Home > United States of America > Ohio > Belmont County > Flushing Township > Rock Hill Baptist Church Cemetery > Prof. Washington Glass

Prof. Washington Glass

View larger map

Birth	:	27 Mar 1827 Rock Hill, Belmont County, Ohio, USA
Death	:	9 Aug 1893 Mason County, West Virginia, USA
Burial	:	Rock Hill Baptist Church Cemetery, Flushing Township, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate	:	40.1370170, -81.1020730
Plot	:	near the church
Description	:	Prof. Washington Glass was famous in his day, though he is little remembered today. He was known from Ohio to Iowa as a teacher of vocal music, with an excellent voice himself; as an innovator in that field; as an orator and Baptist minister; and as the Chaplain for his Union Army company - and possibly for the entire regiment. (This needs further research.) It is unfortunate that some of his descendants mistakenly perpetuated and contributed to confusion regarding his identity by placing an incorrect name upon his gravestone. The generous, heritage-minded, well-meaning people who several decades ago... Read More	Prof. Washington Glass was famous in his day, though he is little remembered today. He was known from Ohio to Iowa as a teacher of vocal music, with an excellent voice himself; as an innovator in that field; as an orator and Baptist minister; and as the Chaplain for his Union Army company - and possibly for the entire regiment. (This needs further research.) It is unfortunate that some of his descendants mistakenly perpetuated and contributed to confusion regarding his identity by placing an incorrect name upon his gravestone. The generous, heritage-minded, well-meaning people who several decades ago paid for the handsome gravestone had the misconception that Washington Glass' name was actually 'GEORGE Washington Glass.' (This error has also turned up in Ancestors.com.) His name in recent times has often been confused with that of his younger half-brother, who actually WAS named 'George Washington Glass' and is buried nearby, in the same cemetery, with his stone correctly marked. The confusion is not entirely a modern phenomenon. The census of 1880 called him "George W. Glass," but censuses are notoriously inaccurate; the same census calls daughter Columbia a boy, while his son Jesse is labeled a girl whose name is spelled 'Jessy.' More reliable sources - a family bible, his military record, and a lengthy obituary in the Barnesville Republican, a Belmont County newspaper, make it clear: his name was "Washington," plain and simple. The newspaper staff knew very well what his name was, as did local people of his time... and that his name was Washington Glass --- and absolutely NOT "George!" If this is not enough to satisfy the family skeptics, then consider "The Revivalist," a book of "hymns ansd spiritual songs" which he assembled and published in 1852; it was reprinted by Glenn & Heide of Columbus, Ohio, in 1866. His name appears as the copyright holder "Washington Glass," and is shown as such on the cover and also in the Preface (twice). More recently, and perhaps most convincingly, the 1952 obituary of his other daughter, Carrie B. Glass, said her father was "Washington Glass." Lists of his father's (Aaron Glass's) children always show his name as simply 'Washington' as well. Case closed! Ironically, as already noted, his half-brother really WAS named George Washington Glass (1856-1913) and is buried in the same cemetery; but since Professor Glass is buried near the church, and his gravestone is very noticeable because of its reddish color (the overwhelming majority of gravestones here are gray, bluish-gray, or white), because it shows he was a Civil War veteran, and announces him as "Professor," his incorrect stone attracts far more attention than that of his half-brother. Washington Glass was born in Ohio - not in Virginia, as some records say - and received his education in New York (exactly where is being researched) as a musician, singer, and a teacher of vocal music. He was described in one obituary as "a Baptist preacher, a man of fine physique, excellent address, good oratorical powers and magnificent voice." He was also a preacher and circuit rider, and may have been responsible for the construction of one of the early Baptist churches at Rock Hill, outside of which he would be buried. He was known as 'the pioneer music teacher' who taught thousands of students in his lifetime. He was the inventor of a revolutionary musical chart that assisted in the teaching and playing of music; the effort took him 30 years, while the chart itself, patented and widely sold, was utilized for decades. He was the 7th child of Aaron Glass (1795-1865) and Mary Jones Glass (@1795-1835), who were married in Virginia in 1814, while the War of 1812 was still being fought; since Aaron fought in that war, he was awarded, as a bounty, lands in Ohio, which prompted him to move from Virginia to Ohio shortly after the war ended. His brother, John, also served in that war, also received lands in Ohio as a bounty, and also made the trek there; he is buried nearby. Like Aaron, John and his wife Agnes - Mary's sister - had a lot of children. Eleven years after Mary's death, Aaron married Margaret Bigly/Bigley (1824-1910) and they had at least one child together: the aforementioned George Washington Glass (1856-1913), the younger half-brother of Washington Glass. Like his father, Washington Glass was also married twice. His first wife was Jenny Blake, and they had at least one child (a girl, Columbia) together. Columbia was born May 19, 1866 [source: Washington Glass' Family Bible]; Washington's obituary simply states he and his first wife "were parted," but they were probably divorced, since he later remarried. None of the circumstances are presently known. The date of the wedding of Washington and Jenny is still being researched. Columbia lived with her father for a while; the 1880 census shows her as 14 years old and residing in Harrison County, Ohio, with her father and several half-siblings: She later lived "in the west," which may have meant California, according to one story, or it may have meant Iowa, where Washington's brother, James, migrated after marrying a girl from Iowa. Jenny/Jennie apparently died on Nov. 16, 1886 [source: Washington Glass' family Bible]. Other details on Jenny and Columbia are lacking at present. During the Civil War Washington saw service in Company G of the 7th U.S. Infantry. He was the Company chaplain, and he may have been the chaplain for the entire regiment. His unit saw action throughout the western theater of war, including the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. A few years after the Civil War and the 'parting' with Jennie, Washington remarried, to Alice Ann Dickison (1854-1884), on Dec 10, 1872; he was 45, while she was just 18. He and Alice had at least four children together: Jesse Dayton Glass, Charles Wm. Glass, and Carrie Beatty Glass lived to adulthood. But Alice's namesake, Alice Ann Glass, lived only seven hours following her birth in December 1879. Life was not kind to Alice. She and Washington had only been married 11 years and 4 months when she met a painful, sudden end: family tradition says that while watching as an apple tree was cut down, she was attacked by a "swarm of bees" - actually it is much more likely they were hornets or yellowjackets - that had a nest in the tree. She was stung repeatedly, and passed away of anaphylactic shock during the night, eight days shy of her 30th birthday. Washington dedicated the rest of his life to music, teaching, and preaching. He suffered a stroke that temporarily partially paralyzed him when he was 62, but he recovered sufficiently to visit a cousin, Andrew Gardner, in Mason County, WVa., near the Kanawha River, ten miles from Mt. Pleasant (modern Point Pleasant). There he suffered another stroke, which ended his life. He was 66. His body was transported back to Ohio and he was buried in the cemetery in which many of his ancestors were interred. The Barnesville (Belmont County) 'Republican' said, "The pioneer music teacher is dead and thousands throughout this section will learn the fact with some sorrow. His relatives have the sympathy of all." Washington had 11 known siblings who are listed here; not all can be listed in the links below, because the dates of their deaths and the location of their graves are presently not known. (Source: Washington Glass Family Bible) Alexander (18 Nov 1815 - death sometime prior to 1860) Thompson P. Glass (Aug 4 1817 - Dec 22, 1892) Vincent (3 July 1819/1820 - pre 1860) William (3 Apr 1821 - ?) Amanda [m. Harris] (19 May 1823 - ?) Alzinia [m. Carpenter] (3 Apr 1825 - 1888) Elizabeth [m. Williamson] (1 Jul 1829 - ?) Mary [m. White] (3 Apr 1831 - 1898) James (27 Mar 1823 - 1888: served in Civil War; after the war, died in Iowa when hit by a runaway team of horses.) Eliza {m. Brown] (May 2 1835 - ?) George Washington Glass (half-brother)(1856 - 1913) (The preponderance of births on April 3 in this list is suspicious; also, two births were reported on March 27. The dates may, by remarkable coincidence, all be true; or they may be the products of uncertain memories.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Prof. Washington Glass's memorial?
Prof. Washington Glass's memorial is located at: Rock Hill Baptist Church Cemetery, Flushing Township, Belmont County, USA.
When did Prof. Washington Glass death?
Prof. Washington Glass death on 9 Aug 1893 in Mason County, West Virginia, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Prof. Washington Glass's memorial?
Latitude: 40.1370170
Longitude: -81.1020730

Family Members:

Parent

Aaron Glass

(1795 - 1865)

Mary Margaret Jones Glass

(1795 - 1835)

Spouse

Alice Ann Dickison Glass

(1854 - 1884)

Siblings

Thompson Peter Glass

(1817 - 1892)

Alzina (Alzinia) Glass Carpenter

(1825 - 1888)

Mary Glass White

(1831 - 1899)

James Glass

(1833 - 1887)

George Washington Glass

(1858 - 1913)

Children

Alice A. Glass

(1879 - 1879)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Rock Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
Flushing Township, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1370170, -81.1020730

2. Paine Cemetery
Flushing, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1341680, -81.1363840

3. Methodist Cemetery
Flushing, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1505600, -81.0697200

4. Union Cemetery
Flushing, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1488991, -81.0594025

5. Flushing Friends Cemetery
Flushing Township, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1492004, -81.0563965

6. Stillwater Cemetery
Flushing Township, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1432620, -81.1604680

7. Old Egypt Cemetery
Kirkwood Township, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0863991, -81.1410980

8. Old Radical Cemetery
Hendrysburg, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0977800, -81.1630560

9. Salem Cemetery
Hendrysburg, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0891991, -81.1536026

10. Dunn Cemetery
Lafferty, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0988890, -81.0372220

11. Saint Mary's Cemetery
Lafferty, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1161003, -81.0233002

12. Belmont Ridge Cemetery
Flushing Township, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1652985, -81.1800003

13. Nottingham Cemetery
Harrison County, USA
Coordinate: 40.2064018, -81.1200027

14. Valley Home Farm Groves Cemetery
Kirkwood Township, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0669440, -81.1238890

15. Taggarts Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Lafferty, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1180520, -81.0088880

16. McKain Family Cemetery
Cadiz, Harrison County, USA
Coordinate: 40.2094620, -81.0814520

17. Union Cemetery
Morristown, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0656013, -81.0718994

18. Pioneer Cemetery
Morristown, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0636100, -81.0725000

19. Moore Cemetery
Union Township, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0588880, -81.1133360

20. Rankin Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
Cadiz, Harrison County, USA
Coordinate: 40.2174988, -81.0963974

21. Moorefield Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
Moorefield, Harrison County, USA
Coordinate: 40.2022018, -81.1688995

22. Crabapple Cemetery
Wheeling Township, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1556015, -80.9953003

23. Uniontown Cemetery
Uniontown, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.1278000, -80.9891968

24. McKinney Cemetery
Hendrysburg, Belmont County, USA
Coordinate: 40.0566680, -81.1450000