#52 Ancestors 2021 Week 10 Name's the Same: The James Weems Cousins

 Once upon a time (in the 1700's), there were two cousins in Calvert County MD, both named James Weems.  Now of course, their friends and family at the time could tell them apart.  As for their future descendants, not so much. And the fact that Calvert County suffered not one but two Court House fires that destroyed pretty much all the 18th- and 19th-century records doesn't help.  These two cousins have caused a lot of confusion for the family's historians.  And because of their not-crystal-clear history, one or both of these men has even been sent off to other parts of the country to fill in a gap in someone else's family history.  

So here is what I know about these Weems cousins.

David Weems, one of the immigrant Weems ancestors, (my 7X great-grandfather) lived in the southern part of Anne Arundel County MD, very close to the border with Calvert  County MD.  Arriving from Scotland in the early 1700's, David was a farmer and a trader with ships going across the ocean to England to bring back goods for sale.  During the Revolutionary War, he used his ships to help the war effort.  

David married twice and had a total of 19 children by his two wives, including a son James with his first wife, Elizabeth Lane.  

James Weems of David (my 6X great-grandfather) was born at the family home, Marshes Seat, 22 May 1731.  We can be fairly certain of that date because David kept a meticulous record in the family Bible, which was continued by his son Gustavus and fortunately for later generations is preserved at the Maryland Historical Society Library.  We also know, thanks to the Bible, that James of David died 4 November 1784 in Calvert County MD.  

In between those dates, James is named in the 1761 will of his brother Lock Weems, who died on a trip to England.  James is also named as executor of the will of his brother-in-law, Richard Lane, in 1784, shortly before his own death. 

Shortly before his death, James Weems (identified as James Weems of David) owned more than 600 acres of property in Calvert County MD, according to the 1783 Assessment found at the Maryland State Archives. 

His property included

*pt of Regan

*Green House

*Chew's Purchase

*Grantham

*Fall Short

*Coxes Folly

*The Farm

*pt Coxes Choice

James of David married Sarah Isaac of Calvert County, the daughter of Sutton Isaac and his wife Mary.  One clue is that their oldest son, born about 1760, was named Sutton Isaac Weems. Sarah is also identified as Sarah Weems in the 1764 will of her mother, Mary.  Finally, the 1786 Tax List for Calvert County shows Sarah Weems along with five sons of James of David: Sutton, John, Loch, William, and David. (James and Sarah also had three daughters: Mary, Elizabeth, and Sarah.) 

The 1800 Census of Calvert County shows two women over 45 in the household of Sutton Weems.  One of these is likely his mother Sarah who presumably died in the county sometime thereafter. 

So, while some researchers have suggested that this James moved to South Carolina and was the progenitor of that line of Weems, it seems very unlikely that this was the case given the strong evidence of his life in Maryland right up to the time of his death. 

Family tradition says that James's sons David and William moved West about 1800 and there is not a lot of information about what happened to them.  Band leader Ted Weems is said to descend from this David Weems. 

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Now, as to the other James Weems.  

David Weems the immigrant came to Maryland with his brother James Loch Weems (also my 7X great-grandfather, since I am descended from both brothers) who settled in Calvert County MD, not far from his brother.  James married Sarah Parker, the daughter of George Parker and Susanna Parrott and the widow of John Stoddert, about 1727.  James and Sarah's first child was a son, James Weems Jr. born about 1730, so very close in age to his cousin, above. James Weems Jr. had five younger siblings, one of whom, his sister Susannah, was my 6X great-grandmother. 

Unfortunately, we don't have a nice detailed family Bible for the James Loch Weems family, but we know that James did have a son James Jr. because he deeded property to his son James in 1760 (probably at the time of his marriage) and left him further property in his will in 1778:

 I give to my son James Weems and his Heirs forever the Land whereon he Lives and all other my Lands thereto adjoining together with the Water Mill bought of John Waters and also all my Lands near Calvert County Court House bought of Wm Woodward, John Wood, Richard Young, Thomas Tucker Wilson Jnr.   G  Clagate, the Lands I took up called The Meadows Preserved and my Lot adjoining said Court House.

The 1782 Assessment in Calvert County MD shows James Weems in possession of numerous properties, including specifically, the lot at the Court House (his father having died in 1779). 

Sometime around 1760, James Weems Jr. married Margaret Terrett, the daughter of William Henry Terrett and Margaret Pearson.  We have only indirect evidence for this, nothing so clear as a marriage license. The marriage probably took place in Virginia since that is where Margaret's family lived.  Margaret Terrett's mother wrote her will in 1796 and named her grandchildren, the children of her deceased daughter Margaret Weems.  

James Weems Jr. and Margaret Terrett had four children, who are named in a Chancery Case about the settlement of their grandfather Weems' estate in 1790:

*James T. (Terrett) Weems 1761

*Amelia Weems 1767

*Margaret Hall Weems 1768

*Nathaniel T. (Terrett) Weems 1772

After Margaret's death, James Weems Jr. married a second time to Frances MNU and had two daughters: Elizabeth and Wilhelmina. 

James Weems Jr. seems to have had some issues with mental health.  A Chancery suit (yet another suit about the estate of James Weems Sr.  It was a very contentious estate, lucky for future genealogists since it gives us a lot of family history.) claims that about 1783 James Jr. became "hypochondriacal" to such a degree that he was confined to bed and his affairs had to be managed by his wife and other family members. 

James Weems appears in the 1800 Census of Calvert County MD in Christ Church Parish, over the age of 45. 

James Weems Jr. died about 1805 when the National Intelligencer advertises his property for sale in Calvert County MD under the direction of his son, Nathaniel T. Weems.

It seems that James Weems Jr. committed suicide.   Letter of Mary Hesselius to Mrs. Ridout at White Hall, not dated, in a series with dates in the early 1800's [at Maryland State Archives]:

 Dr. Clagett drank tea with us yesterday at Dr. Murray's.  He mentioned a very shocking circumstance which was that Mr. James Weems of Calvert County having cut his throat.  . . . He was a man in years, has a large family and many grandchildren.  

#52 Ancestors 2021 Week 38 Fun and Games: Dave's Emmy Award Ceremony

 

MotorWeek, Maryland Public Television's long-running auto show, debuted in 1981.  My brother Dave has been there almost from the beginning.  He started working for  MotorWeek in 1987 as an intern at Towson State University, and he never looked back.  He was hired full-time in March 1988, two months before graduation.  Dave is now the Senior Executive Producer and Head Writer for the show.  Over the years, Dave has had many exciting adventures visiting all 50 states and 38 foreign countries.  He estimates that he has driven over 5000 different cars over the course of his career.  But, of all his significant accomplishments, there is one that stands out for the family.

In 1998, Dave received an Emmy Award for his production of the Chicago Auto Show.  

Naturally, we were all thrilled.  The bummer was that the Emmy was in an obscure category that did not merit an appearance on the televised award ceremonies.  (Their Loss!) Of course, we couldn't let that stand, so the family designed a personalized--and highly memorable--award ceremony for Dave.  Everyone had a role to play. 

My sisters Louise and Maripat and I were the celebrity hosts, complete with very sophisticated feather boas.  And note, that while we did not require tuxes, all of the guys did have very fancy bow ties! And do please note the star-studded background.  

In addition to providing the introductions and commentary, we also provided the entertainment with a selection of car-related songs including "Little GTO," "She'll Have Fun, Fun, Fun Til her Daddy Takes her T-Bird Away," and "Workin at the Car Wash Blues."  And you better believe we could belt out that "Wah-Wah, Yeah-Yeah" chorus.

The Three Sisters version of Workin at the Car Wash Blues

In our scenario, the competition was Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang and Herbie, the Love Bug.  What can I say?  This was a family-friendly show and there aren't that many car movies.  

Of course, Dave's superior technical skills won out over these mere childish fantasies!  

Our brothers Rob and Phil took on the role of the disappointed runners-up for the Emmy.

The losers did not take the loss gracefully and registered their unhappiness at the ceremony, but in the end, they conceded to Dave's talent.

Of course, Dave gave a gracious acceptance speech and thanked his mother.

And, there were plenty of adoring fans, especially Dave's kids.  

Since 1998, Dave has produced the Chicago Auto Show many times, sometimes with assistance from one of his children.  

And Dave has had many professional achievements since that Emmy. 

But, hey, you never forget your first, especially when your siblings engrave it in your memory. 

#52 Ancestors 2021 Week 28 Transportation: Five Generations of Road Builders

 My family has roadbuilding in its genes.  For the last five generations, my family has been involved in building and maintaining Maryland's roads.  

Well, technically, it probably goes further back than that.  While much early transportation was done on the waterways, Maryland passed its first public roads law in 1666, ordering county commissioners to make roads passable for foot and horse traffic.  Overseers were appointed in each county and county residents were required to contribute either tobacco or labor toward road maintenance.  I'm sure my ancestors were included in that aspect of road construction.

However, county labor and tax levies were very soon unequal to the demand and road travel, according to contemporary accounts, remained pretty much a harrowing experience throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.  Agitation for better roads came particularly from farmers anxious to get their crops more easily to market and their grain more easily to the mill.  The introduction of the automobile in the early 1900's only increased the demand for better roads.  

Maryland responded in 1898 by asking the State Geologic and Economic Survey to investigate the condition of roads throughout the state and the cost of improving them. In 1908, after seeing the enormous cost of maintaining roads, Maryland established the State Roads Commission to construct, improve and maintain a State system of roads and highways, funded in part by registration fees from those pesky automobiles. 

Maryland Highways ca. 1924

And here is where my family enters the road building picture.  Roads Commission field offices were established in the counties around the state.  My great-grandfather, John Marshall Dent, known as Marshall, (and in the family as Poppa Dent) was hired to help with the investigation of the need for roads and by the 1920's was appointed to run the field office in St. Mary's County.  

Marshall was born in 1873 in Georgia, where his father John Marshall Dent Sr. (known in the family as Big Poppa) had fled to fight for the confederacy during the Civil War.  The family later returned to St. Mary's County and raised ten children there, Marshall being the oldest son.  

Marshall was always a tinkerer and worked as a machinist, ran a lumber mill, and by 1920 was managing a garage. According to my Uncle Jack, Marshall's grandson, Marshall could fix anything and was often consulted by automobile owners about their car troubles. So, he was an excellent choice to work with the State Roads Commission to identify where the county needed new or improved roads. In fact, his work with the State Roads Commission led him to meet his future wife, Mary Turner, as he explored the need for roads in Calvert County.  They married in 1898. 

About 1920, my grandfather, Frank Philip Scrivener Jr., was discharged from the Navy after serving in WWI and was looking for work.  His mother, Louise Gwynn Scrivener, was a noted civic activist who served on numerous government commissions and managed to pull strings with Governor Albert Ritchie to get her son a job with the State Roads Commission.

Young Frank (shown here with his father Frank Sr.) was charged with travelling around the state to visit the various field offices and collect information about where roads needed to be built or enhanced. 

Frank's job had the side benefit of introducing him to Marshall Dent and eventually to Marshall's daughter, Elizabeth, whom Frank married in 1924. (And who would have thought the State Roads Commission could be such a hotbed of romance?) His state job kept him working through the Great Depression and he served the State Roads Commission for 46 years until his retirement in 1968. 

After a series of construction and maintenance posts, in 1931, he was made the maintenance engineer for state roads, and  in 1964 was named Assistant Chief Engineer for Maintenance and Operations.  For more than 30 years, Frank was responsible for the maintenance of Maryland's 4300-mile highway system as well as the equipment necessary to do that maintenance. Among his innovations, he was responsible for the first radio communications system in state roads vehicles and for the development of a prison labor system that kept the roads operating during the labor shortage of WWII.  

A registered professional engineer, Frank earned a national reputation in his field, serving in leadership positions in the Maryland Association of Engineers, the American Association of State Highway Officials and the American Road Builders Association. 

Meanwhile, Frank's oldest son, my father, Frank Philip Scrivener III, born in Baltimore in 1925, also became involved in road-building but from a more hands-on perspective.  After serving in the Army during WWII, and attending Loyola College on the GI Bill, Frank III went to work for E. Stewart Mitchell Asphalt Company in Baltimore.  That's him on the right below with a Mitchell truck.

One of his first jobs was  paving the tarmac and runways for the 3300-acre Friendship Airport outside his home town. (That's a lot of asphalt!) Later, Frank managed to convince the Army that his specialized skills would be more valuable in the US than overseas and he travelled around the country for the government supervising the paving of airport runways as far away as Michigan and South Carolina, a deal worked out to prevent him being recalled to Army service and sent to Korea. 

Friendship Airport 1950

In 1958, Frank had the opportunity to join Tom and Bill Baldwin to form Reliable Asphalt Company in Anne Arundel County MD.  He served as its President until 1978 when Reliable Asphalt became a division of Reliable Contracting. He then served as General Manager of Reliable Contracting until his retirement in 1989.

Dad spent a lot of his time in his green Reliable pick-up truck, travelling around the state to inspect various paving jobs. Driving around was one of his favorite pastimes. As a special treat, or maybe because we were driving Mom crazy and she wanted us out of the house, one or more of us kids would sometimes get to ride with him. I can still remember the pungent smell of fresh asphalt and coming home covered in dust (from the unpaved part of the roads) with asphalt stuck to my shoes (big no-no!) from the newly-paved part of the road.  Dad's favorite jobs were when he got install a tennis court; that was his specialty.  He was a nationally-ranked player and spent almost all his free time with a racquet in his hand. Of course, he built himself a court in our back yard. 

Like his father, Frank was a leader in his field, serving as President of the Maryland Asphalt Association and a board member of the National Asphalt Pavement Association.  

Quite a few of the Scrivener young men got one of their first jobs at Reliable thanks to my Dad.  Even I worked at Reliable in my teens weighing trucks at the asphalt plant and doing office work.  My brother, Robert Keene Scrivener, however, followed more directly in Dad's footsteps and went to work full-time for Reliable after graduating from college. 

Rob has been with Reliable for over 40 years now and serves as Vice President and Chief Operations Officers for the Plants, Paving and Trucking Operations. Like Dad, Rob has served in leadership roles in the Maryland Asphalt Association, the Maryland Transportation Builders and Materials Association and the National Asphalt Pavement Association.  

Rob's sons Bryan and Nathan have continued the road-building tradition for a fifth generation, working at  Reliable as Vice-President of the Southern Division (Charles County) and Director of the Quality Control Lab, respectively.