4 November 2001 – Forest Home

The Carroll County landscape is dotted with historic properties dating back to the eighteenth century.  In keeping with longstanding traditions, some early settlers gave their homes a name, a practice that continued well into the nineteenth century.   In some cases, such as the Key Family’s Terra Rubra, the home took its name from the land tract on which it was located.  Other owners selected a unique name for the house.  Fortunately, documentation sometimes survives to reveal how a property received its name.  In 1939, Sadie M. Farquhar wrote a brief history of the Haines Family and several family houses near New Windsor:

This Joseph Haines was the fifth son of Richard and Margaret Haines who sailed from England with four of their children on the ship ‘Amity’ (Richard Diamond’s ship) on a Wednesday of April 1682.  They belonged to the Banbury Friends’ Meeting in England.

They had a long and tedious voyage.  The father sickened and died during the voyage, and Joseph, the fifth son, was born in mid-ocean.  John Haines, the oldest son, had come to America in 1678 and settled along the Bancock Creek, in Burlington County, New Jersey.

The family landed in Burlington County, New Jersey, in the autumn of the year 1682.  They lived in New Jersey many years.  Then the Joseph Haines who was born during the ocean voyage went to Nottingham, Chester County, Pennsylvania, which is now Cecil County, Maryland.  Later he went to Pipe Creek (now in Carroll County, Maryland) and he and his brother bought the tract of land called ‘Cornwell’ on Little Pipe Creek.

He died in 1763, but his second wife Elizabeth (Thomas) Haines lived until 1796, and was 100 years old when she died.

He had two sons, Nathan and Daniel.  The son Nathan evidently lived on the home place, and he was the father of William Haines (the great-grand father of W. Morris Haines who owns ‘Forest Home’).

William Haines had seven children:  John, Reuben, Sarah, Ruth, Ephraim, Stephen and Nathan.  These were all born in the red brick house, a short distance below the handsome gray stone house ‘Forest Home.’  This old homestead was called ‘Linwood’ from the numerous linden trees on it.  Later, the town at the railroad station was named Linwood in honor of that estate.

The home was built about 1800.  A fire burned it down, but it was rebuilt on the original foundation about 1804.

Reuben Haines, the second son of William Haines above-mentioned, inherited this place ‘Linwood.’  Reuben married Sarah Lippincott of New Jersey who was of fine old ancestry.  He brought his bride to live at the old homestead.  As they were both members of the Society of Friends they were married according to Friends ceremony.   He was a man of fine education, and was an important man of affairs in his community.  In 1860 he decided to build a new home.  His wife, Sarah Lippincott Haines, selected the spot at the top of a high eminence in the midst of a deep forest, which had to be cleared in order to build their home.  She named it ‘Forest Home’ because it was a home in the forest.  A strong foundation was laid and allowed to season for over a year according to the custom of that day, but the Civil War prevented them from building the home at that time.  Finally the beautiful new home of gray stone was finished and they moved into it with their daughters.  Their only son Joseph Lippincott Haines and his wife Elizabeth Lupton of Virginia continued to live at the old homestead ‘Linwood.’

The wife lived only about one year and a half after moving into her new home ‘Forest Home.’  Reuben Haines prospered and accumulated quite a fortune and was considered a wealthy man.

At his death, his son Joseph Lippincott Haines inherited the land and the houses on it.  He was a man of great ability with a very keen mind, and a fine education.  He was by profession a civil engineer, and helped to survey the Western Maryland Railroad from Baltimore to Union Bridge when it was built.  He took a deep interest in the county affairs and in the state affairs too.  He was the image of General Grant and was often mistaken for him, he said.

‘Forest Home’ was closed many years after the death of Reuben Haines but it was finally opened in 1896 and new improvements were added to it.   Joseph L. Haines had lost his first wife several years before this and had married Susanna W. Haines of Riverton, New Jersey (Burlington County).  He and his second wife went to ‘Forest Home’ to live.  After Joseph Lippincott Haines died in 1906, his son W. Morris Haines came into possession of ‘Forest Home’, and the surrounding land.  He and his wife enjoy this fine inheritance as they both appreciate the traditions of the family.  She was Lula (Darby) Windsor, of Montgomery County, Maryland, and dearly loves her native state as all true Marylanders do.

The Haines family belongs to the pre-Revolutionary stock of Americans who take great pride in owning the land of their forefathers.   It is very interesting to note that this land has come by direct inheritance in a straight line from the original ancestors of the Haines family down to the present owner, W. Morris Haines.  This is a most unusual fact and it is therefore very remarkable.

There are other families in Carroll County who feel the same pride of possession in still owning the land bequeathed to them by their ancestors and having the privilege of living on it.

Joseph Lippincott Haines, Jr. the grandson of Joseph L. Haines of ‘Forest Home’ lives in the old homestead on his estate ‘Linwood.’

‘Forest Home’ and ‘Linwood’ are two beautiful homes from a day past and gone representing the beautiful ideals of a generation that dared to be true and brave and believed with all their heart and soul in our American Constitution.”