On January 3, 1776, James Johnson, the brother of Thomas Johnson, Maryland's first governor, was granted a patent for 150 acres, near Mechanicstown (now Thurmont), part of the Catoctin Furnace property. On January 3, 1825, the first classes were held at "St. John's Female Benevolent and First Frederick Free School," taught by two Sisters of Charity nuns from Emmitsburg. On January 3, 1856, the third sanctuary of All Saints Episcopal Parish was dedicated in the 100 block of West Church Street in Frederick. On January 3, 1866, the United States District Court in Baltimore dismissed a suit against former Confederate General (and former Frederick County State's Attorney) Bradley T. Johnson, of Frederick, which was instituted by The Central National Bank of Frederick. The bank claimed Johnson owed it $904.77 in payment of a debt incurred June 28, 1858. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net> Wasps1965@comcast.net

On January 2, 1825, St. John's Female Benevolent Free School, the predecessor to the Academy of The Visitation, opened for classes. On January 2, 1854, The Central Bank of Maryland, a direct descendent of the oldest banking institution in Frederick - a branch of The Farmer's Bank of Maryland established in 1808 - was chartered. On January 2, 1886, the Citizens' National Bank of Frederick was organized, with Frederick's First Citizen - Joseph Dill Baker - as president On January 2, 1963, Meadows Van and Storage, Inc., bought the old Union Manufacturing Company plant at Wisner and East Patrick streets for $130,000. On January 2, 1969, Frederick's business leaders, prodded by George B. Delaplaine, Jr., publisher of The News & The Frederick Post, met with leaders of the city's black community to learn what was wrong with their image among African-Americans. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net> Wasps1965@comcast.net

On January 1, 1773, Thomas Gantt, Jr., received a deed for a parcel of land from the estate of his father Thomas Gantt, Sr., on which Brunswick was later developed. The elder Gantt had received the property from John S. Hawkins on July 31, 1766. On January 1, 1873, the "handsome and commodious buildings" of the Maryland School for the Deaf and Dumb were opened for occupancy. Prior to this date the school was conducted in the Hessian Barracks off South Market Street in Frederick. On January 1, 1908, the Young Men's Christian Association building was dedicated at the southeast corner of West Church Street and North Court Street in Frederick, on the site of the old Park Hotel and The Carlin House. On January 1, 1914, the pews at All Saints Episcopal Church were made free after 172 years of being rented. Even Roger Brooke Taney, a noted Roman Catholic and later Chief Justice of The United States, rented a pew here because his wife was an Episcopalian and she was not allowed to rent the pew in her name. On January 1, 1936, WFMD-AM went on the air. On January 1, 1946, WFRE-FM went on the air as WFMD-FM. On January 1, 1970, Jungleland Serpentarium became Catoctin Mountain Zoological Park near Thurmont. On January 1, 1973, a fire of suspicious origin heavily damaged the sanctuary area of St. John The Evangelist Roman Catholic Church on East Second Street in Frederick. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net> Wasps1965@comcast.net

On December 31, 1887, the Rev. George Diehl left the Evangelical Lutheran Church on East Church Street in Frederick as its pastor. On December 31, 1892, The Historical Society of Frederick County was formally organized by Dr. Charles W. Hoffman with 30 members. On December 31, 1900, the new Girls High School on East Church Street in Frederick (used for many years, ending in July 2010, as the headquarters of the Frederick County Board of Education), was turned over to the school commissioners by Harry D. Bowers, the contractor. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>

On December 30, 1824, The Lafayette Ball was held at Talbott's Tavern (where the City Hotel was later built in the first block of West Patrick Street in Frederick). A mid-day fete for the Revolutionary War hero at John McPherson's home on Council Street (now known as The Ross House) was also held. On December 30, 1842, James McSherry, who became chief judge of the Frederick County Court and The Maryland Court of Appeals, was born in Frederick. On December 30, 1907, Dr. Edward Oliver Belt, who was born in Frederick on May 19, 1861, was killed in a train wreck on the B&O line just outside Washington at Terra Cotta. Dr. Belt was the founder of Episcopal Eye, Ear and Throat Charity Hospital in Washington, and a professor at Howard University. On December 30, 1990, Bernard A. Adams, former news director at WFMD (AM930) and WFRE-FM, and the public relations director at Frederick Community College, died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 37. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>

On December 29, 1824, General Lafayette was received at the Monocacy (Jug) Bridge by many Frederick dignitaries and taken to town with great pomp and circumstance. Among the dignitaries was Lawrence Everhart, who had carried a wounded Lafayette from the Brandywine Battlefield near Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War. On December 29, 1830, six members of the John Newey household in Harbaugh Valley west of Thurmont were stabbed to death and their home burned to the ground. John Markley was executed for the crime on June 24, 1831, on the Barracks Grounds on South Market Street. Years later it was determined that Markley was not the guilty party, but rather the owner on the farm next to the Newey place. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>

On December 28, 1825, Major General James Wilkinson, who was court-martialed in Frederick for conspiracy and for being an agent of the Spanish government, with Roger Brooke Taney and John Hanson Thomas as his defense attorneys, died in Mexico City. He was found not guilty at the trial, which lasted four months. On December 28, 1835, President Andrew Jackson nominated Roger Brooke Taney, a former resident of Frederick, to be Chief Justice of the United States. On December 28, 1931, the original works of Frederick Heisley's Town Clock in the steeple of Trinity Chapel on West Church Street in Frederick were presented to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>

On December 27, 1803, William Magee Seton, husband of Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton, later Mother Seton, died in Italy, leaving a widow and five children. On December 27, 1810, Roger Stemble, who would assist in putting down an uprising of the Seminole Indians in Florida in 1836, and who did "brilliant service" in the Mexican War in 1846, was born in Middletown. He rose to the rank of admiral in the U. S. Navy. On December 27, 1923, the Lebherz Brothers formed a new corporation to be called The Everedy Company. They produced the famous "bottle capper" so popular during Prohibition, and later were noted for their kitchenware. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net> Wasps1965@comcast.net

On December 26, 1774, The Maryland Gazette reported the case of John Parks who was forced by the Committee for The Upper Part of Frederick County, to walk bare-headed and set fire to a "chest of tea" he owned in defiance of an order barring such commodity. On December 26, 1788, Dr. Elisha John Hall, of Fredericktown, addressed a small local group of physicians in Baltimore. This speech led eventually to the formation of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland in 1799. On December 26, 1794, a Corporation of Frederick ordinance required all homes to keep leather buckets near their front entrances to carry water in case of fire. On December 26, 1839, First Lieutenant George E. Davis, Company D, 10th Vermont Infantry, who was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions at The Battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864, was born in Dunstable, Massachusetts. On December 26, 1941, William Tyler Page, who was born on Record Street in Frederick and who was also the author of The American's Creed, set the record of 60 years service at the United States Capitol in Washington. He was the clerk of The House of Representatives for many years. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net> Wasps1965@comcast.net

On December 25, 1783, Luther Martin, arguably the greatest lawyer in Maryland history, a Maryland Attorney General for 30 years, and defense counsel for Aaron Burr at his treason trial in Richmond, VA, married Maria Cresap, daughter of Capt. Michael Cresap, who led 300 Frederick Countians on a march to join the Continental Army after the Battle of Bunker Hill. On December 25, 1845, Adrian C. McCardell, who became president of Frederick County National Bank, and who operated a confectionery store at two locations on North Market Street in downtown Frederick, was born in Washington County. He was the father of Adrian Leroy McCardell, who also became president of Frederick County National Bank, and the grandfather of world-renowned fashion designer Claire McCardell. He died March 30, 1932, and was buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. On December 25, 1857, the Georgetown Chapel in Walkersville was dedicated. On December 25, 1883, Lawrence 'Larry' Dielman, son of Dr. John Casper Dielman, professor of music at Mount Saint Mary's College in Emmitsburg, began the tradition of walking to his father's grave every Christmas Day, playing his father's favorite carol, "Adeste Fidelis," on the flute. The practice stopped in 1921, when 'Larry' was too ill to make the pilgrimage. He died in 1923. On December 25, 1951, five calves were born to a Holstein cow on the farm of Silas D. Bittle, near Myersville. The cow accidentally killed three of the calves prior to the discovery that she had given birth. On December 25, 2007, announcement was made of the appointment of District Court Judge Oliver John Cejka as the administrative judge for Maryland's District 11, which includes Frederick and Washington counties. The appointment became effective on January 1, 2008. Judge Cejka replaced his Frederick County District Court colleague W. Milnor Roberts. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>

On December 24, 1821, Dr. John Baltzell, age 47, married Ruth Ridgley, of Baltimore, age 22. Dr. Baltzell's home on East Church Street in Frederick is now the home for The Historical Society of Frederick County. On December 24, 1855, Frank Wanzer, his fiancée, and four other slaves fled their owners’ plantation in Loudoun County, Virginia, and made their way through the underground railroad in Frederick County, including stops at the farms of Ezra, Henry and John Michael, who owned adjacent farms near Doubs. On December 24, 1934, a fire, caused by an electrical short circuit in the basement, extensively damaged the Brunswick YMCA. The building was rebuilt almost immediately. On December 24, 1963, two houses of East Fifth Street in Frederick collapsed after a natural gas explosion. Mr. and Mrs. Henry King, who lived at 110, died several days later of burns received in the resulting fire. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>

Last one until after the Holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All! Frederick County, Maryland - Equity Court Records - BGF-2 521-533 - GEASEY, LEATHERMAN, LITTLE, PERKINS, DERR, SMITH, HOLL, BARRICK, PICKING - Jun 1858 John L. LITTLE vs Daniel LEATHERMAN, et al Daniel GEASEY of Lewistown, d/ May 1858 intestate widow - Elizabeth (age 27) d/ Susannah Rebecca GEASEY, a minor (age 9) d/ Amanda Catharine GEASEY, a minor (age 7) d/ Ann Matilda GEASEY, a minor (age 4) d/ Rebecca Elizabeth GEASEY, a minor d/ Phoebe Ann GEASEY, a minor (age 2 months) Note - Rebecca's age not mentioned, but death not mentioned either (perhaps she was just skipped?), nor was birth of Phoebe mentioned in petition records, only in testimony of Daniel LEATHERMAN Jr. Land - Lot #10 in Lewistown; from Joseph HUGHES in Emmitsburg - undivided share in Lots #11, 44, 49, 72 in Lewistown; from Perry G. SMITH, Susanna R. SMITH, John PERKINS, Elizabeth PERKINS, Catharine DERR, w/o Henry DERR, in 1856. Administrator was Daniel LEATHERMAN Jr with surities as Jacob LEATHERMAN and Bradley JOHNSON. Distribution of Personal Property inventory, $109.55 - court costs, $64.24 - John L. LITTLE, creditor, $34.36 Guardian was Joseph W. L. CARTY; testimony was heard from Daniel LEATHERMAN Jr. who was also the trustee for the sale with sureties as Daniel RAMSBURG of J. and John L. LITTLE. Sale was held in Lewistown on 21 Nov 1858; high bidders were: - Harriet A. HOLL for Lot #44 at $27 - Daniel BARRICK for Lot #49 at $10 - Thomas PICKING for Lots #10 & $11 at $300 (On 15 Oct) Distribution of $337; court costs $116.83 - Elizabeth GEESEY, widow, in lieu of dower, 1/7, $31.45 - balance to numerous creditors. Closed 1 Jun 1861. -- www.MidMdRoots.com ==================

On December 23, 1823, John McPherson, Jr, the son of the man who built both the Ross and Mathias homes on Council Street in Frederick, married Fanny Johnson, the granddaughter of Thomas Johnson, Maryland's first governor. He was the manager of Branch Bank, and owner and operator of the Catoctin Furnace property. On December 23, 1861, Pvt. John Lanahan, of Company I, 46th Pennsylvania Volunteers, was hanged at Fairview, just west of Frederick, for the murder of Major Arnold C. Lewis at a Darnestown encampment. On December 23, 1926, The Tivoli Theater opened. It later became the first commercial building in Frederick to be air-cooled. It was operated at that time by The Stanley Cramer Company. It is now known as The Weinberg Center For The Arts. On December 23, 1950, Henry K. C. Fox, who assumed ownership of Fox's Stove Store in the first block of East Patrick Street in Frederick from his father, Ernst A. C. Fox, died of a coronary occlusion. He was born December 18, 1875. On December 23, 2005, The Frederick News-Post carried the news that Anna Johnson-Winegar, of Frederick, had been selected as chairman-elect of the American Cancer Society's National Board of Directors. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>

On December 22, 1827, Col. Luke Tiernan Brien, who owned "Tyrone," where the Sabers and Roses Ball was held in 1862 in Urbana, and who was a pioneer in railroad construction in the mid-west after The Civil War, was born. He died November 25, 1912. "Tyrone" is now known as The Landon House. On December 22, 2002, former President George H. W. Bush shopped at the Giant Food Store on The Golden Mile in Frederick. Although surrounded by Secret Service agents, he stood in the check-out line like a regular citizen. He was on his way to Camp David to spend the holidays with his son, President George W. Bush, and other members of his family. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net> Wasps1965@comcast.net

On December 21, 1874, William Gideon Baker, Jr., who founded the financial house of Baker, Watts in 1900, was born in Buckeystown. He died in Baltimore County on December 27, 1948. On December 21, 1881, the elopement of Mrs. John Devilbiss and A. M. Geisbert, both of Creagerstown, was reported in Frederick's newspapers. Mrs. Devilbiss had abandoned her husband and children on December 2. On December 21, 1938, a contract was awarded to Calvin Owens, of Bethesda, for the construction of a new Frederick High School for a contract price of $369,000. The building on Carroll Parkway has undergone many renovations since, and now a new Frederick High School is being constructed as a cost of $115 million. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>

On December 20, 1842, Father John Dubois, founder of Mount Saint Mary's College (now University) and Seminary in Emmitsburg, died in New York City where he was a Roman Catholic bishop. He was born in Paris, France, on August 24, 1764. On December 20, 1920, the last road tollgate in Maryland, on the Frederick and Woodsboro Road between Frederick and the Monocacy River, was closed. Miss Alice Zimmerman, toll collector for nearly 18 years, collected the last fee. On December 20, 1946, The Frederick News-Post carried an article revealing that bobble birds, those glass figures that dipped their beaks into a container of water, were being manufactured in Frederick. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>

Frederick County, Maryland - Equity Court Records - BGF-2 474-521 - NIXDORFF, SMITH, HENKS, MILLER, KEMP, KAUFMAN, TUCKER, EBBERTS, MARKELL, MANTZ - Sep 1860 Samuel HENKS, et al va George C. SMITH, et al Henry NIXDORFF d/ May 1859 intestate widow - Susan d/ Mary E. (d/ Oct 1859) w/o George SMITH .....Charles C. SMITH, a minor .....Emma L. SMITH, a minor .....Clara V. SMITH, a minor .....Frances B. SMITH, a minor d/ Susan w/o Samuel HENKS - Baltimore city d/ Julia M. w/o Charles M. MILLER s/ George A. NIXDORFF s/ Lewis M. NIXDORFF s/ Henry M. NIXDORFF Administrators were Lewis M. and Henry M. NIXDORFF. Land - Lot in Bentz Town; to Samuel NIXENDORFF, blacksmith, from Charles SHELL (s/o Charles SHELL, dec'd) and w/ Mary in 1786 (witnessed by W. M. BEALL and George MURDOCK). Carrolls Creek ran at the north of said lot. - (A) 40 acres; from Thomas CARLTON, Sheriff, court decree for benefit of Jacob HILDEBRAND and w/ Catharine against Henry CROSS in 1827 (inherited from his mother, Catharine CROSS, in 1810). - 40 acres(?); from Samuel CROSS and w/ Catharine in 1828 (inherited from his mother, Catharine CROSS, in 1810). - "Mary Makes One", 103 acres; from John FAUBLE in 1831. (Previously to Fauble from William HILBUS, Casper MANTZ, Henry NIXDORFF and Peter DEGRANGE, Margaret DEGRANGE, Jacob FAUBLE, Catharine FAUBLE and John DEGRANGE in 1830. - Lot #4 of "Fieldera", 40 acres; from James HUGHES of Louisville, KY, exec/of John HUGHES, dec'd, in 1832. (Previously to John HUGHES from Elizabeth NOLAND of Loudoun Co, VA in 1818) - "Try All", 5 acres, adjoining land of Daniel GETZENDANNER; from Thomas NEILL & w/ Rebecca in 1832 (witnessed by George ROHR and John EBERT). - (B) Lot #1 of "Mountain Land", 119 acres, with right-of-way for wagon road; from William M. B. WILLSON in 1833. - "Bloomsberry", 60 acres; from Joseph A. JOHNSON and Charles JOHNSON, execs/of Roger JOHNSON (1831 Will), in 1834. Located on the old furnace road and adjoining tract "Resurvey on Right and Good Reason". - Farm of 530 acres; from Tobias JOHNSON and w/ Ruth of Washington County in 1835 (Tobias inherited it from his uncle, Benjamin JOHNSON in 1833). John RICE then resided on the farm. Comprised of: "Forrest Farm", 100 acres; 200 acres from Thomas JOHNSON and 230 acres from Joshua JOHNSON; reservation for House and Lot where Ric. THOMAS formally lived, reserved for negro man JOSEPH during his live, then to Tobias JOHNSON. - Lot #4 & 5 of "Bloomsberry", 16 acres and 25 acres; from Charles JOHNSON, surviving exec/of Roger JOHNSON in 1836. Located on the side of the old forge dam, adjoining tract "Omi Land" and land of James SIMMONS. - #2 of "Bloomsberry", 40 acres, adjoining tract "Resurvey on Plummers Delight" and "Dudderers Fancy". - Lot #5 of "Bloomsberry" and "Wayman Retreat", 30 acres. Both from John H. SIMMONS in 1839, trustee for Richard JOHNSON and w/ Juliana. - "Try All", 97 acres; from Robert G. McPHERSON and w/ Millicent of Jefferson Co, VA (WV now) and Catharine D. McPHERSON and John H. T. McPHERSON in 1841. (Previously from Charles BEATTY to John McPHERSON in 1796.) Exception is 20 acres to Edward TRAIL and tract "Resurvey on Manken", 60 acres. - (C) Lot in "Taskers Chance", 3 acres; from George C. STOKES of Baltimore city in 1846, trustee in Equity decree for Catharine STOCKTON against Samuel L. AUSTIN and Anne M. AUSTIN and others. Lot bounded on the east by lot of Peter MANTZ and on the south by the street and by Baptist Church on the west by the alley running down to Patrick St at the tavern of Thomas NEWENS and on north by lot owned by LEVY's heirs, John BRUNNER of J., Jacob RUHL and the town creek. - "New Bremen", "Nancys Beginning", "Little Did I Think It", "Gautts Garden", "Honers Choice", "Two Brothers", "Resurvey on Wilsons Lot"; total of 274 acres; from Moses LUGENBEEL in 1846, trustee in Equity case for Moses LUGENBEEL, wife and others against Rebecca KRAMER and others (Estate of Adam KRAMER, dec'd). - Lot #16 of "Foul Play", 77 acres, from Jacob KEEFER and Michael KEEFER, trustees in Equity case against James FINNEY and wife, in 1848 (previously to FINNEY from Willy JONES in 1832). - Lot and 2-story stone house on west side of Market Street in Frederick Town, adjoining residence of Samuel MILLER (was bequeathed to Elizabeth JONES and Louisa DEBRUBER by Jacob MEDTART, dec'd father in Will HS-2, 4); from Norman B. HARDING, Sheriff, in 1849, in court case of George BALTZELL against Elizabeth JONES and Lewis MEDTART. - "Fielderea", 47 acres; from Edward SHRIVER in 1850 (recorded 1860), as trustee from Equity case of Charles RUTHERFORD, Ann M. RUTHERFORD and others against George RUTHERFORD and Frances M. RUTHERFORD, whereby property was sold to Mark BISHOP who died with a Will appointing Grayson EICHELBERGER as his executor who sold said property to Henry NIXDORFF. - Lot #6 on "Waymans Retreat" and "Bloomsberry", 31 acres; from Andrew MICHAEL in 1851. Previously by Deed of Trust to John H. SIMMONS by Richard JOHNSON of R. and w/ Juliana, who conveyed it to Andrew MICHAEL in 1836. - Lot on "Taskers Chance", on South Street; from George SMITH in 1852, as trustee for estate of Joseph SCHNERE. Formerly owned by Robert ROACH. - House & Lot #6 on "Long Acre" in Frederick Town (previously part of "Taskers Chance"); from Willliam C. SAPPINGTON in 1853 (recorded 1860), trustee in Equity case for George ABRECHT and w/ Mary and others against William POOLE and w/ Catharine and others. Consisted of "house and store, residence and lot on All Saints Street and log house and Lot in Baltimore; brick house and Lot in Battletown and house and Lot of ABRECHT and house on South Street, 80 acres, near Shookstown, 119 acres and improvements near Zion and 203 acres of mountain land in different tracts. In district 7, Urbana, 2 Lots and brick house and stone house, 275 acres, 2 log houses, stable and barn, at New Breman 60 acres in wood; "Bloomsberry", 76 acres, Lot #16 Sugarloaf Mountain, 31 acres Lot #6. 30 acres Lot #5, both in wood; "Bloomsberry" in District 9 New Market 525 acres of "Altogether"." Guardian was Robert G. McPHERSON; testimony was heard from Thomas H. O'NEAL and William SMITH. Trustees were Lewis M. and Henry M. NIXDORFF. Sale was held at the City Hotel in Frederick on 22 Dec 1860; high bidders were: - Edward KEMP for (A) the farm, 3 1/2 miles west of Frederick near Shookstown, 88 acres, at $35/acre - John KAUFMAN for (B) farm about 3 1/2 miles SW of Frederick, 119 acres, from William M. B. WILLSON at $30/acre The following lots are parts of (C) - William TUCKER for Lot #1 in Frederick Town at $202.50 - Joseph M. EBBERTS for Lot #2 at $187.50 - George MARKELL for Lot #3 at $325 - Francis MARKELL for Lot #8 at $250 - Peter MANTZ for Lot #15 at $160 Total sales, $6,571.87. Distribution: court costs, $401.13 - Susan NIXDORFF, widow, in lieu of dower, 1/10, $617.07 - each 1/6 share to the children, $925.61 (George SMITH, husband of Mary, received curtesy of 1/9 of 1/6, $102.84; her children each received 1/4 of 8/9 of 1/6, $205.69) Closed 23 Feb 1861. -- www.MidMdRoots.com ==================

On December 19, 1881, William Tyler Page, who was born and raised on Record Street in Frederick, was appointed a congressional page. He wrote The American's Creed. On December 19, 1929, Charles Lewis, 43, of Thurmont, declared his innocence from the witness stand in the death of Frederick County Sheriff's Deputy Clyde L. Hauver during his murder trial in Hagerstown. Hauver was killed during a raid on a still at Blue Blazes, three miles west of Thurmont. Lewis and co-defendant Leslie Clark, of Hagerstown, were convicted January 13, 1930, in the death of Deputy Hauver. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury Wasps1965@comcast.net <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net>

On December 18, 1853, the Rev. Charles Seymour preached his first sermon as rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Frederick. He resigned in 1862. On December 18, 1862, Barbara Fritchie, storied heroine of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem, died at age 96, just three months after she waved the Union flag at Stonewall Jackson's Confederate troops as they passed her West Patrick Street home in Frederick. On December 18, 1884, a new roller rink was open to the public on the Kunkel lot on East Patrick Street. It was built by the Lancaster Company. Williard A. Holland was the business manager. On December 18, 1925, Dr. Will L. Payne regained his eyesight which he lost in an October car crash, following unorthodox treatment by himself to himself. On December 18, 2007, a bust of Dr. Ulysses Grant Bourne, Sr., the first African American doctor to practice in Frederick, was dedicated at Frederick Memorial Hospital. The sculpture was the result of the efforts of Sam Williamson, a student at Ballenger Creek Middle School, who had written an essay on Dr. Bourne while in fourth grade. Dr. Bourne was never allowed privileges at the hospital. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net> Wasps1965@comcast.net

On December 17, 1861, Frederick County political parties met to decide the county's position on slavery and secession. The Union was supported three to one. On December 17, 1890, the Mt. Zion United Brethren Church in Myersville was destroyed during a storm. A new church was dedicated in May 1892. On December 17, 1893, the Presbyterian Church of Brunswick was dedicated in a ceremony conducted by Masonic Lodge No. 191. The church was disbanded in 1917. On December 17, 1935, Alfred Brown was convicted of the first degree murder of Manuel Silva Varela, the common law husband of his mother, after a one-day trial. He was later sentenced to life in prison. On December 17, 1965, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey made a surprise two-hour visit to Camp Catoctin, the nation's first Job Corps Center, near Thurmont. On December 17, 1977, G. Richard Boyer, 44, of Walkersville, was electrocuted when an antenna he was helping to install at a home on Walter Martz Road touched a power line. Injured in the same mishap were Samuel D. Boyer, Donald R. Cecil, Frances M. Cecil, and Bradley W. Cecil. On December 17, 2004, The Randall Family LLC, owners and publishers of The Frederick News-Post, announced plans to build a new $36 million facility on a 44-acre tract off Ballenger Creek Pike in Frederick City. If anyone can add information to these History Moments, or would like to suggest an item for another calendar day, please contact me privately. John W. Ashbury <mailto:Wasps1965@comcast.net> Wasps1965@comcast.net