#52 Ancestors 2024 Week 34 Member of the Club: The Society of the Ark and the Dove

In 1632, King Charles I made a generous grant of nearly nine million acres of land to Cecil Calvert, the son of Charles' faithful servant, George Calvert, Baron Baltimore. He called the grant Maryland, in honor of his queen, Henrietta Maria. On the 22 of November 1633, two ships--the Ark (a 400-ton merchant ship) and the Dove (a 40-ton pinnace)--set sail from the Isle of Wight carrying 140 colonists and their equipment and supplies to the new colony and Province of Maryland.  On the 25th of March 1634, the colonists landed at St. Clements Island on the north shore of the Potomac River where they planted a large cross, and Father Andrew White celebrated Mass in Thanksgiving for their safe arrival. 

And thus was Maryland born. 

Route of the Ark and the Dove

That first landing was later commemorated as "Maryland Day," with band music and patriotic speeches throughout the state.  In 1910, the descendants of those pioneer Marylanders, headed by George Norbert Mackenzie, gathered in Baltimore to found The Society of the Ark and the Dove and honor the important part those early settlers played in the development of Maryland and the United States. 

The Mission Statement of the Society states that its purpose is "to perpetuate the memory of the first families of Maryland and to provide opportunities for fellowship for all those who trace their descent from Lord Baltimore and from those who came on the Ark and the Dove in 1634 to settle the Proprietary Province of Maryland."  The Society encourages research in early Maryland history and supports institutions such as the St. Clement's Island-Potomac River Museum, Historic St. Mary's City, and the Maryland Center for History and Culture (formerly the Maryland Historical Society). 

Along with a number of my cousins, I am a member of the Society, being descended from two of those original Adventurers, as they are known: Governor Leonard Calvert (son of George Calvert, Baron Baltimore) and Governor Thomas Greene. 

Since I have previously written about my 9X-great grandfather, Leonard Calvert, I want to focus here on my ancestry through Governor Greene. As it happens, both my mother and my father are descended from Governor Greene.

Thomas Greene was born about 1609 in Bobbing, Kent, England, the son of Sir Thomas Greene and Lady Margaret Webb. As indicated above, the Catholic Greene was a passenger on the Ark in 1634, and like many of the other passengers was looking for freedom to practice his religion, in addition to the lure of land holding.  On landing in Maryland, Greene married fellow passenger Ann Cox, one of the few women on board. This may even have been the first official marriage in Maryland. Thomas and Ann had two sons--Thomas and Leonard--before Ann's death about 1638.  

Thomas married secondly about 1643 Winifred Seybourne and had two sons with her: Robert and Francis, my 8X-great grandfather. After Greene's death, Winifred married Robert Clarke. 

The map at the left shows Thomas Greene's holding in St. Mary's City although he had other property including a plantation named Bobbing, after his home in England. 

Greene served in the General Assembly from 1637 to 1650. In 1647, on his deathbed, Governor Leonard Calvert appointed Thomas Greene to take over as Governor, an office which he held for a year. 

Thomas Greene died in St. Mary's County in 1652.

Thomas's son Francis, born about 1648, married Elizabeth Giles in Charles County MD. They had children: Leonard, Verlinda, Francis, Clare (my 7X-great grandmother) and Giles, all born at Green's Inheritance. Francis died in Charles County in 1708 leaving a will which named his wife and children. 

Clare Green, born about 1681, married Jacob Clements, and had children with him: Edward, Jacob, Walter, John, Charles, Francis (my 6x-great grandfather), Martha, Clare, Elizabeth and Jane. Jacob Clements died in Charles County MD in 1755, leaving a will.  Clare was still living after Jacob's death. 

Francis Clements, born about 1699, married Elizabeth Sanders about 1720 in Charles County MD. They had children: Henrietta (my 5x-great grandmother), George, John, Francis, Thomas, Henry, Mary, 
Martha, Priscilla, Benedicta and Elizabeth. Francis Clements died in 1758, leaving a will. 

Henrietta Clements, born about 1721 in Charles County MD, married Thomas Dyer, the son of Patrick Dyer and Comfort Barnes, in 1738 in Prince George's County MD. They had children: Edward, Francis Clements (my 4x-great grandfather), Giles Greene, Elizabeth, Jeremiah, Henry, Walter, George, and Thomas. Henrietta Clements Dyer died in Prince George's County MD in 1777.

Francis Clements Dyer, born at Stone Hill in 1746, married Ann Clarkson, the daughter of Thomas Clarkson and Sarah Blandford, in Prince George's County MD in 1774.  They had children: John Ethelred, William Clarkson, Margaretta, James Corbin, Loretta, Maria, Ann Eliza (my 3x-great grandmother on my father’s side), and Sarah Ann (also my 3x-great grandmother on my mother’s side). Francis Clements Dyer died in Prince George's County MD in 1808.

Ann Eliza Dyer, born in 1791, married John Hilleary Gwynn, the son of Bennett Gwynn and Susanna Hilleary, in Prince George's County MD 8 February 1820.  They had children: Susan Ann Maria, Margaret Emily, Bennett Francis, Ann Eliza, Celestia, Harriett Clotilda, John Dyer, and Andrew Jackson (my 2x-great grandfather), about whom I have previously written. Ann Eliza Gwynn Dyer died in 1855. John Hilleary Gwynn died in 1857. Both are buried in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Piscataway, Prince George's County MD.

Sarah Ann Dyer, born in 1793, married John Gwynn Summers, in a double ceremony with her sister on 8 February 1820.  They had children: Anna Maria, John Francis (my 2x-great grandfather), Cecelia Isabella, Christiana, and Priscilla. Sarah Ann Dyer Summers and John Francis Summers both died in Prince George's County in 1873. Both are buried in Old St.Peter's Cemetery in Waldorf, Charles County MD. 

If you would like to consider joining the Society, you can find application information at The Society of the Ark and the Dove.

#52 Ancestors 2024 Week 7 Immigration: Part 2 Immigrant Ancestors Maternal Line

 

In this blog, I am continuing to look at my immigrant ancestors, this time focusing on those from my mother's family. 

1.  Summers

The immigrant ancestor of my Summers family was John Summers, my 7x-great grandfather, who was transported to Maryland from England in 1671.  That probably puts his birth about 1650. By 1672, he was paying ground rent on 120 acres of land called "Pitchcroft" in Calvert County (now Prince George's County), Maryland. A few years later, he married Rebecca (possibly a Dent) and had three children with her: William, John (my 6x-great grandfather), and Sarah. In 1680, John claimed 50 acres of land, having completed his indentured service. John Summers died in Prince George's County MD in November 1705, leaving his estate to his wife, Rebecca and naming his three children in the will. 

2. Gwynn

The immigrant ancestor of this line may have been Hooper Gwynn, my 5x-great grandfather on both my paternal and maternal lines.  He is as far back as I have been able to trace this line.  He was in Prince George's County MD in the 1730's as a School Master and Court Scrivener, indicating that he was an educated man. A man of this name married in Yorkshire, England in 1725.  It's an uncommon name and odds are it is the same person or at least a close relative, but I really can't be sure if the man was born in England (or Wales, since Gwynn is definitely of Welsh origin) or was born in Maryland to immigrant parents.  Hooper Gwinn died in Fairfax County VA about 1759.  He had one son that can be documented: Bennett Gwynn, my 4x-great grandfather on both sides of my family. I have written more about Hooper and the Gwynns here. (With thanks to Effie Gwynn Bowie, Across the Years in Prince George's County.)

3. Hill

The immigrant ancestor of my Hill family was Clement Hill, Jr., my 6x-great grandfather, born 24 February 1670 at Compton Bassett, Wiltshire, England. He came to Maryland in 1693 and stayed with his uncle, Clement Hill Sr., who was a prominent figure in the Province, a member of the Lower House of the Assembly and a member of the Privy Council. In 1696, Clement Hill Jr. married Ann Darnall, the daughter of Col. Henry Darnall. In 1699, he purchased 748 acres of land in Prince George's County MD on the west side of the Patuxent River and built his home there, which he named Compton Bassett, after his home in England. Clement Hill Jr. was the Surveyor General of Maryland. Clement and Ann Hill had five children, including my 5x-great grandfather, Henry Darnall Hill.  Clement Hill died in Prince George's County MD in August 1743. (With thanks to Effie Gwynn Bowie. Across the Years in Prince George's County, Maryland.)

4. Childs

The immigrant ancestor of my Childs line was Henry Childs, my 7x-great grandfather, about whom I have previously written. Henry was born in Amersham, Hertfordshire, England about 1652. He married Ann Ball in 1671 and had ten children with her: Benjamin, Sarah, Mary, Ann, Henry Jr. (my 6x-great grandfather), Ruth, Rachel, Cephas, John, and William.  In 1687, Henry purchased 500 acres of land from William Penn, a fellow Quaker, land which he later gave to his son, Cephas. Henry moved to West River, Anne Arundel County MD where he and his family joined the local Friends Meeting. He died in Anne Arundel County in 1740, leaving his various properties to his children. 

5.  Sasscer

According to family tradition, the Sasscers came from France, but other sources say the Sassers originated in Westphalia/Saxony/Germany and migrated to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066.  The earliest person I have found in my line of Sasscers is Roger John Sarcer/Sasser/Sasscer, my 6x-great grandfather, who may or may not have emigrated from Europe.  A Benjamin Sawcer was found on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1671, but I do not know how or if he is connected to Roger.  Roger John Sasser purchased 300 acres of land in Prince George's County MD called "Sarcer's Green" in 1713, so he was probably born in the late 1600's. He later settled near what is now Brandywine, where he purchased additional land. In 1737, Roger deeded "Sasser's Green" to his son John, my 5x-great grandfather. Roger died in Prince George's County MD in 1752.  (With thanks to Lieze Sasscer Moffett, The Sasscer Family of Maryland.)

6.  Gibbons

The earliest Gibbons ancestor I have found is Thomas Gibbons, my 6x-great grandfather.  Thomas, age 14, was in Charles County MD in 1685 when he was presented in court as a servant to William Barton.  So Thomas was born about 1671.  He may have been born in Maryland, or transported to Maryland by William Barton as an indentured servant.  By 1697, Thomas, a planter, was in Prince George's County MD and purchased 100 acres of "Barton's Hope" from William Barton. In 1704, he made further purchases of "Smith's Green" and "Brookefield" in Prince George's County. By that year, Thomas had married Elizabeth (MNU, but possibly Turner). Thomas and Elizabeth had children: George, Turner (my 5x-great grandfather), Christiana (who married my 5x-great grandfather, John Sasscer), and Thomas. Thomas Gibbons died in Prince George's County in 1711, leaving his various properties to his children. 

7. Wallis

The probable immigrant ancestor of my Wallis line is Henry Wallis, my 8X-great grandfather, born about 1650 in England or Scotland. About 1685, Henry petitioned the Lord Proprietor to obtain title to the tract "Boothbies Fortune" in Kent County MD. He probably died in Kent County MD, or he may have gone back to England.  Unfortunately, no other record has been found for Henry.  Henry's son Samuel Wallis, my 7x-great grandfather, was possibly born in England or Scotland and was said to have come to Maryland about 1700 along with William Comegys, another of my 8x-great grandfathers. Samuel married Anne, the widow of William Pearce in 1703/4 in Cecil County MD. He died in Kent County MD about May 1724 and his estate was administered by his wife, Anne. Samuel was an Episcopalian and longtime vestryman of Shrewsbury Parish.  He served in the lower house of the Maryland legislature and owned considerable property on the Eastern Shore, including Boothbies Fortune, presumably inherited from his father, Henry. He bought several properties jointly with William Comegys. Samuel and Anne had seven children, including my 6x-great grandfather, John Wallis. (With Thanks to Guy Wallis, The Wallis Family of Kent County, Maryland.)

8.  Willson

The immigrant ancestor of this Willson family was John Willson, my 7x-great grandfather, born 10 January 1690 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Willson came to Maryland in 1731 and settled on the Wye River at "Greenwood," along with his wife, Elizabeth, and young son Thomas. Willson was a staunch Catholic and engaged in many business dealings with his wealthy Catholic neighbor, Richard Bennett III, who was considered one of the richest men on the continent. Richard Bennett was godfather to Willson's son, Thomas Bennett Willson, and paid for his medical studies in Edinburgh, starting a line of four generations of doctors in the Willson family.  John Willson died in Queen Anne's County MD about 1728. (With thanks to Thomas Joseph Peterson. Catholics in Colonial Delmarva.)

This exercise has reminded me of the relative scarcity of documents for the 17th and early 18th centuries and how fortunate I am that Maryland has a fairly good collection of probate, court and land records from that period.

#52 Ancestors 2024 Week 7 Immigration: Part 1 Immigrant Ancestors Paternal Line

 

With the theme of immigration, I decided to look at how many of my immigrant ancestors I have been able to identify.  However, since there are a lot of them, I'm breaking it down into sections.  Here, I'm looking at the first eight immigrant ancestors from my father's family.

1. Scrivener

As best I can tell, the immigrant in this line was Richard Scrivener, my 6x-great grandfather.  He was born, probably in England, 2 April 1686.  His marriage to Mary Burck was recorded at St. James Parish in Lothian, Anne Arundel County MD on the 1st of September 1709. The parish register also records the birth of three sons to this couple: John (my 5x-great grandfather), Richard, and William.  Richard Sr. was alive in Anne Arundel County until at least 1753 when he is mentioned in an estate settlement, and was likely a tobacco farmer. As I have written about elsewhere, I have not been able to trace Richard back to his origin in England, but I strongly believe that is where he came from. 

2. Barber

The immigrant ancestor of the Barbers in Maryland was Dr. Luke Barber, my 9x-great grandfather, born 28 February 1615 in Yorkshire, England. Dr. Barber married Elizabeth Younge in 1641 in Yorkshire.  At one time, he worked for Oliver Cromwell, probably serving as a physician or surgeon in the Lord Protector's army.  He came to Maryland in 1654 aboard the Golden Fortune, and settled in St. Mary's County in southern Maryland. He was a zealous friend of Lord Baltimore and served as a member of the Assembly, a Justice of the Provincial Court, and Deputy Governor. He died in St. Mary's County about 1674, leaving his home plantation, Lukeland/Luckland, to his son Edward, my 8x-great grandfather. Dr. Barber had children: Luke, Elizabeth (8x-great grandmother), Mary, Edward (8x-great grandfather), Thomas, and Ann. (With thanks to Robert Barnes, British Roots of Maryland Families II.)

3. Gwynn

The immigrant ancestor of this line may have been Hooper Gwynn, my 5x-great grandfather on both my paternal and maternal lines.  He is as far back as I have been able to trace this line.  He was in Prince George's County MD in the 1730's as a School Master and Court Scrivener, indicating that he was an educated man. A man of this name married in Yorkshire, England in 1725.  It's an uncommon name and odds are it is the same person or at least a close relative, but I really can't be sure if the man was born in England (or Wales, since Gwynn is definitely of Welsh origin) or was born in Maryland to immigrant parents.  Hooper Gwinn died in Fairfax County VA about 1759.  He had one son that can be documented: Bennett Gwynn, my 4x-great grandfather on both sides of my family. I have written more about Hooper and the Gwynns here. (With thanks to Effie Gwynn Bowie, Across the Years in Prince George's County.)

4. Keene

The immigrant ancestor of the Keenes in Maryland was Richard Keene, my 8x-great grandfather, born 7 December 1628 in Worplesdon, Surrey, England. Richard arrived in Maryland in 1653 with his brothers, Henry and Edward. He was a Quaker and was fined for refusing to train for military service. He was a close friend of Maryland's Governor, Charles Calvert and a large landowner, with over 10,000 acres on both sides of the Patuxent River. (Possibly these two facts are connected?)  His principal estate was St. Richard's Manor in St. Mary's County, where Lord Baltimore's Council frequently met. Richard married Mary, the widow of John Hodgkin shortly after he came to Maryland.  They had two sons: Richard and John, my 7x-great grandfather.  Richard Keene died in 1675 in Calvert County MD. 

5. Dent

The immigrant ancestor of this line of the Dents was Captain John Dent, my 8x-great grandfather, born in Yorkshire, England about 1635. He emigrated to Maryland about 1661 and married Mary Hatch shortly after his arrival in the colony. There is some evidence that he had an earlier wife in England and children there. He inherited land in Charles County MD from his uncle Thomas Dent, but eventually resided in the northern portion of St. Mary's County near Charlotte Hall. He was appointed Captain of the Chaptico Hundred in 1689 and served for some years as Justice of the Peace.  Like some of my other great-grandfathers, he was involved with Josias Fendall's rebellion against Lord Baltimore. (I’m looking at you, Thomas Gerrard!) John Dent had children (some with Mary Hatch): Peter, Michael, John, my 7x-great grandfather, George, Mary, Lydia, Anne, Abigail and Christian.  Captain Dent died in St. Mary's County MD about 1712, leaving tracts of land to each of his children. (With thanks to Harry Wright Newman, Charles County Gentry.)

6. Wright

I haven’t found the immigrant ancestor for my Wright line. The earliest Wright I have found is Littleberry Wright, my 4x-great grandfather. The 1860 Census puts him in Newnan GA, next door to his son, attorney William Wright, my 3x-great grandfather. The census says he is 60 years old at that point, born in South Carolina. He probably met his wife Henrietta Austin there and moved to Georgia with her family. He subsequently won two lots in the Georgia Land Lottery. He is found in the 1830 Census of Harris County GA, aged 30-39, along with 3 young boys, 2 young girls, a woman aged 30-39 and 6 slaves. His property in Harris County was sold to pay his debts in 1833. Henrietta filed for divorce in 1835, apparently on grounds of abandonment.  I haven't found Littleberry again until the 1860 Census, so I'm not sure if he stayed in Georgia.  I also haven't found a death or probate record for him in Georgia.  So, dead-end on this for now. 

7. Turner

I have a candidate for the immigrant Turner ancestor, but not a solid trail.  I believe the immigrant was William Turner, my probable 9x-great grandfather, who settled around St. Leonard's Creek in Calvert County about 1650. He probably came from England. He died in Calvert County MD about 1663. He left a will that named his children: Eldest son William, Edward, and Richard, all receiving land along the Choptank River (Dorchester County) and daughter Jane, wife of Stephen Clifton.  No wife is named, so I assume she is dead at this point. The reason I connect him to my line of Turners is because the family stayed around the St. Leonard's Creek area. William Turner Jr., who was of age in 1663, died in 1719 in Calvert County.  William's son, John, called John of St. Leonard's, predeceased his father about 1716. His will names his wife Johanna and sons John, Thomas, Gideon who are not yet of age. After that I can trace the Turners pretty clearly in my line. So, for now, I'm going with this rather tenuous thread of location/land ownership.  Calvert County having lost most records to several courthouse fires, it is hard to turn up more evidence. 

8. Somervell

The immigrant ancestor of this line was Dr. James Somervell, about whom I have previously written. Dr. Somervell, my 7x-great grandfather, was born 20 February 1688 in Ayershire, Scotland. He studied at the University of Edinburgh and was captured at the Battle of Preston and exiled to America. He prospered in the new world, married Sarah Howe in 1722 and had children with her: Rebecca, John, James and Alexander, my 6x-great grandfather, about whom I have written previously. Dr. Somervell served as a Justice of Calvert County and as the Sheriff.  He died in Calvert County in 1750. 

On the whole, then, I have done pretty well at identifying the immigrant ancestors for this section of my family tree. Four immigrants are very well documented since they were prominent land owners and active in provincial politics.  They knew and interacted with other ancestors of mine. Only one complete dead end, one kind of tenuous tie, and two open-ended connections back to England. I'm probably lucky that so many of these immigrants landed in Maryland and knew and interacted with each other, making connections somewhat easier to find. 

#52 Ancestors 2024 Week 33 Favorite Discovery: Hooper Gwynn, My maternal and paternal great-grandfather

 

Hooper Gwynn

Susanna Hilleary-----                           Bennett Gwynn                       -----Mary Belt

John Hilleary Gwynn—Ann Eliza Dyer                        Thomas Belt Gwynn—Eliza Ann Gardiner

Andrew Jackson Gwynn—Louise Keene                     Ann Eliza Gwynn—John Francis Summers

Louise Carmelite Gwynn—FP Scrivener                     John Kostka Summers—Regina Ann Hill

Frank Phillip Scrivener Jr.—Elizabeth Dent                 Paul Francis Summers—Evalina Sasscer

Frank Phillip Scrivener III                    -----                  Anne Theresa Summers

My 5X-Great Grandfather, Hooper Gwynn (also Gwinn/Gwin), has the distinction of being my grandfather through both my father’s and my mother’s family. See the chart above.

Grandfather Hooper is somewhat of a mystery man since I haven’t really been able to trace his family further back.  There is a marriage record in St. Peter’s Parish, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, for a marriage between Hooper Gwin and Martha Wainman on the 27^th of June, 1725.  Given that Hooper Gwin is a fairly unusual name, most researchers have assumed that this is the same man who later shows up in Maryland.  The further assumptions are that Hooper was born in England or possibly Wales, since Gwynn is of Welsh origin, and that he was probably born in the early 1700’s if he married in his early 20’s. Of course, no one has shown any evidence for these assumptions, and they could be wrong. Other researchers think Hooper Gwynn was born in Maryland and the Hooper Gwin in Leeds is a relative (father, uncle cousin). Either way, I don't know who Hooper's parents were, but there is likely a Welsh origin in there somewhere. 

In any case, by 1736, Hooper Gwynn was in Prince George’s County, Maryland, as a School Master and later as the Scrivener to the Court, indicating he was an educated man who could read and write. Other records show him with “a wife” but do not give her name, so it may or may not be Martha.

In 1743, Hooper Gwynn witnessed a mortgage between Humphrey Hasseldine and John Hepburn of Prince George’s County MD and later witnessed the wills of John Mawdesley (1748) and Richard Clagett (1752) in the same county.

Given his name and location, you might expect to find Hooper Gwynn connected to the Hooper family who settled in Calvert County MD in the 1650's and later moved across the Chesapeake Bay to Dorchester County (a short boat ride, keeping in mind there was no Chesapeake Bay Bridge). This is further reinforced by that fact that Richard Clagett, whose will was witnessed by Hooper Gwynn, was the son of Mary (MNU), the widow of Richard Hooper (d. 1672 in Dorchester County), who married Capt. Thomas Clagett as her second husband. However, I have not been able to find any definitive connection between Hooper Gwynn and any other Hoopers.  Doesn't mean there isn't a connection, just that I don't have any evidence of it.

Hooper Gwynn apparently moved from Prince George’s County to Fairfax VA where probate records for him appear in 1759, an administrative bond and an inventory, but not, alas, a will. His administratrix was Ann Gwinn, who may have been his surviving widow.

Hooper Gwynn had at least one son who has a proven connection to him: Bennett Gwynn, my 4X-great grandfather.  In 1777, Bennett Gwinn, the son of Hooper Gwinn, deceased, age 19, comes into court in Prince George’s County MD and chooses Thomas Hagan as his guardian. Thomas Hagan accepts the guardianship, and Bennett’s estate is delivered over to Thomas who gives a bond for four hundred pounds. (With thanks to my redoubtable great-aunt, Effie Gwynn Bowie, who ferreted out that document when she published Across the Years in Prince George's County, her genealogical magnum opus.)

This record puts Bennett Gwynn’s birth at about 1758 or shortly before Hooper Gwynn’s death in 1759. It is not clear why Bennett is choosing a guardian in 1777, but possibly it is because his mother had died and he is not yet legally of age (21). He is possibly the son of the Ann Gwinn who administered Hooper Gwinn’s estate in Fairfax, and his name, Bennett, may suggest his mother’s family, but I do not have evidence for that. 

Thomas Hagan was possibly/probably Bennett’s brother-in-law, having married his older sister Grace Gwynn.  A brother, Thomas Gwynn, born about 1755 (and therefore of age by 1777 and not needing to choose a guardian) migrated from Maryland to Nelson County KY about 1790 along with a wife and a number of children.  Thomas Gwynn was instrumental in spreading Catholicism in Kentucky, but that is the subject for another blog. Thomas Gwynn died in Bardstown KY in 1835.

Bennett Gwynn was living in Prince George’s County in the 1790 Census, in a household of 5 white males over age 16.  It is not clear if they are related to Bennett, sons of his brother perhaps? or farm workers who lived there.  There are no slaves shown in the household.

In 1795, 37-year-old Bennett married his first wife, Mary Belt, the daughter of John Belt and Diana Lane. They had one child—Thomas Belt Gwynn, my 3X-great grandfather on my mother’s side.  Mary Belt Gwynn died shortly after the birth of her son.

Bennett Gwynn married secondly in 1797 Susannah Hilleary, the daughter of Henry Hilleary and Cassandra Magruder. They had three children: John Hilleary Gwynn (1797), my 3X-great grandfather on my father’s side; William Henry Gwynn (1800), and Anne Gwynn (1801).  Susannah Hilleary Gwynn died about 1806.

Bennett Gwynn married for the third time in 1807 to Rebecca Edelen, the daughter of Richard Edelen. They had no children.  Rebecca Edelen Gwynn died in 1818.

In 1815, Bennett Gwynn administered the estate of his erstwhile guardian, Thomas Hagan, and later purchased part of Hickory Plains from his son, Leonard Hagan.

Bennett Gwynn married for the fourth time in 1819 to Ann Theresa Elder, widow of Ignatius Boone. There were no children from this marriage. Ann Theresa Gwynn died in 1848 at age 90 at Mt. St. Joseph’s convent in Emmitsburg, having outlived her husband by many years. 

Bennett Gwynn spent his married life, raised his family, died and is buried at his estate at Hickory Plains in Prince George’s County. He was a devout Catholic.

Bennett Gwynn died at his home on May 29, 1826.  His son William, who had married his step-sister, Rosella Boone, administered his estate and inherited the Hickory Plains plantation.  Thomas Belt Gwynn inherited the plantation at Locust Grove. John Hilleary Gwynn inherited Marlowe’s Resurvey which bordered the property of his friend, John Francis Summers.

The map below shows William Gwynn’s property in 1861 in the Piscataway District of Prince George's County, underlined in red at the lower center section. 

 

#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 2 Favorite Find: The Gwynn Sisters and the Salmagundi Club

 The Salmagundi Club, a bi-weekly event held at the homes of members in and around Upper Marlboro, provides a fascinating insight into the social life of that community in the mid-1890's. The Prince George's Enquirer provided regular reports of the activities at the meetings where my paternal great-grandmother, Louise Gwynn, and her sister, Effie Gwynn Bowie, were frequent attendees and often provided musical performances or recitations as part of the entertainment.  Some of my Sasscer relations from my mother's side of the family were also members of this club. Clagetts, Hills, Wilsons, Bowies and Beales were frequent attendees of Salmagundi meetings. This was how people amused themselves before radio, television or the internet. 

The picture below is not from Prince George's County, but I think it gives a flavor of what the gatherings would have been like. 

My great-aunt, Effie Augusta Gwynn, married Richmond Irving Bowie in 1894 and settled down in Prince George's County among her paternal relatives. Her as-yet-unmarried sister, Louise Gwynn, was a frequent visitor while she was attending school at Mount Saint Agnes in Baltimore. The third sister, Mary Gwynn, visited from time to time when she also attended Mount Saint Agnes and occasionally showed up at the Salmagundi Club. 

The picture below shows the three sisters. (Louise is on the right, Effie in the center, Mary on the left.)

The Gwynn Sisters

Salmagundi (in case you are curious, as I was) is a dish with chopped meat, eggs, onions and spices. But secondarily, it also connotes a general mixture or a miscellaneous collection. Each meeting of the Salmagundi Club included a variety of different activities, hence the name. Here is an example from October 1897 where Aunt Effie was the hostess:

The meeting of the “Salmagundi" at Mrs. R. Irving Bowie’s last Wednesday was delightful in every detail and the attendance unusually large. Sir Walter Scott was the topic for the occasion and Mrs. C. V. A. Clagett read an interesting sketch of his life. Mrs. Thomas Clagett, of “Keokuk,” read a selection from the Lady of the Lake. Mrs. Julia Hall Osborn gave a selection from Marmion. Miss Sophie Clagett read from Ivanhoe, this supplemented by music from Miss Mary Beale and the hostess completed the interesting program. 

On another occasion, there was a "Geographical Assembly" where participants were encouraged to "in some way, either by arrangement or decoration of dress" suggest some familiar geographical name. I certainly wish I had pictures of that particular meeting.

The activities usually included literary readings or book reviews as well as descriptions of current events, such as the building of a wonderful new bridge from New Jersey to New York or an account of Dr. Hansen's polar expedition.  

And, of course, there was food or "delightful collations," as the newspaper often described them. (Again, not an actual picture from Prince George's County, but it is suggestive of the vibe.)

In addition to readings and musical recitals, the meetings usually included some kind of game where the participants competed for a prize. 

Slips of paper with the word “Salmagundi" written across the top were then handed around by the hostess and ten minutes allowed in which to write out the words to be made from it. The contest was most exciting, pencils flew apace until the time was up and Mrs. C. V. A. Clagett had fifty-three words on her list and won the pretty fancy plate given as a prize. (September 1896)

In October 1896, there was an especially elaborate "Salmagundi Party." 

The usual literary program was omitted and instead there was a “Salmagundi Party.” Four small tables had been placed in the room. On the first lay a pack of cards for euchre, on the second were twenty-five pictures of noted men and women cut from illustrated papers—authors. musicians, statesmen, etc. It was the object of the four players seated at this table to guess the names of these famous people and write them on sheets of paper provided for the purpose. 

On table No. 3 were papers—one for each of the four players -containing the names of characters from well-known books. The names of the works from which these characters were taken were to be written on pieces of paper, with the name of the player on the back of each. On the fourth table was a spool of cotton and four small trays each containing ten needles, the one who could first get the ten needles on a thread, tying a knot after each, would be declared winner. 

Little bells on bright ribbons were provided for the successful players, and as much time as it took to bring to an end the game of Euchre at table No. 1 was allotted to the others for the performance of their tasks. A bell was rung, and everyone would move either up or down the line to some table to which they had not been before. 

When everyone present had played at all the tables, the prizes were given. The first, a China Pin tray, to Miss Sophie Clagett, and the Consolation Prize, a glass dish filled with roses, to Mrs. Osborn. 

The refreshments were then served: coffee and sandwiches, chocolate and a “Salmagundi Cake" of four layers, one brown, one pink, one white and one yellow, with different fillings between each layer, and iced with pink icing, sprinkled with grated cocoanut. It was pronounced delicious. Several new members were admitted.

One of the surprises for me in discovering this club was the musical ability of the Gwynn sisters, a talent I had not previously realized. For example, in 1894, The Enquirer gave a detailed review of a concert featuring the Gwynn sisters:

A Musical Treat. 

The guests who were present at "Norburn," the beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. R. Irving Bowie, last Thursday evening, enjoyed a rare musical treat, and participated in one of the most enjoyable social events of the season. The musical accomplishments of the charming young hostess are well known in this community, but all were given a delightful surprise in the rich melodious voice of her sister. Miss Louisa C. Gwynn. of Spartanburg, South Carolina. After the musicale the guests were served with an elegant collation, which reflected in every appointment the taste and skill of the accomplished young hostess. 

There followed a list of the program, which included

*Queen of the Night, vocal duet - Mrs. R. Irving Bowie and Miss Louisa C. Gwynn.

*Lucrezia Borgia, instrumental solo, Mrs. R. Irving Bowie. 

*Piano and Banjo duet —Mrs. Win. G. Brooke and Miss Mary L. Wilson. 

*Radiense. instrumental duet —Mrs. R. Irving Bowie and Miss Louise C. Gwynn. 

*Kiss and lets make up, vocal solo—-Miss Louise C. Gwynn. 

Personally, I am intrigued at the thought of a piano and banjo duet, a combination I don't think I have ever heard. Also it challenges my imagination to visualize my great-grandmother performing that last number.

Often the programs included original poetry, and I will conclude with a poem written specifically to celebrate Salmagundi and the new year of 1897.

#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 31 Help: Andrew Jackson Gwynn at the Battle of Gettysburg

 I have known for some time that my 2X-great-grandfather, Andrew Jackson Gwynn, served in the Confederate army during the Civil War, but I had not filled in the details of his service, so I am taking the opportunity to do that now.

Andrew Jackson Gwynn, the son of John Hilleary Gwynn and Ann Eliza Dyer, was born in Piscataway, Prince George's County MD, 24 November 1836, the youngest of their eight children. The family property was known as Pleasant Springs. According to AJ's daughter, Effie Gwynn Bowie, it was a large two-story and attic house with piazza's latticed at the ends and covered with running roses. John Hilleary Gwynn was a slaveholder; the 1850 Census shows 18 enslaved people on his property. 

When John Hilleary Gwynn died in 1857, he left the Pleasant Springs house to his son Andrew, with the proviso that his two widowed daughters, Margaret Emily Edelen and Susan Heiskell, as well as his single daughter, Ann Eliza Gwynn, should continue to live at the family home. 

The map below shows the Piscataway area about 1861.  Several Gwynn properties are identified as well as the local Catholic Church.  The Gwynns were devout Catholics and John H. left money in his will for a pew at St. Mary's in Piscataway. 

In the 1860 Census, Andrew, age 25, has his sister Susan, his nephew Willie Heiskell, and his sister Ann in his household. Unfortunately, Andrew did not long enjoy the Pleasant Springs home. Shortly after this census, Pleasant Springs burned down, supposedly set on fire by a disgruntled servant who had been bribed by a Union officer to do it. (This according to Effie Gwynn Bowie, that fount of family history and gossip.) Aunt Effie tells us that a Confederate spy had been found in the house, but escaped the Union soldiers, who, in turn, burned down the house in revenge using that servant, who supposedly confessed to the crime on her deathbed. 

In any case, the house was destroyed by fire about 1862.  Susan Gwynn Heiskell built a small house on the estate and lived there until her death.  Ann Eliza Gwynn entered the Sisters of Mercy convent in Baltimore, becoming Sister Mary Augusta. Margaret Gwynn Edelen moved to Baltimore where she lived with her widowed sister Celestia Gwynn Belt. I have told their stories elsewhere. 

So, with his inheritance pretty much destroyed, AJ decided to join the Confederate Army.  Maryland being officially a Union state, he headed for Richmond VA where he enlisted as a private in the 2nd Maryland Infantry on August 26, 1862. (Even though they were in Virginia, the members of this battalion were Marylanders.) By October 1862, he had been promoted to Captain. 

I have no letters or diaries or other documents from Grandfather Gwynn that explain his feelings about the war or his decision to fight for the Confederacy.  Certainly, many other Maryland young men took the same path, including my 2X-great-grandfather, John Marshall Dent.  But I have to think that if the story of the Pleasant Springs fire is true, that may have influenced his decision along with any other factors. 

The 2nd Maryland Infantry was assigned to General George Hume Steuart, and spent the winter of 1862-63 in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, without seeing much action. Few of the men were equipped with tents and according to Captain Goldsborough, who chronicled the history of this battalion, "it was no unusual thing to see several hundred men arise from a covering of a foot of snow that had fallen during the night." 

In the summer of 1863, the battalion was joined up to General Richard Ewell's 2nd Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia and began to advance into Maryland. The Marylanders were apparently jubilant to be returning to their home soil.  General Steuart is said to have jumped down from his horse, kissed the ground and began whistling Maryland, My Maryland.

 "We loved Maryland, we felt that she was in bondage against her will, and we burned with desire to have a part in liberating her."--General Steuart

In June 1863, 2nd MD fought fairly successfully at Winchester VA before heading north to Gettysburg PA, arriving late in the afternoon of July 1. They took a position at the far edge of the Confederate left at the foot of Culp's Hill, exhausted after a 130-mile forced march. 

On July 2, the Confederate troops attacked the hill and were able to hold the lower part until the next day, when they saw the full strength of the Union position.  Union artillery cut down the Confederate troops in an area referred to as "the slaughter pen," the casualties being so severe that General Steuart is said to have broken down and wept at the losses. Steuart's brigade lost between a half and two thirds of its men.  Andrew Jackson Gwynn was wounded in this battle, a bayonet wound through the thigh, and carried the physical scars for the rest of his life. 

According to his military records, Captain Gwynn fought in several other battles after Gettysburg and was wounded several more times. He stayed with the Army through the end of the War, being paroled in Greensboro NC in April 1865. 

After the War, AJ Gwynn married Marie Louise Keene, the daughter of Benjamin Gaither Keene of Dorchester County MD.  They were married at the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore MD on January 8, 1868. I believe the picture at the right is their wedding picture.

AJ Gwynn worked as a travelling salesman for a New York import house. The couple made their home first in Baltimore and for a time in Brooklyn NY (where my great-grandmother was born), but eventually they settled their family in Spartanburg SC where they raised their six children. Captain Gwynn was a leader in the social and commercial life of that community, at one time serving on the City Council. He and his wife were largely responsible for building a Catholic Church in Spartanburg. 

He died in Spartanburg in August 1908 and is buried there next to Marie Louise, who died in 1913. 

#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 28 Characters: Cousin Carmelite

Carmelite Edelen Hubbard was a cousin of my grandfather, whom she always referred to as "Francis," even though he was Frank to everyone else, except his mother. She was born in 1890 in Prince George's County MD, the daughter of Alexander Walter (Sandy) Edelen and Mary Agnes (Mamie) Thompson. She had an older brother and sister.

When I knew her, she was in her 70's and was definitely considered the family character.  She
kept her hair a strawberry blond color (similar to the natural color of many of the Scriveners, an inheritance we share with her from our common Gwynn family ancestors, I think). 

The picture above shows her sometime in the 1960's at a family gathering at my parents' home with my grandfather, who was her only living relative.

Cousin Carmelite, as I knew her, was a hard-drinking, poker-playing old lady who was a fixture at all family gatherings. As a poker player, she was ruthless; she might as well have been wearing one of those green eyeshades.  "Elizabeth," she would say, addressing my grandmother, "I've known you for a long time, and we're friends, but I'm just going to have to raise you because I have to see what cards you are holding." 

She had a fox fur stole that I vividly remember and loved to hang out at Pimlico betting the ponies. She often dragooned my grandmother to go with her. Apparently, she spent considerable time studying the horses and was quite good at picking the winners.  

She drove a rather unreliable rattletrap car and would often call on "Francis" to come and start it for her or to deal with the disgruntled folks in whose cars she had created "just a small dent."

She used to brag constantly about the all the "fabulously wealthy and beautifully connected" people she knew. She owned a house in Bolton Hill in Baltimore, an inheritance from her grandmother, Margaret Emily Gwynn, with whom Carmelite lived as a young girl.   She converted it into three apartments, living in one herself and renting the other two floors.  She lived on the second floor because she considered that the safest location. 

My grandfather sometimes filled in a little of her history.  She had worked as a public stenographer at the Emerson Hotel (a job, I later learned, from which she was eventually fired because she liked to sneak off and head out to the racetrack). 

She was also a private secretary to a wealthy stockbroker whom she had apparently entertained secret hopes of marrying. In 1919, however, she ran off to Delaware and married John Ennals Hubbard, a lawyer from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, but kept the marriage a secret from her employer. Ironically, the man actually did ask her to marry him, but then of course she had to turn him down.  When I knew her, though, John Hubbard was long dead. 

So that was what I knew of Cousin Carmelite when I was a child.  She was an eccentric old lady that showed up regularly at family gatherings.  It was not until much later, when I started researching family history, that I realized that the eccentric old lady had actually suffered much tragedy in her life, and I admired my grandfather for his steadfast loyalty to his cousin.

To begin, Carmelite was orphaned at a young age. Her mother died in 1901 when Carmelite was eleven and with her father and sister, she moved to Baltimore to live with her widowed paternal grandmother, Margaret Gwynn Edelen, and great aunt, Celestia Gwynn Belt (the sisters of my 2X great grandfather, Andrew Jackson Gwynn). Margaret Edelen had suffered her own tragedy when she was widowed barely a year after her marriage.  Her husband, Walter Edelen accidently shot himself, leaving Margaret with an infant son, Carmelite's father.

While she lived in Baltimore, Carmelite attended Visitation Academy. At the 1904 graduation exercises, James Cardinal Gibbons warned the young ladies about the dangers of reading novels and then handed out awards including two to Carmelite: one for excellence in Christian Doctrine and one for her perfect attendance. 

In 1906, her father committed suicide, shooting himself in the head in the family home. (It should be noted that Sandy Edelen himself was orphaned at a very young age when his father, Walter Edelen, accidently shot himself.)

In 1915, tragedy struck again, as the Edelen house caught fire and Aunt Celestia burned to death (a story I have told elsewhere).  It was Carmelite, according to the news story, who realized the house was on fire and roused her grandmother and sister to escape.  They could not help Celestia. 

After the fire, the three women went to stay with my great-grandmother, Louise Gwynn Scrivener, who was Margaret and Celestia's niece and lived nearby. There Carmelite met Louise's son, her cousin Frank Scrivener, about 15 at the time, and began a life-long connection to him. 

In 1920, just a few days short of her 100th birthday, Carmelite's grandmother, Margaret Edelen, died at the home in Bolton Street that she shared with her two granddaughters. 

In 1932, Carmelite's husband, John Hubbard, died at the Bolton Street house of an overdose of Veronal. She and John had no children.

Carmelite's sister, Mary Agnes, died, unmarried, in 1936.  

So, by 1940, the widowed Carmelite lived alone in the house on Bolton Street, where she stayed for the next forty years. Her brother, Alexander, lived in the western US and died in New Mexico in 1967. 

Cousin Carmelite died in Baltimore in 1981, at the age of 90. She left the house on Bolton Street and her life savings to her cousin, "Francis." She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery near her husband. 

As I now know, that tough old lady had been through a great deal in her life and was probably very lonely.  It makes me sad when I see that her deceased cousin (My grandfather had died a few months earlier.) was the only person mentioned in her obituary. I'm glad that my grandfather looked out for her, however annoying she might have been for him, and I hope that she truly did enjoy the times she spent with our boisterous family. 

Telling this story about her reminds me, yet again, that there is no one who is not in need of our kindness, however tough they may look from the outside. 

#52 Ancestors Week 35 Unforgettable: Effie Gwynn Bowie, The Chronicler of Prince George's County

My great-aunt, Effie Gwynn Bowie, like her sister, my great-grandmother, Louise Gwynn Scrivener, loved family history and she made that love very concrete in her landmark work,  Across the Years in Prince George's County.

Effie Augusta Gwynn, the oldest child of Andrew Jackson Gwynn and Marie Louise Keene, was born in Baltimore MD 20 February 1869 and baptized in Baltimore's Cathedral of the Assumption where her parents had been married a year earlier. At the age of 8, although her family was living in Spartanburg SC, Effie was sent to Mount St. Agnes In Baltimore MD  to study with the Sisters of Mercy, where her aunt, Sr. Mary Augustine, was the mother superior.  Since her family was so far away, Effie often spent the school vacations with her aunt and godmother, Harriett Clotilda Gwynn Bowie (Aunt Clocy) in Prince George's County where her father had grown up.  Effie graduated from Mount St. Agnes in 1886, taking home the school's medal for music in which she excelled.

Aunt Clocy

After graduation, Effie divided her time between her parents' home in Spartanburg and her godmother's home in Maryland. Spartanburg in 1886, as Effie describes it, was a college town, and Effie's life there was a round of  parties, operettas, horseback rides, vacation trips to the mountains of North Carolina and college dances as well as the St. Cecelia Balls in Charleston.

However, it was not a Carolina boy who won her heart.  Instead she was courted and married by Richmond Irving Bowie, the widowed younger brother of Aunt Clocy's husband, Benjamin Hall Clark Bowie. Effie was married at her parents' home in Spartanburg in July 1894, wearing her mother's wedding dress and veil. Effie's sister, Loulie, acted as her maid of honor, dressed in pink silk.  The couple spent their honeymoon in Asheville, Charleston, Boston and New York. They returned to Irving's Bowie's home, Norbourne, where Effie took over the management of the household and Bowie's three sons from his first marriage.

The Bowies had seven children together: Marie Clotilde (1895), Andrew Gwynn (1896), Louise Keene (1898), Benjamin Hall Clark (1900), Andrew Keene (1902), Richmond Irving Jr. (1904), Effie Augusta (1907), and Harriett Clotilda (1912).  Richmond Irving Bowie, a graduate of Charlotte Hall Military Academy, served as Chief Judge of the Orphan's Court of Prince George's County.  He died  suddenly at his home in 1923 at the age of 65. After his death, Effie returned to Beechwood to assist her widowed  Aunt Clocy who died in 1928 at the age of 97.

Effie was then free to pursue her longtime dream of writing about Prince George's County and its families.  As she noted in the preface to her book, "To find the spirit of an individual or a locality requires sympathetic acquaintance."  And that she had in abundance. She had set out to write a short account of happy memories of her time with her Aunt Clocy at Beechwood.  Instead, Across the Years grew to over 900 pages and included not only her personal reminiscences but also a comprehensive genealogical history of dozens of Prince George's families, covering almost 12,000 individuals.  And so in 1946 was born the genealogical Bible of Prince George's County: Across the Years in Prince George's County.

Besides her writing, Effie was also active in many genealogical and historical societies including the DAR, the Colonial Dames, and the Pilgrims of St. Mary's, to name but a few. In the picture below, she is with her sister Louise and brother-in-law Frank Scrivener at the graves of their grandparents, John Hilleary Gwynn and Ann Eliza Dyer. She was also one of the first women to serve on the PG County Democratic State Central Committee. She travelled to Europe in 1937 with her sister Louise for the coronation of George VI, returning from Bremen Germany aboard the City of Newport News.

The two sisters were always close and the photo below shows the two families about 1931.

Effie is standing in the center next to her sister Louise (in the hat).  At the far left is Effie's son Dr.  Keene Bowie and his wife Ethel with their son, Andrew Keene Bowie Jr. My grandmother Elizabeth Dent Scrivener is standing next to Ethel in the cloche hat.  My grandfather Frank Scrivener Jr. is stooping down with his son Jack.  The girls seated in front are Marie Gwynn, my aunt Louise (Reds) Scrivener, and Mary Hammond, niece of Effie and Louise. Effie's daughter Effie Bowie Mahoney (later Melchior) is standing next to her with her daughter Effie Mahoney in front of her. My great-grandfather, Frank Scrivener Sr. is standing in the back row with just his head poking up over Effie's shoulder.  On the far right are Louise Bowie Hall and her husband Frank Magruder Hall and their son Frank Hall Jr. My father Frank Scrivener III is the little boy seated at the far right, looking very put out about the whole proceeding. Next to him is Bowie Hall, the son of Frank and Louise. My mother thought that the woman next to Louise Hall was Dr. Emily Hammond, a niece of Effie and Louise. The baby that Effie is holding might be Charles Carter Hall, the youngest son of Frank and Louise. (Unfortunately, neither my mother nor I were able to identify the handsome young man on the far right or the couple standing behind Effie.)


Effie Gwynn Bowie died at Beechwood, her home in Upper Marlboro, 22 June 1950 at the age of 81. She is buried beside her husband at Trinity Church Cemetery in Upper Marlboro.

My well-worn copy of Across the Years remains one of my prized possessions, a copy passed down from my grandmother to my mother to me. Effie Gwynn Bowie's work assures that her family (and mine) in Prince George's County will not be forgotten.