Millard Filmore Hackley (III)

1856-1901

Millard Filmore Hackley was born on October 25, 1856 in Jefferson County, Virginia (now West Virginia), the fifth child of William and Martha Ellin Hackley.(1) Although named for Millard Fillmore, 13th President of the United States from 1850 to 1853, during most of his life he went by the name Philip. On April 18, 1881 in nearby Harper's Ferry, Philip married Annie Olivia Riley (1855-1917), daughter of Absolem Riley and Louisa Hoffmann, of Jefferson and Loudoun Counties.(2) They soon resided "Between the Hills" in Loudoun County, near his parents and older brother, where according to records they owned property by the late 1890's. Between the Hills is the name locally used to describe the narrow valley in far northwestern Loudoun County defined by the Blue Ridge on the west and the Short Hill Mountain on the east. The northernmost extent of the valley ends abruptly at the Potomac River, about 3 miles south of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Aerial View of Harper's Ferry, WVA Aerial view of Harper's Ferry at the confluence of the Shenandoah River (l) and Potomac River (r). Loudoun Heights, a steep ridge forming the western side of the narrow valley known as "Between the Hills," is just out of view on the lower left corner of this photo.

Annie's father, Absolem or Abner as he was known, worked at the U.S. Armory in Harpers Ferry prior to the Civil War, making gunlocks. He was also described as a huckster, and it is known that he traveled to Lovettsville-area farms across the Short Hill with his horse, Patch Stripes, to buy eggs and butter, then carried the produce to Harpers Ferry where he sold them to local stores and the hotel. The path over the Short Hill Mountain that Abner followed to and from Lovettsville became known as the Egg Path. (3) Annie's older brother, James William, served with the famous Confederate guerilla fighter, John W. Mobberly, and barely escaped death himself when Mobberly was ambushed and killed at Porterfield's barn in the Irish Corner area of Loudoun County on 5 April 1865.(3) Riley had decided to stop and water his horse at a stream some 25 yards in front of the barn, while Mobberly dismounted and walked on alone. Riley escaped, but Mobberly was gunned down by several men hiding in wait within the barn. Irish Corner is the local name given to that area at the northern most tip of the Short Hill, where it meets the Potomac River. Several families of Irish descent, including the Rileys, Breslins and Carnes, lived in this area.

Very little is known of Philip's life. In the 1900 census, he gave his occupation as "telegraph lineman," probably with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. His work had taken him frequently to Howard County, Maryland, where he apparently worked on rail lines supporting the cotton mills in that area. He died of an unknown illness, possibly influenza, a few days short of his 45th birthday. The family bible records state that "he was taking sick on Oct 12 and died on Nov 6, 1901".

In a Loudoun County deed, dated July 9, 1901,(4) Peter and Mary Snyder conveyed to the widow Annie Hackley, one acre of land located about one hundred yards east of Route 671, adjacent to the Nisewaner family grave yard. Mrs. Ethyl Pomeroy, a grand daughter of Philip and Annie through their oldest daughter Mattie, identified this location as the site of the family homestead. Philip and Annie most likely rented this property from the Snyders prior to Philip's death, and it is thought that all of their children were born at this location.

Philip's untimely demise left his widow and eight children without any means of financial support. The oldest child was 20 and the youngest about three at the time of his passing. To find work for the oldest children, Annie moved the family from Virginia to the Howard County, Maryland cotton mill town of Alberton, located on the Patapsco river. A notation written in the margin of the previously mentioned deed states that said document was verified and mailed to Annie Hackley in Alberton on November 14, 1902. Consequently, Annie must have moved the family within one year after Philip's death. Alberton, later known as Daniels, had grown rapidly following the Civil War, and by 1915 included a large mill complex with 400 employees and 14,000 spindles, general stores, two schools, and three churches.(5)

Written in pencil on the title page of the Hackley family bible, a King James made in Philadelphia in 1815, is the notation "left alberton on the 3 of January 1908...moved to Savage the 3 January 1908", and signed "Annie Hackley". It is not known exactly why the family moved from Alberton to Savage. While still in Alberton, the eldest child, Mattie, married a Loudoun County man, and returned to that county to live. She was the only sibling to remain in Virginia, and some of her descendants still reside "Between the Hills".

Savage is located in southeastern Howard County on land that was originally part of a tract called "White's Contrivance".(6) John Savage of Philadelphia purchased land from the White heirs, and established the Savage Manufacturing Company. The Savage Cotton Mill was built at the falls of the Little Patuxant river about 1821, and operated under the direction of the Williams Brothers of Maryland. About 1839, William H. Baldwin, Jr. of Baltimore purchased the mill. The firm Baldwin, Leslie & Co., with Carroll Baldwin as president, owned and operated the mill starting in 1905. The Savage Mill (shown below, ca.1920's) ran almost continuously from the 1820's until 1947, producing cotton duck, trade named "Elkridge Extra", a canvas cloth used for such varied purposes as conveyer belts, hydraulic filter paper, tents for the U.S. Army, hammocks for sailors in the Navy and coverings for early fighter planes during World War I. Savage Cotton Mill

In 1887 a spur was built from Savage Station on the main Baltimore & Ohio railroad line to the mill, and a new railroad point called Savage Factory was founded. At that time the bridge that carried the railroad across the river to the factory was moved to its present site. It was built at an unknown location in 1852, and is of historical significance as the only remaining example of a Bollman Truss suspension bridge in existence. Another Bollman once spanned the Potomac at Harper's Ferry, before being destroyed by flood. Family tradition has it that Philip helped build the Savage bridge, although it is more likely he helped move it from its original location. The town of Savage grew up around the mill as a residence for the mill workers. Most of the town, in fact, was owned by the mill company at one time, and houses or cottages were rented by the workers. Whole families, including young children, were employed at the mill. Representatives from Savage, Alberton and other area mill towns went to Virginia and West Virginia seeking families to work at their factories. Preference was often given to families with the most girls. Children sometimes started working at the mill as early as eight years of age.(7)

The 1910 census shows Annie and family in Savage with four boarders in their rented mill house. The two oldest children, Mattie and Frederick, have married and moved out by that time, although Frederick lived in Savage with his in-laws. The four oldest remaining children, namely Maud, James, Ethel and Grace, all worked at the Savage Mill. The first two children were weavers, Ethel was a spooler and Grace was a spinner. The three older boarders, Misie, Jessie and Bertha Butts, all of Virginia, also worked at the mill.

Annie Olivia Riley
Annie Hackley (sitting)
with daughter Agnes
and family hound dog
ca. 1916

Annie died at her home in Savage on April 25, 1917 apparently of cervical cancer.(8) The family at this time was living in a red brick house on Baltimore Street at the corner of Commercial Street. Philip and wife Annie are both buried in the cemetery at Ebenezer M. E. Church near Neersville, in Loudoun County. Several other members of the Hackley family are also buried at this cemetery.

Children of Philip & Annie Hackley

  1. Martha Louisa "Mattie" Hackley (1881-1965) Mattie moved with the family to Maryland in 1901, but a year later, on October 28, 1902 in Alberton, she married John Wilbert Edwards (1878-1948) of Loudoun County, and moved back to Virginia. They 11 children, many of whose descendants still live in the Harper's Ferry area. An Edwards family reunion is held at Neersville annually. Mattie and John are buried in the cemetery at Ebenezer Methodist Church near Neersville. Their children were: Robert Millford (b.1903), Ethyl May (b.1905), Helen Idonia, Evelyn Ireen, Grace, Beulah Virginia (b.1911), John Wilbert (b. 1913) James Richardson (b.1915), Agnes Louise (b.1918), Louis Elsworth (b.1920) and Grace Ellen (b.1923).
  2. Frederick Hackley (1885-1964) Fred married Margaret Ellen Duvall (1889-1978) in Savage on June 20, 1909. In 1910 he was living with his wife and first born in the household of his in-laws, while working as a laborer for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. By 1917 the family resided on Commercial Street in Savage, just around the corner from Fred's mother. By 1920 he was a machinist for the Savage Cotton Mill. Like his brothers, Fred was musically inclined and played the trombone. According to his daughter, Genevieve L. Suter, he died suddenly one day while working at the mill, and is buried in the Savage Cemetery. Fred and Margaret had five children: Ellsworth Leon (b.1909), Genevieve Louise (b.1912), Nelson Delmont (1917), Leigh Marriott and Dorothy Ann.
  3. Maude S. Hackley (1887-1985) Married Santforth R. Walters about 1915. They remained in Savage and had four sons, Keathen Maxwell (b.1916), Garland Russell, Calvin Quentin (b.1919) and Gary G. (b.1930). Maude passed away only 2 years short of her 100th birthday. She was well-liked and a very energetic person with a great sense of humor that sustained her throughout her long life. She also had an amazingly keen memory into her late 90's. She is buried in the Savage Cemetery.
  4. James Willard "Jeeters" Hackley (IV) (1889-1963) Married Effie May Ridgway (1896-1971) and lived the remainder of his life in Savage where he worked at the Cotton Mill as a loam repairer. They had five children, Audley Willard (b.1917), Louis Edwin (b.1918), Wanda May (b.1924), Barbara Corinne and Franklin Delano.
  5. Ethel M. Hackley (1891-1974) Ethel married Elmer F. Southard (1892-1972) in Ellicott City on April 2, 1914. They had at least two children, a daughter, Larue, and a son, Arnold M. Ethyl is buried in Ft. Lincoln Cemetery, Prince Georges County, Maryland.
  6. Grace E. Hackley (1893-1969) Married George Ward (1891-1963). They had no children.
  7. Cornelius A. "Sam" Hackley (b. 1897) "Sam" married Anna M. Roabaugh (1896-1991) on January 16, 1918 in Savage. In 1920, Sam was working as a weaver at the Savage Cotton Mill. They had two sons, Leo E. and Glen (b.1927).
  8. Agnes Lerena Hackley (1898-1966) Married Louis P. Cullen (1898-1970) on August 12, 1917 in Ellicott City, Maryland. The 1920 census shows them living in Baltimore. Agnes is buried in Lorraine Park Cemetery, Baltimore. They had four children: Carolyn, Jean, John R. and Louis B.

Footnotes

1. Jefferson County Birth Records, Book 1, Page 37, County Court House, Charles Town, WVA; Family Bible of Annie O. and Philip Hackley in possession of Franklin D. Hackley; Hackley family records of Michelle Hackley North of Oak Shade, Virginia.

2. Jefferson County Marriage Records, 1801-1910, County Court House, Charles Town, WVA.

3. "Irish Corner Where Loudoun's First Irishmen Lived," Eugene M. Scheel, The Times-Mirror (Loudoun), Leesburg, VA. (date unknown)

4. Loudoun County Land Records, Deed Book 7V, Page 1, County Court House, Leesburg, VA.

5. The Patapsco, Baltimore's River of History, by Paul J. Travers, Tidewater Pub., Centreville, Maryland, 1990.

6. Sources of historical information on Savage: The Communities of Howard County: Savage, The Howard County Times, Jan. 8, 1981, page 15; Savage, Maryland, by V. R. Filby, for the Savage Civic Assoc., 1965.

7. Collins Papers, Vertical File on Daniels (Alberton), Howard County Historical Society, Ellicott City.

8. Personal communication with Genevieve Hackley Suter, Savage, MD, 1996.