#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 51 Cousins: The DC Scriveners

The Scriveners in Maryland started out in Anne Arundel County, but gradually spread out to the surrounding areas in Calvert, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George's counties as well as Baltimore City and Washington DC.  In this blog, I'd like to look at the Scrivener cousins in the District of Columbia. 

A capitol district was authorized in 1790, using land donated by Maryland and Virginia and designed by Pierre L’Enfant in four quadrants centered on the Capitol. The new District of Columbia included the new city of Washington, named of course for the first president, as well as the existing cities of Georgetown and Alexandria. 

One of the first Scriveners to appear in the District of Columbia was John Scrivener, born in 1769 in Anne Arundel County.  He married his cousin Mary Ann (Polly) Scrivener in Loudon County VA (right next to Polly’s home in Montgomery County) in 1802 when John was 33 and Polly 26, so kind of a late marriage.  Polly was the daughter of John Scrivener and Elizabeth Purnell of Montgomery County.  I have not been able to confirm the parents of Polly's husband, John, but I have hypothesized that he is the son of Lewis Scrivener of Anne Arundel County. Fortunately, Polly's Bible has been preserved in the Montgomery County Historical Society, so we do know some information about her family. 

John Scrivener served as a private in Captain McKee's company of the DC militia during the War of 1812.  You may recall from your history classes that DC did not fare well in that war, with the British burning the Capitol and all. The fledgling DC militia was quickly overwhelmed. Nevertheless, some years later, Polly was able to apply for bounty land near Dubuque IA based on her husband's service (which she promptly sold). 

John and Polly had five sons and a daughter, all born in Montgomery County, although the family later moved to Georgetown DC, where John died in 1818, leaving a will. 

Polly Scrivener outlived her husband by 40 years, making a living doing embroidery and fancy needlework for the ladies of Washington, as shown in this ad from 1854. 

She died at the home of her son-in-law, Councilman Grafton Powell, in Georgetown in 1858, apparently suffering a heart attack from the excitement of a family wedding.  At least she was surrounded by loved ones when she died. 

She is buried in Congressional Cemetery near her daughter.  

1. Rev. John Soule (Sewall) Scrivener born about 1802.  John was a minister of the Methodist church and there are accounts in the local paper of him marrying prisoners at the jail. In his later years, he apparently also worked as a messenger in the office of the Secretary of the Department of the Interior until he was displaced by a "foreign" (Irish) Roman Catholic, to the disgust of the Daily American Organ in 1854. Rev. Scrivener married Maria Ramsey Cecil in 1823 and had six sons and three daughters with her. Rev. Scrivener died in Washington in 1871 leaving several properties in the District to his children and grandchildren. He is buried in Glenwood Cemetery along with his wife and several of his children. 

2. Samuel Scrivener, born 1804.  The city directory in 1827 and 1830 shows Samuel as a shoemaker. He married Amelia Hinton in Washington DC in 1823.  Samuel and Amelia had two sons and two daughters who survived to adulthood. The family moved to Mobile AL sometime after 1830, and Samuel died there in 1844. He is buried in Magnolia Cemetery along with his wife, his son, Christopher Columbus Scrivener and a number of infants. 

3. Thomas Scrivener, born 1808. At age 16, after his father's death, he was apprenticed to a hatter. Later census records show him working as a watchman and operating a grocery store on Capitol Hill.  He married Elizabeth Ann Waller in 1830 and had three sons and four daughters with her.  He died in 1891 at age 82 of heart failure.  He is buried in Glenwood Cemetery along with his wife. 

4. Margaret Ann Scrivener, born 1810. She married Grafton N. Powell, a city councilman, in 1827 and had four sons and two daughters with him.  She died in the District in 1861 and is buried in Congressional Cemetery near her mother. 

5. James Scrivener, born 1813. He was a tailor in Washington DC.  He married Elizabeth Ann Huddleston in Montgomery County MD in 1834 and had five sons with her. He died in Washington in 1862 and is buried in Glenwood Cemetery. 

6. William Henry Scrivener, born 1814.  He married Eleanor Craven in 1836 and died in Washington sometime before 1850.  There were apparently no children from this marriage.  Eleanor married William King after William Scrivener's death. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 45 War and Peace: Col. Alexander Somervell

 My 6X great grandfather, Colonel Alexander Somervell, made a mark on his community both in war and in peace. 

Alexander Somervell was born in Christ Church Parish, Port Republic, Calvert County MD in 1734, the son of the immigrant, Dr. James Somervell  (about whom I have previously written) and Sarah Howe Somervell, the youngest of their four children. 

MD State House

Somervell was an ensign in the county militia by 1757 and later served in the Continental Army as a
colonel. The legislature rewarded him in 1765 for his service in the French and Indian War. He served as the High Sheriff of Calvert County from 1769 to 1772.  He was a member of the Maryland Assembly in 1774 and served in the Continental Congress in 1775.

In 1762, Alexander inherited land in Calvert County and a warehouse from his brother John, so he was probably engaged in farming and some kind of merchant activity.

Col. Somervell was also active in his Christ Church parish at Port Republic, helping to build a new church on the site in 1772, a building which is still in use today. 

On the south wall of the present edifice is a tablet to the memory of Col. Alexander Somervell, the builder of the church. The name of Somervell, spelled in different ways, is found in many of the private burial grounds of the county, and it represents a family known for its attachment to the traditions of the Episcopal Church. The inscription is: In memory of Col. Alexander Somerville and Rebecca his wife Decessus 1783 AEtatis 49 Decessa 1812 AEtatis 72.

Alexander Somervell married Rebecca Dawkins, the daughter of William Dawkins and Dorcas Mackall, in December 1759 at Christ Church.  Alexander and Rebecca had two sons and two daughters:

Thomas Somervell 1760 (no further information)

Dr. William Dawkins Somervell (my 5X great Grandfather) 1763-1816; he married Elizabeth Wilson Ireland in 1795 in Calvert County and had four daughters and two sons with her, including my 4x great grandfather, Alexander Somervell. 

Rebecca Somervell 1765-1837; she married James Duke in 1786 in Calvert County and had four sons and three daughters with him. 

Sarah Somervell 1770; she married Joseph Leonard and moved to Kentucky, where she died sometime after the 1850 Census. 

Col. Alexander Somervell died in Calvert County in 1783, leaving a considerable estate: 490 acres of land in Calvert County plus a lot and warehouse in St. Leonard's Creek town. His personal property was more than L1000 including 27 slaves. 

Rebecca Dawkins Somervell died in Calvert County MD in November 1812. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 35 Disaster: Student Radical Disaster Fighter

I graduated from college--Duquesne University, Pittsburgh PA--in May 1970, a time that seemed fraught with student outrage about the disastrous state of the world. You might not think it to look at my sweet graduation picture, but I was a leader in expressing that outrage, using the vehicle of the student newspaper.  Somewhere in the archives there's a photo of me burning my press pass at one protest or another. If disaster was coming, I wasn't going to go down without a fight. 

 Anyway, that graduation ceremony marked a high point in my life as a student activist as I was chosen to represent the student body and give a speech during commencement. 

As Associate Editor of the student newspaper, the Duke, I had many opportunities to express my opinions about such burning issues as the follies of the University administration, the necessity of lowering the voting age to 18, and environmental damage to the planet.  One of my articles celebrates the very first Earth Day in April 1970.  It's a piece I would still support, though maybe 50 years later, I wouldn't take quite the same snarky tone. 

Of course, while environmental concerns were important then and now, the overriding concern of students in 1970 was ending the disastrous war in Vietnam.  I wrote a number of pieces in the Duke about events on campus protesting the war and even travelled to Washington DC to cover a huge protest march. 

But, just a few days before graduation, an event occurred that galvanized the opposition and probably did spell the beginning of the end for that particular folly (even though it took an additional five years before the final withdrawal from Vietnam).  Four students were shot and killed by National Guardsmen during a protest at Kent State University in Ohio and another nine were wounded. Outrage was instantaneous. It was the prototypical shot heard round the world and significantly dampened remaining public support for the war. Of course, it fired up the nation's campuses even more. 

The iconic photo below seemed to capture the horror of the situation and led to the Duquesne administration's unprecedented agreement to allow a student speaker during the graduation ceremony. 

Honestly, I don't remember exactly how I came to be chosen for this job, but it must have been pretty last minute since the Kent State shooting was only a day or so before the ceremony. I don't think I volunteered myself, but I guess I had a reputation because of my Duke writings.  In any case, I was tapped, and Fr. McAnulty introduced me as the first speaker at commencement, looking out over a sea of my fellow graduates, most of whom wore white armbands over their robes as a testament to their revulsion at the Kent State tragedy and the war in general. 

My parents were also in the audience, and I have never found out what they thought about my effort. They didn't comment. If I had to guess, they were probably wondering where they had gone wrong in raising their daughter. What happened to our nice Catholic girl? 

Sadly, I did not have the foresight to save a copy of my speech, or if I did, it has gotten lost in the years since.  I remember that I opened with a description of protestors being shot, not the ones at Kent State, but the American colonists shot by a British soldier during the Boston Massacre of 1770, which set off a revolution.  I wanted to make a point that we should be equally shocked by this massacre and the one in Ohio, perhaps even more so since the latter was Americans killing Americans, and perhaps take equally revolutionary action.  

The Pittsburgh Post, which covered my speech, said it was considered "moderate" in some quarters, but judging by the quote they included, I don't think I was intending to be moderate, calling students "lucky" to be cannon fodder for America's imperialist ambitions.  I always was a fan of irony as a rhetorical strategy, and I certainly wasn't above some exaggeration for rhetorical effect along the way. Besides, I was 22 years old and filled with righteous indignation! Why go for moderate? 

Pittsburgh Post, 12 May 1970

Over the years since my graduation, my rhetorical strategies have probably gotten better, although I can still slip into that snarky mode pretty easily, and I may have become a little more tolerant of moderation. I have taken up and fought for a number of causes, campaigned for various political candidates, attended and instituted a few protests, and generally tried to stand up for values that were important to me and stand against what seemed unjust to me (won a few, lost a few). At least, I can look back over the last 50 years or so, beginning with my student days, and see a fairly consistent pattern of trying to stand up for what I believe. I hope I've managed to make my world a little bit better through my efforts. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 30 In the News: Cousin Henry Harrison Atwater and the Lincoln Assassination

 Henry Harrison Atwater, a distant cousin, was on duty at the Washington Navy Yard on the night of April 15, 1865 and his telegraph line conveyed the news of the search for Abraham Lincoln's assassin. He had a front row seat for one of the biggest events of his lifetime.

Atwater, the son of Ambrose Atwater and Sally Drew, was born in Burlington VT in 1840. As a teenager, he studied telegraphy and in 1856 accepted a position with the Erie Railroad dispatching trains by telegraph. 

In 1860, he moved to Brooklyn, where he met his wife, Mary Farmer McCafferty, whom he married in 1863.  He vividly remembered the election of Abraham Lincoln, the firing on Fort Sumpter, and the call for volunteers, of which his brother-in-law, Augustus McCafferty (about whom I have previously written) was one of the first. 

Learning that the government was short of telegraph operators, Atwater volunteered and was assigned to the Washington Navy Yard, the headquarters of the Potomac flotilla. During his time in Washington, he and his wife had the opportunity to meet President Lincoln in person. Although he said he had heard "many reports about the plain looks and decidedly awkward appearance" of the president, in the end, he professed himself much impressed with "the pleasing, kindly face and courteous manner . . . which won our hearts at once."  

He saw Lincoln again when the president visited the Navy Yard for a demonstration of rockets used for signaling. 

Atwater was on duty at the Navy Yard on the fateful night of the assassination, and it was he who conveyed the news of the attempt on Lincoln's life to the Commodore of the Navy Yard, having received the message from the War Department. 

During the next days, Atwater's wire was kept humming with messages regarding the capture of the assassin and his accomplices. Some 12 days later, Booth was shot and his body was brought to the Navy Yard where Atwater witnessed it being put aboard the ironclad USS Montauk. 

At the close of the Civil War, Atwater returned to Brooklyn NY where he and Mary raised their three daughters and a son: Charlotte (1865), Florence (1872), Edith (1873) and Henry Jr. (1879). 

Atwater worked for the Western Union Telegraph Company until his retirement. He was a past Master and life member of the Star of Cuba Masonic Lodge. 

He died in Brooklyn in 1921 and is buried in Mount Hebron Cemetery in New Jersey along with his wife, children, and grandchildren. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 28: Random: Cousin Rev. Charles Winterfield Baldwin

Historic Baldwin Hall

Many people are familiar with Anne Arundel County’s Historic Baldwin Hall (1861) located on General's Highway, but not everyone knows about the man for whom it is named, Rev. Charles Winterfield Baldwin.  So, I would like to help correct that lack. A distant cousin of mine, he was a remarkable man, and his story deserves to be told.

Charles Winterfield Baldwin was born 23 March 1840, the tenth of eleven children of Judge William Henry Baldwin and Jane Maria Woodward, the grandson of Captain Henry Baldwin who served in the Revolutionary War. He and his siblings grew up at the family home, Bunker Hill, in Anne Arundel County, near the site of the present Baldwin Hall. 

Bunker Hill

Charles Winterfield Baldwin entered Yale University in 1859 as a junior, graduating in 1861.  While at Yale, he was also secretary of the Yale baseball team. (Go, Bulldogs!)  After graduation, he studied law in Baltimore for two years, but ultimately decided to enter the ministry, studying at Yale Divinity School and Union Theological Seminary.  In 1866, he began his ministry as a junior pastor on the Severn Circuit, which included the Cross Roads Church, now Baldwin Memorial United Methodist Church. By 1897, he was the presiding elder of the West Baltimore District of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was superintendent of the Baltimore City Mission until 1910. He retired from the ministry in 1916, but frequently returned to the pulpit, often recalling the "old-time Methodist experience" which he hoped would revive. 

Rev. Baldwin grew up in the years just before the Civil War. His family owned slaves. But,  as adherents to John Wesley’s Methodism, they were encouraged to reflect on the morality of slaveholding, which led to the slaves being emancipated before the war and given land to help them start life as free people. 

Rev. Baldwin was committed to a life that respected the value of all human beings and worked tirelessly throughout his life to create opportunities for women and black people to succeed, especially in the area of education.

In 1884, he was an incorporator of The Women’s College of Baltimore, now Goucher College, and served as a trustee. He also helped to found American University, an institution that educated men and women, black and white, for careers in public service, serving at one time as its Chancellor. Starting in 1899, he served 24 years as a trustee of Morgan State College, now Morgan State University, in Baltimore.

Rev. Baldwin married Annie Campbell Hopkins in 1868 and had a daughter Marie with her.  After Annie’s death, he married Anna Thomas in 1876.  There were no children from his second marriage. 

In the years before his death, Rev. Baldwin lost his sight but had the newspaper read to him every day. He died in Baltimore in 1938 at the age of 98, the last surviving member of his graduating class at Yale, having served 70 years in the Methodist ministry. 

He is buried in the cemetery at Baldwin Memorial United Methodist Church in Millersville MD, just down the road from the house where he was born and across the street from the 1861 hall that bears his name.

 The Cora Anderson Dulaney Library next to Historic Baldwin Hall has a large collection of Rev. Baldwin's letters and papers. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 36 Tradesman: Henry Yoxtheimer's General Store

My grandchildrens' great uncle, Henry Yoxtheimer Jr., was born in Berks County PA in 1793, the son of Johann Heinrich (Henry) Yoxtheimer and Maria Catherine Kunrad, the 5X great grandparents of my grandchildren.  Henry's brother George Adam Yoxtheimer was their 4X great grandfather and the grandfather of George Washington Yoxtheimer, about whom I have previously written.

In 1817, Henry married Margaret Mallick and had two children with her: Margaret and William. After Margaret's death in 1826, he married secondly Nancy Bacon in 1828 and had a daughter Rachel with her. 

Henry Jr. was originally a potter by trade, but gradually expanded his business to include all kinds of merchandise. In 1826, he erected a large brick building to serve as a general store on Market Street in Sunbury with a warehouse in the back to store his goods. Sunbury was (and still is) a small town in the Susquehanna Valley of eastern Pennsylvania and the county seat of Northumberland County. In the early 1800's, about 1000 people lived in Sunbury and the surrounding area. 

The old-fashioned general store like Henry's was at the heart of most small towns.  It carried almost every large and small item that might be needed on the farm or in the home: groceries, meat, hardware, clothing, toiletries, bolts of cloth and dozens of other necessities. Almost everything was carried in bulk with few packaged or canned items. The interior would be crammed with boxes, barrels, crates, and tables holding the goods for sale. As Henry's ad indicates, he sold goods for cash or barter, a common practice, especially in rural areas.  In addition to its merchandising function, the general store was often the social center of the community as well where gossip and news were spread. Someone like Henry Yoxtheimer pretty much embodied the term "pillar of the community." 

The picture below is not Henry's store, but it gives you the general idea of what his place might have looked like.

19th-Century General Store

Henry owned his own canal boat, the Enterprize, which ran between Sunbury and Philadelphia, on the Susquehanna River, trading farm goods and bringing back the items his customers wanted. This ad from 1835 shows the kinds of items he traded in.  

Judging by this ad in the Sunbury Gazette from 1833, Henry prided himself on being able to beat the prices of the stores in Philadelphia.

In 1838, Henry leased part of a coal field in Shamokin and offered coal to his customers as well as dry goods and produce. 

 

In the 19th century, patent medicines were in their heyday.  These pills, elixirs, tonics and liniments were among the first products promoted by the advertising industry, using techniques such as celebrity endorsements.  

Although Henry's store carried a huge variety of goods, Henry seemed especially proud of his selection of patent medicines, judging by the ads he ran in the Sunbury Gazette in the 1830's and 40's, touting the availability of these miracle cures at his establishment. The ads below are typical of the dozens Henry ran over the years, relying heavily on testimonials and hyping pseudo-scientific claims of efficacy. 

In 1841, Henry was elected to the Common Council of Sunbury Burough.

Henry sold his store to his son-in-law, John Frilling, in 1842.

John W Friling has this day purchased from Henry Yoxtheimer his store and entire stock of goods. The business of store will hereafter be conducted at the Old Stand. Sunbury, May 18, 1842

Henry Yoxtheimer Jr. died in Sunbury in November 1849 and is buried in the Sunbury Cemetery. 

Died. In Augusta township, suddenly, on Tuesday last, Mr. Henry Yoxtheimer, aged about 55 years. The deceased was a good and useful citizen, and was for many years, engaged in the mercantile business in this place.

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 33 Strength: The Strong Patriotism of George Gottfried Orwig and his sons

 

George Gottfried Orwig, the 7X-great grandfather of my grandchildren, was born in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany, in August 1719. As the map shows, the city is a little south and west of Berlin. In the 18th century, when George lived there, Braunschweig (Brunswick in English) was a political and cultural center of Germany. Goethe's opera, Faust, premiered in Braunschweig. 

The Brunswick Lion

The Brunswick Lion, a bronze cast in the 12th century by Duke Henry the Lion, still proudly stands guard in the main square of the city, a sight that Gottfried would have seen nearly every day. 

In 1741, at the age of 22, Gottfried sailed from Rotterdam for America on the ship St. Andrew, landing at the port of Philadelphia. Gottfried stayed in Pennsylvania for a short time and then returned to Germany, where he married Anna Clara Lampert in 1743.

The young couple returned to America and settled in the area of Maiden Creek, near Reading, which they called Brunswick after their home city in Germany.   

Clara and Gottfried had at least six children, all born at Brunswick:

*Catherine 1748

*Peter 1750

*Maria 1751

*Henry 1753

*Elizabeth 1756

*George 1758 (6X Great Grandfather of my grandchildren)

During the Revolutionary War, Gottfried and his sons all served the American cause.  Peter, a preacher in the German Reform Church, did not join the Army, but did support the cause in other ways. 

Henry served in Col. William Thompson's Rifleman Company and later was an ensign in the Berks County militia. He participated in skirmishes around Boston and took part in the Battle of Brandywine. His Obituary:

Dec 18, 1836, at Orwigsburg, of old age, one of the oldest inhabitants of Orwigsburg and one of the brave who served for the father land in the Revolutionary War. Also as a lieutenant in the Army of the United States and at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. Old age and tired of this life he went quietly and gently drifted to the next at age 83/0/12. The funeral sermon was preached by Rev. R. W. Harpel on Hebrew XIII, 14.

George enlisted in the Rifle Company of Captain James Olds in July 1776 and took part in the battles at Long Island and White Plains NY. He was an ensign in the Berks County militia in 1783. 

But perhaps most remarkable was the service of Gottfried Orwig, a man in his late fifties when the war started. He joined a group of eighty other men, all German, in what was called "The Old Men's Company."  Their captain was nearly 100 years old and their drummer 94 years old. Gottfried's name is listed on the plaque shown at the right. 

After the war, Gottfried's son Peter purchased several hundred acres in Berk's County and laid out the town of Orwigsburg in 1796. The town was incorporated in 1813 and became the county seat of newly-formed Schuylkill County.  Peter, Henry and George Orwig all owned land and farmed in the area.

Gottfried Orwig died in Orwigsburg PA in May 1804 and is buried in the Zion's Red Church Cemetery there, beside his wife Clara, who died in 1788.

George Orwig, Gottfried's son, married Mary Magdalena Gilbert in 1779 and had fourteen children with her, five daughters and nine sons, including my grandchildren's 5X Great Grandfather, William Orwig, born in Orwigsburg in 1800. 

George and his wife both died in Mifflinburg PA in 1841 and are buried in the Mifflinburg Cemetery. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 41 Travel: The Travelling Parson, Mason Loch Weems

My 6X-great uncle, Mason Loch Weems, travelled extensively as an itinerant evangelist and book seller. He is probably best known for his 1800 biography of his contemporary, George Washington, that included the famous "I cannot tell a lie" story, mostly considered a morality fable, but also claimed to come from a servant in Washington's household. Weems' biography of Washington went through more than 50 editions and along with his other biographies of Benjamin Franklin and William Penn made him one of the most-read authors of the early 19th century. 

Parson Weems was the 19th and youngest child of David Weems and his second wife, Esther Hill, born in October 1759 at Marshes Seat in Anne Arundel County MD. (His older brother James, the son of David's first wife, Elizabeth Lane, was my 6X-great grandfather. I have previously written about him here.) At the age of 10, Mason's father sent him to study at the Kent County Free School (later Washington College) in Chestertown. He later studied medicine in Edinburgh and after a religious conversion, studied theology in London. 

All Hallows

At the time, in the 1780's, Weems could not get ordained because there were no bishops in America and the English bishops would only ordain those who swore allegiance to the king, which Weems would not do. But eventually, that rule was changed, and with a little help from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, Weems was ordained in the Episcopal church 1784 and became pastor of  All Hallows Parish in his native Anne Arundel County. However, his tendencies toward Methodism displeased the new American bishop, Thomas John Claggett (a cousin about whom I have previously written), so by 1792, Weems resigned as rector and began a travelling ministry which included selling religious pamphlets and his moral biographies.  

While travelling through northern Virginia, Weems met Frances "Fanny" Ewell, the daughter of prominent Virginia planter, Jesse Ewell. He married her in 1795, and they set up housekeeping and a bookshop in Dumfries at what is now the Weems-Bott museum. 

It was while he was living in Dumfries that Parson Weems penned A History of the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits of General George Washington, shortly after Washington's death in 1799. Weems knew Washington personally and had preached at Pohick Church where Washington attended.  Weems' wife Fanny was a relative of the Washingtons. This book and Weems' other hagiographic biographies contributed to many early Americans' understanding of history and the high regard in which the Founding Fathers were held. Abraham Lincoln read the Washington biography when he was a young boy. 

Here, for your edification, is the famous story as it appeared and was later reprinted in McGuffey's Reader and thus learned by thousands of school children across the country, and led to Washington's birthday being often celebrated with cherry pie.

The following anecdote is a case in point. It is too valuable to be lost, and too true to be doubted; for it was communicated to me by the same excellent lady to whom I am indebted for the last. "When George," said she, "was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet! Of which, like most little boys, he was immoderately fond, and was constantly going about chopping everything that came in his way. One day, in the garden, where he often amused himself hacking his mother's pea-sticks, he unluckily tried the edge of his hatchet on the body of a beautiful young English cherry-tree, which he barked so terribly, that I don't believe the tree ever got the better of it. The next morning the old gentleman, finding out what had befallen his tree, which, by the by, was a great favourite, came into the house; and with much warmth asked for the mischievous author, declaring at the same time, that he would not have taken five guineas for his tree. Nobody could tell him anything about it. Presently George and his hatchet made their appearance. "George," said his father, "do you know who killed that beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden?" This was a tough question; and George staggered under it for a moment; but quickly recovered himself: and looking at his father, with the sweet face of youth brightened with the inexpressible charm of all-conquering truth, he bravely cried out, "I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet." "Run to my arms, you dearest boy," cried his father in transports, "run to my arms; glad am I, George, that you killed my tree; for you have paid me for it a thousand fold. Such an act of heroism in my son is more worth than a thousand trees, though blossomed with silver, and their fruits of purest gold."

After his father-in-law's death in 1805, Weems moved his family to the Ewell plantation at Bel Air. The plantation became his home base, but he continued his itinerant ministry until his death. 

Parson Weems was reputed to be an excellent fiddler and often entertained crowds with his music during his travels in order to help him sell his wares, sometimes to the scandal of pious clerics who disapproved of dancing. When called upon to marry a young couple, he often stayed to play for the dance afterward. One story is told of him that he managed to charm a band of robbers with his music and saved himself from their predations with his expert fiddling. 

Mason and Fanny Weems had ten children, eight of whom lived to adulthood: Frances (1796), Susan (1798), Jesse (1799), Charlotte (1801), Ann (1802), Harriet (1804), Mason Loch (1806), Marion (1808), Francis Marion (1809) and Milton (1812). 

Parson Weems died on a bookselling trip in Beaufort SC in May 1825.  He is buried at Bel Air, although the exact spot is not known.  His wife Fanny died in Baltimore in 1843 and is also buried at Bel Air. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 29 Birthdays: Cornelia Smith Sewell

Of all the thousands of people I have researched over the years, I have found only one that shares my birthday--April 30--my 6X great-grandmother, Cornelia Smith Sewell, born 30 April 1759 in Pennsylvania.

Sadly, I know very little about grandmother Cornelia.  

The first record I have for her is her marriage to Clement Sewell in Pennsylvania on 31 October 1775, at age 16, as his second wife.  Since she was married in Pennsylvania, I assume she was also born there. Her birthdate appears in the Sewell Bible in the Calvert County Historical Society. 

Her husband, Clement Sewell, the son of Clement Sewell and Mary Smith, came from a long-established Maryland family. (I wonder if Cornelia was related to her mother-in-law's family, but I have no evidence of that and Smith is, after all, a very common family name.)

Clement and Cornelia had four daughters: Mary 1775, Cornelia 1776, Henrietta 1782, Maria 1784, and one son Charles Smith Sewell 1779, my 5X-great grandfather. As far as I can tell, all of the daughters died young and/or unmarried. Based on her son's name, I am making a guess that Cornelia was the daughter of a Charles Smith. 

The 1790 Census shows Clement Sewell in Queen Anne's County on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with 2 males over 16, 2 males under 16, 5 females (one of whom is most likely Cornelia) and 23 enslaved persons.  The second male in the household is most likely Charles Smith Sewell and the younger people are Charles' children. 

Clement Sewell died in Queen Anne County in 1795.

Cornelia married for a second time to John Sotheren 23 May 1797 in Baltimore County MD. Again I know very little about Mr. Sotheren, except that he applied for insolvency in Baltimore County in 1807.

John Sotheren was probably dead by 1820, although I have not found a record of his death. 

In the 1820 Census of Harford County MD, a woman over age 45 appears in the household of Charles Smith Sewell; I believe that is his mother, Cornelia Sotheren. 

Cornelia Smith Sewell Sotheren died in Harford County in January 1821 at the age of 61. She is buried in Cokesbury United Methodist Church Cemetery at Abingdon, Harford County MD. 

Cornelia's son, Charles Smith Sewell, (my 5X-great grandfather) was born in 1779 in Queen Anne County MD and was an active participant in Maryland politics. After serving in the 42nd Regiment of the Maryland militia during the War of 1812, Charles went on to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates and the state Senate.  He was twice elected to the US Congress, once as a Jacksonian and once as a Democrat. 

In 1805, he married Ann Catherine Keagy of Lancaster PA and had ten children with her, seven sons and three daughters,  including my 4X-great grandmother, Cornelia Olivia Sewell, who was named after her grandmother.  Charles retired to Harford County and died at his Rose Hill estate in 1848, at the age of 69. He and his wife are both buried in the Cokesbury Cemetery along with his mother. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 32 Reunion: Two Scrivener Reunions

When I was growing up, we lived in a large farmhouse, and since it was the largest space in the extended family, my parents would periodically host a gathering of their respective siblings, nieces and nephews.  So, I was lucky to get to know my many cousins fairly well because of our family reunions. 

I have two pictures from these gatherings of my father’s family in 1969 and 1986.

The photo below shows my Scrivener grandparents, Frank Philip Scrivener Jr. and Elizabeth Dent Scrivener with their children and their spouses. I am sure that dozens of my cousins were also there that day, but the only picture I have is this one of the adults. I notice that most of the women are wearing dresses rather than pants or shorts.

In the back row is Uncle Robert Kent (Bobby) Scrivener and his first wife, Betty Respess. Aunt Louise Carmelite (Reds) Hangarter and her husband Theodore John (T John) Hangarter (who, by the way was a cousin of future president Joe Biden.) Uncle Keene Gwynn Scrivener and his wife Olivia Boyd Raphel.

Seated: John Marshall Dent Scrivener (Uncle Jack) and his wife Betty Gavin. William Boswell Scrivener (Uncle Chick) and his wife Nan Emmerich. Pa and Ma Scrivener. Frank Philip Scrivener III (my dad) and my mom, Anne Theresa Summers Scrivener.

The second picture below is from 1986.  I think this may be the last big Scrivener reunion at my parents’ home.  My grandfather Scrivener died in 1980, and my grandmother Scrivener died a year after this gathering in 1987. Happily, all of my father’s siblings are still around for this picture.

I love all the interactions in this picture, children in arms, on laps and shoulders, arms draped casually over a sibling or spouse's shoulder.  I wonder what set everyone laughing? 

In the back row: Jeff Rogers holding his daughter Meg; Phil Scrivener; Dave Scrivener; Rob Scrivener holding his son Bryan;  Billy Scrivener; young woman with just her hair showing, possibly Teddy Hangarter’s wife, Susan Confer Hangarter; Teddy Hangarter; John Scrivener with his son Brad on his shoulders; Mark Scrivener (?); Michael Scrivener with his niece Jennifer Scrivener on his shoulder;

2nd row: Anne Marie Hinkell Scrivener; Anne Summers Scrivener; Gwynn Scrivener; Peggy Scrivener; Gwynn’s wife, Kathleen Herbert Scrivener; Betty Gavin Scrivener; Audrey Scrivener; Olivia Raphel Scrivener; T. John Hangarter; Kim Gavin Scrivener; Tammy Smith Scrivener; 

Seated: Maripat Scrivener Rogers with Vance Rogers on her lap; Frank Scrivener with Julie Rogers on his lap; Lib Scrivener; Jack Scrivener; Keene Scrivener; Reds Hangarter; Bobby Scrivener; Chick Scrivener; Nan Emmerick Scrivener; 

In front: Dan Rogers; Anne Scrivener Agee; James Agee; maybe Jack Hangarter (?); Matt Agee; Timmy Scrivener 

This was not the whole Scrivener clan in 1986.  I see that my sister Louise is not in the picture and none of Uncle Bobby's children are there.  Nevertheless, it's a pretty good representation and brings back a happy memory of time with my extended family. 

I'm sure that both of these gatherings involved cooking lots of hamburgers and hotdogs on the oil drum grill out back, and maybe some steamed crabs if we were lucky, plus intense games of pitch and poker among the adults on the patio under the shade of a gigantic maple tree.