#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 40 Preservation: Restoring John William Sasscer and Julia Gibbons photo

 Among the treasures passed down to me from my grandmother, Evalina Summers, were several very old photographs, printed on glass.  Fortunately, she had identified some of them, including this one of my 2X-great grandparents, John William Sasscer and Julia Gibbons.  Unfortunately, the photo was in very bad shape.

However, I was able to send the photo to a photo restorer who was able to give me a better version so I have at least a hint of what the couple looked like. I suspect that this was a wedding picture taken around the time of their marriage in 1845, when John was 22 years old and Julia 20.

John William Sasscer, born 11 April 1822 in the Peth section of Prince George's County MD, was the only son of Underwood Sasscer and his first wife, Elizabeth Gibbons. He had two sisters, Mary Ellen and Christiana, four half-siblings from his father's second wife, Ann: Philip, Louise, Martha and James, and four more half-siblings from his mother's first marriage to John William Wall: Elizabeth, John, Albert, and Martha Wall. 

Julia Ann Gibbons, born 21 November 1824 in Charles County MD, was the youngest daughter of James Henry Samuel Gibbons and Elizabeth Carrico.  Her six siblings were: Jeremiah, Arthur, Sarah, James, John, Benjamin and George. Her older sister, Sarah Delilah Gibbons also married into the Sasscer family, marrying John William's cousin, Jonathan Throne Sasscer in 1830. 

Betty Marks

Julia married first to Edward Marks in 1841 and had a daughter Elizabeth (Betty) with him.  She married secondly her cousin John William Sasscer 1 April 1845 in Prince George's County MD.

John is enumerated in the 1850 Census of  Prince George's County in the Nottingham District, age 28, carpenter.  His wife Julia, age 27 and his half-sister Louise age 17 are also in the household along with his step-daughter, Betty Marks, age 9, and two sons, William, age 3 and Sebastian, age 0.  Two other sons, both named James, had died in infancy before 1850.  His real estate was valued at $1000. 

In 1851, my great-grandfather, Thomas Reverdy Sasscer, was born and by 1860, John and Julia had five more children: James (1853), Frances (1854), Thaddeus (1856) Julia (1858), and Mary Loretto (1860), all of whom except Loretto (known as Lell), died as children.  The last two children Clarence and Cecilia were born in 1862 and 1863, respectively.  

Julia Gibbons Sasscer died in 1866 and was buried in Old St. Peter's Cemetery in Waldorf MD. Her youngest child, Cecilia, died at the same time and is buried with her mother. 

Shortly after Julia's death, John William Sasscer purchased 150 acres of property in the Keys Quarter area of Prince George's County in 1867 and moved his family into a 1 and a half story house that existed on the property, dating from 1804. 

In 1870, John W. Sasscer, farmer, age 48, is enumerated in the Nottingham district of Prince George's County with children Thomas R. 18, Frances E. 16, Mary L., 9 and Clarence 7. His real estate was valued at $14,000.

John married for the second time to Laura Virginia Cooksey, the widow of Richard Tayman, in Baltimore MD in 1875. John and Laura had no children.

In 1880, John W. Sasscer, farmer, age 58, is enumerated in the Nottingham District of Prince George's County with his wife Laura, age 50 and children John W. 31, Reverdy 30, Mary L. 20, and Clarence 17, as well as his grandson Ambrose, age 3, son of John W. Jr.

The map below shows the location of John's property in 1878, with the property of his brother-in-law, James Henry Samuel Gibbons, nearby. 

John William Sasscer died in 1882 in Prince George's County MD and was buried in St. Thomas Churchyard in Croom MD. He left his property to his wife Laura and then to his surviving children: Reverdy, Mary Loretto (Lell), and Clarence. 

Clarence DeSales Sasscer married Maria Turner in St. Mary's County MD in 1891 and had three children with her.  He died in a Washington DC Hospital after surgery in 1927.

Thomas Reverdy (Rev) Sasscer (my great-grandfather) married Theresa Evalina (Eva) Wallis in 1894 in Kent County MD. At the time of the marriage, Rev tore down the existing house and built Breezy Hill over the existing basement.  He and Eva raised four children there.  In 1917, Rev bought out his brother Clarence's interest in the property.  Thomas Reverdy Sasscer died in Prince George's County in 1920 at the age of 68. 

Breezy Hill ca. 1930

Loretto (Lell) Sasscer

Loretto Sasscer lived with Reverdy's family at Breezy Hill for many years and never married.  She died at a hospital in Baltimore in 1940 and is buried near her brother Clarence at All Faith Cemetery in St. Mary's County MD.