The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1876-05-27

part ros off, and it does mo- appear to be any
pain to them, for they still continue on sing
ing tillthey de-"
5 ali, there is the follow ng record of fact
il ral history: "In the month of Janua
ry,. 7, Oh pleasant day of the season, lob
serve my honey bees to be cut of their hives,
and ey seemed very busy, all but one hive.
Upoi examination found all the bees had
evac ted this hive, and left not drop OF hon.
ey b nd them. On the 9th of February en-
sum- killed the neighboring hive of bees, on
sp occasion, and found great quantity
of h 81 considering the season; which, l
imae u the stronger had violently taken
trent e weaker, and the weaker had pursued
them o their houses, resolved to be benefited
by ther labor, or die in the contest"
The .ast extract we shall make from the rec
ord box is one which indicates relish for the
beauti IL in nature, as we'll by his undertaking
to rec' description of what he saw, rs by
the La iguage which he uses. The extract is
from last pages of the book, when he was
in his ,venty-frst year. His writing is still
dstiF but the letters have lost their irm-
ness show that his hand trembei as it
heldltIe pen: "1803, Feb. End, in the morn
ing, pa of the day, there arose a very dark
cloi ~ followed by snow and hail, a flash Of
ligk;, ng, and a loud thunder crack and then
theh rm abated until afternoon, when anoth-
wesp With beautiful shower of snow. But
whai autified the snow was the brightness of
the Sc which was near setting at the ii ne. |
locke Tor the in-bow, or rather snew bow,
but ~ ink the snow was of too dense nature
-te7 .-;she representation Of the bow IL the
IN. B.-The above was followed by very cold
weatherfo few days"
Soon after he obtained the books already
mentioned as having been lent him Ly Mr.
George Ellicott, and became engrossed IN bis
new studies, he found that it was neces stry t.;
have more lime at his disposal than he had
previously eijoyed and also to be released irem
some cares tiat he'd occasionally annoye him.
The land on which he lived was divided into
small teneusnts, the rent Of which contr buted
to Bannekefs support The collection IF this
rent was SURGE OF constant trouble and vexa-
ton. His enan.s quarreled with him they
refused to ny him; if he insisted on payment
they ANNOYED him in dozen different ways,
until at las, saying that ait was better die
OF hunger han Of anger" he determined TO
sell his lahd for an annuity. He the -efore
made ca eful calculation of the chan es Of
his life, upin such data as he could obtail l. and
the Ellcoti family bought the land upol the
terms proposed by him. In the same volume
that contains his almanac in manuscript is
an account current by which it would seem
that the annuity was f12, Maryland currency.
This arrargem ent gave him the time want
ed, and tie annuity, with the proceeds Of his
almanac, mainly supported him until he died.
1t is stated that the only imperfect calculation
which Btnneker ever made was the cacula-
tion for his annuity. He lived eight years long
er than the time prescribed. Other persons in
later days have done the same, where the in
suranceoffice has undertaken the calculation,
so that Banneker's case is not remarkab lie one
in this respect
Notwithstanding the sale of the land he still
resided on it, and, as it would seem from
memorandum in his record book, he cont nued
to labor OF it a portion of the time. On the
Oath April, 1902, he speaks of "being in the
field, hoeing corn" and among the last entries
made by him are charges for pasturage.
In 1904 Banneker died. in the I'D year Of his
age, and his remains are deposited, without
stone to mark the spot, near the dwelling which
ne occupied during his life time. His land, of
course, wen at once into the possession OF the
Messrs. Elliott, and his personal property was
disposed of by him to his friends before he
died. There is no evidence that he made a
will, or that there was administration his
estate, to be found in the records of the Or
phans' Court which has been examined with
a view of adding to the few materials still ex-
listing for his biography. There are several
persons now living who recollect ,Banneker
WELL and. from these Mr.. Benjamin HI. Ellicott
of Baltimore, has collected the memor anda
from which, with the materials furnished by
his record book, this sketch has been prepared.
The following is an extract from Mr.. Eicott's
letter in regard to Banneker:
During the whole of his long life be lived
respectfully and much esteemed by all who be-
came acquainted with him, but more especially
by those who could fully appreciate his genius
and toe extentof his requirements. Although
MS II AZ Yas reg uIar anu extremely re-
tired, uvlA.. alone, having never married.
cookiI lhis own victuals, and washing his own
clothG ,, and scarcely ever being absent from
home-yet there was nothing misanthropc in
his character, for gentleman who knew MIN,
thus speaks of him ~ recollect him WE'LL
He was brave looking, pleasant man, with
something very noble in his appearance. His
mind was evidently much engrossed in bis cal
culations; but he was glad always to receive
the visits which we often paid to him."
Another of Mr.. Ellicotts correspondents
writes as fellows: "When l was a boy, be-
came very much interested in him, (Banncker)
as his manners were those of perfect gentle
man; kind, generous, hospitable, humane, dig
niied, and pleasing, abounding in inform ton
on all the various subjects and incidents Of the
day very modest and unassuming, and de-
lighting in society at his own house. 1 nave
seen him frequently. His head was covered
with a thick suit of white hair, which gave
him a venerable and dignifed appearan ce.-
His dress was uniformly of superfne drab
broad cloth, made in the old style of plain
coat. with straight collar, and long waisteoat,
and broad -brmmed hat His color was not
Jet black, but decidedly negro. In size and
personal appearance the statue of Franklin at
the Library in Philadelphia as seen from the
street, is perfect likeness of him. Wheuev-
or have seen it, it has always reminded me
of Banneker. Go to his house when you would,
either by day or night, there was constantly
standing in the middle of the floor a large ta-
BILE, covered with books and papers. As he
was an eminent mathematician, he was con-
stantly in correspondence with other mathe-
matcians in this country, with whom there was
an interchange of questions of difficult solution.
The deed from Banneker to the EllicntJ's,
Jonathan, Elias, George and John, is datei on
the 10th March, 1893, and purports to convey
72 acres of tract of land called "Stouts," for
the sum of ESQ, Maryland Currency-which
seems inconsistent with the idea Of the annuity
mentioned in the text. But the positive in
formation of living witness es, and the entries
in the record book, kept by Banneker, seems to
establish the fact that the annuity was paid
prier to the date of the deed, the execution
of which was perhaps postponed or neglected
for many years after the agreement was made.
A deed for % acres of the tract, the balance OF
the 100 acres, had been previously executed to
Greenbury Morton, cousin of Banneker's on
the mothers side.
In the foregoing brief notice all is collected
that can now be obtained in regard to B4nja-
min Banneker. The extent of his know edge
is not so remarkable as that he acquired what
he did under the circums tances we have de-
scribed. 1t might be said by those disposed to
sneer at his simple history, if there be any such
that after all he was but an almanac-m aker
a very humble parsonage in the ranks OF as
Economical science. But that the alma q ac.
maker of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Mary land
and Virginia, from 1871 to 1902, should have
been a free black man, is, to use the Language
of Mr.. jefferson, "a fact to which his whel'
color has right for their justification agains
the doubts that have been entertained OF them. :
--Pittsburg has large glass and crytal 'nan
ufsctory, which employs skilled laborers I'M
ported directly from Europe.
Moses L. Swift of Reno, Nevada, has been
granted divorce from his wife on account o
her "mental cruelty"
A fash of lightning at Cheshire, Mass.
tore holes in the ground all about farmer ant
the cow he was milking, and then knocked
both down.
"A Chicago wife asked for divorce becaus
her husband was habitually drunk. He ad
mitted being habitually drunk, and pie
the as an excuse for not bringing the suit him
sci
single field in Grimes county, T"Xas
Coz ms $4,000 acres all under one fence with