The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1938-06-23

finally decided in favor of the COM
plainants, that is to say, the female
side of the house, to the effect that
the executor or administrator of an
estate cannot legally buy of the heirs
any part of the estate of which he is
administrator or executor.
Seems simple, but it took the law
yers and judges twenty-three years to
settle the question!
CAMPBELL AND CUNNINGHAM
Captain William Campbell and
James Cunningham, both of Frederick
County, Maryland, were two great
land owners and for a time residents
north of Deep Creek in what is now
Garrett County.
Captain Campbell resided on the
"Wild Cherry Tree Meadows" tract,
later the Joel Bender farm on the east
side of the McHenry- Bittinger road.
The graveyard near the Bender home
IS said to be the Campbell graveyard.
Another graveyard to the east was for
the colored people.
Meshack Browning, writing about it
about 1926, said:
"By this time we had several new
neighbors-Captain Campbell, from
Frederick County, with his family and
son-in-law, James Cunningham.
Captain Campbell agreed to build "a
saw mill if would build a grist MILL"
The Campbell saw mill, operated by
water power, was the first in this part
of the county. 1t was located at the
falls of Cherry Tree Creek, near the
present Rock Lodge, convenient to
forests of magnificent virgin white
pine. Lumber sawed there was used
by the settlers for miles around.
Stoddert and Campbell
Benjamin Stoddert, second Secre-
tary of the Navy under President
Adams, was born in Charles County,
Md, in 1851. He was the grandson of
James Stoddert, a surveyor, who emil
grated from Scotland to LaPlata, in
Charles County, Md, about 1850. Ben
jamin was an officer in the Revolu-
tionary Army and after the war be-
came member of the mercantile firm
of Forest, Stoddert and Murdoch, of
Georgetown. Stoddert and William
Deakins, Jr., as confidential agents of
President Washington, arranged for
the purchase by the Federal Govern
ment Of the lands in the District of Co
lumbia needed for the National Cap
ital. He became president of the Bank
of Columbia and probably suffered
heavy losses when it failed.
Benjamin Stoddert speculated in
lands in Western Maryland and else
where, but during his later years lost
money. In 1913 he died, heavily in
debt. 1t is of interest to note that Stod-
dert and DR.. James McHenry, Secre-
tary of War, and founder of our own
village of McHenry, served together
in President Adams cabinet. Both
were interested in lands in our county.
In 1902, Benjamin Stoddert, of the
District of Columbia, decided to Will
liam Campbell, of Frederick County,
for the nominal sum of five shillings,
half of Cherry Tree Meadows" four
other tracts and eighteen Military
Lots-22,79 acres-all in the Deep
Creek neighborhood. Stoddert was al
ready in financial difficulties and had
mortgagde the other half of this prop
erty in 1896 to William Marbury, of
the District of Clumbia. In 1906 Stod-
dert and Marbury decided the other
half of this great estate in the Glades
to Captain Campbell, who later resid-
ed on it, at least during the summer
months.
Captain William Campbell appears
to have died in 1929, since in that year
court decree ordered a trustee tl
dispose of the estate of William
Campbell, "late of Frederick County,
and in 1882 Robert Oliver, of Balti-
more, bought 6033 acres for the sum
of 81, 824.75-less than S1.00 per acre
for some of the best timbered and
farm land in Garrett County.
JAMES CUNNINGHAM
The Cunningham homestead in the
Glades was on the Glendale-Bittinger
Road, about three miles south of Bit
finger. Some of the foundation stones
of the house remain there. Nearby is
an old graveyard which is said to have
been an Indian burying- ground. In re-
cent years this place was bought by
the Federal Government as part OF
it's Resettlement project in this
county.
On August 21, 1927, the County
Surveyor, Benjamin Brown, resur-
viewed for James Cunningham, "Chev-
lot Dale" Originally 2480 acres), in
Guiding vacancies, making tract OF
| ~ non acreS which extended from the