The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) 28 Jan 1923 Page 20
OBITUARY
The Rev. Dr. William Meade Dame, rector of Memorial Protestant Episcopal Church for nearly half a century, and during all that time one of the best-loved clergymen in Baltimore, died at 11:40 last night. Death came at the rectory, 1409 Bolton street, next door to the church where he had served his people. He was 79 years old.
Dr. Dame had been ill for more than a month, and several times members of the family thought a crisis had come. Once there was fear for him just before Christmas, yet on Christmas Day he read the service from the chancel in a clear, strong voice.
A sudden change in his condition came at noon yesterday. Dr. Charles W. Larned, who has been his attending physician, called Dr. Thomas B. Futcher into consultation. They realized that the end was near and the family gathered at his bedside. He died peacefully. Near him at the last were his four children, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame, rector of Memorial Church; Randolph N. Dame, G. Wilmer Dame, and Mrs. Edward A. Merritt, of Concord, Mass.
The funeral will be held at 2:30 P.M. tomorrow at the Memorial Protestant Episcopal Church. Bishop John Garner Murray will conduct the services, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Perregrine Wroth. The body will be taken to the church at 11 A.M. tomorrow and will lie in state until the funeral is held. Burial will be Greenmount Cemetery.
Few Baltimore clergymen have left behind them careers fuller of work, helpfulness and wholesome romance than Dr. Dame. He was preacher, soldier, author and humanitarian. The title, "Bishop of Bolton street," was something more than a sobriquet, for Bolton street, where he lived and conducted his own church, knew him as a minister to men, women and children of whatever church or creed.
Dr. Dame was the son of a clergyman. His father was the Rev. George W. Dame, of Danville, Va., and it was in Danville that Dr. Dame was born on December 17, 1844. He received his boyhood education at Danville Academy, and later went to the Danville Military Academy.
When the Civil War broke out he was 16 years old. But he enlisted in the Confederate Army and became a boy artilleryman. He served with the First Company of Richmond Howitzers and fought in every battle that company fought until the day of Lee's surrender at Appomattox. He did not come out unscathed. He fought at Gettysburg, Manassas and Sharpsburg and was in the struggles around Richmond. He was wounded several times, but never seriously to make him discontinue fighting.
One year after the war was over Dr. Dame was ready to begin the work of his life. He entered the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary at Alexandria, Va., and on June 26, 1869, he was ordained by the Rt. Rev. John Johns, Bishop of Virginia, and assigned parish work. He served in parishes in Prince William and Fairfax counties of Virginia for about a year, then went to larger work in Middleburg and its surrounding towns. There he stayed four years.
He had married, too, in 1869. His wife was Miss Susan Meade Funsten, daughter of Col. David Funsten and a great-niece of Bishop William Meade, a former Virginia bishop. Her father had been a member of the Confederate Congress. She died November 3, 1918.
Dr. Dame began the busiest period of his life in 1875, when he was called to Norfolk, Va. Here he founded St. Luke's Church. From Norfolk he went to Alexandria, where he became rector of Christ Church, where George Washington had had a pew and had been a regular attendant at services. That old church still stands and is one of the most interesting landmarks of history in Virginia.
From Alexandria, Dr. Dame came to Baltimore for the beginning of what was destined to be the most useful and fruitful period of his career. He became rector of Memorial Church on July 1, 1878. Its membership at that time was about 200. He increased it to 1,000. The church building was small then. He enlarged it several times, increased and improved all its accommodations and facilities and added a second story to the parish house. Soon the people of the parish came to know that they had a rector whose impression upon his parish would be deep and lasting; and people not of the parish learned about him and came to increase his flock.
Simplicity and genuineness were the strongest marks of his character. He drew men and women and held them with the real depth of his interest in them. No wedding in the parish was complete unless Dr. Dame performed the ceremony. Even when his parishioners moved away into other parishes they came back to be married by him, to have him baptize their babies, to have him read their funeral services. People used to stop him on the street and tell him their troubles and to hear a word of sympathy and help from him. When he would get home late for dinner he would say, "I could not get past the corners."
One of his closest friends was Rev. Dr. Peregrine Wroth, rector of the Church of the Messiah. They had played together on the baseball team of the Alexandria Theological Seminary, and they used to box together in those days. Dr. Dame used to say, jokingly, that once he had hit Dr. Wroth so hard his head had made a permanent dent in the seminary wall.
He loved the outdoors and fishing was one of his favorite sports. With a few friends he would go on long fishing trips to the Shenandoah river, and when the fish would not bite he and his friends would swap stories. He was an inimitable story-teller and his tales of the Civil War were masterful and thrilling. His love for writing and the heritage of brave legends he had brought down from the struggles of the Confederacy combined at last to make possible his book, "From the Rapidan to Richmond," which was published in 1920 - a fine true story of the Civil War.
During almost all of his ministry in Baltimore he continued to be the soldier as well as the rector. He became chaplain of the Fifth Maryland Regiment in 1889, with the rank of captain, and held that post for 20 years. Afterward he was brevetted a major, and became chaplain of the Fifth Regiment Veteran Corps, holding that office until his death.
More than 10 years ago his son, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame, came to help him with the work at Memorial Church, but the father never ceased his ministry. Last Christmas Day, when he had been ill for several days and his relatives were fearful about him, he shook off suffering, arose from bed, went into the chancel and conducted the service.
He shared the rectory on Bolton street with his son, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame. His two other sons, Randolph Nelson Dame and G. Wilmer Dame, lived less than a block away. Three grandchildren lived with him, William Page Dame, Jr., Josephine Dame and Elizabeth Lee Dame. Another grandchild, his namesake, William Meade Dame lived nearby.
Besides these sons and grandsons, Dr. Dame is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Merritt, and two brothers, both Protestant Episcopal ministers, the Rev. Dr. Nelson Page Dame, of Richmond, general missioner of the Diocese of Virginia, and the Rev. Dr. George W. Dame, rector of Ascension Church, Westminster, Md.
OBITUARY
The Rev. Dr. William Meade Dame, rector of Memorial Protestant Episcopal Church for nearly half a century, and during all that time one of the best-loved clergymen in Baltimore, died at 11:40 last night. Death came at the rectory, 1409 Bolton street, next door to the church where he had served his people. He was 79 years old.
Dr. Dame had been ill for more than a month, and several times members of the family thought a crisis had come. Once there was fear for him just before Christmas, yet on Christmas Day he read the service from the chancel in a clear, strong voice.
A sudden change in his condition came at noon yesterday. Dr. Charles W. Larned, who has been his attending physician, called Dr. Thomas B. Futcher into consultation. They realized that the end was near and the family gathered at his bedside. He died peacefully. Near him at the last were his four children, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame, rector of Memorial Church; Randolph N. Dame, G. Wilmer Dame, and Mrs. Edward A. Merritt, of Concord, Mass.
The funeral will be held at 2:30 P.M. tomorrow at the Memorial Protestant Episcopal Church. Bishop John Garner Murray will conduct the services, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Perregrine Wroth. The body will be taken to the church at 11 A.M. tomorrow and will lie in state until the funeral is held. Burial will be Greenmount Cemetery.
Few Baltimore clergymen have left behind them careers fuller of work, helpfulness and wholesome romance than Dr. Dame. He was preacher, soldier, author and humanitarian. The title, "Bishop of Bolton street," was something more than a sobriquet, for Bolton street, where he lived and conducted his own church, knew him as a minister to men, women and children of whatever church or creed.
Dr. Dame was the son of a clergyman. His father was the Rev. George W. Dame, of Danville, Va., and it was in Danville that Dr. Dame was born on December 17, 1844. He received his boyhood education at Danville Academy, and later went to the Danville Military Academy.
When the Civil War broke out he was 16 years old. But he enlisted in the Confederate Army and became a boy artilleryman. He served with the First Company of Richmond Howitzers and fought in every battle that company fought until the day of Lee's surrender at Appomattox. He did not come out unscathed. He fought at Gettysburg, Manassas and Sharpsburg and was in the struggles around Richmond. He was wounded several times, but never seriously to make him discontinue fighting.
One year after the war was over Dr. Dame was ready to begin the work of his life. He entered the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary at Alexandria, Va., and on June 26, 1869, he was ordained by the Rt. Rev. John Johns, Bishop of Virginia, and assigned parish work. He served in parishes in Prince William and Fairfax counties of Virginia for about a year, then went to larger work in Middleburg and its surrounding towns. There he stayed four years.
He had married, too, in 1869. His wife was Miss Susan Meade Funsten, daughter of Col. David Funsten and a great-niece of Bishop William Meade, a former Virginia bishop. Her father had been a member of the Confederate Congress. She died November 3, 1918.
Dr. Dame began the busiest period of his life in 1875, when he was called to Norfolk, Va. Here he founded St. Luke's Church. From Norfolk he went to Alexandria, where he became rector of Christ Church, where George Washington had had a pew and had been a regular attendant at services. That old church still stands and is one of the most interesting landmarks of history in Virginia.
From Alexandria, Dr. Dame came to Baltimore for the beginning of what was destined to be the most useful and fruitful period of his career. He became rector of Memorial Church on July 1, 1878. Its membership at that time was about 200. He increased it to 1,000. The church building was small then. He enlarged it several times, increased and improved all its accommodations and facilities and added a second story to the parish house. Soon the people of the parish came to know that they had a rector whose impression upon his parish would be deep and lasting; and people not of the parish learned about him and came to increase his flock.
Simplicity and genuineness were the strongest marks of his character. He drew men and women and held them with the real depth of his interest in them. No wedding in the parish was complete unless Dr. Dame performed the ceremony. Even when his parishioners moved away into other parishes they came back to be married by him, to have him baptize their babies, to have him read their funeral services. People used to stop him on the street and tell him their troubles and to hear a word of sympathy and help from him. When he would get home late for dinner he would say, "I could not get past the corners."
One of his closest friends was Rev. Dr. Peregrine Wroth, rector of the Church of the Messiah. They had played together on the baseball team of the Alexandria Theological Seminary, and they used to box together in those days. Dr. Dame used to say, jokingly, that once he had hit Dr. Wroth so hard his head had made a permanent dent in the seminary wall.
He loved the outdoors and fishing was one of his favorite sports. With a few friends he would go on long fishing trips to the Shenandoah river, and when the fish would not bite he and his friends would swap stories. He was an inimitable story-teller and his tales of the Civil War were masterful and thrilling. His love for writing and the heritage of brave legends he had brought down from the struggles of the Confederacy combined at last to make possible his book, "From the Rapidan to Richmond," which was published in 1920 - a fine true story of the Civil War.
During almost all of his ministry in Baltimore he continued to be the soldier as well as the rector. He became chaplain of the Fifth Maryland Regiment in 1889, with the rank of captain, and held that post for 20 years. Afterward he was brevetted a major, and became chaplain of the Fifth Regiment Veteran Corps, holding that office until his death.
More than 10 years ago his son, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame, came to help him with the work at Memorial Church, but the father never ceased his ministry. Last Christmas Day, when he had been ill for several days and his relatives were fearful about him, he shook off suffering, arose from bed, went into the chancel and conducted the service.
He shared the rectory on Bolton street with his son, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame. His two other sons, Randolph Nelson Dame and G. Wilmer Dame, lived less than a block away. Three grandchildren lived with him, William Page Dame, Jr., Josephine Dame and Elizabeth Lee Dame. Another grandchild, his namesake, William Meade Dame lived nearby.
Besides these sons and grandsons, Dr. Dame is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Merritt, and two brothers, both Protestant Episcopal ministers, the Rev. Dr. Nelson Page Dame, of Richmond, general missioner of the Diocese of Virginia, and the Rev. Dr. George W. Dame, rector of Ascension Church, Westminster, Md.
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) 28 Jan 1923 Page 20
OBITUARY
The Rev. Dr. William Meade Dame, rector of Memorial Protestant Episcopal Church for nearly half a century, and during all that time one of the best-loved clergymen in Baltimore, died at 11:40 last night. Death came at the rectory, 1409 Bolton street, next door to the church where he had served his people. He was 79 years old.
Dr. Dame had been ill for more than a month, and several times members of the family thought a crisis had come. Once there was fear for him just before Christmas, yet on Christmas Day he read the service from the chancel in a clear, strong voice.
A sudden change in his condition came at noon yesterday. Dr. Charles W. Larned, who has been his attending physician, called Dr. Thomas B. Futcher into consultation. They realized that the end was near and the family gathered at his bedside. He died peacefully. Near him at the last were his four children, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame, rector of Memorial Church; Randolph N. Dame, G. Wilmer Dame, and Mrs. Edward A. Merritt, of Concord, Mass.
The funeral will be held at 2:30 P.M. tomorrow at the Memorial Protestant Episcopal Church. Bishop John Garner Murray will conduct the services, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Perregrine Wroth. The body will be taken to the church at 11 A.M. tomorrow and will lie in state until the funeral is held. Burial will be Greenmount Cemetery.
Few Baltimore clergymen have left behind them careers fuller of work, helpfulness and wholesome romance than Dr. Dame. He was preacher, soldier, author and humanitarian. The title, "Bishop of Bolton street," was something more than a sobriquet, for Bolton street, where he lived and conducted his own church, knew him as a minister to men, women and children of whatever church or creed.
Dr. Dame was the son of a clergyman. His father was the Rev. George W. Dame, of Danville, Va., and it was in Danville that Dr. Dame was born on December 17, 1844. He received his boyhood education at Danville Academy, and later went to the Danville Military Academy.
When the Civil War broke out he was 16 years old. But he enlisted in the Confederate Army and became a boy artilleryman. He served with the First Company of Richmond Howitzers and fought in every battle that company fought until the day of Lee's surrender at Appomattox. He did not come out unscathed. He fought at Gettysburg, Manassas and Sharpsburg and was in the struggles around Richmond. He was wounded several times, but never seriously to make him discontinue fighting.
One year after the war was over Dr. Dame was ready to begin the work of his life. He entered the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary at Alexandria, Va., and on June 26, 1869, he was ordained by the Rt. Rev. John Johns, Bishop of Virginia, and assigned parish work. He served in parishes in Prince William and Fairfax counties of Virginia for about a year, then went to larger work in Middleburg and its surrounding towns. There he stayed four years.
He had married, too, in 1869. His wife was Miss Susan Meade Funsten, daughter of Col. David Funsten and a great-niece of Bishop William Meade, a former Virginia bishop. Her father had been a member of the Confederate Congress. She died November 3, 1918.
Dr. Dame began the busiest period of his life in 1875, when he was called to Norfolk, Va. Here he founded St. Luke's Church. From Norfolk he went to Alexandria, where he became rector of Christ Church, where George Washington had had a pew and had been a regular attendant at services. That old church still stands and is one of the most interesting landmarks of history in Virginia.
From Alexandria, Dr. Dame came to Baltimore for the beginning of what was destined to be the most useful and fruitful period of his career. He became rector of Memorial Church on July 1, 1878. Its membership at that time was about 200. He increased it to 1,000. The church building was small then. He enlarged it several times, increased and improved all its accommodations and facilities and added a second story to the parish house. Soon the people of the parish came to know that they had a rector whose impression upon his parish would be deep and lasting; and people not of the parish learned about him and came to increase his flock.
Simplicity and genuineness were the strongest marks of his character. He drew men and women and held them with the real depth of his interest in them. No wedding in the parish was complete unless Dr. Dame performed the ceremony. Even when his parishioners moved away into other parishes they came back to be married by him, to have him baptize their babies, to have him read their funeral services. People used to stop him on the street and tell him their troubles and to hear a word of sympathy and help from him. When he would get home late for dinner he would say, "I could not get past the corners."
One of his closest friends was Rev. Dr. Peregrine Wroth, rector of the Church of the Messiah. They had played together on the baseball team of the Alexandria Theological Seminary, and they used to box together in those days. Dr. Dame used to say, jokingly, that once he had hit Dr. Wroth so hard his head had made a permanent dent in the seminary wall.
He loved the outdoors and fishing was one of his favorite sports. With a few friends he would go on long fishing trips to the Shenandoah river, and when the fish would not bite he and his friends would swap stories. He was an inimitable story-teller and his tales of the Civil War were masterful and thrilling. His love for writing and the heritage of brave legends he had brought down from the struggles of the Confederacy combined at last to make possible his book, "From the Rapidan to Richmond," which was published in 1920 - a fine true story of the Civil War.
During almost all of his ministry in Baltimore he continued to be the soldier as well as the rector. He became chaplain of the Fifth Maryland Regiment in 1889, with the rank of captain, and held that post for 20 years. Afterward he was brevetted a major, and became chaplain of the Fifth Regiment Veteran Corps, holding that office until his death.
More than 10 years ago his son, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame, came to help him with the work at Memorial Church, but the father never ceased his ministry. Last Christmas Day, when he had been ill for several days and his relatives were fearful about him, he shook off suffering, arose from bed, went into the chancel and conducted the service.
He shared the rectory on Bolton street with his son, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame. His two other sons, Randolph Nelson Dame and G. Wilmer Dame, lived less than a block away. Three grandchildren lived with him, William Page Dame, Jr., Josephine Dame and Elizabeth Lee Dame. Another grandchild, his namesake, William Meade Dame lived nearby.
Besides these sons and grandsons, Dr. Dame is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Merritt, and two brothers, both Protestant Episcopal ministers, the Rev. Dr. Nelson Page Dame, of Richmond, general missioner of the Diocese of Virginia, and the Rev. Dr. George W. Dame, rector of Ascension Church, Westminster, Md.
OBITUARY
The Rev. Dr. William Meade Dame, rector of Memorial Protestant Episcopal Church for nearly half a century, and during all that time one of the best-loved clergymen in Baltimore, died at 11:40 last night. Death came at the rectory, 1409 Bolton street, next door to the church where he had served his people. He was 79 years old.
Dr. Dame had been ill for more than a month, and several times members of the family thought a crisis had come. Once there was fear for him just before Christmas, yet on Christmas Day he read the service from the chancel in a clear, strong voice.
A sudden change in his condition came at noon yesterday. Dr. Charles W. Larned, who has been his attending physician, called Dr. Thomas B. Futcher into consultation. They realized that the end was near and the family gathered at his bedside. He died peacefully. Near him at the last were his four children, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame, rector of Memorial Church; Randolph N. Dame, G. Wilmer Dame, and Mrs. Edward A. Merritt, of Concord, Mass.
The funeral will be held at 2:30 P.M. tomorrow at the Memorial Protestant Episcopal Church. Bishop John Garner Murray will conduct the services, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Perregrine Wroth. The body will be taken to the church at 11 A.M. tomorrow and will lie in state until the funeral is held. Burial will be Greenmount Cemetery.
Few Baltimore clergymen have left behind them careers fuller of work, helpfulness and wholesome romance than Dr. Dame. He was preacher, soldier, author and humanitarian. The title, "Bishop of Bolton street," was something more than a sobriquet, for Bolton street, where he lived and conducted his own church, knew him as a minister to men, women and children of whatever church or creed.
Dr. Dame was the son of a clergyman. His father was the Rev. George W. Dame, of Danville, Va., and it was in Danville that Dr. Dame was born on December 17, 1844. He received his boyhood education at Danville Academy, and later went to the Danville Military Academy.
When the Civil War broke out he was 16 years old. But he enlisted in the Confederate Army and became a boy artilleryman. He served with the First Company of Richmond Howitzers and fought in every battle that company fought until the day of Lee's surrender at Appomattox. He did not come out unscathed. He fought at Gettysburg, Manassas and Sharpsburg and was in the struggles around Richmond. He was wounded several times, but never seriously to make him discontinue fighting.
One year after the war was over Dr. Dame was ready to begin the work of his life. He entered the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary at Alexandria, Va., and on June 26, 1869, he was ordained by the Rt. Rev. John Johns, Bishop of Virginia, and assigned parish work. He served in parishes in Prince William and Fairfax counties of Virginia for about a year, then went to larger work in Middleburg and its surrounding towns. There he stayed four years.
He had married, too, in 1869. His wife was Miss Susan Meade Funsten, daughter of Col. David Funsten and a great-niece of Bishop William Meade, a former Virginia bishop. Her father had been a member of the Confederate Congress. She died November 3, 1918.
Dr. Dame began the busiest period of his life in 1875, when he was called to Norfolk, Va. Here he founded St. Luke's Church. From Norfolk he went to Alexandria, where he became rector of Christ Church, where George Washington had had a pew and had been a regular attendant at services. That old church still stands and is one of the most interesting landmarks of history in Virginia.
From Alexandria, Dr. Dame came to Baltimore for the beginning of what was destined to be the most useful and fruitful period of his career. He became rector of Memorial Church on July 1, 1878. Its membership at that time was about 200. He increased it to 1,000. The church building was small then. He enlarged it several times, increased and improved all its accommodations and facilities and added a second story to the parish house. Soon the people of the parish came to know that they had a rector whose impression upon his parish would be deep and lasting; and people not of the parish learned about him and came to increase his flock.
Simplicity and genuineness were the strongest marks of his character. He drew men and women and held them with the real depth of his interest in them. No wedding in the parish was complete unless Dr. Dame performed the ceremony. Even when his parishioners moved away into other parishes they came back to be married by him, to have him baptize their babies, to have him read their funeral services. People used to stop him on the street and tell him their troubles and to hear a word of sympathy and help from him. When he would get home late for dinner he would say, "I could not get past the corners."
One of his closest friends was Rev. Dr. Peregrine Wroth, rector of the Church of the Messiah. They had played together on the baseball team of the Alexandria Theological Seminary, and they used to box together in those days. Dr. Dame used to say, jokingly, that once he had hit Dr. Wroth so hard his head had made a permanent dent in the seminary wall.
He loved the outdoors and fishing was one of his favorite sports. With a few friends he would go on long fishing trips to the Shenandoah river, and when the fish would not bite he and his friends would swap stories. He was an inimitable story-teller and his tales of the Civil War were masterful and thrilling. His love for writing and the heritage of brave legends he had brought down from the struggles of the Confederacy combined at last to make possible his book, "From the Rapidan to Richmond," which was published in 1920 - a fine true story of the Civil War.
During almost all of his ministry in Baltimore he continued to be the soldier as well as the rector. He became chaplain of the Fifth Maryland Regiment in 1889, with the rank of captain, and held that post for 20 years. Afterward he was brevetted a major, and became chaplain of the Fifth Regiment Veteran Corps, holding that office until his death.
More than 10 years ago his son, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame, came to help him with the work at Memorial Church, but the father never ceased his ministry. Last Christmas Day, when he had been ill for several days and his relatives were fearful about him, he shook off suffering, arose from bed, went into the chancel and conducted the service.
He shared the rectory on Bolton street with his son, the Rev. Dr. William Page Dame. His two other sons, Randolph Nelson Dame and G. Wilmer Dame, lived less than a block away. Three grandchildren lived with him, William Page Dame, Jr., Josephine Dame and Elizabeth Lee Dame. Another grandchild, his namesake, William Meade Dame lived nearby.
Besides these sons and grandsons, Dr. Dame is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Merritt, and two brothers, both Protestant Episcopal ministers, the Rev. Dr. Nelson Page Dame, of Richmond, general missioner of the Diocese of Virginia, and the Rev. Dr. George W. Dame, rector of Ascension Church, Westminster, Md.
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