#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 13 Light a Candle: My Cousins, Maryland's First Bishops

Interestingly enough, I find that I am a cousin to both Maryland's first Episcopal Bishop, Thomas John Claggett and to Maryland's first Catholic bishop, John Carroll. Both men were born in Prince George's County MD, a few years apart. I'm sure that in their long careers of religious service, they lit many candles. 

Bishop Claggett

Thomas John Claggett, the son of the Rev. Samuel Claggett and Elizabeth Gantt, was born 3 October 1743 in Nottingham, Prince George's County MD. Our shared ancestor is Captain Thomas Clagett, my 10X great-grandfather.

Archbishop Carroll

John Carroll, the son of Daniel Carroll and Eleanor Darnall, was born in Upper Marlboro, Prince George's County MD 8 January 1735. Our shared ancestor is Col. Henry Darnall, my 7X great-grandfather.

When Thomas John Claggett's father died in 1756, the young man was placed in the care of his maternal uncle, the Rev. John Eversfield and later attended the Lower Marlboro Academy, founded by Eversfield. At age 17, he entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton) and graduated in 1764. He continued his theological training with Rev. Eversfield for three more years. He was ordained by the Bishop of London in 1767 and upon returning to Maryland, was appointed rector of All Saints Church in Calvert County MD.  While he was in England, he also studied the family history and added the second “g”  to his name to go back to its historical roots. 

In 1773, he married Mary Gantt, the daughter of Captain Edward Gantt and Elizabeth Wheeler.  The Claggetts had three sons--Thomas John, Samuel and Charles--and three daughters--Mary, Elizabeth, and Priscilla. 

The Revolutionary War created tremendous conflicts for Anglican clergy.  Having been ordained in England, they had all taken oaths of loyalty to the king and did not feel they could sign an oath of fidelity to America.  The number of clergy dwindled sharply as many gave up their congregations to return to England, or retired to their estates, or took up teaching instead of ministry. Rev. Claggett avoided the conflict by retiring to his estate in Prince George's County. In 1780, he took up ministry again becoming

the rector of his uncle's parish, St. Paul's in Baden, Prince George's County.  He later became the rector of St. James Parish in Anne Arundel County. In 1810, he became the first rector of the newly founded Trinity Church in Upper Marlboro.

In 1789, unable to get bishops consecrated by the Church of England, American Anglicans formed a new independent church--The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.  Thomas John Claggett was chosen as the first bishop of Maryland in 1792.

Bishop Claggett died at his home in Croom, Prince George's County MD, in 1816 and was originally buried in the family plot there.  In 1898, his remains were removed to the National Cathedral, just being constructed in Washington DC.

Bishop Claggett's epitaph was written by his friend Francis Scott Key:

He ruled the church with firmness and faithfulness

and adorned it by his character.

He left a beloved memory to his wife,

his children and his friends and honored name to his country and the church.

John Carroll was schooled at home by his mother before being sent to a Jesuit school at Bohemia Manor in northeast Maryland. At the age of 13, he was sent to France, along with his cousin, Charles Carroll (signer of the Declaration), to study at the College of St. Omer, founded specifically to educate Catholics after the Protestant Reformation in England under Henry VII. 

Carroll joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1753 at age 18 and was ordained in 1769 at the age of 34. He taught philosophy and theology at St. Omer until, in 1773, the Jesuits were suppressed in Europe, and Carroll returned to Maryland. Because of laws discriminating against Catholics in Maryland, there was no public Catholic Church there.  Carroll worked as a missionary in Maryland and Virginia, making his home with his elderly mother at the family estate.

In 1784, Pope Pius VI appointed John Carroll as "provisional superior of the Missions in the thirteen United States of America."  The Pope did this at least in part because he wanted to please Ambassador Benjamin Franklin, who had warmly recommended Carroll. In 1789, the priests of Maryland petitioned Rome to create a Bishop, and John Carroll was chosen as Bishop of the Diocese of Baltimore, which at the time encompassed most of the Eastern United States. 

One of Bishop Carroll's first concerns was education, and in 1791, he orchestrated the founding of Georgetown College in the newly designated national capital, the District of Columbia. For the training of priests, he likewise organized the nucleus of St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore MD.

In 1806, Bishop Carroll oversaw the construction of the first cathedral in the United States, the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore, working with Benjamin Henry Latrobe on the design.  Carroll laid the cornerstone but did not live to see the cathedral completed. Architecturally, the Basilica is considered Latrobe's masterpiece.

In 1808, Carroll was made Archbishop with jurisdiction over the newly created dioceses of Boston, New York, Bardstown and Philadelphia as well as Baltimore. 

Archbishop Carroll died in Baltimore in 1815 at the age of 80 and was interred at the Basilica in 1824 once it was opened for use. 

Carroll was an early advocate for the use of the vernacular in Catholic liturgy but was unable to get support for this among the hierarchy. 

During his years as head of the American church, the Roman Catholic population grew from 25,000 to 200,000. 

Both of my clerical cousins gave many years of loving service to the spiritual needs of the people of Maryland. I am happy to light this little candle in their memory.

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 48 Troublemaker: Thomas Gerrard and Fendall's Rebellion

Despite being, or perhaps because he was a man of wealth and privilege, my 9X-great grandfather, Dr. Thomas Gerrard, was a troublemaker. 

Thomas Gerrard, son of John Gerrard, came from a well-connected Roman Catholic family in Lancashire, England. Born about 1605, Thomas married Susannah Snow, the daughter of John Snow, in 1629 in Staffordshire England. Susannah's brothers--Abel, Justinian and Marmaduke Snow--were associated with Lord Baltimore in his Maryland enterprise. 

Perhaps due to that connection or other connections within his family, Dr. Gerrard came to Maryland in 1638. (Dr. Gerrard was likely a cousin of Richard Gerrard who came to Maryland aboard the Ark in 1634.)  After several trips back to England, Gerrard eventually settled in the colony with his wife and five children: Justinian, Susan, Frances, Temperance, and Elizabeth. Five more children were born in Maryland.

Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore, chose Dr. Gerrard to aid in developing the manor system in his colony. In 1639, Lord Baltimore erected St. Clements Hundred and appointed Thomas Gerrard as "conservator of our peace" within the Hundred.  He also granted St. Clements Manor to Gerrard, making him one of the largest landowners in the colony. With subsequent additional grants, Gerrard's holdings included some 11,400 acres, extending from the head of St. Clements Bay to the Wicomico River. See map below. [The manor map is based on the research of Peter Himmelheber of St. Mary's County MD, reflecting information from Maryland land records.]

Gerrard was a surgeon and planter by trade.  He manufactured liquors, particularly peach brandy, and was a breeder of fine cattle. He was known as a tough man who frequently quarreled with his neighbors, including the Calvert family. He was sued multiple times for illegally seizing property and refusing payment. At one point, he was taken to court for locking up the Protestant chapel to prevent people from worshipping there. One historian notes that Gerrard "was involved probably in more court actions than any other man of his time." (See what I mean about troublemaker?)

Gerrard also took an active role in politics. In 1643, he was appointed a member of the Provincial Council "for his diligent endeavors for the advancement and prosperity of the colony" and a Judge of the Provincial Court. 

Now, you might think that all this success would make Gerrard a big supporter of the Calverts, and up to a point, you would be right. During the Puritan uprising in 1654 (and it seemed like the Puritans were always planning a good uprising), Gerrard was a captain in Governor William Stone's militia and took part in the battle of Herring Creek where he narrowly escaped execution by the rebels. 

However, the breaking point came in 1659 during what came to be known as "Fendall's Rebellion." Josias Fendall, then Governor of the Province, protested against certain taxes on tobacco imposed by Oliver Cromwell's government in England. (Hmm.  Does this have a familiar ring to it?) The Maryland Assembly issued a declaration of independence, and Governor Fendall proclaimed Maryland a republic, which started the revolt.  The rebels planned their campaign at Thomas Gerrard's manor. (I have to acknowledge that my 8X-great grandfather, John Dent, was also part of this plot. So it seems that I have more than one troublemaker in my ancestry.)

The revolution was short-lived.  In England, Oliver Cromwell's government fell in 1660, and Charles II was restored to throne. The Calverts were back in royal favor, and the "perfidious" plotters were banished.  Dr. Gerrard retired to his estates in Westmoreland County VA (across the Potomac River from St. Mary's County MD). Eventually, after paying a large fine and posting 10,000 pounds of tobacco as collateral for his good behavior, he was pardoned and his Maryland holdings restored, but he was forbidden to hold public office again. 

After the death of his wife, Susannah, in 1666, Dr. Gerrard again moved to his estates in Virginia, where he married the widow Rose Tucker. He had no children from his second marriage. 

In Virginia, Dr. Gerrard was known as part of a "never-to-be-forgotten quartet of bon-vivants" (with Henry Corbin, John Lee, and Isaac Allerton) and joined with his wealthy neighbors in building a huge, shared banqueting hall that was apparently the scene of much "riotous living." 

Gerrard died in Virginia in 1673 but directed that his body be taken back to Maryland and buried next to his first wife. 

None of Gerrard's three sons long survived him.  His daughters--now that is another story for another blog.  Suffice it to say that the trouble-making gene did not stop with Dr. Gerrard. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 24 Last One Standing: Eliza Scrivener Sullivan

 My 3X great-grandfather, John Scrivener, married Eliza Smith Boswell in Nottingham, Prince George's County MD in 1817. I have previously written about John's service in the War of 1812. John and Eliza raised a family of twelve children on their farm near Friendship in Anne Arundel County MD. 

• John Henry 1819-1863 m. Mary Sparrow
• Sarah Jane 1823-1904 m. John Howe Somervell
• Samuel Wesley 1824-1904 m. Elizabeth Chew
• Eliza Anna 1827-1907 m. Luther Owen Sullivan
• William Boswell (my 2X great grandfather) 1828-1895 m. Sally Jane Barber
• Elizabeth Sydney 1829-1863 m. George Washington Welch
• Francis George 1832-1853 unmarried
• James Edward 1834-1870 m. Kate Garner
• Mary Priscilla 1835-1884 m. Stephen Lee Bird
• Maria Louisa (twin) 1838-1875 m. John Poultney Hanson
• Emily Augusta (twin) 1838-1902 m. Charles Culver
• Rose Matilda 1843-1899 m. William Corwin Burgy

My 2X great aunt, Eliza Ann Scrivener Sullivan, was the last surviving child of that large family. 

Eliza was the fourth child of John and Eliza Scrivener, born about 1827 in St. James Parish, Anne Arundel County MD. In 1846, Eliza married Luther Owen Sullivan, a farmer from Fauquier County VA, the son of Owen Sullivan and Molly Craine. 

The 1850 Census shows Eliza and Luther living in Virginia with three children: Mary (3), Owen (1) and Eliza. 

By 1860, the family had moved to the District of Columbia where Luther was working as a clerk. Luther, 45, and Eliza, 28, had five children by then: Mary (12), Luther (10), Ann E. (9), James B. (8), and Emma (2). The youngest child had been born in Washington, the others in Virginia. 

In 1870, Luther, age 60, was working as a claims agent and owned property worth $1200. Four children were living in the household: Lily (20), James (18), Emma (12) and Paul (3).  

Their oldest daughter, Mary Wade Sullivan had married banker James Theodore Howenstein in 1868 and gave the Sullivans their first grandchild, James Howenstein Jr. in 1870. In 1875, Howenstein became the founder of the American Banking Association. 

Their oldest son, Luther Sullivan Jr., was working for his brother-in-law as a bank clerk in St. Louis MO. He married Melida Jacquemin, the daughter of a French flower dealer, in St. Louis in 1873.

In 1880, 67-year-old Luther and 47-year-old Eliza were still living in the District on R Street NW, Luther still working as a claims agent.  Three children lived with them: Lily, a gifted entomological artist about whom I have previously written, Emma (21) and Paul (12). Their son James had moved to St. Louis to join his brother and sister there. He married Lulu Moffett there in 1886.

Luther Owen Sullivan died in the District of Columbia in 1881 and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery. 

Sullivan Plot, Glenwood Cemetery, Washington DC

The 1890 Census (one of the few surviving fragments of that Census) shows the widowed Eliza, age 58, living in the same R Street home in the District with three unmarried children: Ann (Lily), Emma, a music teacher, and Paul, a clerk in the Patent Office.

In 1900, Eliza, age 60 (?), is still living on R Street with her unmarried daughters, Lily and Emma and several boarders.  Her youngest son Paul had married Anna Wilkening in 1899 and was living with his in-laws on Kenyon Street in the District.  He worked as an illustrator. 

Eliza Scrivener Sullivan died at her home on R Street on January 2, 1907 at the age of 80, having outlived all her siblings.  She was buried beside her husband at Glenwood Cemetery. 

Luther and Eliza Sullivan had six children:

Mary Wade Sullivan (1847-1910) married James Theodore Howenstein in 1868, the youngest son of Rev. Peter Howenstein. They had four children: James Theodore 1870; Willis Owen 1872; Herman Rowland 1874; Lillian Louise 1884. Mary and her husband are both buried in Glenwood Cemetery. 

Ann Eliza (Lily) Sullivan (1850-1903) never married.  She worked as an entomological artist for the US Department of Agriculture. She is buried in the Sullivan plot at Glenwood Cemetery.

Luther Owen Sullivan Jr. (1849-1893) worked for his brother-in-law as a bank teller in St. Louis MO. He married Melida Jacquemin in St. Louis in 1873.  They had four children: Melida 1875; Wade Wirthlin 1877; Owen Jacquemin 1879; Arthur 1887. Luther and Melida are buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

James Bailey Sullivan (1853-1918) also worked for his brother-in-law as a bank teller in St. Louis. He married Lulu Moffett there in 1883.  They had no children. James and his wife are also buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

Emma Scrivener Sullivan (1858-1942) never married. She worked as a music teacher and later ran a boarding house on Hobart Street NW in the District.  She is buried in the Sullivan plot at Glenwood Cemetery.

Paul Dunkerman Sullivan (1865-1926) worked as a designer and illustrator.  He married Anna Wilkening, the daughter of German immigrants, in 1899 in the District of Columbia. They had two children: Henriette Wilkening 1901 (who was also an artist); Armin Bendire 1902. Paul and his wife and children are buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Westchester NY.

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 20 Bearded: My Revolutionary War Ancestors

 "Bearded" conjures up images of hirsute men, faces covered with varying degrees of hair. 

My ancestors included many men who fit in this category, as I have previously written here. 

However, the word also has another meaning as a verb: to boldly confront or challenge someone formidable. Using this definition, I want to write about my great-grandfathers who fought in the Revolutionary War, a war that pitted fledgling colonists who often lacked both equipment and training against the army that was considered at the time to be the best fighting force in the world. Definitely a bold challenge.

My research has discovered 13 great-grandfathers who fought with the colonies against the British. Most were Marylanders. I haven't discovered any loyalists as yet. 

AUSTIN, NATHANIEL JR (6X GG), about whom I have previously written. DAR Ancestor #: A003842 Service: SOUTH CAROLINA Rank(s): PATRIOTIC SERVICE, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER Birth: CIRCA 1743 BRUNSWICK CO VIRGINIA Death: POST 2-13-1798 LAURENS CO NINETY-SIX DIST SOUTH CAROLINA Service Source: SC ARCH, ACCTS AUD #208, ROLL #4 Service Description: 1) QUARTERMASTER SGT UNDER CAPT DRURY, MILITIA 2) FURNISHED WAGON, TEAM & DRIVER

Nathaniel, the oldest son of Captain Nathaniel Austin Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Manning, was born in 1743 in London, England. He emigrated to America about 1750 with his parents and two brothers. He married Sara Anderson in South Carolina about 1762 and had ten children with her. He died in 1817 in Laurens County SC.

BARBER, BARNET WHITE (5X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A005815 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): CIVIL SERVICE, PATRIOTIC SERVICE, PRIVATE Birth: CIRCA 1748 ST MARYS CO MARYLAND Death: 5-21-1802 WICOMICO RIVER ST MARYS CO Service Source: CLEMENTS & WRIGHT, MD MIL IN THE REV, P 210; BEITZELL, ST MARYS CO, MD IN THE AMERICAN REV, CAL OF EVENTS, PP 77, 108 Service Description: 1) MILITIA, COL J JORDAN; FURNISHED SUPPLIES, 1780; JUROR, 1781

Barnett White Barber, the son of Edward and Sarah Barber, was born about 1748 in St. Mary's County MD. He married Elizabeth Storey Briscoe about 1775 and had six children with her.  He drowned in the Wicomico River in 1802 at age 54.

BLACKSTONE, NEHEMIAH HERBERT (5X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A010777 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): PATRIOTIC SERVICE Birth: CIRCA 1740 ST MARYS CO MARYLAND Death: ANTE 6-8-1816 ST MARYS CO MARYLAND Service Source: OATH OF ALLEG - CHRONICLES OF ST MARY'S, MO BULL OF ST. MARY'S CO HIST SOC, V 4, JULY 1956, #7 ,P 41; CAL OF MD ST PAPERS, EXEC MISC 1781 BLUE BK V 3 #1047, P 142; ARCH OF MD, V 47, 1781, PP 295-296 Service Description: 1) MADE PRISONER & SUFFERED LOSSES BY 2) DEPREDATION OF THE ENEMY; OATH OF ALLEG.

Nehemiah Herbert Blackistone, the son of John Blackistone and Elizabeth Dent, was born in St. Mary's County MD about 1740.  He married first Mary Cheseldine and had seven children with her.  He married second in 1801 Eleanor Gardiner Hebb and had six children with her. He died in St. Mary's County MD in 1816 at age 76.

COMEGYS, JESSE (5X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A024701 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): LIEUTENANT Birth: 10-30-1749 KENT CO MARYLAND Death: POST 1800 KENT CO MARYLAND Service Source: CLEMENTS & WRIGHT, MD MIL IN THE REV WAR, PP 181,189; ARCH OF MD, VOL 18, P 61; VOL 21, PP 143, 145 Service Description: 1) 2LT, CAPT JOHN WARD VEAZEYS; ALSO PVT, CAPT BROWN, COL GRAVES, 13TH BATT 2) CAPT GEORGE, LCOL THOMPSON, 18TH BATT

Lt. Jesse Comegys, the eighth of twelve children of William Comegys and Ann Cosden, was born in Shrewsbury Parish, Kent County MD, in 1749. He married Mary Everett and had three children with her.  He died in Kent County MD in 1804 at age 54.

DENT, JOHN BREWER (5X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A031975 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): PRIVATE Birth: 5-9-1759 CHARLES CO MARYLAND Death: 4-24-1838 CHARLES CO MARYLAND Service Description: 1) CAPT THOMAS HANSON MARSHALL, 2) CHARLES CO, MILITIA

Captain John Brewer Dent, the youngest son of Benjamin Dent and Susannah Brewer, was born at the family plantation (Dent's Inheritance) in Charles County MD in 1759. He married his cousin, Priscilla Elizabeth Dent in 1785 and had eight children with her. He died in 1838 in Charles County MD at age 79. 

HILL, HENRY (4X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A055745 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): PATRIOTIC SERVICE, CAPTAIN Birth: ANTE 1757 PRINCE GEORGES CO MARYLAND Death: 4-27-1822 PRINCE GEORGES CO MARYLAND Pension Number: *W14907 Service Source: *W14907; BRUMBAUGH, MD RECS: COL, REV, CHURCH, VOL 2, P 297 Service Description: 1) FLYING CAMP, COL MARBURY 2) SIGNED OATH OF FIDELITY

Captain Henry Darnall Hill, Jr., the only son of Henry Darnall Hill and Mary Ann Hoskins, was born in Prince George's County MD about 1755. He was with Gen. Washington at Valley Forge. He married Hester Maxwell Brooke in 1781 and had thirteen children with her. He died in Prince George's County MD in 1832 at age 77.  When Henry's widow made a pension claim in 1840, the US Senate turned her down saying they did not have sufficient evidence of his service, his records having been lost when his house burned down in 1832. 

HILLERY, HENRY (5X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A056197 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): CIVIL SERVICE, PATRIOTIC SERVICE Birth: 2-15-1726 PRINCE GEORGES CO MARYLAND Death: 5- -1783 PRINCE GEORGES CO MARYLAND Service Source: BRUMBAUGH, MD RECS: COL, REV, CHURCH, VOL 2, P 302; BRUMBAUGH & HODGES, REV RECS OF MD, PP 31-32 Service Description: 1) OATH OF ALLEGIANCE, GRAND JUROR, 1780

Lt. Henry Hilleary, the youngest son of Thomas Hilleary and Eleanor Young, was born in 1726 at the Hilleary homestead (Three Sisters) in Prince George's County MD. He married Cassandra Magruder in 1751 and had 14 children with her.  He died in Prince George's County MD in 1783 at the age of 56.

KEENE, BENJAMIN (5X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A063952 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): CAPTAIN Birth: 3-2-1727 DORCHESTER CO MARYLAND Death: 11-25-1797 DORCHESTER CO MARYLAND Service Source: ARCH OF MD, VOL 11, P 258; VOL 21, PP 96, 97 Service Description: 1) 'THE BUCK CO,' LOWER BATT, DORCHESTER CO MIL

Captain Benjamin Keene Jr., the son of Benjamin Keene and Mary Travers, was born in 1727 in Dorchester County MD. He married Nancy Stevens about 1752 and had twelve children with her. He died in Dorchester County MD in 1797 at age 70.

KENT, DANIEL (5X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A065006 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): PATRIOTIC SERVICE, ENSIGN Birth: 8-3-1745 CALVERT CO MARYLAND Death: ANTE 2-24-1804 CALVERT CO MARYLAND Service Source: DAR UNPUBLISHED REV RECS OF MD, GRC 1939, S I, VOL 63, PP 8, 12; CLEMENTS & WRIGHT, MD MIL IN THE REV, P 147 Service Description: 1) CAPT CHARLES WILLIAMSON; OATH OF ALLEGIANCE, CALVERT CO, 1778

Daniel Kent, the only son of Joseph Kent and Ann Rawlings, was born in Calvert County MD in 1754. He married first Sarah Bond. He married second Ann Weems Wheeler and had ten children with her, including Governor Joseph Kent, about whom I have previously written. He died in Calvert County MD in 1802 at age 48. 

SOMERVILLE, ALEXANDER (6X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A107052 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): LIEUTENANT COLONEL Birth: 1734 CALVERT CO MARYLAND Death: 3-22-1783 CALVERT CO MARYLAND

Lt. Col. Alexander Somervell, the youngest son of the immigrant, Dr. James Somervell and Sarah Howe, was born in Calvert County MD in 1734.  He married Rebecca Dawkins in 1759 and had four children with her. In addition to his military service, he served as sheriff of Calvert County and as a member of the legislature. He died in Calvert County MD in 1783 at the age of 48. 

TUBMAN, RICHARD JR (5X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A116571 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): LIEUTENANT Birth: 1752 DORCHESTER CO MARYLAND Death: 8-26-1813 DORCHESTER CO MARYLAND Service Description: 1) CAPT KEENE'S 'BUCKS' CO' 2) CAPT STAPLEFORT'S CO LOWER BATT. Served in the same company with his brother-in-law, Benjamin Keene, above. 

Lt. Richard Tubman Jr./III, the son of Richard Tubman and Sarah Keene, the sister of Benjamin Keene, above, was born in Dorchester County MD in 1752. He married Ann/ Nancy Travers in Dorchester County in 1773 and had eight children with her. He died in Dorchester County MD in 1813 at the age of 61.

WALLACE/WALLIS, FRANCIS (5X GG), about whom I have previously written. DAR Ancestor #: A119886 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): LIEUTENANT Birth: 10-5-1749 KENT CO MARYLAND Death: ANTE 12-17-1787 KENT CO MARYLAND Service Source: CLEMENTS & WRIGHT, MD MIL IN THE REV, PP 176, 179 Service Description: 1) CAPT NATHANIEL COMEGYS, COL DONALDSON YEATES 2) 27TH BATT, KENT CO MILITIA

Francis Wallis, the son of John Wallis and Hannah Bodien, was born in Kent County MD 1749.  He married first Sophia Brooks and had two children with her.  He married second Elizabeth Smith and had one daughter with her.  He died in Kent County MD in 1789 at the age of 40.  Although the Quakers had disowned him for his military service, they did reinstate him later and he is buried in the  burial ground of the Cecil Meeting in Kent County.

YATES, JONATHAN (5X GG) DAR Ancestor #: A129440 Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): CIVIL SERVICE, PATRIOTIC SERVICE, MAJOR Birth: ANTE 1743 CHARLES CO MARYLAND Death: ANTE 12-20-1787 CHARLES CO MARYLAND Service Source: ARCH OF MD, VOL 11, P 206; VOL 21, P 479; VOL 45, P 280; FORCE, AMERICAN ARCH, 4TH SER, VOL 4, PP 1494, 1495; DAR, UNPUBLISHED REV RECS OF MD, S1, VOL 62, P 90; HALL OF RECS COMMISSION, RED BOOK, #4, PART 2, P 234 Service Description: 1) ALSO CAPT, CHARLES CO MILITIA; JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, 1778; 2) SIGNED OATH OF ALLEGIANCE, 1778; PROVIDED CLOTHING, 1778

Major Jonathan Yates, the son of Robert Yates and Ann Gwinn, was born in Charles County MD in 1743. He married Elizabeth Bruce (the sister of Col. William Bruce, about whom I have previously written) and had four children with her. He died in Charles County MD in 1787 at the age of 44. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 19 Bald: My great uncle, Charles the Bald

 As I was researching my ancestry back to Charlemagne, I noticed that many of his descendants acquired nicknames.  Now, Charles the Hammer is not so bad or Louis the Pious.  But Pepin the Short?  Louis the Fat? Charles the Simple? Louis the Stammerer? Charles the Bald? So much more fun than boring numbers like Louis II. Anyway, since the prompt is bald this week, Charles the Bald it is.

Now imagine my surprise when I looked for images of Charles and none of them showed him as bald! This guy is certainly not lacking for hair. And really serious histories refer to him as Charles the Bald.  So what gives? Irony, perhaps? I have not noticed that history writers are really into irony. 

As it turns out, he acquired his nickname for a completely different reason. 

Louis I (AKA Louis the Pious) was the only surviving son of Charlemagne and was co-emperor with him, becoming sole ruler of the Franks after his father's death in 814. 

Charles II (AKA Charles the Bald) was the youngest son of Louis the Pious by his second wife and the grandson of Charlemagne. He was born in the area of Frankfurt, Germany in 823. 

When he came along, his three older brothers were already adults and had been assigned sub-kingdoms by their father. Louis's attempts to assign a sub-kingdom to Charles were unsuccessful, setting off massive discord as the older brothers resisted any attempt to reorganize the empire at their expense. Louis's death in 840 led to outright war among his sons. When the war finally ended in 843, Charles was ruler of the West Franks, essentially the modern country of France. So, Charles was "bald" (i.e. landless) no more. However, he was still stuck with the nickname. 

Family infighting continued throughout Charles' reign. In addition, he also had to fend off raids from the Vikings, to whom he had to pay huge bribes in order to get them to retreat from Paris. He built fortified bridges to protect the city from Viking incursions. 

In 875, Charles became the Holy Roman Emperor, following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps.  In revenge, Charles' cousin Louis the German, who had also wanted the Emperor's crown, invaded and devasted Charles's kingdom. 

Charles died crossing the Alps on his way back to Gaul in October 877. He was eventually buried at the Abbey of St. Denis, near Paris. 

He was succeeded by his son, Louis the Stammerer, (!) his eldest son by his first wife, Ermentrude. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 14 Begins with a Vowel: George Washington Yoxtheimer

 OK.  When I was in school we learned the vowels were A E I O U and sometimes Y.  I am going with the sometimes Y here.  I promised that this year I would try to write more stories about my husband's family so my grandchildren would get that side of their story as well as from my family.  

G.W. Yoxtheimer

So, George Washington Yoxtheimer, my husband's great-grandfather. 

George was born 12 March 1848, the third child and second son of Henry Yoxtheimer and Elizabeth Mayer, in Union County PA. 

The 1850 Census shows 38-year-old Henry, a laborer, and 30-year-old Elizabeth Yoxtheimer in Union Township, Union County PA with their four children: Huldy, Charles, George and Mary. Two other sons, Benjamin and John were born in the 1850's but died young.

George's father died in Snyder County PA in 1857 at the age of 46. 

By the time of the 1860 census, George's family was split.  His mother Elizabeth was working as a domestic and had her young son Benjamin with her. His older sister Hulda was also working as a domestic with another family. Twelve-year-old George was working on the farm of Samuel Brouse in Point Township, Northumberland County. In 1862, George's older brother Charles enlisted in the Union Army where he served as a musician. 

Selinsgrove Missionary Institute 1863

George attended public schools in his town and later the Selinsgrove Institute, also known as the Missionary Institute, founded in 1858 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church and later became Susquehanna University. Although the Institute was intended to train missionaries, the Classics department was much more popular than the Theology department, and it is likely that George studied humanities, arts and sciences in the Classics department. He taught school for a short time, but most of his life was devoted to farming. 

GW and Mary Catherine

Despite attending a Lutheran school, George was a devout Methodist and attended Christ United Methodist Church in Northumberland at least since the 1860's. 

In August 1875, he married Mary Catherine Gibbons in that church. Mary was born in Point Township in 1848, the daughter of Abel Gibbons and Susan Morgan. 

George and Mary Catherine had a son and five daughters:

*James Henry Yoxtheimer 1876-1942. 

James followed his father into farming.  He married Anna Jones in 1897 and had four children with her: Mable, Margaret, Mary and George.

*Susan Yoxtheimer 1878-1953.

Susie married John Kent Young in 1901.  She died in Maryland at the home of her daughter, Mary Katherine Getty. 

*Alverna Yoxtheimer 1879-1942.

Verna married George Ezra Derk in 1900 and had 8 children with him: Mary Catherine, Leon, George, Ralph, Dorothy, Edith, Charlotte, and Paul. 

*Harriet May Yoxtheimer 1881-1963.

Hattie married James Horace Hopewell in 1898 and six children with him: Elmer, Margaret, Mildred, James, Frances, and Marian. 

*Estella Alice Yoxtheimer 1884-1972.

Stella married first in 1907 to John George Brown who died in 1916 in a tragic accident while unloading a coal car. They had a son George.  She married secondly to Milton Adam Noecker in 1918.  They had a son John. 

*Margaret Florence Yoxtheimer 1890-1973 (my husband's grandmother).

Maggie married Charles Edward Orwig, an inspector for the Pennsylvania RR, about whom I have previously written, in 1907. They had eleven children: Margaret, Fay Anna, Sarah Catherine, Charles, John George, Ray Edward, Elizabeth Jane, Dorothy Mae, Robert, Lester, and Shirley Ruth.  The youngest daughter was my husband's mother. 

The photo below shows the Yoxtheimer family about 1910. Margaret is in the lighter color dress in the front center. Stella is seated next to Margaret and leaning on her mother. Hattie is standing in the back next to her mother. 

In addition to managing his farm, George Yoxtheimer took an active role in his town, serving as an elected Supervisor for Point Township and as a school director. 

In 1910, George rented his farm to his son-in-law and retired from Point Township to Northumberland, purchasing a house on Orange Street, shown in the photo below. 

Yoxtheimer/Orwig home Orange Street, Northumberland PA

In 1914, Mary Catherine Gibbons Yoxtheimer died at the age of 66 after contracting pneumonia.  Her obituary notes that she was very active in the Methodist church and took great interest in the work of the Ladies' Aid Society.  She was buried in Riverview Cemetery in Northumberland PA. 

After her mother's death, Margaret and Charles Orwig moved into the house with her father. George's 78-acre farm was sold in 1916. 

The 1920 Census shows George Yoxtheimer living with Margaret and Charles and their four children.  At age 72, he was working as a school janitor.  Celebrating his birthday, the Sunbury Item noted that "Mr. Yoxtheimer enjoys excellent health and is still as actively in the harness as many men considerably his junior." 

He continued to live with the Orwigs until his death in October 1929 at the age of 81. He was buried next to his wife at Riverview Cemetery. His local paper noted that "He is a man who has the thorough respect of all who know him."

In 1943, George's grandson, the Rev. George H. Yoxtheimer, purchased four stained glass windows for the Northumberland Methodist Church to honor his parents and grandparents.  I am working on getting a picture of these windows. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 9 Gone Too Soon: 1748–A Bad Year for the Smith Family

 1748 turned out to be a very bad year for the Smith family of St. Leonard's Creek, Calvert County MD.* Three members of the family died in quick succession in the fall of that year.

Captain Richard Smith, (my 8X great grandfather, about whom I have previously written), had two sons: Richard, by his first wife, Elizabeth Brooke, and Walter, by his second wife, Barbara Morgan.

Walter Smith, born at Richard's plantation at St. Leonard's Creek about 1692, married Alethea Dare, the daughter of Nathaniel Dare and Mary Cleverly, about 1715. Walter and Alethea had five sons and a daughter: John (1715), Walter Jr. (1717), Richard (1720), Charles (1724), Alethea 1731) and Nathaniel (1734). Walter served in the lower house of the Maryland legislature and also as a justice in Calvert County.

Walter Smith Jr. wrote his will on 28 August 1748, leaving his personal estate to his wife, Sarah Young Smith. He asks that his son Walter III be brought up and educated in the Church of England and also mentions that his wife is great with child. He designates his brother Richard to manage the sale of his estate. Three days later, Walter was dead at age 31. So whatever killed him, it must have come swiftly. His daughter, Alethea Smith, was born posthumously on 23 October 1748.

Will of Walter Smith Jr. 1748

His father, Walter Smith Sr., wrote his will on September 1 and mentions his deceased son, Walter. Walter Sr.'s will indicates that he was in great weakness of body, and he too was dead by mid-October at age 56. He leaves his plantation to his wife Alethea and property to his sons Richard, John, Nathaniel and Charles, daughter Alethea Parker and grandson Walter, who is about a year old at the time. 

But death is not finished with the Smith family. Richard Smith, the son of Walter Sr. and brother of Walter Jr., who was the executor of his father's estate, wrote his will 21 September 1748 and died a few days after his father's will was brought for probate in October 1748. Richard was not married and so leaves his property to his brothers John, Nathaniel and Charles and his sister Alethea.  He also mentions his nephew, Walter Smith.  He names his mother as his executor, and she also takes over as executor of his father's estate. 

So, what brought about this rash of deaths in the Smith family? Disease? Coincidence? No one is really sure, but there was an outbreak of smallpox in Maryland and Virginia during this time period, so that is one possibility. 

Sadly, even these three deaths were not the end of the tragic Smith story. 

Walter Smith Sr.'s widow, Alethea, remarried soon after her husband's death to the Rev. George Cook, the Scottish-born rector of Middleham Chapel in Calvert County MD, a widower with seven children. She died under horrible circumstances in 1753, as the story from the Maryland Gazette indicates:

While Rev. Cook was indicted for her murder, the jury found the evidence too circumstantial and did not convict him. 

Peggy Smith Taylor

Just to tie up a few loose ends:

By 1754, the rest of the Walter and Alethea Smith's sons (John, Nathaniel and Charles) were dead, and eight-year-old Walter Smith III became the owner of the St. Leonard's Creek property, which he kept until his death in 1804, when it passed out of the Smith family. Walter married Ann Mackall about 1774, and he and Ann were the parents of first lady, Margaret Mackall (Peggy) Smith Taylor, wife of President Zachary Taylor. 

Coincidently, the Smith property was purchased by my 4X great-grandfather, Captain John Peterson, and remained in his family for four generations.  So, I have double family connections to St. Leonard's Creek. 

*(My thanks to Alex Glass of the Jefferson-Patterson Museum for his excellent analysis of these events, which alerted me to this pattern of death in the Smith family.)

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 12 Membership: The Society of the Cincinnati

The Society of the Cincinnati, the nation's oldest patriotic organization, was founded in 1783 by officers of the Continental Army who served together in the American Revolution. Having been through so much together, including numerous battles and a frigid winter at Valley Forge, the officers did not want to lose touch with their fellows.  

"Companions in virtuous suffering, in danger and in glory; attached to each other by common exertions made in a severe struggle for the attainment of a common object; to part forever they deemed a calamity too affecting to be supported."  Judge Marshall, Life of Washington

Thus, the Society was born, its mission to promote knowledge of America's fight for independence and to promote fellowship among its participants. George Washington served as the Society's first president.

Besides Washington, the original members included just about all the folks that you might associate with the history of the American Revolution: Alexander Hamilton, John Paul Jones, the Marquis de Lafayette, John and Samuel Adams and hundreds of others. 

The society took its name from the ancient Roman hero, Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, an embodiment of civic virtue. Called from his farm to serve the state, Cincinnatus immediately relinquished power and returned to his farm after the crisis, actions which were frequently cited as models of leadership and service to the greater good. The Society's motto reflects that sentiment: "He relinquished everything to save the Republic." 

Gen. Otho Williams

Maryland was among the first states to organize a constituent group, founded in Annapolis in November 1783. General Otho Williams was the first president and there were 65 members in total.
 

Membership in the Society is limited to descendants of Continental Army officers, and while I do not have a direct ancestor who was a member, I do have several great uncles who were founding members of the Maryland Society: 

Colonel William Bruce

Col. Bruce

Col. William Bruce, about whom I have previously written, was the son of Charles Bruce and Jane Yates Bruce of Charles County MD. He joined the First Maryland Regiment in 1776 and was subsequently promoted to Captain and later Lt. Colonel. He and his brother John were part of the famous Maryland 400 brigade who saved Washington's army. William's sister, Elizabeth Bruce, the wife of Jonathan Yates, was my 5X great-grandmother.

Lt. Henry Clements

Lt. Henry Clements, the son of Francis Clements and Elizabeth Sanders of Charles County MD. (My uncle Paul Summers and now my cousin Paul Summers Jr. hold membership in the society through this ancestor.) Henry was born about 1740 in Charles County MD. He received property from his father's 1758 will.  In 1760, his brother Francis left Henry the property he had received from their father and stipulated that Henry was over 21 at the time. Henry received further property from his mother's will in 1771. For his service in the Revolution, Lt. Clements was awarded 200 acres of bounty land in 1790.  Unfortunately, further details about him are scarce.  Henry's sister, Henrietta Clements Dyer, was my 5X great-grandmother. She married Thomas Dyer, the brother of Edward Dyer, below. 

Captain Edward Dyer

Captain Edward Dyer, the son of Patrick Dyer and Comfort Barnes of Prince George's County MD (my 6X great-grandparents), was born in 1719. He married Martha Clements, the aunt of Henry, above, about 1756, and had six children with her: Thomas Dyer, Ann Dyer, Jacob Dyer, Edward Dyer, Elizabeth Dyer, and William Dyer.  He died at his farm near Frederick MD, exact date not known, but before 1790. Edward Dyer was commissioned a Lt. in the Maryland Line in 1778 and later promoted to Captain. He served through the close of the war, retiring from the military in 1783. His widow, Martha, and daughter Elizabeth were awarded bounty land in 1813 in recognition of his service. Edward's brother, Thomas Dyer, was my 5X great-grandfather. 

Captain William Lamar

Gen. Kosciusko

Captain William Lamar, the son of Robert Lamar and Sarah Hall of Prince George's County MD. He was born about 1755 and enlisted in the 7th Maryland Regiment in 1776, where he rose to the rank of Captain.  He was engaged in every important battle fought in the east (Harlem, White Plains, Germantown, etc.) He later fought in the south and made the acquaintance of Polish General Thadeus Kosciusko. Koscuisko, by the way, was also a member of the Society of the Cincinnati.  In the portrait at the left, he is wearing the eagle emblem of the Society. 

Captain Lamar was wounded several times in the war and retired afterward to Alleghany County MD, where he died in 1838. 

His tombstone carries the following inscription:

"In memory of Col. William Lamar, a soldier of the Revolution. At the Tap of the drum in his native State, Maryland, to the standard of his country he flew, nor left until she was acknowledged free and independent among the nations of the earth. At the battles of Harlem Heights, White Plains, Germantown, Monmouth, Staten Island, in the north; at Guilford Court House, Eutaw, Camden, the capture of Fort Mott, Granby, Wateree, and the siege of Ninety-Six in the south, he was present (and actively engaged, and by his coolness, bravery and skill, rendered most signal and important services to the army. At Guilford the desperate charge of the American troops which turned the scale of victory in their favor was ordered at his suggestion, which was communicated to General Greene through Major Anderson, and the plan of firing Fort Mott, which was success-fully adopted, and which occasioned the immediate surrender of that fort by the British, originated exclusively with him. In the disastrous battle of Camden, he was present in the fight and was by the side of De Kalb when that brave officer fell. In the siege of Ninety-Six, the Immortal Kosciusko was his fellow soldier, and served under him for a while. The noble conduct of the brave Pole was the fond theme of his admiration and praise through life. Entering the army at the commencement of the Revolution, he continued in it, engaged in active service until the close of the war. During the contest he made but one visit home. He married early, had sons and daughters, the Children: Sarah Lamar; William Lynch Lamar; Louise Lamar, married Frisby Tilghman; Ann Lamar, married George Tilghman; Richard Lamar and Mary Lamar, married Michael C. Sprigg. Most of whom he lived to see begirt with glowing infancy. Possessing a heart full of kindness and a temper almost proof against anger, he was respected in all the relations of life. He was born in Frederick County, but for thirty years previous to his death he resided in Alleghany, where he died January 9th, 1838, aged 83 years. Also sacred to the memory of Margaret Lamar, his wife. She was beloved and esteemed by all who knew her for the many virtues that adorned her character. She died universally lamented, March 17th, 1821, aged 54 years."

William Lamar married Margaret Worthington in 1784 and had four daughters and two sons with her.  William's brother, Richard Tyler Lamar, who married Anne Drane, was my 4X great-grandfather. 

These four great-uncles represent a proud tradition of service to country. They relinquished everything to save the Republic. 

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 7 Outcast: My cousin, Gen. Jonathan Sellman and the South River Club

The English love their clubs. As 17th-century English writer Joseph Addison noted: "All matters of importance are concerted in a club." One of the earliest and most famous was the Bread Street Club, founded by Sir Walter Raleigh, meeting in the Mermaid Tavern.  Shakespeare and John Donne were among the members. 

The club tradition carried over to the New World where the planters, merchants, clerics and doctors of the Province of Maryland founded the Old South River Club, America's oldest social club, about 1690, when Thomas Gassaway leased a half-acre of ground to the Club for 999 years. Here information about crops, cattle and horses was shared, along with tall tales and neighborhood gossip. Club records show that the club subscribed to several newspapers in order to keep up with what was happening in the colonies.

The original building was destroyed by a fire in 1740, but the "new" clubhouse, dating from 1742, still stands about 8 miles south of Annapolis near the once-bustling port of London Towne. Membership in the club (limited to 25 because that is all the clubhouse could accommodate) is still a highly sought-after prize. So far, all the members have been men.

The club's 25 members met for "fellowship and fulsome discussion," (a tradition that continues to the present day.) Plus a substantial meal.  And that is what got my cousin, Jonathan Sellman, in trouble. (The General and I are related through my 9X great-grandparents: Benois Brasseur and Mary Rickford.)

The Old South River Club

General Jonathan Sellman Jr. was born in 1753 at Woodlawn, the family plantation near the Rhode River in Anne Arundel County MD, the son of Jonathan Sellman and Elizabeth Battee. In June 1776, Jonathan enlisted as a second lieutenant in the 3rd Maryland Battalion of the Flying Camp. He was with the Continental Army at Valley Forge in 1777-78.  In recognition of his courage and gallant conduct, he was presented with a sword by General George Washington. 

Lafayette

After the war, Sellman was made a colonel and later a general of the Maryland militia, in which capacity, he entertained the Marquis de Lafayette on his return visited to American in 1784. He and Lafayette were both original members of the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization founded by General Washington's officers, including several of my great-uncles. 

In 1794, Jonathan married Ann Harwood and had five sons and three daughters with her. 

Sellman portrait
by Charles Willson Peale. 

In 1786, following the death of his father, who was also a member, General Sellman was elected to a coveted membership in the Old South River Club.   Even today, many members are descendants of earlier members although this is not a requirement. 

While the early club met almost weekly to exchange news and gossip of the neighborhood, by 1800 or so, the club was holding four dinner meetings a year, featuring local game and a punch of bourbon, rum, brandy and champagne so powerful it must be diluted 2:1 with water.  Members alternated as the steward, who was responsible for the preparation and delivery of the meal. The meals generally featured such local specialities as wild turkey, deer, duck, oysters, and crabs, as well as mutton, ham, and beef and fruits and vegetables from the member's farm. In other words, a southern Maryland country dinner.

On a cold, snowy day in February 1804, it was General Sellman's turn to act as steward and prepare the meal. A blizzard had blanketed the area with two feet of snow.  The general felt that the weather was too inclement to proceed with the planned dinner and instead sent a servant to say it was too cold for him to appear.  Needless to say, the ten members who had trudged undaunted through the snow, some as far as seven miles, sustained by thoughts of roast turkey and rum punch, were not pleased.  Being a man of honor, General Sellman resigned forthwith after incurring the displeasure of his fellows. 

Meetings might be postponed for circumstances such as "our late and unfortunate civil war," but snow was no excuse. 

Over the years, the South River Club debated such hot topics as whether men should court women or women should court men (religion and politics being forbidden topics).  But one topic was not up for debate: No matter your achievements in life, NEVER, NEVER renege on your obligation to provide dinner for the members! 

I feel certain this is a rule that my family would strongly endorse.