The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-24
IA II XKEH

sylyania, but left there in his junior year
and took d special course under Profess
scr Gillespie at Union College, Science
teday, New York, receiving Mt the end OF
his course the degree of G. e. Civil
Engineer) In 1858 he engaged in rail-
road work III the West, and surveyed the
first mile of railroad ever run into Min
nesota across the Walaska Prairie at
Winona He then went to the North
Missouri Railroad surveying from the
Hannibal and ST. Joe crossing to Iowa.
He spent the winter IN jefferson City,
Missouri, as chief clerk in the Secretary
Of States office From there he went TO
Texas and engaged in railway work once
mere on the road running from Houston
to Homestead what is now known as
the Houston and Texas CENTRALLY Leay-
ing Texas III the spring of 1860, he re-
turned to his native place and entered
the nursery business, but was soon con-
cerned III the organization of uni
formed company which at the outbreak
of the war was mustered into the SER
vice of the Confederate army by General
pegram. A part Of the company, OF
which Professor Massey was Second
Lieutenant succeeded in reaching the
Army of Northern Virginia over the bay,
and 20 with the others was cut off and
was sent north Of the lines by an uncle
who was in the Federal army. He was
allowed to 20 on parole, and engaged IN
farming in Southern Maryland during
the remainder of the war He was also
of Service as d Confederate mail agent.
During the spring of 1861 he married
Miss Sarah Il. Phoebus. daughter of
Capt. James Phoebus. Of Somerset coun-
ty, Maryland She died in 1879, and n
1876 he married the sister of his first
wife. There are nine children living,
four sons and five daughters.
After the war he was for ten years
Deputy clerk aof the Circuit court of
Kent county. Md, and upon the organ
ization of the public school system ~
Maryland was elected the first Secretary
examiner and treasurer of the public
schools Of that county. During the time
he was in office he succeeded in building
fifty TWO modern school houses in Kent
county, and conducted them ten months
in the year. in the meantime having
started nursery business and farm,
which hc increased to such an extent
that Il was obliged to resign from the
management Of the schools but remain
cd at tie request Of the county president
Of the School Board for some years, un-
til he LEFT the county.
He IeNt established the nursery bust
ness in the suburbs Of Baltimore, but
at that time it proved to be on too ex-
fensive q scale for the demands of the
business, which had not yet recovered
from the effects Of the panic of 1873
and after carrying it on at a loss for
some time he sold out in order to save
his friends from loss. He then took a
position as manager for one of the larg-
est estates in the neighborhood of Balti-
more, the Ridgley family estate, called
Hampton. This position he held foi six
years. and then concluded to strike out
for himself again. He bought residence
in Baltimore, and opened an office as
Sanitary Engineer for the planning Of
the heating and draining Of buildings
Receiving a proposition from the late
Harrison Phoebus, proprietor Of the Hy