#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 15 How Do You Spell That: The Orthographic Trauma of Growing up Scrivener

 Now SCRIVENER is fine English name with a distinguished history.  The name means "writer" and the Coat of Arms displays a hand with a quill pen, very appropriate.  The motto is "This hand for my country." Again, a noble aspiration. 

But, if you grow up in a family named Scrivener, you get used to hearing the inevitable question, accompanied by a furrowed brow: How do you spell that?  Scriveners get used to pronouncing the name very slowly and distinctly (accompanied by an eyeroll and a long sigh) so the listener can hear each syllable clearly. SCRIV-EN-ER!! (That's V as in Victor.)

And even at that, there is only a 50/50 chance that your name will be spelled correctly when that invitation/bill/newsletter arrives in the mail. 

And if you grow up to be a family history researcher, you can never escape the name even if you marry into a much simpler family name like Jones. You have to be extremely clever to figure out all the possible variations under which you might find family members hidden. 

First, there are the fairly simple variations that different branches of the family latch onto for one reason or another: Scrivner, for example, for the super efficient ones who find that extra syllable too taxing. 

Scivener, leaving out the R because it's just too harsh and doesn't roll off the tongue.

Or ScrivOner and ScrivIner for those who hate having two E's in their name. 

Scriveneer

OrScrEvener, for those who love having E's in their name. For those who really like E's, there is ScriveneEr, which sounds rather swashbuckling. 

Scribner is a variation I have found mainly in the New England branch of the family, the one that claims the famous publisher among its numbers. 

There are some that are simple mis-transcriptions, like SErivener, which is why it always pays to look at the original document if you can find it.

Then there are the really creative ones--these generally require a census-taker who doesn't speak English or a transcriber with extremely poor eyesight to develop.  Like this one in the 1850 Census of Anne Arundel County MD: Pirwner.  Fortunately, I happened to be looking at the page for another reason and saw that the family names matched a Scrivener family that I knew was living in the county at the time.  I probably would never have found that one by perusing the census index.

In my personal experience as a Scrivener, the variation I found most often was the insertion of an H into the name: ScHrivener, along with any of the other variations.  I don't find that one too much in genealogy research, but I certainly heard it very often in life as a Scrivener. 

Just to conclude with a little data on these variations, here's what I found in the 1850 Census of Maryland, where my Scrivener family mostly lived:

Scrivener: 45

Scrivner: 32

Serevener: 5

Pirwner: 3

A hundred years later in the 1950 Census, I found 53 Scriveners in the MD-DC-VA area.  1 Schrivener and 4 Scrivoners. 

Of course, among those Scriveners in 1950 were these familiar families:

At 209 Register Avenue in Rodgers Forge:

Frank P. Scrivener Sr. , state roads engineer, age 49,with wife Elizabeth and children Carolita (? Sorry Aunt Reds) working in a department store (Hutzlers, I believe), John D., working in a hotel (the Emerson) William B.  doing highway work, and Robert K.

At 8529 Oak Road in Loch Raven:

Frank P. Scrivener Jr. age 25, a road contractor, his wife Anne S. age 24 and of course his beautiful baby girl, Anne H. age 2. 

Still, despite the trauma of having an easily mangled surname, as a researcher, it is a blessing, because at least Scrivener is a fairly unusual name and if I find it, or some variation in the mid-Atlantic region, I can be pretty sure they are related to me one way or another. 

All together now: 

S  C  R  I  V  E  N  E  R

#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 19 Food and Drink: The Turkey Carving Rite of Passage

 

My family loves to celebrate the holidays together.  So at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, there would be somewhere between 50 and 80 people (Yes, it is a big family.) gathered to share the festive dinner, which always included a turkey and/or a ham or several turkeys and hams, depending on the expected crowd. Fortunately, we had a couple of houses in the family large enough to accommodate the masses.  

Dad at his carving station 1984

While my father was alive, the job of carving the turkey or ham fell to him.  But after his death, it was taken over by my brothers and then became a kind of rite of passage for all the young men in the family.  (Probably pretty sexist.  I think now we would include the young women as well.)

At each occasion, one of the teenage boys was carefully instructed in the art of slicing up the turkey or ham in the most efficient way.  He was often surrounded by a crowd waiting to snitch slices from the plate before it could make it to the table. Actually, that was an important part of the training—knowing how to fend off the hordes long enough to get a reasonably full plate out to the serving line, preferably without any bloodshed. 

I am fortunate to have a series of photos of this rite of passage for various of the young men in the family, which I share here:

This is my brother Phil carving up a stuffed ham. (And Maryland stuffed ham, if you don't know what that is, is worth a whole blog by itself.  The stuffing is spiced greens and the process of making this is very labor intensive.  My Mom used to make these for us and she taught one of my sisters-in-law to make them, so we still enjoy them every Easter.)

This is my son Matt (the oldest grandchild) about 1994, being shown the finer points of carving by my brother Rob.

This my nephew Vance being instructed by his father Jeff about 1996. Exact same location in Mom's kitchen.

Same location. Different nephew.  Different year. Very popular corner of Mom's kitchen. 

This is my nephew about 2003.

This one is from 2009.

Here my brother is instructing his son on the proper tool sharpening technique.

My nephew Scott practicing his skills at home. 

Although we now celebrate in a different location at my brother's house, this tradition still continues; I just don't have pictures of the more recent occasions.  Turkey carving is definitely a life-skill worth passing on.

I will just mention in passing another important rite of initiation: learning the secret recipe for Scrivener Eggnog.  Although I believe that the recipe originated with my uncle Robert Summers, we still refer to it as Scrivener Eggnog.  (Sorry, Uncle Robert.)

Here is the one picture I have of the secret being passed on to my son James by his uncle Jeff. Since I have never learned the secret myself, all I can tell you is that it involves a lot of eggwhite beating. James, of course, has taken an oath of secrecy.

#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 9 Females: Elizabeth Dent--Sorry She's a Girl

 A regular part of my genealogy research is to search online newspapers for mentions of any of my family members.  On one search, I came across a very surprising story about my grandmother,Ida Elizabeth Dent. Elizabeth "Lib" Dent was the daughter of John Marshall Dent and Mary Peterson Turner, born 21 October 1902 in Oakley, St. Mary's County MD. She was named after her grandmother, Ida Elizabeth Wright, although she didn’t like the name Ida and never used it.

In the fall of 1911, The Evening Sun ran a contest for young writers, giving a new topic every week and a prize of $5 for first place and $1 for the next five places. Here is the announcement for October 16:

My grandmother apparently felt strongly that she had something to say on this topic and sent in her story.  She won a $1 prize for this story:

Not this: 

But this:

I have to say I never detected that hint of liberation thinking in my grandmother.  But obviously this little girl had issues! 

Lib had a brother, Jack, 2 years older than she. I wonder what Jack got to do that made Lib so mad? Clearly, he did not have to set the table. She also had an uncle, Elliott Dent, who was a professional baseball player.  Perhaps she had secret dreams of an athletic career.  Her great-grandfather, John Francis Dent, was a well-known politician.  Perhaps she wanted to follow in his footsteps. 

Elizabeth Dent Scrivener

Now Elizabeth grew into a very beautiful young woman, who won a DAR scholarship to St. Mary's Female Seminary, taught school for two years, married, and raised five sons and a daughter.  As far as I could tell, she was totally devoted to her husband Frank and stayed at home to take care of her children. She never even learned to drive a car. I never knew my grandmother as an outspoken feminist, but I hope that she lived some of her dreams and in the end was not sorry to be a girl.  And did she make her sons set the table? 

Even if she did not achieve those early aspirations, though, I strongly suspect that she passed on that feminist gene to her daughter, Louise, whom everyone referred to as Reds because of her flaming hair. I know for a fact that Aunt Reds never stood for any @#! from anyone, especially her brothers. Even when Aunt Reds was in her 90's, the other residents of her assisted living facility elected her as their spokesperson because she could always get results for their requests. 

I think a few of Lib's granddaughters may have inherited that gene also. Just sayin'

 

#52 Ancestors Week 41 Passed Down: Great Grandmother at the Coronation of George VI

 

In December 1936, just a few days before his 41st birthday, Edward VIII scandalized the nation by abdicating the throne of England in favor of Baltimore beauty, Wallis Simpson. Edward's coronation had already been planned for the following May and the ceremony was hastily redesigned for Edward's brother, George VI.  On 12 May 1937 at Westminster Abbey, George VI and his wife Elizabeth were crowned as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth and as emperor and empress of India with all the pomp and circumstance that the British can so famously muster. 

The parade to Buckingham Palace was six miles long with tens of thousands of soldiers and police officers lining the route and hundreds of thousands of cheering spectators, despite a drenching rain.

The Evening Sun here in Maryland, gave the event front-page treatment.

Somewhere in that cheering crowd was my great-grandmother, Louise Gwynn Scrivener, and her sister, Effie Gwynn Bowie. And if everything I've heard about Louise was true, they had primo seats. If there were strings to be pulled, Louise pulled them. Since both sisters were fervent members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, I'm not entirely sure why they wanted to celebrate the British monarchy.  (There they are at the left in full DAR mode in front of the Hammond-Harwood house in Annapolis.) But, the two widowed sisters were distant cousins of George, and we know how they felt about genealogy, so perhaps they considered it a familial duty to attend. Also, I have to say that great-grandmother's scrapbook, now in my possession, shows a large number of clippings about various royals.  In any case, Louise, age 65, and Effie, age 68, sailed for England in the spring of 1937.

Of course, London was flooded with souvenirs of the momentous occasion: every kind of commemorative cup, plate, plaque, tea towel, paperweight and medal that could be imagined, and probably some that couldn't be imagined, such as the commemorative powder compact on the right.

Great-grandmother, however, resisted all such frivolous gee-gaws (at least none have turned up in the family.) Instead, she went straight for the good stuff.  Her souvenir of her trip to England (which I have recently inherited) was a beautiful Wedgewood pitcher in the very popular Blue Willow pattern. 

In doing some research on this china, I discovered that a true Blue Willow pattern must include the following: 

* willow trees

* Chinese pine trees (commonly confused as apple or orange trees)

* a bridge with three men on it

* a fence

* a boat

* a teahouse or pagoda

* two birds in flight. 

After careful examination, I can assert with confidence that great-grandmother's pitcher meets all the requirements.

So, I'm thrilled to have this souvenir of Louise Gwynn's Coronation trip.  But I have to say, that coronation compact would have been pretty cool too. 

#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 42 Lost: The Entomological Art of Lillie Sullivan

 At the time of her death in 1903, my cousin Lillian (Lillie) Sullivan was regarded as perhaps the finest entomological artist (i.e. She drew bugs.) in the country.  Today, however, I had a very hard time finding examples of her work, in part because USDA publications did not credit the illustrator and in part because her name was often hidden under the name of her male supervisor at the US Department of Agriculture.

Lillie Sullivan, born in Fauquier County VA in January 1850, was the third child of Luther Own Sullivan and Eliza Ann Scrivener (my 2X-great aunt). 

She started her career as an artist doing mechanical drawings, then began working for the US Department of Agriculture in 1880 and apparently did almost all the insect-related illustrations for their publications.  She studied entomology so that she could perfect her drawings.  However, when I found copies of USDA publications between 1880 and 1900 that featured insect drawings, none of them attributed a name to the artist.  

Her obituary noted that "as an illustrator of insects, her name has become known throughout the world. She was able to draw the insect not only from the outward appearance of the model given her but from the intimate knowledge she possessed of the anatomy of almost every species of insect. She was able to reproduce the bug or beetle as it should be."  She commented that she especially liked to get hold of specimens that were difficult to draw. 

Her obituary in 1903 mentions that she had just completed a set of drawings for The Century Magazine, a very prestigious publication of the 19th and early 20th century.  But when I found the magazine, there was nary a mention of her name.  The drawings appeared in an article about mosquitos done by her boss, Leland Ossian Howard, and the only credit was USDA. 

Again, her obituary mentions that she had just completed some drawings for entomologist Frank Hurlburt Chittendon.  I suspect, however, that Chittendon got the credit for her work.  An 1898 USDA publication about tobacco pests, for example, was filled with detailed drawings of various beetles, worms and moths, but the only credit given was one reference to Chittendon.  

 I finally did find a couple of her drawings, but again, I had to read the fine print because the drawings were in an article about another of her bosses, Charles Valentine Riley. The drawings were attributed to Lillie Sullivan done under the supervision of CV Riley.  

“Principal life stages of the periodical cicada, Magicicada septendecim (L.) ( sensu Riley 1885d), illustrated by Lillie Sullivan under the supervision of C. V. Riley. Reproduced from Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture, 1885. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. “

I did find one place where Lillie's work was acknowledged.  The Fifth Report of the United States Entomological Commission by A.S. Spring in 1890 notes that he is indebted to Miss Lillie Sullivan for several original drawings, including this handsome pine bark beetle. 

Lillie worked right up to the day of her death.  Indeed, she almost literally died at her desk.  She showed up to work on June 26, 1903, as usual, apparently in the best of health.  About 11 AM, while working on a drawing for Mr. Chittendon, she told her supervisor that she felt ill and had lost the use of her left arm. Mr. Chittendon called a cab for her and sent her home, where she became rapidly worse.  She lived with her mother and her sister Eliza. Becoming weaker and weaker, she died at about 7 that evening. She was buried in the Sullivan plot at Glenwood Cemetery. 

Even though she was apparently very well-known for her unique specialty in her lifetime, Lillie Sullivan's work seems to be largely lost today, somewhat hidden behind the work of famous male entomologists.  I'm glad I can do a little to call attention to her talent. 

A generation later, another relation of mine, Ellen Schutt Wallis, (about whom I have previously written) was also an illustrator at the USDA, who specialized in drawing fruit. Ellen seemed to get a lot more recognition for her work, perhaps because she was a more aggressive personality and less inclined to let her light be hidden under a bushel. 

#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 25 Broken Branch: Benjamin Scrivener, The Missing Link?

 

As far as I have been able to discover, the Scrivener family was in Anne Arundel County at least by the early 1700's when my 6X great-grandfather, Richard Scrivener, about whom I have previously written, appears in the Register of St. James Parish. I believe that he came from England, but I have never been able to find evidence for this.

However, there is another Scrivener in Anne Arundel County even earlier than Richard.  Benjamin Scrivener first appeared in Maryland in 1684 when he witnessed the will of his brother-in-law, Nathan Smith. Now, what are the odds that two men named Scrivener (not all that common a name) should end up in the same part of Maryland and not be related?  Not very big odds, I would say.  But, I have banged my head against a brick wall for many years trying to find a connection between Benjamin and Richard.  

Benjamin Scrivener married Grace Burrage, the daughter of John Burrage and sister of Margaret Burrage Smith who married Nathan, above, sometime between 1681 and 1686, when Benjamin drafted his will, naming his wife Grace. 

In 1688, Grace and Benjamin Scrivener witness the marriage of Samuel Thomas and Mary Hutchins at the West River Meeting of Friends, indicating that they may be Quakers. In the same year, they sell Grace's share of her father's property to her sister Margaret and her second husband Thomas Tench, the 9th Royal Governor of Maryland (1702). 

In 1692, Benjamin was the Sheriff of Anne Arundel County, following his brother-in-law Thomas Tench in that office.  

St. Botolph's

Benjamin Scrivener died about November 1698, when letters of administration on his estate were issued to his brother-in-law, Thomas Tench.  Benjamin's will identifies him as a merchant of St. Botolph-without-Aldgate, Middlesex, an ancient parish that lies partly in London and partly in Middlesex.  Since this was the only clue I  have found about a Scrivener connection back to England, I worked on tracing Benjamin in this parish.  Fortunately, his will also names some other relatives including his sister Rhoda and his brother-in-law, Thomas Freeman.

Following these clues, I was able to find Benjamin's family.  Benjamin Scrivener was the son of Benjamin Scrivener Sr., a mariner and cutler of St. Botolph's Parish, who was born about 1630.  Thus he came to maturity during the English Civil War and the rule of Oliver Cromwell (1642-1658), you know, that time when the English decided they didn't want a monarchy anymore and chopped off the head of King Charles I.  But that also means, unfortunately, that records like births, marriages and baptisms, were lost, destroyed or never written down at all in the general turbulence of the times. So, even though I have hired a British genealogist to research Benjamin, she was not able to find such records for Benjamin, although she did add details about him and his profession. 

Worshipful Company of Cutlers

Benjamin was a cutler, that is, someone who makes or sells cutlery.  In Benjamin's case, it was fairly high-end cutlery since court records show him importing ivory, a costly material used only in decorating very expensive knives and swords. As a mariner, he may have traveled himself to India and West Africa in search of costly materials. The Coat of Arms for the Cutler's Company shows elephants and swords. Their motto was "To succeed by good faith."  Court records and records of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers indicate that Benjamin was living in London or the vicinity at least by 1669 but it was the records of the Hearth Tax that confirmed he had lived in Aldgate since September 1666; he was taxed for three hearths (that is, he had three stoves or hearths in his house, fairly well off)

Benjamin and his first wife, whose name I have not been able to discover, had at least four children: Benjamin, Mary, Rhoda and Hannah. (Probably one of those girls was named for her mother.) Benjamin's Sr.'s daughter Mary Scrivener married Thomas Freeman, a brewer, at St. Botolph's in 1677, when she was 16 years old, putting her birth at about 1661.  Benjamin Jr. and his other sisters were born at about the same time period, which means that they lived through the Great Fire of London in 1666. Fortunately, Aldgate was outside the city walls, so they probably would not have been directly impacted by the fire. (See map below.)

Mary Scrivener and Thomas Freeman had at least three children--Frances and Elizabeth Freeman--who are named in their uncle's will as well as Mary Freeman, who is named in her grandfather's will. Mary Scrivener Freeman died about 1689 and her husband married again in 1690. Rhoda Scrivener married John Kinsley/Kingsley in 1680 and had at least one child--Benjamin Kingsley (1685)--who was named in his uncle Benjamin's will.  Rhoda Kinsley witnessed her brother's will in 1686. 

At age 44, Benjamin Sr. married for a second time in 1675 to Elizabeth Wooley, age 33.  Benjamin and Elizabeth had a daughter Ester. 

Benjamin Scrivener Sr. died in 1679 and was buried at St. Botolph's in November of that year.  Benjamin Sr. left a will written in October 1679 in which he names his wife Elizabeth and children Mary Freeman, Benjamin, Rhoda, Hannah, and Ester, the last four not yet 21 years of age. He also names his granddaughter, Mary Freeman. Benjamin's bequests indicate that he was fairly well off, (He leaves 100 L sterling to his son Benjamin and generous amounts to his daughters as well.) but unfortunately his will does not provide a clue as to his origins or parentage. 

Benjamin Jr.'s 1686 will leaves his property in Maryland to his wife Grace as well as property in the parish of Hartley-Wintney in Southampton, an area a little south and west of London.  My British genealogist was able to turn up some record that Benjamin Scrivener Sr. owned property there, apparently inherited by Benjamin Jr.  Unfortunately, there were no Scriveners found in parish records, court books, or hearth tax records of that area, so no indication that the Scriveners actually lived there.  

Despite the diligent research of my genealogist, there are gaps in the available records that have kept me from finding any more about the origins of the Scriveners in England, although I have gotten some interesting new details about Benjamin Scrivener. 

  

Maryland genealogist Robert Barnes, whom I greatly respect, has suggested in one of his many books (Colonial Families of Maryland) that Benjamin and Grace Scrivener might have been the parents of John and Richard Scrivener, the two men who show up in the St. James Parish register in 1709.  The dates would fit, and John Scrivener does name his son Benjamin, which certainly suggests a connection.  But I think that if Benjamin had children in Maryland, he wouldn't be leaving property to his nieces and nephews in England. I think it is more likely that Benjamin is an uncle or cousin to John and Richard.  

I am absolutely certain that Benjamin Scrivener is related to my 6X-great grandfather, Richard.  And someday I am going to find that missing link.  Even if I have to travel to England myself to find it.  It's a tough job, but someone has to do it! Meanwhile, I have reached a dead-end, for now.  I hope that there will someday be a new clue to follow. 

#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 24 Popular Name: Everywhere a Henry Childs

 My 7X-great grandfather, Henry Childs, was born in Amersham, a village in Hertfordshire (now Buckinghamshire), just north of London, in 1652, just about the time that Anne Arundel County was founded in the Province of Maryland.

In 1671, in Hertfordshire, he married Ann Ball, the daughter of Henry Ball, in a Quaker ceremony, and proceeded to raise a family of ten children with her, (including my 6X-great grandmother, Mary Childs, who married Richard Lewin in 1705 at the West River Meeting of Friends).

Henry Child Marriage Bond 1671

By 1672, Quakers were harassed and persecuted in England and looked for more favorable reception in the New World. George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, personally opened the first general meeting of all Friends in the Province of Maryland at West River in Anne Arundel County. The Old Quaker Burying Ground still stands in West River as testament to the strong Quaker influence in the region.  The list of prominent Quakers and the 17th-century founders of Anne Arundel County are virtually identical: Chew, Galloway, Harrison, Thomas, Birkhead, Johns. (And by the way, our elusive relative, Benjamin Scrivener, Sheriff of Anne Arundel County, was apparently also a Quaker in the 1680's.) 

Henry Childs was a Quaker and a well-known writer and speaker among the Friends and was a close friend of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.  In 1681 and again in 1687, Henry purchased 500 acres of land in Pennsylvania from his friend William Penn, a total of 1000 acres in the Bucks County area. Accompanied by his young son, Cephas, Henry came to Pennsylvania in 1693 and placed his son with a family in Philadelphia where he learned the carpenter's trade. Henry then returned to England. Several loving letters from Henry to Cephas still survive. 

1738 letter from Henry Child to his son Cephas, from Herring Creek in Anne Arundel County, Maryland:

Ye22d of 3 mo., 1738.

Dear Child: — I thought I might have had a line from thee by some at our yearly meeting. I should be glad to hear what family thou hast, and how things prosper with thee. I desire thou mayest seek the Lord above all, that His wisdom may guide thee in all thy undertakings, that His name and truth may be honored by thee, that His blessings and mercies may be with thee, through the great mercy of the Lord. I and my family are in health, and thy sisters and their families. I gave thee account of thy brother's departure† in my last letter to thee; so with love to thee and thy wife and friends, in the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, I rest thy loving father,

HENRY CHILD

Henry's wife Ann died in England in 1696.  In 1702, Henry Child, "lately from England," presented a certificate to the West River Meeting for himself and "divers of his children," showing unity with the Friends. In 1715, about the time of Cephas' marriage, Henry gave the Pennsylvania property to his son Cephas. After moving to Anne Arundel County, Henry bought several properties including 100 acres of "Smithfield," 50 acres of "Sanetly," and "Smith's Delight." Henry Childs wrote his will in 1731, naming his sons Henry and Cephas and daughters Sarah, Ruth, and Rachel as well as several grandchildren. He died in Anne Arundel County in 1740. 

 

The Childs family prospered in Anne Arundel County.  So much so that the name Henry Childs proliferated, sometimes to the point of confusion. It seemed that every descendant of Henry wanted to honor Grandfather Childs with a namesake.  At some points, it was essential that anyone named Henry Childs in Anne Arundel County had to have a second identifier in order to know which one was meant, such as "Henry Childs of Samuel".  

First of all, Henry had a son, Henry Childs Jr. born 25 October 1684 in England. Henry Jr. married Margaret Preston, the daughter of John and Mary Preston of Anne Arundel County MD in 1709 at the West River Friends Meeting.  Henry Childs Jr. predeceased his father, dying in Anne Arundel County in 1736. 

Henry and Margaret had a son Henry Childs III in 1721. 

Henry Childs III married Jemima Pottenger, the daughter of Samuel Pottenger and Elizabeth Tyler of Prince George's County MD about 1743.   

Jemima and Henry had a son Henry Childs IV ca. 1760.

But that was not all the Henrys.  

1730: Henry Childs, the son of John and Sarah Childs.   

1750: Henry Childs, the son of Cephas and Susanna Childs. This Henry married into the Scrivener family, Mary in 1770 and Sarah in 1771.

1772: Henry Childs, the son of Samuel and Sarah Childs. 

1786: Henry Childs, the son of Cephas Childs and Ann Welsh. 

1797: Henry Childs, son of Joseph Childs and Eleanor Soper.

1800: Henry Childs, the son of William Childs and Mary Willett.

Plus a few more Henry Childses from the family of Cephas up in Pennsylvania. 

And it doesn't stop there, because a lot of daughters also wanted to name their sons for Grandfather Henry. 

1748: Elizabeth Childs, the daughter of Henry and Margaret, married John Sanders and named her son Henry Childs Sanders.  

1780: Elizabeth Childs, the daughter of Henry and Jemima Childs, married Jonathan Simmons and named her son Henry Childs Simmons. 

ca. 1780: William Drury and Elizabeth Ijams named their son Henry Childs Drury. 

I have not yet come across a Henry Childs Scrivener, but it could still be possible. 

#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 34 Timeline: Francis Ludolph Wallis

 

Among my cousins, Francis Ludolph Wallis, my 3X-great grandfather, is a fairly familiar name. For a number of years, a very bad portrait of him done long ago by an elderly relative has been passed around the family as a kind of loving inside joke.  Grandfather Wallis has had many adventures with his various guardians including television appearances and trips to exotic locations in the US and abroad. For more on this family tradition, see my earlier blog.  But most of the family knows very little about his actual life, so I have decided to correct that ignorance and fill in some gaps in the life of Francis Ludolph Wallis.

Handover of Louisiana

Context 1800-1809: US Presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison.  Maryland Governors Benjamin Ogle, John Mercer, Robert Bowie, Robert Wright, Edward Lloyd. Napolean is crowned Emperor of France. Federal government moves from Philadelphia to Washington DC.  Library of Congress established. US purchases the Louisiana Territory. Military Academy opens at West Point. Lewis and Clark begin their exploration. Robert Fulton develops the steamboat. John Carroll becomes Archbishop of Baltimore and construction begins on the Basilica of the Assumption. Elizabeth Seton establishes a religious order. The refrigerator is invented in Baltimore MD. Chestertown (Kent County) incorporated. US Population 5.3 M.

5 May 1803: John Wallis, the son of Lt.Francis Wallis and Sophia Brooke, marries Sarah Everett Comegys, the daughter of Jesse Comegys and Mary Everett, in Kent County MD.

Mount Herman

25 November 1803: Emily Thomas, the daughter of William Thomas and Elizabeth Woodall, is born at Mount Herman, Kent County MD.

23 April 1804: Francis Ludolph Wallis is born in Kent County MD. He is named for his great-grandfather, Francis Ludolph Bodien. 

3 May 1805: Jesse Comegys Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

15 February 1807: John Adolphus Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

27 June 1808: Cornelius Comegys Wallis is born in Kent County MD. 

Context 1810-1819: US Presidents James Madison, James Monroe. Maryland Governors Edward Lloyd, Robert Bowie, Levin Winder, Charles Carnan Ridgely, Charles Goldsborough, Samuel Sprigg. Construction begins on the National Road connecting Cumberland MD to Wheeling WV. President Madison declares war on Britain. The British blockade the Chesapeake Bay. British burn Washington DC. Francis Scott Key writes "The Star Spangled Banner" in Baltimore MD. Baltimore Clipper ship Chasseur launches. First gas lighting company formed in Baltimore. The tin can is introduced in the US. University of Virginia is founded. Sir Walter Scott publishes Ivanhoe. US Population 7.2 M.

7 March 1810: Benjamin Everett Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

10 April 1811: John Adolphus Wallis, age 4, dies in Kent County MD.

1812: John Wallis serves in Maryland Militia in the War of 1812. As he prepares to depart for war, he prepares a letter of advice for his children.  

1 October 1813: Sophia Brooks Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

27 September 1815: Mary Araminta Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

9 October 1817: Hugh Henry Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

Context 1820-1829: US Presidents James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams. Maryland Governors Samuel Sprigg, Samuel Stevens, Joseph Kent, Daniel Martin.  King George III dies in London. First High School opens in Boston MA. Internal combustion engine invented. Erie Canal opens in Buffalo NY.  Edgar Allen Poe publishes his first poems. Baltimore and Ohio RR chartered. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die on the same day. Joseph Dixon begins producing lead pencils. Noah Webster publishes The American Dictionary. Baltimore completes its Washington Monument. US Population 9.6 M.

24 January 1820: Arthur John Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

7 March 1824: John Ambrose Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

1825 or thereabouts: Emily Thomas  and her father visit White Stone Farm owned by John Wallis where she meets John's son, Francis. 

13 April 1826: Francis Ludolph Wallis, age 21, marries Emily Thomas, age 22, the daughter of William Thomas and Elizabeth Woodall, at the home of Thomas Mann, Kent County MD.

January 1827: Emily Thomas's mother, Elizabeth Woodall Thomas, dies in Kent County MD at the age of 67.

18 March 1828: Francis Adolphus Wallis (my 2X-great grandfather) is born in Kent County MD.

12 July 1828: John Wallis writes his will, leaving all his personal estate to his wife Sarah except for five Negroes which he leaves to his son Francis.  He recommends that she get a male friend to assist in administering the estate. 

27 July 1828: Francis Ludolph's father, John Wallis, dies in Kent County MD, age 53.  Cause of death is "an affliction of the throat."  He is buried in the Comegys-Wallis burial ground.  

Context 1830-1839: US Presidents Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren. Maryland Governors Thomas King Carroll, Daniel Martin, George Howard, James Thomas, Thomas Veazy, William Grayson. Queen Victoria ascends the British throne. Town of Chicago is laid out. Nat Turner slave rebellion in VA. Frederick Douglass escapes from slavery in Baltimore. Charles Darwin voyages on the HMS Beagle. Cyrus McCormick constructs a mechanical reaper. Samuel Morse invents the telegraph. Piney Point Lighthouse constructed. Baltimore Sun begins publication. A petition is circulated to allow women to own property in their own names.  It gets only five signatures. William McGuffey publishes his first Readers. Construction begins on the Washington Monument in DC. Charles Dickens publishes Oliver Twist. US Population 12.8 M.

1 March 1830: William John Wallis is born in Kent County MD. 

7 November 1830: Francis Ludolph's mother, Sarah Everett Comegys Wallis, dies in Kent County MD, age 47. She is buried in the Comegys-Wallis burial ground with her husband. 

25 May 1831: William John Wallis, age 1, dies in Kent County MD.

30 August 1831: William Thomas Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

13 May 1833: Robert Emmett Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

23 November 1834: Corbin Ludolph Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

6 June 1837: John Bodien Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

18 September 1838: Francis' brother, Benjamin Everett Wallis, dies in St. Mary's Parish LA, age 28.

13 December 1838: Emily Elizabeth Thomas "Lizzie" Wallis is born in Kent County MD. 

9 September 1839: Mary Emily Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

US Naval Academy 1853

Context 1840-1849: US Presidents Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James Polk, Zachary Taylor.  Maryland Governors William Grayson, Francis Thomas, Thomas Pratt, Phillip Thomas. Antarctica claimed for the US.  Victoria marries Prince Albert. New York Tribune begins publication. Edgar Allen Poe writes The Murders in the Rue Morgue and later dies in Baltimore. Francis Scott Key dies in Baltimore. Samuel Morse sends first telegraph message from DC to Baltimore. US troops sent to Mexican border. First recorded baseball game takes place in Hoboken NJ. Maryland Historical Society founded. Naval School founded at Annapolis. Harriet Tubman escapes to Philadelphia. Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman to receive a medical degree. Gold is discovered in California. US Population 17 M.

Francis Ludolph Wallis

1840: Francis L. Wallis is enumerated in the 2nd District of Kent County MD, a male age 30-39.  Also in the household are 2 males under 5, 3 males age 5 to 9, 1 female age 50-59, 1 female age 30-39, 1 female under 5 and 1 female age 10-14.  Also 1 free colored male and 1 free colored female and 1 female slave. 

1840's: Francis L. Wallis, as well as all of his brothers, travel to Louisiana to purchase sugar plantations.  Only Francis and his brother Arthur return to Kent County MD.  

17 March 1840: Augustine Keene Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

7 March 1841: Mary Emily Wallis, age 1 and a half, dies in Kent County MD.

5 March 1842: Augustine Keene Wallis, age 2, dies in Kent County MD.

5 September 1842: Mary Sophia Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

November 1842: Francis L. Wallis writes his will, naming his wife Emily and mentioning his trip to Louisiana to visit his brothers. 

7 March 1844: Mary Sophia Wallis, age 1 and a half, dies in Kent County MD.

20 July 1844: Cornelius Comegys Wallis is born in Kent County MD.

6 August 1846: During the war with Mexico, Francis Ludolph Wallis is commissioned a Captain in the Columbia Hussars, a company of the 8th Regimental Cavalry of the Maryland Militia. 

13 September 1846: Francis' brother, John Ambrose Wallis, dies in Terrebonne Parish LA, age 22.

John Brown's raid

Context 1850-1859: US Presidents Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan. Maryland Governors Enoch Lowe, Thomas Watkins Ligon, Thomas Hicks. Nathaniel Hawthorne publishes The Scarlet Letter. Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes Uncle Tom's Cabin. Isaac Singer patents the sewing machine. Commodore Perry reaches Japan. Camden Street Station opens in Baltimore. Maryland Agricultural College (now U MD) opens in College Park. Peabody Institute (first US Academy of Music) opens in Baltimore. Frederick Law Olmstead lays out Central Park. RH Macy opens his first store. John Brown raids the US Arsenal at Harper's Ferry. US Population 23.2 M. Average life expectancy for men 40 years.

13 August 1850: Francis L. Wallis, farmer, age 46, is enumerated in the First Election District of Kent County MD. Also in the household are Emily, age 46, William age 19, Ludolph age 15 and Bodien, age 6. His real estate is valued at $15,000.

15 December 1851: Francis's brother, Jesse Comegys Wallis, dies in Terrebonne Parish LA.

7 April 1855: Francis Ludolph Wallis dies at Evergreen in Kent County MD, age 50.  He is buried in the
Comegys-Wallis burial ground in Kent County. One memorial to him describes him: "Francis Ludolph Wallis was one of nature's noblemen, of fine upright character and unusual attainments.  He was 6 ft. 4 1/2 in. tall and of commanding presence.  He was a gentleman farmer, a kind master, and a loving father."  His gravemarker is inscribed:  "An Honest Man, the Noblest Work of God. "

20 December 1855: Robert Emmett Wallis, son of Francis and Emily, marries Matilda Jane Kennedy in Montgomery County PA.

7 April 1856: Francis's brother, Cornelius Comegys Wallis, dies in Louisiana.

22 June 1857: Frances Emily Wallis, daughter of Robert and Matilda, the first grandchild of Francis and Emily, is born in Kent County MD. 

Context: 1860-1869: US Presidents: James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant. Abraham Lincoln wins the Presidency in 1860, although he gets only 3 votes in Anne Arundel County.  Governors of Maryland: Thomas Hicks (Know-Nothing Party), Augustus Bradford, Thomas Swann. South Carolina secedes from the Union; Maryland does not, although there are many Southern sympathizers. First casualties of the Civil War occur in Baltimore where MA troops are stoned. "Maryland, My Maryland" written in response. Maryland slaves emancipated by the State Constitution of 1864. Pony Express begins mail service to California. US purchases Alaska. US Population 31.4 M.

Baltimore Riot 1861

Francis and Georgie Wallis

23 May 1860: Francis Ludolph's brother, Hugh Henry Wallis, dies in Terrebonne Parish LA.

25 July 1860: Emily Wallis, widow, age 56, is enumerated in Kent County MD.  Also in the household are: Francis A. age 32, farmer, William T. age 24, and Cornelius C. age 16.

15 October 1862: Emily Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wallis, daughter of Francis and Emily, marries Francis Granger Schutt in Chestertown, Kent County MD. 

26 April 1864: Francis Adolphus Wallis marries Mary Georgiana "Georgie" Willson at Ellendale, Kent County MD. She is the daughter of George Hayward Willson and Henrietta Eleanor Brooke. I believe the photo at the left was taken about the time of their marriage. 

27 January 1865: Mary Emily Wallis, daughter of  Francis and Georgie, is born at Ellendale, Kent County MD. 

10 January 1866: William Thomas Wallis, second son of Francis and Emily, marries Susan Beall Hollyday in Washington DC.

19 March 1866: Francis Adolphus Wallis Jr. is born in Kent County MD.

22 August 1867: George Hayward Willson Wallis, son of Francis and Georgie, is born in Kent County MD.

4 February 1869: Corbin Ludolph Wallis, son of Francis and Emily, marries Annie Siemans Hurlock at Shrewsbury Parish, Kent County MD.

Context 1870-1879: US Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, (See my previous blog about Grant's wife, my cousin Julia Dent Grant.) Rutherford B. Hayes.  Maryland Governors Oden Bowie, William Pinkney Whyte, James Black Groome, John Lee Carroll. Construction begins on the Brooklyn Bridge. Transcontinental Railroad is completed. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony form the National Women's Suffrage Association. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution is passed giving Negroes the right to vote.  Maryland votes against ratification. Yellowstone established as the first national park. Montgomery Ward becomes the first mail order house. The first running of the Preakness Stakes.  Thomas Edison invents the incandescent lightbulb. Johns Hopkins University opens in Baltimore. Louis Pasteur develops the concept of inoculation. The young men of the Baltimore Athletic Club play lacrosse. The Baltimore Orioles founded as a team.   US Population: 50 M.

After the death of Francis Ludolph Wallis, the management of his extensive properties became the responsibility of his sons.  Unfortunately, they did not have the same level of experience as their father.  The properties were mortgaged or sold and eventually, they were all lost.  Emily Thomas Wallis lived with her various children for the rest of her life. 

Emily Thomas Wallis

20 August 1870, Emily Wallis, age 66, is enumerated in the household of her son Corbin, age 35 and his wife Annie, age 24. 

28 December 1874: Theresa Evalina Wallis (my great-grandmother) is born in Kent County MD to Francis Adolphus and Mary Georgiana Wallis, the 8th of their 13 children. 

January 1877: Robert Emmett Wallis, son of Francis and Emily, moves to Cowley County KS where he establishes a retail grocery business. 

28 December 1878:  Corbin Ludolph Wallis, son of Francis and Emily, dies in Kent County MD, age44.  He is buried at Shrewsbury Parish. 

1 December 1879: Cornelius Comegys "Corney" Wallis, son of Francis and Emily, dies in Indian Territory (Oklahoma). He was in the cattle business. He is buried in Cowley County KS.

10 June 1880: Emily Wallis, age 75, widow, is enumerated in the household of her widowed daughter-in-law, Annie Hurlock Wallis, age 33.  Also in the household are grandchildren Ludolph age 6, Jonathan age 5, Caroline age 3, Edwin age 2 and Annie's mother, Henrietta Hurlock, age 60. 

5 March 1896: Emily Thomas Wallis dies at the home of her son, Francis Adolphus, in Kent County MD, at the age of 93. She is buried beside her husband in the Comegys-Wallis burial ground in Kent County MD.

6 March 1896. The Baltimore Sun publishes her obituary. 

Mrs. Emily Wallis. one of the oldest. If not the oldest woman in the county, died at the home of her son. F. A. Wallis, yesterday, . aged ninety-three years. Her children are Francis Adolphus Wallis, Robert Wallis of Kansas; Mrs. Lizzie Scott,[actually Schutt] of Washington, D. C, and William Wallis. of Prince George's county. Though bedridden and blind, she had a remarkable memory, and all of her faculties remained unimpaired. She was able to recite in detail many interesting incidents of the early part of the century.

Of Francis Ludolph and Emily's twelve children, only four outlived their mother: 

Francis Adolphus d. 1904 in Queen Anne County MD age 76.

William Thomas d. 1906 in Prince George's County MD, age 75.

Robert Emmett d. 1919 in Winfield KS, age 85. 

Emily Elizabeth Schutt d. 1919 in Cherrydale VA, age 80.