The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-08-12
JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY
/ OF MARYLAND DESCENT
Haosier Poet Was of IlIuStriOIIS East
ern Shore Parentage.

The people of Maryland love the
Min him as one OF their sons, for ii
is Well-knoWn fact that his mother
wis descended from one of the HUI
1cenot families of royal blood who
keEtled on the Eastern Shore OF
Maryland and resided there for five
generations before going to North
arolina, where they lived for one
: gsneration, and then to Indiana, by
way of Ohio, James WhitcOmb Riley
bllg the third generation in that
State.
No doubt the average person would
beIsurprised to learn how large a
nuhber of our families emigrated to
Indiana from the Eastern Shore of
NJ ryland, where the French HUI
grenots had settled and the Quaker
fath had become especially strong.
TIE Maryland laws prior to 1875
wese contrary to the belief of the lat
| te.. so rather than go against their
religious beliefs, colonies went in
boss to the Carolinas and from
| thaace to Indiana, the marines by
way of Ohio, establishing Friend
cektres as they went.
ara, a State just a century old, has
produced so many great men. She
wss fed from the cream of the East
era Shore families of Maryland, and
we all know what that means, for
the Eastern Shore of Maryland is
osed for producing great men, and
possessing a peculiar aristOcratic
touch all it's own. This has been a
puzzle to many, but to my mind it is
wrapped up in three factors; as the
majority of traits in a family are the
nationality, the religious influence,
and the social caste of the early
family.
The French Huguenots comprised
one of the greatest religious move
mentS of the world. From half to
million of them left France because
of civil and religious prosecutions
and settled in all parts of the world,
carrying their influence for advance
ment with them. Fifteen thousand
of these were of the noble, conserva-
tive and illustrious families of
France.
The first session of the Continen-
tai Congress was opened at Philadel-
phia with prayer by the Rev. Jacob
Duche, grandson of an eminent HUI
guenot refugee. Three presidents of
the Continental Congress were HUI
guenots, namely, John Jay, Henry
Laurens, and Elias Boudinot. The
first two were signatories to the trea
ty of peace with England, November
80, 1882. The first treasure of our
nation was Michael Hillages, who
was the son of an Alsatian refugee.
In the field of American statesmen
ship no name is more illustrious than
that of John Jay, Alexander Hamil-
ton, etc. In the field of literature
and art, they have eXcelled-we
mi9ht mention the poets Whittier,
Thbreau, Emily Bouton, our own
Sidney Lanier and James Whitcomb
=. of Indiana.
LII MS profit by Indiana and guard
ga 8ously the glory Of our people. 1t
eli ects upon us that a man may pass
haH grave of Poe, on Greene and Fay
~ r. streets, every day and then say
h. h the burt1f place of the poet is
n Snown. At does not mean that the
,tl Ie-h Williamson Palmer was
Jne of Americas greatest liter
ary critics and the author of the
celfbrated poems, For Charles
sake, and 'Stonewan Jackson's
way, because the man who lived
next door to him on McCulloh ST
never heard of it. Because the visi-
tor to the O'Donovan room in Johns
Hopkins University asks, Who was
this Sidney Lanier, pasted all around
here?'-it does not mean that he
was not one Of Americas greatest po-
cts and teachers and is not deserving
OF a lofty shaft to his memory. SO
the fact that one rs not familiar with
the pedigree of James Whitcomb Ri
ley does not mean that he was not
one Of the best, on both sides. of the
families of Americans.