#52 Ancestors 2019 Week 3 Unusual Name: My Search for Tangier Edward Hardesty

#52 Ancestors 2019 Week 3 Unusual Name: My Search for Tangier Edward Hardesty

I came across Tangier Edward Hardesty by accident.  I was actually working on Francis Granger Stevens and his wife, Sophia Annette Hardesty, trying to track down Sophia's parents.  I found her mother, Mary Mass and her step-brother, Eugene Mass, living with the Stevens family in 1870, so I started looking for Mary in earlier census records. I found her in the 1860 Census over on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in Talbot County.  I have not yet figured out why she was there, but there she was along with 13 year-old Eugene and 21-year-old Edward Hardesty. So Sophia seemed to have a brother, with the pretty ordinary name of Edward. Little did I know then how un-ordinary Edward would turn out to be. Not only does Tangier Edward Hardesty have an unusual name (and many variations of it, which made him very difficult to keep track of), he also has a very sad story and a hard life.

In 1863, T. Edward Hardesty married Mary Corner in Baltimore MD.  That was my first hint of his unusual name.  By the 1870 census, Edward, now going by Tanjone or Tanjour, age 28, was living with his wife and son Willie and daughter Mary in Cumberland, Allegany County MD.  He worked as a telegrapher, a skill he may have picked from his military service.  (Edward Hardesty invalid pension application in 1892 shows him in the Telegraph Company. I have not been able to get my hands on the file, yet, so I'm not totally sure this is the same person.)

By the 1880 Census, Tanjoan E. Hardesty, now age 38,  was still living in Cumberland with his wife Mary and three sons: Wildey (another unusual name), Charles and Clarence. His occupation was telegraph builder.

The birth records at St. Luke's church in Cumberland show five children of Edward Hardisty and Mary Conner:
Wildey Warren 1865
Charles Emmerson 1872
Clarens Newton  1875
William Edwin 1881
Bessie Pearl 1883

In 1884, Tanjour Hardesty is listed in the Cumberland City Directory as a lineman.

In 1890, T. Edward Hardesty is listed in the Baltimore City Directory as a saloon keeper. In 1891, Tangier E. Hardesty is listed in the city directory.

Then, in 1892, Mary J. Hardesty was granted an absolute divorce from Tangier E. Hardesty and custody of their four children.

I caught a break and found the accounts of Mary Hardesty Mass's estate in 1894, which definitely identified T. Edward Hardesty as her son and showed that he inherited property, which he promptly sold to his sister Sophia. 

After that, I looked in vain for a trace of Edward, Tangier, Tanjour, Tanjone Hardesty. I scoured the online newspapers.  I spent long hours at the State Archives, searching through the indexes of death certificates and probate records, but no sign of Tangier. Where the heck was he?  You wouldn't think that unusal names could just disappear from the records, but apparently, it could.

I eventually found Mary, died 1929, buried in Greenmount Cemetery in Baltimore along with her parents and several of her children, a number of whom had died very young.  But no trace of Tangier. Obviously, he wasn't welcome in the family burial plot.

I finally found Tangier again when I was actually looking for his son Wildey.  I found this newspaper clipping:

At last, I knew where Tangier had gone.  So I shifted my search to Chicago.  And there he was in the 1900 Census, born in Maryland in May 1842,  living in Chicago with a new wife, Etta or Otha and working as a fisherman.  What?

Unfortunately, I could not find an account of the train accident in the Chicago papers, but I did see a notice about the settlement of Tanjour Hardesty's estate and this intriguing story about his wife:

I really wanted to know more about this story, so I hired a researcher in Chicago to try to find the court records, which he did.  It seems that Tanjour Hardesty and Etta Wright were not officially married, but had a common-law marriage, which ultimately made the judge rule in her favor.  The court records also contained the testimony of Mary Corner Hardesty and several of her children, that apparently Etta was the cause of that divorce back in 1892.  Apparently, the two of them were scandalously living together in the saloon in Baltimore for a number of years before moving to Chicago.  When Tanjour died, his children claimed his estate, but lost the case.

I was unable to find Tanjour's burial place, although my researcher did turn up a death certificate.

The last scrap of information related to Etta.  That $1000 settlement didn't help her too much.  She continued to live in the dugout by the river and eventually froze to death during a severe snow storm in 1923.

So my search for Tangier Edward Hardesty wound through a long and complicated trail.

I still don't know where that name came from.  Perhaps there is a connection to Tangier Island over on the Eastern Shore, where I first found him?

#52 Ancestors 2019 Week 8: Family Photo Two Views of the John Kostka Summers Family

#52 Ancestors 2019  Week 8: Family Photo Two Views of the John Kostka Summers Family

I am lucky to have not one but two photographs of my great-grandparents and their family.

The first, shown below, was taken in the early 1900's, I'm guessing about 1905, judging by the approximate age of my grandfather in this picture. He was born in 1895 and I'm guessing he is about 10 years old in this picture. That's him, Paul Francis Summers, right in the middle of the picture, between his parents, the 12th of 15 children of Regina Ann Hill and John Kostka Summers.

This picture was taken in front of the family home at Westwood, Prince George's County MD.

Even more fortunate for me, between my grandmother and my mother, I was able to identify all the people in the picture.

But what makes this a real treasure is that I also have a picture of this family group taken about 25 years later at the celebration of the Summers' Golden Wedding Anniversary in October 1928.

Obviously, the family has grown in the intervening years!  But it is fascinating to be able to match up the people who appear in both photos.

For example, here are my great-grandparents in the two photos: (I love how Great-Grandfather Summers is still sporting that great mustache!)

And here is my grandfather in the two pictures:

But perhaps my very favorite image is the one of my mother, age about three, in the front row of the second picture, looking none too happy to be participating in the great occasion!

I cherish these pictures for the fascinating glimpse of my extended family, most of whom I never had the chance to meet in person. 

#52 Ancestors 2019: Week One First American Ancestor, Richard Scrivener

Since the prompt this week is "First," I decided to write about my first American ancestor in the Scrivener Family.

The Scriveners have lived in Anne Arundel County MD since the early 1700's and a great many of us still live here. The earliest Scrivener ancestor I can document in America is Richard Scrivener, my 6X great-grandfather, who appears in the Register of St. James Parish, Lothian, in the southernmost part of Anne Arundel County, right at the border with Calvert County.

"Richard Scrivener and Mary Burck, aged 23 years & 5 months.  Born Richard Scrivener April ye 2nd 1686, Baptized September ye 1st 1709.  Married September ye 1st 1709." 

The next entry is for John Scrivener, presumably Richard's younger brother:
 "John ye son of Richard Scrivener and Mary his Wife, Aged 22 years born September 1687, Baptized September ye 1st 1709."  So, it looks like Richard and John, the sons of Richard and Mary Scrivener, were both baptized on the day of Richard's marriage to Mary Burck.


It is probable that Richard and John were both born in England, although I have not been able find records of them there.  They may be related to Richard Scrivener who settled in Queen Anne's County MD on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay, but I have not found the connection if there is one. They may also be related to Benjamin Scrivener, who settled in the same area of Anne Arundel County as Richard and John, but I have not found that connection either.  Scrivener is not a common name and I am almost certain that these people are related, but that connection lies somewhere in England waiting to be discovered.

John Scrivener married Elizabeth Gott in St. James Parish in 1713.  They had a son: Benjamin Scrivener.

The Scriveners were likely baptized and married by the Reverend Henry Hall, who was the rector of St. James from 1699 to 1722.  Richard and John were likely tobacco farmers living in extremely modest circumstances.  One writer noted that "most early settlers lived with so few worldly goods that today we would call the life 'camping out.'"

Richard Scrivener and Mary Burck have three sons shown in the records of St. James Parish:
*John Scrivener, born  1709 (my 5X great-grandfather)
*Richard Scrivener born 1710
*William Scrivener born September 1713

Mary Scrivener witnessed the will of John Preston of Anne Arundel County in August 1719, but after that I have found no further record of her. I do not know what, if any, connection she may have to John Preston or why she was a witness to his will.  Richard Scrivener Sr. appears in various estate records in Anne Arundel County in 1720, 1737, 1741 and 1753.  He is deposed in 1751 giving his age as 70 and indicating that he is a Quaker.  I have not found any records of his death, but he likely died after 1753 in Anne Arundel County MD.

John Scrivener, the son of Richard Scrivener and Mary Burck, and my 5X great-grandfather,  married Mary Lewin, the daughter of Richard Lewin and Mary Childs, and the granddaughter of Henry Childs, about 1732 in Anne Arundel County MD.  (It took me quite a while to figure out Mary's family name.  I finally found Mary Scrivener in the estate records of her father and was able to make the connection. See, it does pay to read ALL the testamentary papers!)

Richard Scrivener Jr. married a daughter of James and Sophia Macklanan about 1730 and had a daughter, Mary Scrivener and sons, Richard and Samuel.

William Scrivener married Elizabeth Clark, the daughter of John Clark and Catherine Evans. They had one child, John Scrivener.

#52 Ancestors Week 8: Heirloom: Grandma Summers' Wine Glasses

#52 Ancestors Week 8: Grandma Summers' Heirloom Wine Glasses

When I got married in 1971, my grandmother, Theresa Evalina Sasscer Summers, gave me some wine glasses which had been handed down in the family for several generations.  It is a gift I still cherish to this day and that I hope one day to pass along to my grandchildren.

The first set of glasses came from the Summers family.

 My grandmother (God bless her sense of family history) also included a note with the wine glasses to tell me where they came from.  

So, I know that these glasses belonged to my great-grandmother Regina Ann Hill, for whom, I am named. (See more about her in my blog from 6 June 2018.)  Perhaps that is why Ma Summers chose to give these glasses to me.  John Kostka Summers and Regina Ann Hill were married in 1878.  If these glasses were a wedding gift, they would be approaching 150 years old.  And they are almost certainly more than 100 years old.

The second set of glasses came from the Sasscer family, my grandmother's parents.

Again, my grandmother thoughtfully provided a note with some history of the glasses.

Dama mentioned in this note was my grandmother's mother, Theresa Evalina Wallis Sasscer. (See more about her in my blog from January 2018.) They were in the Sasscer family sometime before 1894 when Eva married Thomas Reverdy Sasscer.  So, again, they are well over 100 years old.

I enjoy a glass of wine every once in a while using my grandmother's wine glasses.  When I do,  I raise a toast to my grandmothers who cherished these.

#52 Ancesters Week 24: Father's Day

#52 Ancestors Week 24 Father's Day: William Boswell Scrivener

William Boswell Scrivener, my 2X great-grandfather, was one of five sons, twelve children of John Scrivener and Eliza Smith Boswell of Anne Arundel County MD.  William and his wife Sally Jane Barber had ten children, including five sons.  Now what make this so unusual is that despite all those Scrivener boys in two generations, this line of the family almost daughtered out.  My grandfather, Frank Phillip Scrivener Sr., was the sole surviving male of the line when he was born in 1900.

John Scrivener, the oldest son of Francis Scrivener, was born about 1780 in Anne Arundel County MD.  He served in the War of 1812, defending the Chesapeake Bay from British invaders.  In 1817, he married Eliza Smith Boswell, the daughter of Henry Boswell, in Prince George's County MD.   John and Eliza, as noted above, had twelve children:

John Henry (1819-1863) married Mary Sparrow and had one son, John Sparrow Scrivener, who died without issue in 1859.
Sarah Jane (1823-1904) married John Howe Somervell and had three sons and a daughter.
Samuel Wesley (1824-1904)  married Elizabeth Chew and had a daughter Elizabeth and a son Samuel.  Both children died in 1864.
Elizabeth Ann (1827-1907) married Luther Owen Sullivan of Virginia and had three sons and three daughters.
William Boswell (1828-1895) married Sally Barber and had five sons and five daughters.  More below.
Elizabeth Sydney (1829-1863) married George Washington Welch and had four sons and three daughters.
Francis George (1832-1853) never married.
James Edward (1834-ca. 1880) married Kate Garner and had five sons, all of whom died without male issue.  (One daughter among the five.)
Mary Priscilla (1835-1884) married Stephen Lee Bird and had four daughters and one son.
Maria Louisa twin  (1838-1875) married John Poultney Hanson and had one son and one daughter.
Emily Augusta twin (1838-1902) married Charles Porter Culver and had three daughters.
Rose Matilda (1843-1899)  married William Corwin Burgy and had a son and three daughters.

So, in this generation, only William had sons who lived to marry and have sons of their own to carry on the Scrivener name.

William and Sally had ten children:

Mary Wheeler Kent (1857-1942)  never married.
William Boswell Jr. (1859-1928) never married.
Sarah Jane Barber (1862-1945) married George Bourne Gantt and had a son and a daughter.
Leila Mary (1864-1941) married Howe Somervell Allnutt and had two sons.
Frank Phillip (1865-1939) married Louise Gwynn and had one son, Frank Phillip Jr.
Kate Estelle (1865-1918) married Harry Weems Wilkerson, no issue.
Lillian (1869-1948) married Robert Franklin Garner and had one daughter.
Frederick William (1870-1959) married Annie Vaughn and had one daughter who died as an infant.
Jonathan Yates (1876-1957) married Jean Macintosh, no issue.
Kent (1877-1941) never married.

So, again in this generation, only one Scrivener son to carry on the name.  Fortunately for the name, Frank Scrivener was prolific. This picture shows William Boswell Scrivener and Frank about 1870.

Frank Phillip Scrivener Jr. married Ida Elizabeth Dent in 1924 and had five sons and a daughter with her, including my, father Frank Phillip III.  My father had three sons and between them they had 13 sons, who have, in their turn produced another dozen sons and still counting.

I think this line of the Scrivener name is safe for a good while to come.  The picture below shows the Scrivener clan in 1986. Elizabeth Dent Scrivener is seated with her five sons seated next to her. I am seated on the ground in front of my father with my son James next to me.

#52 Ancesters Week 13: The Old Homestead

#52 Ancestors Week 13: The Old Homestead

Perhaps the most famous home associated with the Scrivener Family is Holly Hill in the Friendship area of southern Anne Arundel County.  The Scriveners called their home Rose Valley, but the house had a long history before the Scriveners acquired it.

Originally constructed in about 1698, Holly Hill or Holland's Hill was a two-room, one-and-a-half story frame dwelling probably built by Richard Harrison (a wealthy Quaker planter) for his son, Samuel.  An addition was made in 1713 and about 1730, the whole structure was encased in brick and another addition made.  It is one of the few extant examples of the Medieval Transitional style of architecture. Inside, original floors and paneling are still visible as well as an early 18th century mural that shows the house and grounds.

The house remained in the Harrison family until the 1850's, when William Boswell Scrivener bought it for his bride, Sarah Jane Barber.  William and Sarah raised their family of five sons and five daughters at Rose Valley.  After William's death in 1895, his son Frederick managed the house and farm.  The photo below shows Sarah with three sons and three daughters at Rose Valley about 1905.  My great-grandfather, Frank Phillip Scrivener, is standing behind his mother. The other man in the hat is Frederick Scrivener and his brother Kent is standing next to him.

The picture below is another group of the Scrivener siblings at Rose Valley.  Not sure of the date.  My great-grandfather, Frank Scrivener is standing on the left, with his wife, Louise Gwynn, next to him. Fred and his wife Annie are seated in front.

In the late 1930's Fred and his wife, Annie, feeling the effects of the Depression, sold the house to Captain and Mrs. Hugh LeClair who did extensive renovations.  The photo below shows Rose Valley about 1935.

Holly Hill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

The Library of Congress houses an excellent collection of photographs of Holly Hill made for the Historic American Buildings survey in 1937 which highlights some of the unique architectural features of the home.

https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.md0412.photos?st=gallery.

#52Ancestors Week 25 Same Name: Anne Hill

#52 Ancestors Week 25 Same Name: Anne Hill

I am named after my great-great grandmother, Regina Anne Hill.  Actually, I always hated my name, Anne Hill, the Hill part anyway, growing up.  It got me the nickname HillBilly, which I really hated.

However, later in life, when I was more interested in family history, I was rather pleased to be named after an ancestor, not to mention it was my mother's name also--Anne, not Hill.

So, Mary Regina Anne Hill was the daughter of Captain Alexander Penn Hill and Mary Elizabeth Childs.  She was born 2 February 1858 in the Nottingham District of Prince George's County MD, the sixth of nine children, a large and very Catholic family.  She grew up at Moss Side, the property her father had inherited from his father, Joseph Benedict Hill.

Sarah Elizabeth Hill (1846-1935) married Thomas Sprigg Blandford.

Samuel Childs Hill (1848-1928) married Mary Elizabeth Bowie.

Joseph Benedict Hill (1850-c. 1930) married Mary Hill.

Peter Henry Hill (1852-1893) married Nora Mary Young.

Mary Hester Hill (1854-1904)

Alexander Penn Hill Jr. (1860-1915) married Mary Catherine Munro

Emily Riddle Hill (1862-1959) married George Washington Young

Robert E. Lee Hill (1863-1934)

On 28 October 1878, Regina married John Kostka Summers, the oldest son of John Francis Summers and Eliza Ann Gwynn, neighbors of the Hills in Prince George's County.

Regina Anne Hill and John Kostka Summers had 15 children, of which my grandfather, Paul Francis, was the 12th.  The children included a set of twins, Joseph Mary and Mary Joseph.

John Kostka Summers Jr.  (1880-1943) married Benedicta Gannon.
John Lamar Summers (1879-1899)  drowned in the Patuxent River
Marie Emily Louise Summers (1882-1898)
Alexander Hill Summers (1883-1918)
Joseph Mary Summers (1885-1963)
Mary Joseph Summers (1885-1965) Sister Mary Ange
Eliza Mary Summers (1888-1980) married William August Dorr
Regina Agnes Summers (1889-1968) married Edward Payson Springer Jr.
Gretchen Summers (1891-1953) married Joseph Summerfield Perry
Mildred Elizabeth Summers (1892-1980) married Bernard Kummer
Dorothy Lucile Summers (1894-1945)  married James Heath Dodge
Paul Francis Summers (1895-1970) married Theresa Evalina Sasscer
Olin Jerome Summers (1897-1898)
Emily Ruth Summers (1899-1996) married Charles Henry Adams McPherson
Michael Jerome Summers (1902-1967)

The picture below shows the Summers family about 1910 at their home in Westwood, Prince George's County MD.  My grandfather Paul is in the center of the photo between his parents.

The picture below shows John Kostka Summers and Mary Regina Anne Hill celebrating their golden wedding anniversary in 1928.  My mother, Anne, is sitting on the ground in front of her grandfather, age about 3 years old. My grandfather Paul Summers is standing behind Sr. Ange holding his son on his shoulder.

Regina Anne Hill Summers died at her home 6 June 1932 and is buried in St. Peter's Cemetery in Waldorf MD.  Her husband, John Koskta Summers died 2 March 1941 and is also buried in St. Peter's.

I know very little about my namesake, but I do have an inheritance from her, a set of wine glasses that belonged to Anne gifted to me by her daughter-in-law, my grandmother.  I wrote about them here.