History of Washington County Districts Maryland

Description

H
ISTORY OF THE
D
ISTRICTS OF
Washington County, MD
NEW
111-
Page Book
Individual chapters on each of 20 Washington County Districts give a close up view of Maryland life in the 1800s. Utilizing a mixture of colorful tales, factual data, and individual biographies, this 111-page excerpt from J. Thomas Scharf's
History of Western Maryland
, was originally published in 1882 by Louis H. Everts of Philadelphia. The booklet is printed on 8 1/2" x 11" quality paper. The covers are an 80# card stock, with the front cover protected with a vinyl sheet.
Two more books on this area are available. One concerns the History of Hagerstown and the other is a History of Washington County.
Ever wonder why the District of Columbia was called the District of Columbia? Well, it's because that's what it was called when it was a part of the State of Maryland. Counties in Maryland are divided into districts, just as counties in other states are divided into townships. This booklet details the history of each of Washington County's various "districts." These histories are packed with information, such as church histories, lists of persons buried in various cemeteries (including Maryland soliders in Antietam National Cemetery), business enterprises, transportation improvements, and historic events, such as a visit by George Washington.
The Districts are:
Sharpsburg
, site of
Belinda Springs, Antietam Iron Works, and Antietam National Cemetery,;
Williamsport
,
site of transportation improvements and early sports;
West Hagerstown
;
Clear Spring
;
Hancock
;
Boonsboro
;
Cavetown
, site of
Raven Rock resort and of a large cave;
Rohrersville, site of Elk Ridge Mountain,
;
Leitersburg
;
Funkstown,
largely settled by Germans
;
Sandy Hook
;
Tilghmanton
;
Conococheague
;
Ringgold
;
Indian Spring
, site of
Fort Frederick and Fairview Mountain
;
Beaver Creek
;
East Hagerstown,
includes early marriages
;
Chewsville
;
Keedysville
;
Downsville
.
Most of the districts have towns or villages of the same name. Some of the towns not named for districts include Smithsburg in Cavetown District, Weverton in Sandy Hook District, Fairview in Conococheague District, and Smoketown in Beaver Creek District.
Attention Genealogists:
This book is filled with the names of settlers and early residents. In addition, there are many individual biographies
of prominent citizens scattered throughout the booklet. There is no index, but we picked out the following:
the Stonebraker family, Gov. Horatio Sharpe, Joseph Chapline, John P. Smith, Christopher Cruss, Dr. Augustin Asbury Biggs, the Grove/Groff Family, Jacob Miller, Otho Holland Williams, Theodore Embrey, Thomas Kennedy (poet), Joseph Henry Farrow, Samuel Lefevre, Van Lear family, the Findlay family, Charles William Humrichouse, Dr. Henry Zeller, George William Brown, John Barrett Kerfoot, Dr. Frederick Charles Doyle, William Cushwa, Rev. Benjamin Kurtz, George Harvey, Samuel Rinehart, John Breathed, Ann Mc Gill Williams, John Nicodemus, William Boone, Robert John Shafer, Christopher Smith, John Welty, Thomas South, Dr. William Henry Grimes, Moses Whitson, Launcelot Jacques, and Andrew Rench. Pictures of a few of these are included.
Wouldn't this make a unique gift?