The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1875-08-28

| Gaines case in our city short time ago, in
/ which property valued at nearly million dol
| lars was involved, and which had for import
ant factors in the case the troublesome ques-
| tons of lawful marriage and legitimacy oil
/ children that always proves such intricate and
| costly problems to settle, when lapse Of time
has made it difficult to directly establish the
| status of the relations of various parties. By
| singular good fortune, and the address and per-
| severance of two young lawyers Of our city, the
case was brought to a satisfactory termination.
Among those who upheld our flag upon the
| ocean in the second war with Great Britain
| was certain captain Of a privateer named
| George l.. Ford. Suffice it to say that he was
| captured by the enemy and suffered term OF
| imprisonment in Plymouth, England. He was
| released from imprisonment at the conclusion
/ of the war and returned to his home in Balti-
1 more, where his wife was. 1t seems that he
| had glimmering idea of the future prosperity
of this section Of the country, for he came out
here and pre-empted land, and in 1921 he re-
| ceived patent for 155 acres, located in what is
| now the Fifth ward of this city. 1t is known
| as River Tract No. 6, and lies between Western
avenue and South street. In due time the gal
| liant privateersman was gathered to his fathers,
and the property descended to his only daugh
| ter, Emeline Ford who in 1885 conveyed it to
one Randall Wilcox for a small consideration.
year later Mr.. Wilcox conveyed the land to
Benjamin F. Wade, afterward United States
Senator from Ohio. Wade and his grantees re-
tain possession of large portion of the land
yet.
In 1873 these possessors Of the land were
startled from their sense of security by the in
| formation that the descendants of the brothers
| and sisters of Captain George L. Ford had laid
| claim to the tract and we're about to ask the
courts to put them in possession OF 1T. AS the
FIRST step in this direction they had given an in
terest in the claim to Judge Tilden, of Cincin-
| natl, who in turn conveyed it to his son, How
ard Tilden.
The case of the claimants was supported by
| the allegations:
| First. That Captain Ford was never legally
| married to the mother of Emeine, the girl from
whom the present possessors hold their title.
| Second. That Captain Ford was prisoner in
| England at the time of the birth of Emeine
| Ford, and for so long time previous to that
event as to preclude the possibility of his being
her father.
These were serious matters for the people
who had their money invested in the property,
and they resolved upon instant action. The
matter seemed to present almost insurmount-
able obstacles at the outset. There were no
grounds to hope for discovery of the proofs of
the marriage at this late day, at lapse of more
than sixty years from the date OF the consum-
nation of the same, but it was resolved to make
the effort, and last year Messrs. j. II. Doyle
and T. j. Mcdonnell were despatched to Balti
more, Md, to begin the search.
Their first essay was search fer the mar
riage license among the dusty old tones in the
Court House records Beginning with those Of
1917, they patiently waded backward through
| interminable lists of names of those who had
been given in marriage, until under date Of
July, 1872, they were rewarded by finding the
record of license issued to George l.. Ford and
Lovey Buskert This was hopeful beginning
indeed. A memorandum opposite the record
stated that the parties had been directed to
Rev. Joseph G. Bend as proper person to SOL
emnize marriages.
A visit to the Mercantile Library was next
made, and after delving in the old directories
| on its shelves, it was found that Rev. Joseph
G. Bend was in 1912, the rector of st. PauPs
Parish Church, at the corner of Saratoga and
Charles streets. Repairing thither, access was
gained to the old registers of the parish, and
success No. was gained when an entry was
discovered to the effect that the ceremony of
marriage between George l.. Ford and Lovey
Buskert was performed by Rev. Joseph G. Bend
July IL, 1872. Procuring a certified copy OF
the fact from the parish clerk, the next step
was to demonstrate that the daughter Emelne
was legitimately begotten.
1t was necessary to find some traces of Eme-
line. Another patient investigation Of the list
of marriage licenses revealed the fact that IN
1886 she was married to one Landrum H. Deets.
Mr.. Deets was traced down through mum Der
of years, and found to be still living in Balti-
more. visit to his house did not find him at
home, but sister was there who knew some
thing of the family history, and she directed
the party of inquirers to where sister of Lovey
Ford resided, at some distance from Baltimore,
in that infelicitous part of Maryland known as
the Eastern Shore. Thither the two lawyers
repaired. Part Of the way was made by rail,
hut FIR tho hal 10 moo tho attornavS had tn trust
to their feet for conveyance.
Arriving at the house they found venerable
female answering to the euphonious appella-
ton of Betsey Johnson. Although eighty years
old, she is still vigorous bodily, being engaged
in chopping wood in front of the house when
the lawyers came up. She proved to be the
sister of Lovey Buskert, was present at the time
the latter was married to Captain Ford, and
after her brother-in- law returned from Eng
land she lived with him and her sister for Pc
Rod of nine years, until she herself yielded to
the amorous solicitations of young Maryland.
er and became his blushing bride.
When the old lady found out that her testi
mony was of importance, she felt that her OPP
portunity had come, and she should make a
ten-strike for o reward. She consulted pomp-
Gus, ignorant old squire, the oracle of the neigh
borhood, and he, too, became inflated with the
magnitude of the occasion, and advised her to
demand @ considerable sum of money as a re-
ward for her testimony, and he attended her at
her next interview with the attorneys, to see
that they did not overreach her.
This complicated matters. Though the wo-
mans evidence was all-important to the settle
ment Of the case, yet it would never do to pay
her the sum she asked. The attorneys saw
that the way to their object was through the
Squire. He was adroitly approached, fattered
as to his intimate and extensive knowledge Of
the law, and his ability generally. Then his
opinion was deferentially requested on several
| points of the case, and 1t was not long before
the old gentleman was completely won over,
and advised his client to comply with the law
| yers' requests and make her affidavit.
Her recollectons of the events of her early
| life was excellent, and her testimony in regard
| to the paternity and birth of Emeline Ford was
full and complete, covering all the disputed
points in the case, She was present at her sis
| ter's marriage with Captain Ford, and recol-
lected the latter's return from England and re-
membered that Emeline Ford was born in Bal
timore the year following-in 1875 She cor
roborated her testimony by the production of
an old Bible, which contained the family reg
lister, and gave the dates as stated. This was
eminently satisfactory as far as it went, but an
other little discrepancy insinuated itself, and
threatened trouble. Emelne Ford was born in
| 1915, then she would not have attained the le-
| gal age OF twety- one-as required by the old
| laws-at the time when she made the convey
ance of the property in 1885, This, too, at last
turned out happily, for an examination of the
statutes of Maryland showed that the law fix
ing the majority of women at eighteen years
was passed about three months prior to the
| time when Emeline Ford had conveyed the
| land.
Thus, at the end of four weeks of laborious,
and at times exciting pursuit of the very slen-
der clues with which they had started out,
Messrs. Doyle and Mcdonnell found them
selves in possession of every fact which was
important to their case. They returned home
triumphant, and Immediately began suit to
quiet title and perpetuate testimony. Their
opponents responded to the suit, but when they
saw the array of testimony opposed to their
claims, they submitted without struggle.
A MAN WHO HASN'T SPOKEN TO HIS WIFE IN
TWELVE YEARs.-The Cohoes Bulletin" says
there is residing in Harmony street, Cohoes, a
man aged seventy-fve years, who has not
spoken to his wife in twelve years. He has
been married fifty years, has an amiable wife
and several children and grandchildren, and
considerable property The old man and his
wife always lived together happily, not rip