Alberta Gary

James A. Gary was the last owner of the Guilford cotton mills as it burned down in 1890.  He was also heavily involved with the Alberton mill that his father, James S. Gary founded, as well as the mill in Laurel.  He was also the US Postmaster General from 1898-1898 under President McKinley.

During his ownership of the Guilford Cotton Mill, Mr. Gary made a large contribution towards building a church in Guilford as long as it would be named after his first born, daughter Alberta Georgette (9-20-1858 to 5-20--1864), who died of scarlet fever when she was five years old.(1)  

The church was built in 1872, and a new building was constructed in 1914, known as the Alberta G. Gary Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church.  It is known today as the Alberta Gary Memorial Methodist Church. (2,3)

There is a portrait of Alberta Gary when she was about 4 years old that was used as a nice example of white lace embroidery in a book on the topic. The caption on the portrait of the little girl reads “Alberta G. Gary’s (Daisy’s) Portrait by Austin Street, Philadelphia; showing white eyelet embroidery on child’s costume. Period 1858-1864. Baltimore.” The commentary on the portrait was that Julian Street was a famous painter from Philadelphia and “It is a charming picture of a sweet little Baltimore maiden as she looked in the 1860’s”.  (4)

In honor of his father who died in 1870, James A. Gary also built the Gary Memorial United Methodist Church in 1879 in Alberton.  It is in the mostly abandoned town of Daniels along the Patapsco River that was destroyed from the flood as a result of Hurricane Agnes in 1972.  James S. Gary and James A. Gary were both memorable people in Howard County. (5)

Notes:

1) The Gary Family. University of Virginia Library, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. Charlottesville, Virginia.  Source of portrait of Alberta Gary

2) Profiles of Faith – Histories of Religious Communities of Howard County. 2000. Howard County Sesquicentennial Committee, Religious Subcommittee. Alberta Gary Church is on pages 167-168.

3) Church Cornerstone Laid. May 22, 1914. The Baltimore Sun.

4) Harbeson, Georgiana Brown. 1938. American Needlework. White Work, Costume Embroideries and Accessories. Bonanza Books, New York.  p. 75, 77.

5) Baltimore – Its History and Its People. 1912. Lewis Historical Publishing Company.  James Sullivan Gary. P 592-593. James Albert Gary. P. 593- 594.

Source of Photo of James A. Gary - National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution