GEORGE BLAKISTON, president of the Union
Trust Company of Maryland, in addition to being widely and
honorably known in legal circles, is a recognized authority in
matters financial. Mr. Blakiston is a
representative of a family which, for nearly two centuries and a
half, has given to the State of Maryland and to the Nation many
useful and heroic citizens.
The name of Blakiston first appears in English
history in 1341, no doubt called into prominence by
participation in the career of conquest upon which Edward III,
was then entering, and which could not fail to evoke the martial
spirit of this ancient race. The Blakiston family
of Maryland descends from the Blakistons of Newton Hall,
a branch of the Blakistons of Blakiston, in the
Palatinate of Durham. The name has at different times been
variously spelled, but the correct orthography is Blakiston.
The arms and crest are as follows: Arms: Argent, two bars,
and in chief three dunghill cocks, gules. Crest: A
dunghill cock or, crested, armed, wattled, and collared gules."
The Rev. Marmaduke Blakiston, of Newton Hall,
immediate ancestor of the Maryland family, was the fifth son of
John Blakiston, of Blakiston, by his first wife
Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of Sir George Bowes,
of Dalden and Streatham, Kent. He was vicar of Woodborne,
rector of Red-marshall in 1585, rector of Sedgefield in 1599,
and prebendary of Durham, and was buried at St. Margaret's,
Crossgate, Sept. 3, 1639. He married, June 30, 1595,
Margaret James, who was buried at St. Margaret's, March 10,
1636. Their children were: Tobye, of Newton Hall;
John, mentioned below; Thomas, vicar of North
Allerton and prebendary of Wistow, ejected during the civil
wars; Robert, rector of Sedgefield and prebendary of
Durham on the resignation of his father in 1631; Ralph,
rector of Ryton, county Palatinate; Henry of Old Malton,
county York; Peter, sometime of Old Malton; George,
sheriff of Durham in 1656, emigrated to Maryland with his
family in 1668, settled in St. Mary's county and died the
following year; Frances, married John Cosin, Lorde
Bishop of Dunham; Mary, married Ralph
Allenson, merchant in Durham; and Margaret, married
Thomas Shadforth of Eppleton, county Palatinate.
(II) GEORGE BLAKISTON, son of Rev.
Marmaduke and Margaret (James) Blakiston, was baptized Aug.
21, 1603. In 1641 he was a member of Parliament for
Newcastle, in 1645 was mayor of Newcastle, and in 1649 was one
of the judges who pronounced sentence of death on King
Charles I. He married, Nov. 9, 1626, at All Saints',
Newcastle, Susan Chambers, and their children were:
John, died in infancy; John (2),
barrister-at-law; Joseph, died in infancy; Nehemiah,
mentioned below; Rebecca, married James Lance;
Elizabeth, died in infancy. John Blakiston, the
father, died in 1650.
(III) NEHEMIAH BLAKISTON, son of John and
Susan (Chambers) Blakiston, is named in his father's will,
1649, and in 1674 we find him claiming land in St. Mary's
county, Maryland. He probably came to this country in
1668, with his uncle, George Blakiston, who is stated, in
his brother's will, to have "suffered much in public concerns",
and would seem to have emigrated for this reason, as well as on
account of his relationship to the regicide judge. No
doubt the family shared in the persecution which, after the
Restoration, was endured by the Commonwealth leaders, some of
whom testified on the scaffold to their loyalty to the cause of
freedom. Nehemiah Blakiston was one of the
attorneys of the Provincial Court and of the Courts of St.
Mary's and Charles counties, and in addition to the
active practice of the legal profession he filled the office of
clerk of the King's customs for Wicomico and Potomac rivers.
In the Revolution of 1689 he played an important part, and for
his good services at this time received a vote of thanks from
the assembly. At the same time he was commissioned captain
of a troop of horse in the St. Mary's county militia, and in a
letter dated July 17, 1690, writes that he has been appointed
president of the Committee for the Present Government of this
Province. Apr. 21, 1691, he was appointed Chief Justice of
the Provincial Court of Maryland, and in the same year was
Speaker of the Assembly. Aug. 26, 1691, he was
commissioned a member of the Council of Maryland, and on April
8, 1692, was recommissioned a justice of the Provincial Court.
He was commissioned colonel probably on the following day, his
name thereafter always appearing as "Colonel Nehemiah
Blakiston" He married May 6, 1669, Elizabeth,
daughter of Thomas Gerard of St. Clement's Manor, who was
for a number of years a member of the Council of Maryland, but
later removed to Westmoreland county, Virginia, and died there
in 1673. Children: John, mentioned below;
Susanna, married (first) Thomas, grandson of the
Secretary Thomas Hatton, slain at the battle of St.
Mary's, 1665; (second), John Attaway; Rebecca, married
_____ Walters; Mary, married Matthew Mason.
Colonel Nehemiah Blakiston continued his career of
honorable service to the close of his life, being present at a
meeting of the council, August 25, 1693, and dying not long
after, his widow, Madame Elizabeth Blakiston, being cited
to administer on his estate December 11, of the same year.
(IV) JOHN BLAKISTON, son of Nehemiah
and Elizabeth (Gerard) Blakiston, married Anne,
daughter of his stepfather, Joshua Guilbert, and their
children were: Nehemiah, probably died young;
John, mentioned below; Thomas;
ELIZABETH, married ROSWELL
NEALE, of St. Mary's county; and Susanna
married Robert Mason, of the same county.
John Blakiston, the father, died in the autumn of 1724.
(V) JOHN BLAKISTON, son of John and
Anne (Guibert) Blakiston, married Eleanor, daughter
of Colonel George Dent, of Charles County, and the
following were their children: Nehemiah Herbert,
mentioned below; George, died 1774; and John, died
1802. John Blakiston, the father, was a large land
owner in St. Mary's county, and died Jan. 18, 1756.
(VI) NEHEMIAH HERBERT BLAKISTON, son of John
and Eleanor (Dent) Blakiston, died in 1816 and in his will
devises to his children Longworth's Point, which had descended
to him from his great-grandfather, Nehemiah Blakiston and
Elizabeth (Gerard) Blakiston, his wife. The records
of King and Queen parish, St. Mary's county, show that
Nehemiah Herbert Blakiston was several times elected a
vestryman of the parish. He married (first) January 30,
1772, Mary, daughter of Kenelm and Chloe
Cheseldine, and (second), in August, 1801, Eleanor
Gardiner Hebb. By his first wife he had issue:
Thomas; Eleanor; Kenelm; Mary; George, mentioned below;
Margaret, married ____ Goldsmith; and Dent.
The children of his second marriage were: Henry Herbert,
married Ann E. Shanks; John; Bernard, married Rebecca
Jordan Allstone; Caroline Gardiner, died 1817; Juliana;
and Jane Maria married Robert McK. Hammett.
(VII) GEORGE BLAKISTON, son of Nehemiah
Herbert and Mary (Cheseldine) Blakiston, was born November
28, 1780, and his will, dated November 7, 1842, was proved in
St. Mary's county, Jan. 17, 1843. He married, in January,
1813, Rebecca Goldsmith, and had issue: James
Thomas, mentioned below; Richard Pinkney, a
physician; George Wellington married Joanna
Cheseldine; Lilas D., married John F. Dent;
Zachariah Demeneau, married Harriet Ann Shanks; Lucinda,
married J. R. W. Mankin; Ann Rebecca, married Briscoe
Cheseldine; and Priscilla Hebb, married _____
Lancaster.
VIII) JAMES THOMAS BLAKISTON, son of
George and Rebecca (Goldsmith) Blakiston, was a lawyer, and
one of the most prominent men in the business and political life
of St. Mary's county. He married, in November, 1840,
Ann, daughter of Dr. William Thomas, of Cremona, St.
Mary's county, and Eliza, his wife, daughter of Henry
and Mary (Sothoron) Tubman. The death of Colonel
Blakiston was widely and sincerely mourned as that of a man
admirable in all the relations of life.
Colonel Blakiston and his wife were the parents
of the following children: William Thomas, Teackle Wallis
and George, mentioned below; Walter, deceased;
James T., of Seattle, Washington; Andrew, of the same
place; and four daughters: Bettie, Jane T., Ann T. and
Ella Rebecca. William Thomas, the eldest son, was a
cadet at West Point, and a member of the graduating class at the
breaking out of the Civil War. His sense of duty to his
State prompted his resignation. He joined the Confederate
army, and after participating in many leading campaigns,
was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg and died from the
effects of the wound in July, 1863. At the time of
his death he was first sergeant in Company A, Second Maryland
Regiment, commanded by Captain William H. Murray.
His commission as first lieutenant had been made out but was not
received until after his death. Of the daughters, Jane
T. married Joseph R. Foard, and Ann T. married
William N. Conway, of Baltimore City.
(IX) TEACKLE WALLACE BLAKISTON, son of
James Thomas and Ann (Thomas) Blakiston, was born Dec. 8,
1846, in St. Mary's county, Maryland, and obtained his early
education at the private school of Topping and Carey, Baltimore.
After completing the course of study, he entered the office of
his uncle, James H. Thomas, who, in partnership with
Severn Teackle Wallis, constituted the law firm of Wallis
& Thomas. It was with this firm that Mr. Blakiston
fitted himself for the profession for which his subsequent
career proved him to be so peculiarly adapted. He came
noted for his quick appreciation of the points to be
established, and for his invariable success in getting at the
root of the matter by questions during argument and by these
illuminating inquiries would either develop the strength of the
argument or demonstrate its weakness. The firm of
Blakiston & Blakiston, of which he was senior member, was
formed in 1880, upon the arrival of his brother George in
this city. The partnership was maintained until 1897, when
Mr. George Blakiston withdrew, the firm having acquired a
large connection and built up an enviable reputation for
sagacity, eloquence and honorable dealing. Thereafter,
until the close of his life, Mr. Blakiston practiced
alone. He was a strong man, a lawyer of great ability,
cool and resourceful. As a speaker he was versatile,
eloquent and logical, never failing to command the attention of
his audience. His style was original, his language
classical, and his utterances were pervaded by a deep
earnestness and sincerity which carried conviction to the minds
of his hearers. His intellect was luminous and vigorous
and it was his delight to master the most intricate legal
problems.
It is the special function of the lawyer to participate
actively in the affairs of his community. He is the
spokesman for its patriotic observances, for the reform of its
abuses and for the enlargement of its functions. To this
sphere of professional life and duty Mr. Blakiston
brought the ability, zeal and earnestness which characterized
him in the courtroom and the council, and his gifts as an orator
were never more more commandingly displayed than on the
political platform. He was an ardent Democrat, and took a
prominent part in the Allison campaign, acting as chairman of
the independent Democratic organization which supported Mr.
Allison against Mr. James Bond, of the regular
ticket. HE was also identified with the new judge campaign
of 1882, which was the first large independent movement when
three Democratic judges, George William Brown, William
Stewart and William Fisher, and two Republican
judges, Edward Duffy and Charles E. Phelps, were
elected. As a member of the State Brigade staff, with the
rank of colonel, under General James R. Herbert, Mr.
Blakiston saw active service in the railroad riots of 1877.
Fearless and frank, detesting all subterfuge, with mind
and motives singularly transparent, he never sought popularity,
but stood at all times as an able exponent of the spirit of the
age in his efforts to advance progress and improvement. He
held at one time the office of judge advocate general and was a
close friend of Judge Dennis. Realizing that he
would not pass this way again, he conformed his life to a
high standard, so that his entire record was in harmony with the
strictest principles of integrity and the record was in harmony
with the strictest principles of integrity and the loftiest
ideals of honor. In all his relations to the bar he was
essentially courteous, and in private life most genial and
companionable. All who met him socially could testify to
his charm and affability and to the brilliancy of his
conversation, replete with reminiscence and anecdote, with
humorous disquisitions upon the topics of the time and
fascinating allusions to literature.
The death of Mr. Blakiston occurred Oct. 30,
1909, while he was still in the fullness of his powers and at
the height of his activities. He was unmarried, and was
survived by his three brothers and one sister. A man of
the purest character, the loftiest principles, the calmest
judgment, the most unblenching courage, he served his city and
his State well. To every able lawyer and brilliant orator
there are presented opportunities of advancement, the acceptance
of which would be inconsistent with personal and professional
integrity. Mr. Blakiston, sensitive to the
slightest possible shadow of dishonor, invariably repelled these
approaches. He kept unstained the name transmitted to him
from generations of noble ancestry. Most truly might be
said of him what was said of the noblest of earth: "His
fame is whiter than it is brilliant".
(X) GEORGE BLAKISTON, son of James Thomas and
Ann (Thomas) Blakiston, was born February 25, 1855, at
Leonardtown, St. Mary's county, Maryland, and was educated at
Charlotte Hall and St. John's College. After finishing his
collegiate course he was for three years engaged in teaching,
and during that time studied law in his father's office.
After his admission to the bar he practiced for five years in
St. Mary's county, and in 1882 came to Baltimore, formerly the
law firm of Blakiston and Blakiston.
At the annual meeting of the stockholders of the
Central Railway Company, held in February, 1892, Mr.
Blakiston was elected a member of the board of directors.
The railway was then a horse-car road, and during the
construction period which has converted the line into an
electric road, with every first-class facility. Mr.
Blakiston was elected a member of the board of directors.
The railway was then a horse-car road, and during the
construction period which has converted the line into an
electric road, with every first-class facility, Mr. Blakiston
served as chairman of the building committee. In
September, 1892, he was elected president of the company, and
his fitness to occupy the position was attested by the fact that
he was reelected at each annual meeting until 1898, when the
road was purchased by the City Passenger Railway Company.
In 1900 he became president of the Realty Trust Company, which
subsequently absorbed the Citizens' Trust and Deposit Company of
Maryland, and organization of which he now holds the presidency.
It was at this time that he retired from the practice of his
profession, withdrawing from the firm of Blakiston &
Blakiston, which, nevertheless, retained its name without
alteration. As a financier Mr. Blakiston is keen,
astute and resourceful, possessing that intellectual acumen and
power of discrimination which enable him to unravel the
intricacies of a case and penetrate quickly a labyrinth of
details to whatever constitutes the heart of center of the
matter. This has caused him to be consulted in regard to a
number of critical financial situations and the acceptance of
his judgment and adoption of the course which he thought most
advisable under the circumstances, has, in each instance, been
followed by the happiest results for all concerned.
Mr. Blakiston has always taken an active
interest in civic affairs, especially in matters pertaining to
the Fire Department. Not one of the many improvements
which have developed in the department has escaped his notice,
and he was among the first to begin the publication, in the
newspapers, of a series of articles agitating the question of
forming a "full-paid" department in the city of Baltimore.
He is a member of the Maryland Club and the Bachelors' Cotillon,
and attends the Protestant Episcopal church.
As the president of the Belvedere Hotel Company, Mr.
Blakiston ahs recently purchased from Miss Florence
Mackubin, the well-known artist, her portrait of Cecilius
Calvert, Lord Baltimore. It was through the courtesy
of Sir William Eden, the descendant of the Calverts
and of Sir Robert Eden, the last Colonial Governor of
Maryland, that Miss Mackubin obtained the privilege of
copying the portrait, which is said to be the only life-sized
picture of Cecilius Calvert extant. Lord
Baltimore is represented in a black velvet jacket and tunic,
thickly braided with gold, a gold sword-belt and richly mounted
sword, and wearing a Parliamentary collar instead of one of the
Cavalier typ0e. This portrait of the great founder of
Maryland is to hang over the fireplade3 in the large hall of the
Belvedere, and will irresistibly recall those noble traditions
loyally cherished by every true Marylander.
Mr. Blakiston married, in November, 1892,
Maud B., daughter of T. Buchanan Price3. They
have two sons, George Blakiston, Jr., and T. Buchan
Blakiston.
Strict and literal fulfillment of every trust
reposed in him has marked the entire career of Mr. Blakiston.
A high-minded an of affairs and an able and conscientious
lawyer, he is also a patriotic and public-spirited citizen, a
title which has ever been synonymous with the name of
Blakiston.
Source: Baltimore, Its History and Its People by
various contributors - Vol. II - Publ. by Lewis Historical
Publishing Co., New York - Chicago - 1912 - page 59 |
