 About twenty-five years ago, I purchased an old sales billhead from a Frederick antique store. The vintage receipt is dated 1887, and the place of business, long gone, was one that specialized in tin and sheet metal services, along with selling stoves. This firm would repair roofs and guttering, while installing cooking appliances into homes. A signature product advertised on this billhead was an early stove called the New Mayflower Range manufactured by the Raymond and Campbell Co. of Middletown, Pennsylvania.  H. DeLibardie Billhead dated July 1st, 1887  New Mayflower Range manufactured by the Raymond and Campbell Co. of Middletown, PA. I was specifically intrigued with this item due to the name of the proprietor—H. DeLibardie. At first glance, I thought that Mr. DeLibardie was likely Italian. Maybe this was a trigger from youth, assuming the name DeLibardie was similar to Boyardee, as in Chef Boyardee. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, Chef Boyardee is an American brand of canned pasta products founded by Italian immigrant Ettore Boiardi in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1928. The standout offering of this company is "ready-to-heat spaghetti kit," which are forever associated with tin as the kit is packaged in metal cans.
Yes, my brain works in mysterious ways, now let’s get back to H. DeLibardie. A few years ago, I decided to "tinker around" and do a little research to learn more about this individual who I've assumed was a male. If my pun went over your head, I should explain that tinsmiths, also known as tinkers. Individuals within this profession made items from light metals. Their creations ranged from cookware to washbasins and metal chimney pipes.  A tinsmith of the 1870s solders a can The surname of my subject/proprietor possessed an anglicized spelling variation of the French name/word Delabarre roughly meaning someone who lived by a gateway or barrier, or in a house encircled by a fence. "DeLibardie" could also be a derivation of Delabarde, which is believed to refer to a type of protective covering or armor, possibly linked to the occupation of a bard or minstrel. This latter definition suggests a connection to the art of storytelling. Regardless, I’ve quite a story to tell you here, and it has nothing to do with an Italian man, or a Frenchman. I soon found that my former Frederick tinsmith’s first name was Hipolito. Secondly, I would learn that he was born in Cuba but classified on census and other vital records as being African-American, black and sometimes mulatto—defined as a person of mixed white and black ancestry. This would make him one of Frederick’s early black business owners, especially interesting because his business primarily catered to the town’s white population. The name Hipolito is derived from Spanish and Latin roots, specifically from the Latin Hippo, meaning horse, and litos, which signifies lover or friend. Thus, Hipolito translates to horse lover or friend of horses. The name is often associated with attributes such as grace, strength, and a deep connection to nature, particularly the equestrian world. Now armed with a rare name like Hipolito DeLibardie, my attempt at finding more information was relatively easy when compared to a moniker such as John Thomas or Anna Miller. I did not find Hipolito’s grave in Frederick, as it is located in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Neshannock Township, New Castle, Pennsylvania. New Castle is in Lawrence County and located about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.  St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Neshannock Township, New Castle (PA)  Grave of Hipolito DeLibardie in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery I soon learned that Hipolito had quite a life’s journey, and also found fascinating ties to a couple other Fredericktonians who piqued my interest along the way. Although Hipolito's name graces several census records, it was a passenger list from February 24th, 1909 that would give me the most pivotal information regarding his heritage. At this particular point in time, the 49 year-old had taken a trip to his native home of Cuba, and had arrived back home in the United States aboard the (S.S. (Sailing Ship) A.W. Perry at Knights Key, Florida. This location, within the famed Florida Keys, served as a terminus for the railroad before it extended southward to Key West. Knight’s Key can be found today at Mile Marker 47 between Key Vaca and the eastern end of the Seven Mile Bridge.
 Antique Map of Cuba  1909 Manifest from the S.S. AW Perry showing Hipolito DeLiberdie as a passenger  Catholic Church in Central Alava From this 1909 passenger manifest document pictured above, I learned that my subject claimed his race as "African." From this document alone, I discern Hipolito was born in September of 1859 in Arroyo, Cuba and had been visiting his brother, Francisco Telo, living in Ingenia De Alabo (Cuba). Based on historical records, the entity in question is likely the Ingenio Álava (often referred to as Central Álava), a prominent 19th-century sugar plantation located in the Colón region of Matanzas province, Cuba. However, later in my research, I found an 1887 Frederick newspaper article specifically stating that Hipolito's hometown was Cienfuegos on the southern coast of Cuba. Arroyo was founded in 1845, and is better known as Arroyo Naranjo today, being situated nearly seven miles south of Old Havana on the Havana-Las Vegas highway. In the year of Hipolito’s birth, Arroyo Naranjo had 291 inhabitants.  Arroyo Naranjo, birthplace of Hipolito DeLibardie, is a suburb just south of Havana, Cuba I feel that I should give equal time to Cienfuegos, capital of Cienfuegos Province, a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about 160 miles from Havana. Cienfuegos port, despite being one of the latest settlements established during the colonial era, soon grew to be a powerful town due to the fertile fields surrounding it and its position on the trade route between Jamaica and South American cities to the southeast and the hinterland provincial capital of Santa Clara to the northeast. Its advantageous trading location on the Bay of Jagua was used by the Cuban sugar oligarchy when a railroad was built between Santa Clara and Cienfuegos from 1853 and 1860.  Cienfuegos (Cuba) by Édouard Laplante and Leonardo Barañano (1856) At the time of his trip in 1909, Hipolito, also known as Paul, was residing in New Castle (PA), the place where I found his gravesite. The census of 1910 lists his wife as Sadie R. DeLibardie and his occupation was reported as "manager of a pool room." I would soon find advertisements regarding this pool/billiards establishment located on a back alley at 128 Market Street on the corner of S. Apple Way. Hipolito opened this establishment in 1903 and sold the establishment in 1913. Along the way, he encountered a few trials as referenced below, and opened a barber shop within the pool hall. This perfect combination was certainly influenced by family ties as you will see later in the story.   New Castle News (April 1, 1903)
More interesting finds in Pennsylvania newspapers included mentions of Sadie DeLibardie. Her story is equally noteworthy as I found her serving in prominent roles in local chapters of African-American reading societies such as the Paul Dunbar Reading Circle and the Golden Rod Reading Council. Sadie also held leadership positions with a unique state organization called the Pennsylvania Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs. Sadie served as president of this organization in 1905 and vice president in 1907. One of her greatest accomplishments was leading the effort to create an industrial home/school for orphans.
Let’s step back in time to give more of a backstory on Hipolito and Sadie and their connection to Frederick, Maryland. I found it necessary to create a timeline because I found Hipolito in a variety of locations throughout his lifetime. His jobs seemed varied as well, but I would learn through articles that his true calling was real estate investment. Hippolito obtained, and traded, extensive real estate holdings throughout his life. One such was a property located at 121 West All Saints Street in Frederick. It was bought in 1883 and would be sold in 1909 while our couple were residing in New Castle. According to census records of the 20th century, Hipolito emigrated to the United States in 1869, but I was unsuccessful finding any information on his first decade here. I could not find him in the 1870 census, but I did locate him after a great deal of searching in the 1880 census. He was living in Frederick as a boarder in the home of a fascinating woman named Rebecca Zedrick, also recorded as Zedricks in many places. The widowed Mrs. Zedrick, labeled here as a mulatto, was Hipolito’s employer.  1880 Census showing Hipolito DeLibardie living with employer Rebecca Zedricks As can be seen by the census, Hipolito is working as a tinsmith, as are a few other members of this household including Rebecca Zedrick's nephew, Joseph Watson, and what likely could be another relative in Samuel A. Neal. Of note, Rebecca’s two children are listed as being adopted—Henry Joseph Zedrick (b. @ 1870) and Daisy (b. @ 1875). I wondered if Sadie's maiden name was Zedrick, and perhaps Rebecca was her mother. I soon learned that not to be the case. We will explore the life of Rebecca Zedrick and her family next week in a special Part 2/crossover story event with my other blog entitled "Stories in Stone" and done for Mount Olivet Cemetery. It will shed light on her father, a black War of 1812 veteran, and her late husband, Henry Joseph Zedrick, one of Frederick County's first first black voters. More so, Mr. Zedrick, a tinsmith, was among the first of his race to get involved in local and state politics just a few years after Emancipation and the American Civil War. Hipolito DeLibardie was an apprentice under Mr. Zedrick up through the latter gentleman's death in April of 1878. Mrs. Zedrick continued running the tin business under her own name with work being done by the apprentices living with her in the 1880 census. They did this from a location at 31 East Patrick Street. This location doubled as Mrs. Zedrick's home.  Frederick News (Nov 5, 1884) The next trace found of Hipolito's existence in Frederick came under the name “Paul DeLibardie” in September of 1882. This was a special dispatch article appearing in the Chicago Tribune. It and discusses the 13th annual Emancipation Day Celebration held in Frederick, Maryland. The article also mentions Frederick attorney and 6th District US Congressman Milton G. Urner who served from 1879-1883.   Chicago Tribune (Sept 14, 1882) As can be seen here, Hipolito (Paul) is reported to have served as treasurer of Frederick's Emancipation Association, an organization charged with overseeing the annual Emancipation Jubilee event which included a grand parade through town, followed by a program with speeches at the fairgrounds. Three newspaper mentions of Hipolito DeLibardie appear in the Frederick Daily News in the year 1884. In January, he is in business with a partner named Hill, and these gentlemen are operating an oyster parlor on the corner of Market and Patrick streets. By November of that year, the partnership with Mr. Hill was dissolved but Hipolito is still found selling oysters at 35 East Patrick—a location in close proximity to the Zedrick Tin Shop.  Frederick News (Jan 21, 1884)   Frederick News (May 8, 1884)  Daily News (Nov 1, 1884) In between oyster seasons, Hipolito apparently took time to serve as an usher for an important wedding in Frederick’s black community as Miss Clara Ann Murdoch of Frederick married William M. Snowden of Pittsburgh. The nuptials took place at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Frederick. This is a good time to reveal that Hipolito was a practicing Catholic. Our subject appears again as an usher exactly one year later in May, 1885 for the wedding of his employer’s niece, Annie Neal. This wedding was at Frederick's St. Johns Church as well, and a fellow usher would be Arthur Probee, future brother-in-law to Hipolito.
The year 1886 was a big one for our subject. He would take over the business of his mentors Henry and Rebecca Zedrick. In a brief news announcement and accompanying advertisement appearing in early February, 1886, Hipolito is said to be known by the name Paul Zedrick. This is likely because of his apprenticeship and loyalty to the Zedricks, both living and working with the family at their home and business location on East Patrick Street. The Cuban immigrant now had become the sole proprietor of the Zedrick “family tin business” having roots going back to Henry Zedrick’s business mentor (and former owner) David B. Devitt. And when I say former owner, I am not just talking about the tin shop as Mr. Devitt, a War of 1812 veteran owned Henry Zedrick as his slave.
 Frederick News (May 10, 1886)  1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance map showing DeLibardie tin shop at the second #31 E Patrick St (shaded light blue and located bottom right of image). The numbering is slightly confused as 31 appears twice. In actuality it was labeled in advertisements and records as 33-35 E. Patrick with the Zedrick assumed home dwelling here as well. Note that Frederick's first telephone exchange was located in the building to the left of DeLibardie Tin Shop.  This photograph from 1904 shows the former location of Hipolito DeLibardie's tin shop and home at 31 E Patrick St. It would have been on the footprint of the brick building to the right. This is the new C&P then Bell Telephone building which served home to plant, operators and technicians back in those early days. Oh the changes in technology this building has witnessed over the last 120 years.  A view from today looking west toward the intersection with Market St from the former site of 33-35 E. Patrick St. Verizon fittingly took over the old C&P/Bell Telephone location.  Frederick News (March 18, 1887) The business had been operating without issue for nearly a year-and-a-half when, on July 1st, 1887, Hipolito was paid $32.55 for half a year’s work by a customer named Capt. Benjamin Franklin Brown of Frederick. Mr. Brown was a prominent resident and Civil war veteran who lived nearby on East Patrick Street.
 Backside of billhead with Hipolito DeLibardie's signature A month later in August of 1887, the Frederick Daily News reported one of Hipolito's jobs involved installing a new tin roof for a customer in Berlin, better known as Brunswick today. In September, an interesting report in the paper says that our subject became naturalized as a U.S. citizen for the sole purpose of taking part in the upcoming election.
When I was briefly searching for Hipolito a few years back, I stumbled across a news article that reported an incident involving Hipolito DeLibardie as a victim of an unfortunate act of racism at the Frederick Opera House during a political function. I failed to copy the article at the time and desperately invested hours trying to find it in the pages of local newspapers of the period. I would point to this incident, or perhaps insufficient success with his tin business, for our subject moving out of Frederick around the spring of 1888. A few newspaper advertisements in March announce an auction of his tin business equipment.  Frederick News (March 7, 1888)  Frederick News (March 13, 1888) This year of 1888 was also the year that Hipolito would marry the girl next door, Sarah R. “Sadie” Probee, daughter of a prominent reverend here in town named Robert E. Probee. Perhaps this life event had an impact on his move from Frederick?  1870 US Census showing Sarah R. (Sadie) Probee living with her family in Frederick I mentioned earlier that Hipolito had purchased the property at 121 W. All Saints Street in 1884. From what I could find, Sarah and her family lived at 119 W. All Saints. I was familiar with the name of Rev. Probee, a minister of the A.M.E Church. He was associated with the congregation practicing at the Old Hill Church along Carroll Creek, and traveled the circuit officiating at other African Methodist Episcopal churches in the greater region. I was particularly interested in Rev. Robert E. Probee because he was one of the principals of the Greenmount Cemetery entity once located on W. 7th Street. This man (Probee) started as a carpenter and businessman in town. He would rise to great prominence in both Frederick's black and white communities. Interestingly, Rev. Probee had multiple children with first wife Mary Margaret Probee. Of these, four became barbers. Sons Robert, John T. and the forementioned, Philip Arthur Probee, would serve as “tonsorial experts.” Philip Arthur, at the time of his death in 1931, was proud of the fact that he was the oldest black barber in Frederick. More fascinating than that, Rev. Probee’s daughter, Anna (also known as Nannie and born in 1866), went to Massachusetts and served as a barber. This was quite a novelty as I found a news article which appeared in several newspapers throughout the United States touting great curiosity regarding a woman excelling in a man’s profession.
Hipolito’s new bride was no slouch either as she was well-educated and her life of civic involvement would soon take shape, just not in Frederick unfortunately. In 1890, the DeLibardies can be found residing in northwest Washington, DC. According to a city directory, they lived on 10th Street and Hipolito is working once again as a tinsmith. There were relatives of Mrs. DeLibardie here in Washington and perhaps this precipitated the move location as well. An brief mention in an 1893 Frederick paper sheds light on Hipolito's next profession. He came to Frederick for a wedding and it was learned that he had been working as a porter on a Pullman Railroad car.  Frederick News (Nov 27, 1893)  Pullman began hiring blacks as porters in the 1890s and by the 1920s, the largest private employer of ob blacks was the Pullman Palace Car Company. Pullman cars, leased out to railroads but owned and managed by the main company, offered a luxury travel experience. For black men, working as a porter was one of the few available jobs that paid a bit better than field labor. The job also offered an opportunity to travel. However, it was grueling work. The porters had to carry baggage, shine shoes, clean the berths, and respond courteously to any passenger requests. All porters were required to answer to the name “George,” after company founder George Mortimer Pullman—a custom carried over from slavery, where slaves were addressed by their master’s name. Porters often worked 400 hours a month with little rest. The Pullman rule book allowed for three hours of sleep the first night out and none for the remainder of the trip. It appears that Hipolito's residence in the nation's capital was soon coming to an end as we would find him in Providence, Rhode Island by 1894. In February and March of that year, advertisements in a Providence newspaper advertise Hipolito DeLibardie's new venture—a shooting gallery. I’m sure his expertise in fabricating tin targets was a good use of his talents to gain income, but I’m not sure how successful this business actually was. Outside of a Frederick real estate transfer between "man and wife" in that same year of 1894, the DeLibardies next reside in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Hipolito has a new calling, billiards and pool.
Next stop for our Cuban emigre and his Frederick wife would be Chicago, Illinois in 1899. The shooting gallery business seems to have traveled with them. Perhaps the venture was short-lived due to the United States issues with Spain (and Cuba) in the Spanish American War. Back home in Frederick, residents were reading about the heroism of county natives Winfield Scott Schley and Jesse Claggett who made names for themselves at Santiago Harbor and San Juan Hill, respectively. It’s not surprising that Chicago residents would not take great interest in DeLibardie's "Cuban rifle practice." One year later, in 1900, we find the couple in Cleveland, Ohio. Hipolito is working as a tinsmith and the couple are found at 280 Central Avenue.  1900 US Census showing the DeLibardies in Cleveland After a couple of years in Cleveland, the DeLibardies would make their home 90 miles to the southeast of Cleveland in New Castle, PA. As stated earlier, this is where our subject opens a billiard parlor, and starts heavily investing in a number of real estate ventures in the area. The couple’s primary homes on Front Street, and later Boyle Street, were the scene of Sadie’s hosting of reading clubs and strategic civic work. She would be mentioned regularly in local and regional papers. One I found particularly interesting was from 1910 and featured a reading club study of John Greenleaf Whittier in which Mrs. DeLibardie is credited with playing the role of her hometown heroine Barbara Fritchie.
A trip back to Frederick was made in early 1915. The couple stayed with Sadie’s stepmother Amanda Probee, second wife of Rev. Robert Probee. Philip Arthur Probee lived with Amanda at their residence at 119 West All Saints Street. Amanda, too, has an impressive resume, serving as a trustee and nurse for the Frederick black community’s first hospital, once located on W. All Saints’ Street. Since it is Black History month, I thought I would include an article from 1905 heralding the achievement which Ms. Probee played a role in. Mrs. Probee would die in March, 1928, and was given a nice obituary in the local newspaper. She is buried with her former husband in Fairview Cemetery, but does not have a formal marker of her own. Her obituary tells of her death in Washington, DC's Freedman's Hospital.
 1920 US Census showing Amanda Probee and step son Philip Arthur Probee living at 119 W All Saints St in Frederick. This is where the DeLibardie's stayed during their extended visit in the winter of 1915  To the immediate right of the entrance to Mullinix Park (off W All Saints St), the former Probee home at 119 W All Saints is pictured above. 121 All Saints is the row home adjoined to the east. This was the home reported to have been owned by Hipolito DeLibardie from 1884-1909.
The DeLibardie's visit was certainly newsworthy. I found the Frederick article a bit perplexing because it says that the couple currently lived in New Castle, PA. I had thought they had permanently moved out of New Castle, but I guess since they still had property there, it technically was still home. However, he didn't appear to own the pool room, since I was under the impression that he sold the business. Who knows? I would, however, perk up when I saw the following article in a Washington newspaper in April of 1915. It confirmed residence in New Castle, but I would learn they had dual residency in neighboring Canada!  Washington DC Bee (April 10, 1915) I really don't know if they were naturalized citizens of Canada at this time, or just had a summer home there. As I researched further, I theorized that this was a regular vacation spot for the DeLibardies and they could have been avoiding New Castle for certain reasons unknown to me. I did read that they had some properties seized at this time in Akron, Ohio where the couple would next call home from 1915-1920. Hipolito can be found in Akron in the 1917 city directory and again in the 1920 census. Their home address at this time is 387 Albert Avenue. It appears that our subject is slowing down a bit at 61 years of age.  1920 US Census showing Hipolito and Sadie living in Akron, OH
The DeLibardies make appearances back in New Castle that same year of 1920, as it is revealed that they now have a more permanent residence in Canada. I would soon find the Canadian national census of 1921 and find our couple living in Chatham, Kent County in southwestern Ontario. This is directly north across Lake Erie from Cleveland.
 1921 Canadian Census showing the DeLibardies residing in Harwich Township in Ontario At this point, I’m beyond exhausted from studying the constant moves of my Frederick Tin Man! Just when I thought that the DeLibardies were going to lay down roots in Canada, they up and move to Boston. I strongly feel this relocation was perhaps urged by Sadie in an effort to be closer to her sister Anna (Nannie) the famed barber, and other of her Watson family relatives living here. In searching Ancestry.com, I received a result for a death index entry for Sadie DeLibardie in 1927. Not having said death register readily available online, I was sort of stuck. It took another meticulous search, but I found Sadie’s obituary back home in the Frederick News in early July 1927. She had died in Boston, but her body was brought back home to Frederick for burial in St. Johns Catholic Cemetery. Interestingly, there is no mention of her husband in the obituary.  Frederick News (July 9, 1927) Hipolito is listed in Boston area directories living in Boston and also Cambridge. He is back at work, but this time his profession is listed as janitor. He would also work as a real estate agent during his time here.  1929 Boston City Directory  Hipolito DeLibardie in the 1930 US Census living at 61 Harvey St in Cambridge, Mass. Note here that his job is that of a real estate agent As life is sunsetting for our Cuban subject, there is time left for one more move. No, not to his native Cuba, or back to my home of Frederick, Maryland. Nope, he chose New Castle, Pennsylvania, and his home on Front Street that he must have retained. Hipolito DeLibardie passed on November 15th, 1932 at the age of 73. However, just when I thought I had reached the proverbial finish line for my story here, I would encounter a confusing curveball. Read the following obituary that appeared in a New Castle newspaper at the time.  1932 Death certificate of Hipolito DeLibardie  New Castle News (Nov 15, 1932) Didn’t Sadie die five years earlier in Boston? Why is she mentioned here as surviving Hipolito? I would deduct that Sadie did not rise from the dead. Instead, I think our tinsmith simply remarried, and the woman's name was Sadie. Nearly eight years after Hipolito's death, I would find a real estate legal citation regarding Hipolito’s property in New Castle. Apparently, a Sadie DeLibardie petitioned the Lawrence County (PA) Court. Without direct true heirs, I don't think this was fraudulent activity here. It forced me to go down yet another rabbit hole. I would learn that Hipolito did, indeed, get remarried in 1931 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His bride was a widow named Sadie (Ross) Wayman. Ms. Wayman was born in Philadelphia back in 1875 and college educated. She had been right under my nose in the 1930 US Census as Hipolito was living as a boarder in her home on Harvey Street. At this time, Mr. Charles Wayman was still alive. This Sadie would live until 1943, I'm sure that Hipolito left some loose ends. I even saw a later legal notice newspaper ad from the 1980s calling on Hipolito DeLibardie, or his heirs, to come forth as rightful owners of lands in the New Castle area being sought after by adjacent landowner. This was well over 50 years after Hipolito's death.  New Castle News (Feb 15, 1940) So, a few decades ago, I spent $6 at Old Glory Antiques for an intriguing antique paper billhead. Over this past week of research, it has certainly increased in value exponentially to me. Hipolito DeLibardie was much more than a humble tinsmith, and I was glad that research technology made it relatively easy to track the movements of this Cuban immigrant across the northeast. I also was introduced to a few local families of color that seem to have notable stories of their own. In part two of this this story, we will take a closer look at the Zedricks and Neales in my "Stories in Stone" blog for Frederick's Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Take local history classes and tours from this author! 
4 Comments
3/3/2026 08:55:25 am
Your brand includes your logo, messaging, values, and overall customer experience. A memorable brand helps you stand out in a competitive market and fosters trust with your audience. 3/3/2026 10:04:14 am
Compliance audits often involve specialized equipment to evaluate whether lights exceed permissible glare thresholds. Ship owners should maintain detailed records of these assessments and any corrective measures implemented. 3/3/2026 10:39:07 am
Tourists and locals alike can explore Melbourne’s attractions with luxury people movers. From the bustling city center to the scenic Great Ocean Road, these vehicles allow travelers to enjoy Melbourne’s sights without the worry of driving or parking. 3/3/2026 11:32:41 am
Having reliable clinching and removal tools reduces the risk of injury and ensures a smooth shoe replacement process. These finishing tools may seem small, but they play a crucial role in the overall quality of hoof care. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorChris Haugh Archives
February 2026
Categories |
RSS Feed