George Bruce

Born in the late summer of 1863, Mr. Bruce was the son of Mr. Henry Bruce and Mrs. Elizabeth (Brightful) Bruce. He grew up free, due to the general emancipation provided by the November 1864 Maryland State Constitution.

As a teenager, he lived and worked for an elderly widow. In 1895, he married Ms. Susan Cook (profiled last week). They lived with her father on Union Street. He found work as a waiter, sometimes helping to cater private events in the homes of the wealthy citizens on Main Street.

Mr. Bruce would travel with the local Forest and Stream club on their hunting and camping trips, as a cook. On one such trip, he was struck by lightning. Fortunately, he was merely stunned and was able to return back to town where he was seen by a local doctor. By 1920, he was working full-time in the laundry at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College).

The couple had one child. Following his wife’s early death in 1922, he was unable to support himself. Mr. Bruce removed to the County Home. Also called the Alms House, this building now serves as the Carroll County Farm Museum. The museum is decorated as a typical home in the 1800s, and not as how it would have been furnished in the 1920s.

Mr. George Bruce died shortly after this 63rd birthday. He is buried in an unmarked grave .