday before the battle of Antietam, I had the pleasure of preaching to a congregation composed of Southern officers and soldiers, and at the same time praying for the President of the United States." Mr. Edwards was United States Hospital Chaplain in Hagerstown by commission dated March 5, 1863, and was on one occasion taken to the headquarters of the Confederate general, who proposed sending him to Richmond as a hostage to secure the release of some prisoners taken by the Union troops. He was, however, only detained only a short time, and released on parole.

In 1867, Mr. Edwards resigned the rectorship of Saint John's parish, and accepted a call to Saint Mark’s Church, Lappan's Cross Roads, and later took the additional charge of Saint Paul's Church, Sharpsburg. At different times he had other small churches in the vicinity under his care, retaining his home in Hagerstown. When he took charge of Saint Paul's church, Sharpsburg, the old church was in ruins, having been riddled by shot and shell at the battle of Antietam; and through his earnest efforts it was replaced by one of the prettiest churches in that region. During his rectorship at Sharpsburg, the Rev. Henry Edwards taught a select school in Hagerstown. From 1867 to 1891 he was Chaplain of Saint James’ College, and in 1881, was made Grand Army Chaplain. In June. 1891, he resigned the rectorship of Saint Mark's church, Lappan's and Saint Luke’s Church, Pleasant Valley, and from that time until his death, in February, 1899, lived retired at his home in Hagerstown. He was an invalid. a great sufferer, and utterly unable for service. The Rev. Henry Edwards was greatly beloved, and the news of his death was received with great regret throughout the city which had been his home for forty-two years.

The Rev. Henry Edwards was married, October 20, 1850, to Charlotta Maria Crane, of New York, eldest daughter of Col. Ichabod B. Crane, First Artillery, United States Army. Mrs. Edwards died in Hagerstown, January 21, 1897. They had four daughters and four sons. The surviving children are: William C.; Maria; Charlotte, (Mrs. McCready); Caroline, (Mrs. Buchler), of Gettysburg Pa., and George. Mr. Edwards’ two sisters are living in New Haven, Conn. His funeral services were held in Saint John’s church, Hagerstown, by the Rev. Henry Evans Cotton. Interment was in Rose Hill Cemetery. He was buried with military honors by the Grand Army of the Republic. His pallbearers were: I. D. Martin, George W. Lands, J. H. Mandaville, I. R. Thompson, Col. C. M. Futterer, C. C. Walts, and W. B. Morrison.

BISHOP PETER ESHLEMAN was born near Lititz, Lancaster County, Pa., November 8, 1798, son of Abraham and Susanna Eshleman, and grandson of Ulrich Eshleman, a native of Switzerland, who, about 1750, settled between Lititz and Manheim.

Here Abraham Eshleman was born, June 19, 1765, and died April 7, 1838. He reared a large family, and has numerous descendants. His son, Peter Eshleman, removed to Washington County, Md., in 1831, and became the owner of a large tract of land near Reid, on the Marsh turnpike; this land is still in the possession of his descendants. Mr. Eshleman married Mary Reiff, of Earl Township, Lancaster Co., Pa.; their family consisted of eight sons and three daughters.

In 1832, Peter Eshleman was ordained a minister of the Mennonite Church; he and his family belonged to Miller’s Church, in Leitersburg District. He was ordained a bishop in 1838, and served in that office in Washington County, Md., and in Franklin County and part of Adams County, Pa., for nearly forty years. He was most faithful and diligent in his services, going from place to place on horseback at all times of the year, sometimes even when his feet became numb and insensible from cold. He once remarked that he spent but one Sunday out of sixteen with his family. Bishop Eshleman died May 12, 1876; his body was laid to rest in the graveyard of Miller's Church.

ULRICH ESHLEMAN, who came from Switzerland to Lancaster County, Pa., about 1750, died in 1803. His widow, Catherine Eshleman, died in 1809. Their children were: Anna, who married Mr. Gingrich; Barbara, who married Mr. Hoover; Abraham; Elizabeth, who married John Strite; John, who died in 1830, unmarried; Magdalena; Jacob, who married and left a family; Catherine, who married Abraham Westheffer; Peter, who died, unmarried, at the age of twenty-seven years.

The children of John and Elizabeth (Eshleman) Strite are: Nancy, who married Jacob Miller; Abraham, who married Elizabeth Mantzer; John, who married Elizabeth Summers; Christian, a Mennonite minister, who married Catherine Schnebley; Joseph, was married and died June 8, 1858; his widow died December 21, 1884; Samuel, born December 10, 1800, died May 1, 1884, married Martha Schnebley, who died January 13, 1894.

ABRAHAM ESHLEMAN, a native of Lancaster County, Pa., married Susan Ebersole. Their children are as follows: Martha, who married Uriah Eichelberger; Susan, who married Jacob Hirsh; Adeline; David; Henry; Simon; and John.

John Eshleman, youngest son of Abraham and Susan (Ebersole) Eshleman, is a prominent citizen of Highspire, Dauphin Co., Pa. He was from 1868 to 1883 section foreman for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He has been very successful as a farmer and dealer in lumber, and is a stockholder in the Harrisburg, Highspire and Steelton Electric Railway Company. He has also large real estate interests. Mr. Eshleman has served as assessor of lower Swartara Township, and as superintendent of the Highspire Cemetery Association. He is the proprietor of "Eshleman’s Addition" to Highspire.

John Eshleman was married in 1869 to Ellen Wolff; they have one son, Harry W.

THE GRIMM FAMILY. — The Rev. Joseph S. Grimm, son of John and Mary (Franck) Grimm, was born near Rohrersville, Washington Co., Md., May 8, 1812. He died March 10, 1892. His body was buried in the cemetery belonging to Bethel United Brethren Church. He was one of a family of eight children, of whom five were sons, named Frederick, Thomas, John, Joseph and Daniel, and three daughters, Margaret, Susan and Elizabeth. A large number of their descendants are still living in Washington County. Joseph S. Grimm was one of the first members of Bethel U. B. Church, in which he worked until his death, Serving as class-leader, Sunday-school superintendent, and teacher of a Bible class.

His license to preach was granted at an annual Conference, held in Washington County, Md. It is dated February 22, 1847, and signed by Bishop Hanby. "He was an earnest evangelical preacher, and travelled some by the appointment of the Conference, and also preached for pastors in surrounding communities; he often sought out neglected portions of the country, and there preached and labored for Christ and lost souls to good advantage."

As a citizen, the Rev. Mr. Grimm was aggressive, active in politics, and a staunch adherent of the Republican party. For a number of years, he was a Justice of the Peace; he also served as Judge of Elections.

The Rev. Joseph S. Grimm was joined in marriage by the Rev. G. B. Rymel, on November 22, 1836, to Sarah, youngest daughter of Jacob and Barbara (Bachtel) Huffer. They lived together more than fifty-six years, mutually bearing and sharing the sorrows and joys of life. To them were born thirteen children. One died in infancy; six sons and six daughters grew to manhood and womanhood.

The Rev. William O. Grimm, eldest son of the Rev. Joseph S. and Sarah (Huffer) Grimm, was also an honored minister in the U. B. Church. At the age of eighteen years, he began teaching school, at the same time learning the trade of shoe-making, by which he was enabled to save some money, and to attend a private high school. At a Conference, held at Myersville, Md., in 1863, he was licensed to preach. He served several years as teacher and missionary to the "freedmen" at Vicksburg, Miss. The Rev. William O. Grimm was married, March 16, 1865, by the Rev. G. W. Statton, to Miss Martha A. Mullendore. He preached in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. He died August 24, 1896, at the home of his mother in Rohrersville, and is buried in the cemetery of Bethel U. B. Church at that place.

The Rev. John Wesley Grimm, the second son, is also a minister in the U. B. Church, having received his license to preach in 1861. He has labored in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and is at present, pastor of the Boonsboro charge, in Washington County, Md. He married Miss Elizabeth Holliman, of Virginia.

The Rev. Jacob Luther Grimm, the third son, was also a minister in the U. B. Church. He received his license to preach in 1866. He also served charges in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. His last charge was at New Cumberland, Pa., which he was forced to resign, on account of failing health. He had enlisted and served for a time in the U S. Army, during the Civil War. From September, 1899, to September, 1900, he was the National Chaplain of the G. A. R. The Rev. Jacob L. Grimm was married to Miss Mary E. Harp, of Chewsville, Md. He died at the home of his son-in-law, Dr. H. C. Algire, in Baltimore, Md., August 21, 1905, and is buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery.

Joseph S. Grimm, Jr., the fourth son, is a farmer, living near Trego, Md. He married Miss Arbelin Thomas, of Keedvysville, Md.

Irvin R. Grimm, the fifth son, is a blacksmith, residing at Cearfoss, Md. He married Lila V. Beard, of Chewsville, Md.

Harmon M. Grimm, the sixth son, for several years a teacher in the public schools of Washington County, at present lives near Trego, Md., and is engaged in raising fruit. He married Miss Etta M. Huntzberry, of Mount Carmel, Md.

Martha A. Grimm, eldest daughter of Rev. Joseph S. and Sarah (Huffer) Grimm, is married to Simon Gloss, and lives near Salina, Kan.

Sophia C. Grimm, the second daughter, married Mahlon H. Smith. He died in October, 1899, and she died April 25, 1904. Both are buried in the cemeterv of Bethel U. B, Church. One son, A. G. Smith, survives.

Amanda M. Grimm, the third daughter, is married to Hiram J. Smith, and resides in Hagerstown, Md.

Sarah S. Grimm, the fourth daughter, was married., to Albert H. Smith, who died in April, 1896. She resides at Locust Grove.

Mary E. Grimm, the fifth daughter, formerly a teacher in the public schools of Washington County, lives in Rohrersville, Md.

Barbara Ella died in infancy.

Emma A. Grimm, teacher in the Primary Department of the Rohrersville Public School for eighteen consecutive years, lives with her sister Mary in Rohrersville, Md.

When the mother, Sarah Grimm, died, on February 12, 1904, the descendants were as follows: Children, living, 11; deceased, 2; grandchildren, living, 47; deceased, 7; great grandchildren, living, 19; deceased, 4; there were thus 77 living and 13 deceased, making a total of 90.

JOHN E. OTTO, a minister of the German Baptist Brethren Denomination, was born near Sharpsburg, Md., December 12, 1855. He was educated in the common schools, and worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-one years old. He then went West, and spent nine months with an uncle in Illinois, after which he went to California, and lived nine years at Woodland, Yolo County, where he worked among the farmers. He then returned to his home in Washington County and was married, January 1, 1889, to Miss Alice B. Miller.

After his return to Sharpsburg district, Mr. Otto began farming on a small farm near Sharpsburg, which he bought from William Thomas. He remained on this farm for three years. During this time he became imbued with a desire to become a minister, and took up the study of the gospel. He was elected to the deacon’s office of the German Baptist Brethren Church November 26, 1891 and to the ministry, November 24, 1892. He was advanced to the second degree, November 26, 1896. and ordained to the full ministry, March 26, 1904. He has served the German Baptist Church at Sharpsburg for a number of years, and took oversight of the Berkeley Church in Berkeley County, W. Va„ in June, 1905. During his ministry he has officiated at twenty-six funerals, twenty-five marriages and eighty-eight baptisms.

SAMUEL MADDOX is a citizen of the Tilghmanton District of Washington County, where with his sisters he owns one of the finest and most beautiful farms in Maryland, inherited from his father, the late Dr. Thomas Maddox. Here the family of the late Dr. Maddox maintain their summer home, returning to the farm each year to spend the summer months at the old homestead which is known as "Woodlie."

Samuel Maddox’s business, however, is in the city of Washington, where he is engaged in the practice of the law, being one of the leaders of the Bar of the District of Columbia and upon one or more occasions he was elected President of the Bar Association.

Mr. Maddox was born on Woodlie farm in Washington County, in 1850. He was educated in the public schools of the neighborhood and at St. John’s College, Annapolis. At an early age he entered the service of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company as a civil engineer. While a school boy he had served as rodman in the survey for the Washington County railroad and after leaving school was assistant engineer in continuing the Metropolitan Branch and on work for the company in Ohio and Indiana. Desiring to study law, he obtained a position in one of the Government Departments in Washington after competitive examination and while so engaged attended lectures at the Columbia Law School from which he graduated with honors. In his practice he has been remarkably successful and has been engaged in many important cases. He is general counsel for the Indian River Canal Company and has taken an active part in the development of South Florida. He has never lost his identity with Washington County and takes great interest in his farm and old home upon which he spends a great deal of money in improvements.

Samuel Maddox is the oldest son of the late Dr. Thomas Maddox and Mary Priscilla (Claggett) Maddox. His mother was the daughter of Dr. Thomas John Claggett of ‘Waterloo," Frederick County, the oldest son of the Right Rev. Thomas John Claggett, first Bishop of Maryland. Her mother was a daughter of Ilonore Martin of Rockville, a native of France.

Dr. Thomas Maddox was a son of Samuel and Sarah Fowler Maddox. He was born in Chaptico, St. Mary’s County, Md., on Green Spring farm, which came to him by inheritance from father to son from the first settlement. He was descended from Samuel Maddox who emigrated to Maryland with his uncle, Governor Thomas Notley about 1646. Dr. Maddox graduated from the School of Medicine of the University of Maryland in 1832 and went to Louisville, Ky., to practice. There he distinguished himself by his courage and devotion during an epidemic of cholera. In 1844 he returned to St. Mary’s County to visit his father, on his way to Paris to further pursue the study of medicine in the schools of that city. During the visit his father died, an event which reshaped his plan of life. He remained to take care of the family affairs and estates, and while so engaged and in 1846 he married Mary Priscilla Claggett of Frederick County, and two years later he purchased Woodlie farm, having meanwhile sold the St. Mary’s County estate to a first cousin, and made his home in Washington County. This farm was his home until his death in 1887. For a while he engaged in the practice of medicine but soon became entirely absorbed in farming to which vocation he was devotedly attached. He was a public spirited citizen and actively supported all measures for the public advancement. He took a leading part in the construction of the Hagerstown and Sharpsburg Turnpike, an enterprise of inestimable value to the southern part of the County, which was cut off by impassable roads from Hagerstown during the winter season. He also was one of the organizers of the movement to construct the Washington County Railroad and was twice sent by the County Commissioners to confer with the Baltimore & Ohio Company upon this subject. He aided also in establishing the College of St. James at Fountain Rock. But it was his work as a progressive farmer which was of the greatest benefit to Washington County. It was he who introduced the use of commercial or chemical fertilizers on wheat. He first brought to the county a wheat drill and generally set the pace among other farmers for more careful and thorough culture. He was a man of literary attainments and of a most benevolent disposition and he lived and died greatly beloved by the people around him. He was in the track of the armies during the Civil War and lost at that time all he had made. In religion he was an Episcopalian and gave the lot upon which St. Mark’s Church, Lappan’s stands and in the churchyard of which he lies buried. His efforts together with those of a few of his neighbors, notably John W. Breathed and George S. Kennedy, caused the building of that beautiful little church. Dr. Maddox was an advocate for public education. He served for a time as School Commissioner and always endeavored to secure the services of the best teachers. Mrs. Maddox outlived her husband about eight years.

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Maddox had five children besides several who died in infancy.

The oldest is Miss Anne F. Maddox who never married but has devoted her life to works of charity and in helping others. She was educated at St. Mary’s Hall, Burlington, N. J. She has traveled widely in the United States, Europe and the East. In 1906 she spent several months with her niece, the wife of Lieut. E. M. Zell of the army, in the Philippine Islands, making in that visit a trip around the world.

The second son of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Maddox was Dr. Thomas John Claggett Maddox, born in 1852 at the Woodlie farm. He was educated at the public schools and at the College of St. James. After the conclusion of his studies at this school he engaged as teacher there assisting Henry Onderdonk the Head Master. Then he became principal of the public school at Boonsboro. Afterwards he was engaged as assistant by Mr. Young of Emerson Institute, Washington, D. C. While there he studied medicine at the Medical School of the Columbian University and after a term as resident physician at Bellevue Hospital, New York, he was commissioned as assistant surgeon in the U. S. Army. In the army he quickly attained a high position by his professional skill and his distinguished ability and courage. His first assignment to duty was at Governor’s Island. In 1879 he was ordered to the Department of Texas and was stationed at several of the army posts in that State. When the Apache Indians went on the war path in 1885, under the lead of that stern and cruel old chief, Geronimo, Dr. Maddox requested an assignment to one of the cavalry troops sent out to quell the disturbance. While so engaged, on the morning of December 19, 1805, he was shot and killed by Indians in ambush. His body was brought home and buried with military honors in St. Mark’s Churchyard where he lies beside the graves of his father and mother.

Sarah Sophia is the youngest of the children of Dr. and Mrs. Maddox. She was born at the Woodlie farm, educated at the Virginia Female Institute, Staunton, Va., and in 1897 was married to Mr. John T. Wood, of Georgetown, D. C., a native of Prince George's County. Md., son of the late Peter Wood of that County, and a descendant of the Mortons, Comptons and other leading Southern Maryland families. Mr. and Mrs. Wood reside in Georgetown, where Mrs. Wood is prominent in good works. They spend a portion of their time each year at Mrs. Wood’s old home in Washington County.

The second daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Maddox is Cora Martin who in 1874 was married to Thomas John Chew Williams, a native of Calvert County, son of the Rev. Henry Williams. His mother was a daughter of Col. Thomas John Chew and Priscilla Elizabeth Chew, the latter a daughter of Bishop Claggett. Cora M. Williams was educated at St. Mary’s Hall, Burlington, N. J. Mr. and Mrs. Williams had six children who are the only descendants of Dr. and Mrs. Maddox in the third generation. The oldest is Thomas Notley Maddox Williams, who was born on the Woodlie farm, was educated at private schools and the College of St. James and after a brief service as a civil engineer with the Baltimore and Ohio and Western Maryland railroads and other work, he went to Chicago where he is now engaged with a large business corporation. Henry Williams, the second son, was born in Washington County in 1877, attended the Hagerstown High School, and the Johns Hopkins University. In 1894 he was appointed by Congressman J. F. C. Talbott to the United States Naval Academy where he graduated No. 2 in the class of 1898. He was ordered to the Battleship Massachusetts and went to the West Indian campaign against Spain under Admiral Schley. In that campaign he did much active service in command of a "picket" boat in the mouth of Santiago harbor, and in landing troops. He was also active in the occupation of Porto Rico and was in command of a prize upon several occasions. After the war he was assigned to the corps of Naval Constructors and took the course of study at the Naval Academy and was then sent to Paris where he pursued his studies at the great French Government school of Naval Architecture, the finest school of the kind in the world. Here young Williams distinguished himself by his high standing at graduation. Returning to the United States he was assigned to duty at the New York Navy Yard where he remained four years and then went as assistant to the naval constructor in charge at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company. While there he married Maude Steer, of New York.

The third son of T. J. C. and, Cora M. Williams is Richard Claggett Williams who was born in Washington County, attended the Hagerstown High School and the Baltimore City College, graduating from Princeton University with honors in the class of 1900. After graduation he spent six months in Porto Rico where he was engaged on the U. S. Coast Survey. In 1901 he was appointed a member of the faculty of the Baltimore City College in the Latin department, a position he still occupies.

Ferdinand Williams, the youngest of the four sons of Thomas J. C. and Cora M. Williams, was born in Washington County, near St. James, in 1881. When he was 10 years of age his parents removed to Baltimore where he attended the public schools and the City College and then went to St. John’s College, Annapolis. While there, in the junior class, he received from Congressman W. W. Mclntire an appointment to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. In 1903 he graduated high in his class and was assigned to the corps of engineers, U. S. Army and was ordered to the Philippine Islands. He served there a year, on the island of Guimaras. Returning to the U. S. he was stationed at Washington Barracks, Washington, D. C. Here he made a high record for efficiency and gained the confidence of his superior officers. At West Point he had taken a leading part in athletics and played in the great Army and Navy football games in Philadelphia and at Washington Barracks he was assigned as manager of the athletics of the enlisted men. He gained their great esteem and confidence and was constantly called upon by them when they got into trouble, to defend them. In Washington a number of important assignments were given him. In 1904, within a year of his graduation, he was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant of engineers. At Christmas, 1905, Lieut. Williams married in St. Michaels Episcopal Church, Charleston, S. C. Miss Sarah Rutledge Prioleau, a granddaughter of Capt. Huger of the U. S. Navy, afterwards of the Confederate Navy, and a sister of Gen. George Meade the federal commander at Gettysburg. The parents of Mrs. Williams are Mr. and Mrs. Edward Harleston Prioleau of Charleston, S. C. In May, 1906 Lieut. Williams was assigned temporarily to Fort Madison, near Annapolis, for target practice with his company. While so engaged he was killed on June 1, 1906, by the accidental discharge of a pistol in the hands of a soldier. The young officer was buried with military honors in St. Mark’s Churchyard, Washington County. The funeral was attended by Gen. Mackenzie, chief of engineers, U. S. Army. A number of officers who were his classmates at West Point, a squad of soldiers and a bugler to sound "taps" also attended the funeral. A general order was issued by the chief of engineers announcing the death and highly extolling the deceased officer. He was a young man of brilliant intellect and attainments of exalted character, the soul of honor and a sincere Christian.

Of the two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. T. J. C. Williams, both were born in Washington County. The oldest, Mary Priscilla, was educated at St. Agnes’ School, Albany, N. Y., and. shortly after her graduation, at Christmas, 1904, was married to Lieut. Edward M. Zell, 7th Cavalry U. S. Army, who graduated at West Point in the class with Ferdinand Williams. His father is Edward L. Zell, at Orange, N. J., and his mother was Miss Le Blanc, of New Orleans, a niece of Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard. Lieut. and Mrs. Zell were first stationed at Fort Myer, Va. and then at Batangas, Philippine Islands. They have one child, an infant daughter named Anne Claggett Zell. The youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. T. J. C. Williams is Anne Elizabeth Chew Williams, who is attending school.

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Contributed 2024 Dec 1 by Norma Hass, extracted from 1906 A History of Washington County, Maryland by Thomas J. C. Williams, Chapter 33, Pages 567-589.

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