The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1949-08-04
THE THAYERS OF GARRETT
COUNTY

AAE IAlN ABEL ia EN- > DoIS
Stephen, Murray and job, left vii
liamsburg, Mass, in December, 1878
to settle in Kanawha valley of Nir-
ginia. With their families, furniture
and supplies they Travelled by oX-carts
passing thru New York. New Jersey
and Pennsylvania, into Maryland, to
Westernport, where they took the
State Road over the Great Backbone
into The Glades On Washington's
birthday. 1919. the party arrived at
Capt George Gaines place, two miles
east Of the present town Of Oakland,
Next morning they took the road
from Gaines toward Carmel (Aurora)
and spent that night at Rineharts,
now known as Sunnyside.
At that time the Glade Country was
very sparsely settled; most of the land
still belonged to the State.
George Rinehart, an old settler, was
the most Influential man in the
neighborhood He was anxious to have
more good neighbors. and he ind@2ed
Stephen Thayer to stay in Maryland,
assisting him to rent the Gaines farm
for year, after which Thayer moved
on two Military, lots, which he
patented under the name of DAIRY
FARM. now on U. S. 219, 21a miles
s. @. Of Oakland. This farm, in later
years known as the Abraham Spiker
place, became the permanent home Of
the Stephen Thayer family.
Lewis thompson an expert black
smith, and a member of the Thayer
party, settled nearby at the foot of
Thompson Hill.
STEPHEN THAYER was born May
l, ITO. He married Martha Wash
burn Packard C1777-1865). They al
ready had nine children when they ar
rived in the Glades: stephen, Frank
lin, Ralph, Abel, Hannah, Ann, who
married Hiram Mitchell; Jane, m. vii
liam Mason; Eliza, m. James Dixon;
Helen, M William W. Ashby; and
Sophronia, m. Thomas Grimes; Maria,
m. John Lynn Browning.
The pioneer Stephen Thayer died at
his home July II, 1912 and his wife
followed him in January, 1865. They
were buried in the McCarty church
graveyard, but later their remains
were removed to the oakland ceme-
terry.
The seven Thayer daughters were
said to have been the prettiest dancers
and the best cooks in Allegany Coun-
ty. Hannah and Ann were teachers.
Six Of them married and reared large
families. When the mother died she
left 1865 descendants.
RALPH THAYER, son of Stephen,
clerked in a store at Addison, Pa.
Later he owned a store at Somerfield,
where he met his future wife. Soon
after their marriage, in 1888, they
located at Selbysport, where they
kept the village store by the Hoffman
mill race. Ralph wagoned products of
the ncighborhood to Baltimore, over
the National Road, returning with
merchandise to stock his store.
During the Civil War Ralph Thayer
was enrolling officer for the army,
and in 1863 moved to Oakland, where
the family resided on. the Corrigan
property, site Of the present Court
House, later purchasing of John Thay-
or the house and corner lot on which
The present apartment house stands.
Mr.. Thayer was elected to the
House Of Delegates in 1910. He was
postmaster at Oakland several years.
Ralph Thayer was born Sept. 1,
1905, and died in Oakland, Jan. 10,
1894. He married Mary, daughter of
John Mitchell. Their children were
Charles H., Lucretia A. (Waters),
Virginia NJ (Johnson), Walter F.,
Frederick A, Richard H., and three
who died in infancy.
FREDERICK A. THAYER, attorn-
ey, was born at Selbysport August l,
IoO4, anu tuCI al HIS uOuIc ~ Jan
land, May 20, 1912. He served as
postmaster Of Oakland, Deputy Clerk
of the Court, Clerk to the Board of
County Commissioners and for twelve
years was States Attorney for Gar
rett County His wife was Maggie w.
Peddicord, born March 81 1868, died
May 25, 1927.
JOB AND MURRAY THAYER
continued their journey to Lewis
County, now West Virginia, where
Job settled permanently.
MURRAY THAYER and his family
soon returned to the Glades of Mary
land. He built and operated Isaac Nc
Carty's grist mill where the old Kill
dow mill now stands.
Thomas Peddicord wrote:
"The site of Oakland was first
called Slab Town from one of Mr.
Thayer's uncles (Muway) having
built grist mill there Of slabs, about
1924"
Murray Thayer was fond of hunt
ing and fishing, which probably in
fluenced him to locate on Deep Creek
xrboro Lo L,7iI+ 1aroa bOusa of Whit