#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.