The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-06-06
THE BRUCES.
An Interesting Sketch of an Old
Allegany Family.

of Col. Robert Bruce in June, 1890,
felt it 20 be somewhat of duty
as well as a pleasure to write a
sketch of the deceased and a con-
siderable portion of his large family.
The article YVES considered to be
incomplete on the subject at large,
and it was intended to finish it in a
reasonable time by writing out the
lineage of Andrew Bruce, one of
the two Bruce ancestors who settled
in the territory of Allegany when
it was yet portion of Washington
county. Soon after it was organ
lied he became prominent and
useful in its early history. He
came from Frederick county, that
portion which now belongs to Car
roll county.
Upon the organization of Allie
gany IN 1890, he was appointed
associate judge and served till '97.
lie was not lawyer. The consti-
tuition then allowed lay judges. A
statute passed in 1904 abolished the
lay judge system, and required all
judges of the county courts, as
they were then styled, to be o
"sound legal knowledge This
also disqualified his associate. John
Simpkins. Judge Bruce subse-
quently served in the legislature.
Very little tracing is now obtainable
of this pioneer of our county. He
was seated on an estate called
Mount Pleasant, near where Mount
Savage is now situated. He died
in 1914 as appears from quaint
will left by him when his son
George was register of wills.
He left eight children, five sons
and three daughters - William,
Norman NJ, George, Andrew and
Charles; Helen, Susanna and
Annie. William was sheriff in 1910.
He married Phoebe Cresap and was
the father of the late Daniel G..
Bruce, who died about eight years
ago. Col. Bruce was for many
years the efficient collector of in
ternal revenue at this place. He
was so well and fayorably known
in recent and past years that it
would be useless to say much as to
his career. Very little is known of
Charles Bruce. He left the county
in early life, and l think, went to
Pennsylvania. Andrew was very
prominent in his day in all the
relations of life. He too was sher-
if IN 1926, mem Der of the legis-
lature in 1882, with his full share
of minor places. He lived and
died bachelor, though he had his
loye affair. He wooed a prominent
lady long and ardently. Too much
love or too little. She lived and
died as he did, IN determined ce-
libacy.
We now come to George Bruce,
whom it is our fortune to know
we'll and even affectionately, from
small boyhood until his death in
1858, at seventy-fve honorable
years. Want of space will not
allow our grateful feelings to write
all they are prompting, but in
other connections we are in fuller
record of this good man and his
family. He was register OF wills
from 1906 to 1918. Sheriff in 1922
and in the Legislature IN the early
thirties, with other offices of a
lower grade. His first wife was
Rachel Tomlinson. They had five
children-William A., George R.,
Henry B., John j. and Elizabeth
who is the only survivor as the
widow Dickerson, and lives IN our
city. William died in Ohio, 1889,
in the very beginning of manhood.
George R. in 1858, only about 43,
full of promise and greatly liked
and his death deplored. Henry B.
died in Pittsburg not many years
ago in his fifties. He had strong
points and many friends. And
lastly we come to John Jesse the
Joseph of his family, like the writer
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