History of Western Maryland. J. Thomas Scharf
Loudon Park Cemetery, Baltimore, and many busts of citizens of Baltimore.
William H. Reinhart died in Rome on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1874, in the forty-eighth year of his age, having fully enabled his native State, Maryland, " to give to the world" not only " some," but many " enduring mementoes of the age in one of the most admirable departments of human genius." By his will he attested further his great love for art; after amply providing for relatives he directed that his executors, W. T. Walters and B. F. Newcomer, of Baltimore, should apply the residue of his estate, according to their best judgment, to the promotion of interest in and cultivation of taste for art, by the following clause of his will:
"Third, Being desirous of aiding in the promotion of a more highly cultivated taste for art among the people of my native State, and of assisting young men in the study of the art of sculpture who may desire to make it a profession, but having at the present time no definite plan in view for the accomplishment of these objects, I give, devise, and bequeath all the rest and residue of my estate, real, personal, and mixed, and wheresoever situated, unto my two personal friends, William T. Walters and Benjamin F. Newcomer, of the city of Baltimore, or the survivor of them, or the heirs, executor, or administrator of such survivor, in trust and confidence, with the injunction that the whole of said residue of my estate or the proceeds thereof shall be devoted and appropriated by them, according to their best judgment and discretion, to the promotion of the objects and purposes named above; and if in the opinion of my said trustees this can be best accomplished by any concert of action with the trustees of the Peabody Institute, or by the establishment of a professorship in connection with the Gallery of Art, which at some future time is to be provided for by that corporation, or by the investment of any portion of the funds so held by them in trust, and aiding from the income derived from such investments deserving young men who are desirous of pursuing their studies abroad, but are without the means of doing so, they, my said trustees, are at liberty to adopt any or all or none of these methods, or to transfer the trust or the estate so held by them in trust to any corporation which in their judgment would best serve the purpose indicated."
Willie T. Hoppe was the second son of Hannah and the late Jacob D. Hoppe, of Carroll County. His life in some important features resembled that of Chatterton, the boy-poet of England. At an age when most children realize their highest pleasure in a game of marbles or hide-and-seek, his mind was at work like the piston-rod of a steam-engine, grinding out tales, editorials, and local histories in a ceaseless flow. His mental faculties and energy far outstripped his weak and sickly body, and absolutely wore it out before he arrived at man's estate. His first essay in literature was as the editor and publisher of an amateur journal entitled The Boys' Rights, which astounded the neighbors and friends of his family by the extraordinary precocity exhibited in its contents. He subsequently conducted the Amphion Journal and Cupid's Messenger, and, as president of the Amateur Press Association, still surprised his friends and the public not only by the marvelous maturity of his intellect, but by a display of executive ability which his years and experience did not appear to justify. In 1878 he entered the office of Charles Poe, of Baltimore, as a law-student, but it soon became painfully evident that while his mind was ripening and brightening with study and training, his body was gradually wasting away before the inroads of some insidious malady, and he died July 24, 1880, in the twentieth year of his age. In his literary efforts and on his papers he was frequently assisted by Miss Mary Shellman, a lady of rare literary attainments, whose historical contributions to the press have earned for her a merited reputation as a writer. Dr. Washington Chew Van Bibber was born in Frederick, now Carroll, Co., Md., July 24, 1824. His family settled in that section very early in the history of the State, and soon acquired influence and prominence. After a thorough course of study at a number of colleges, Dr. Van Bibber entered the office of Prof Nathan R. Smith, of Baltimore, and matriculated at the University of Maryland, from whence he graduated in 1845. After some years spent in the South, where he had an opportunity to familiarize himself with the yellow fever in all its phases, — that dread pest of Southern cities, — he returned to Baltimore and began the practice of his profession. His practice rapidly increased, and with it his reputation as a skillful and excellent physician, and to-day he is fully the equal of any of the galaxy of physicians who have made Baltimore famous as a center of instruction in the healing art. As a writer. Dr. Van Bibber deserves especial mention. Few have recently added more to the literature of medicine. From 1856 to 1859 he was associate editor of the Virginia Medical Journal, and from 1859 to 1861 he was associate editor of the Maryland and Virginia Medical Journal, and he has contributed a large number of papers to the various medical periodicals of the day, replete with interest and valuable scientific information.
Thomas E. Van Bibber, a relative of Dr. Van Bibber, is a native of Carroll County, but is now a resident of California. He early developed a taste for literature, and many of his youthful efforts will compare favorably with those of more pretentious poets and authors. He is best known by his poem, " The Flight into Egypt," a work exhibiting considerable power, a beautiful fancy, and a true conception of the poet's vocation. It was very favorably received by American critics, and has stood the test of time remarkably well. His many miscellaneous prose efforts have added to his reputation as a cultured and popular writer.
For many years the meetings of the " Addison Reunion Association" constituted a delightful feature of society in Westminster. The organization was literary in character, and a number of the most cultivated and influential citizens were members and contributors. The intention was to combine social with literary recreation, and for a longer time than usually occurs to such associations the effort was successful. The papers read before it took a wide range, embracing poetry, history, art, science, and the various branches of polite literature. In 1871, Dr. Charles Billingslea compiled " The Addison Reunion Papers," a neat volume of three hundred pages, containing the choicest of the papers delivered before the society during its existence, and embracing selections from the writings of Emma Alice Browne, the poetess, and authoress of '' Ariadne," Rev. Josiah Varden, Rev. James T. Ward, D.D., Mrs. Albert Billingslea, Rev. David Wilson, D.D., Dr. Charles Billingslea, Isaac E. Pearson, Mrs. Carrie Brockett Anderson, Miss Ada Billingslea, and Thomas E. Van Bibber. The " Addison Reunion Association" gave its closing entertainment June 9, 1871, at the " Montour House," a noted hostelry, which derived its name from the famous Indian chief of that name who flourished in colonial times.
The religious denominations of Carroll County recognizing the paramount value of religious instruction through the instrumentality of Sabbath-schools, and anxious to extend their influence and usefulness, consulted together as to the best method of accomplishing this desirable result. Their deliberations culminated in 1867 in a county Sabbath-school association, to be composed of delegates from all the Protestant denominations in the county. The second annual convention of the society was held in the Lutheran church at Westminster, Sept. 8, 1868. Rev. J. T. Ward, of the Methodist Protestant Church, was called to the chair, and H. B. Grammer appointed secretary. The districts were called, and the following delegates enrolled: Finksburg, John H. Chew, D. Ebaugh, A. Geisley, R. A. Smith, Wm. Cruise, Rev. W. T. Dunn; Hampstead, S. Ruby, Joseph Lippy; New Windsor, Clinton Hanna, Wm. A. Norris, Isaac C. Baile, Rev. Mr. Scarborough; Manchester, Rev. R. Weser, Jacob Campbell, Edmund Gender, D. Frankforter, Jos. Shearer, H. B. Lippy, D. W. Banner, J. T. Myers, Misses F. Crumrine, S. Trump, Ellen Trump, V. C. Weizer, Lizzie Earle; Myers, Jacob Wolfe, T. T. Tagg, J. Bankard; Middleburg, Thos. Newman, Wm. H. Boust, John W. Angell, Jacob Koons, A. E. Null, Albert Koons, John Feezer, Eli Hahn; Taneytown, Peter Mark, G. Stover, J. T. Clay; Uniontown, Revs. P. A. Strobel, J. T. Ward, J. T. Hedges, Van Meter, E. H. Smith, J. Monroe, W. C. Creamer, H. B. Grammer, Wm. H. Cunningham, G. W. Cecil, F. Herr, M. Baughman, H. L. Norris, E. Koons, R. Gorsuch, Josh Sellman, N. Pennington, J. N. Williams, Mrs. M. A. Wagner, Mrs. M. Cunningham, Misses Sanford, Sue Cassell, Annie Ocker. The committee appointed to select permanent officers reported the following nominations, which were unanimously confirmed:
President, Hon. John E. Smith; Vice-Presidents, J. W. Angell, David H. Webster, ––– Debough, Jacob Campbell, Alfred Zollickoffer, A. McKinney, C. D. Frieze, Joseph Ebaugh; Secretaries, H. B. Grammer and Wm. A. Baker.
The convention continued their interesting exercises until Thursday, June 10th, when they adjourned until their annual meeting in 1869.
The German Baptists sought the region