tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72555840895619228992024-03-05T06:48:26.003-05:00The Poplar Grove ProjectOn a peninsula on Maryland’s Eastern Shore lies Poplar Grove, owned by a family whose ancestors were granted the estate by Lord Baltimore in 1669. This summer, a team of researchers is delving into the history of the place and its inhabitants, through papers that have lain unread for generations, stashed in attics and outbuildings. The Poplar Grove Project is sponsored by the Maryland State Archives and the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College.Adam Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03124012803823058137noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-85516948521423592512012-04-05T09:13:00.004-04:002013-03-06T14:56:18.461-05:00Ongoing Research & TranscriptionMy name is Allison and I am an intern with the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland research department! I have been working with David, who previously posted, specifically about our efforts to transcribe and contextualize some of the massive Poplar Grove Collection in order to make suggestions about slavery on the Eastern Shore, particularly in the 19th century.<br /><br />I am also a graduate student at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, finishing up my Master's thesis and graduating in May. I have tried to utilize the Poplar Grove collection throughout my thesis, specifically looking at records from John Tilghman and Thomas Emory. It has been a rewarding experience...although the sheer size of the Poplar Grove Collection has kept my research limited.<br /><br />Ultimately my research and thesis illuminate how Queen Anne's County residents understood the institution of slavery and how they felt about the growing free black population in the wake of Nat Turner's Rebellion. Most whites in Maryland were in shock at the possibility of slave uprising and in 1832 the Maryland Legislature took measures to restrict free blacks' rights. They also supported funding for the Maryland State Colonization Society, which embraced the cause of removing free blacks from the state.<br /><br />Through analysis of one document in particular--the <a href="http://mdhistory.net/msa_sc5807_13/msa_sc5807_13/html/msa_sc5807_13-0262.html">petition</a> of Queen Anne's County Residents to the MD General Assembly--from February 1832, my study reveals that slaveowners fought for the right to manumit their slaves. But, I also explore how the rhetoric they used mirrors rhetoric used in proslavery arguments from states further South. It seems counter-intuitive that slaveowners would want to manumit their slaves--right? They are in support of slavery...they want to keep slave labor relevant and thriving! But once you read the petition found in the Poplar Grove collection, you see their reasoning more clearly.<br /><br />Most of the men who signed the petition were slaveowners and they did not like the idea of government intervention in the decisions they made as slaveowners. In the petition they maintain that manumissions will keep labor cheap or free. They occasionally throw in some religious reasoning and they also purport that the "hope of emancipation" keeps slaves from rebelling. Thus, they clearly defend their right to manumit; they consciously used manumission as an effort to control their slaves.<br /><br />All in all, the document is a marvelous find and I am thankful to the archivists who salvaged it! I defend my thesis this month and will be publishing it through ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. Hopefully I will be able to post a link to the pdf of it at a later date, I'd love for all of you to check it out!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-69388602601173143722011-11-17T11:20:00.004-05:002011-11-17T16:00:02.182-05:00Hello everyone,<br /><br />My name is David Armenti and I am a researcher at the Maryland State Archives, <a href="http://www.mdslavery.net/ugrr.html">Legacy of Slavery</a> project. Our department has been tasked with documenting the 19th century experience of slavery in five Eastern Shore counties (Queen Anne's, Talbot, Dorchester, Caroline, Kent), which conveniently overlaps with the extensive papers attached to the Poplar Grove estate. As the bulk of the <a href="http://speccol.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/catalog/cfm/dsp_series.cfm?speccol=5807">Poplar Grove Collection</a> has been scanned and made available online, we have begun to look into the range of activities and individuals that affected African-American lives during that time.<br /><br />The diverse sampling of documents found in <a href="http://mdhistory.net/msa_sc5807_13/msa_sc5807_13/html/msa_sc5807_13-0002.html">Series 13</a>, has been a valuable starting point for this investigation. One of the more fascinating topics is John Tilghman's ambitious experiment with renting slaves to the growing cotton plantations in Mississippi and Louisiana. As many Eastern Shore slave holders were deciding to sell their chattel outright, Tilghman instead employed a different strategy which seemed to result in more frustration than economic success. There are numerous correspondences(pp. 170 - 190) with his southern agent Samuel Grayson, regarding costs, disputes with planters, and the health/condition of the slaves themselves. This series also provides insight into the flight of slaves from Poplar Grove and other surrounding plantations (pp. 128, 194). The Emorys/Tilghmans maintained a close network of family and business associates throughout the mid-Atlantic region that kept them abreast of potential fugitives, particularly in the black communities of southern New Jersey.<br /><br />Thomas Emory's papers, <a href="http://mdhistory.net/msaref11/msa_sc_5807_04/html/msa_sc_5807_04-0001.html">Series 4</a>, are similarly significant to our study. Emory was one of the patriarchal figures at Poplar Grove from the 1820's to 1840's, a period that saw great upheaval in the status of slaves and free African-Americans on the Eastern Shore. As a large slave holder and a state senator, he had a huge role in the debates of that time. Free blacks, whose numbers were rapidly increasing, came to be seen as an evil force that was categorically incompatible with the existence of slavery. They were blamed for the discontentment of formerly happy slaves, who were "enticed" to escape their benevolent masters. The free black Nat Turner's rebellion in Virginia fueled much of the fear that was already prevalent among Maryland whites.<br /><br />During the late 1820's to early 1830's, many solutions were proposed by whites for this "problem", including laws to limit manumissions, expel all free blacks from the state and send them to Liberia. As a state legislator, Thomas Emory was one of many recipients of a petition by Queen Anne's residents, requesting that the Liberia Colonization plan be expanded along with the "binding out" of poor free children, rather than forcing blacks out and restricting manumissions. The state did in fact promote colonization and adopted variations of these ideas into law over the next few years, though Emory's exact role in process is undiscovered as of yet.<br /><br />Needless to say, there are quite a few fascinating topics to explore within these personal letters, petitions, and business correspondence that can illuminate our current study on Eastern Shore racial matters. While we do have staff dedicating attention to this research, I would like to welcome the contribution from individuals interested in continued investigation of Poplar Grove. If you would like to assist in document transcription, or research of issues/individuals mentioned here, please contact me at davida@mdsa.net.darmentihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14028307632150312436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-9897532995520122602010-07-26T13:26:00.006-04:002010-07-26T16:09:59.238-04:00Update, 26 Jul 2010Greetings comrades,<br /><br />It has been far too long since we last spoke. Nevertheless, I thought a little update on our work here in Annapolis would find you in good stead. With all of the scanning that has been done over the past two years, I am pleased to report that everything has been completed, and the scans are ready to be placed into ebooks for all of you to see via the <a href="http://speccol.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/catalog/cfm/dsp_number.cfm?speccol=5807">internet</a>. The very next step involves taking the jpgs for each series and running them through the ebook software.<br /><br />By my count, there are approximately 28,406 images in the Poplar Grove Collection. That's a staggering amount of scans. Better yet, it's 28,406 glimpses into the past — some of which will surely offer viewpoints that have not previously been touched upon or known to exist. Just imagine all of the things that are waiting to be found.<br /><br />For instance, one of my favorite documents, (which I will enclose an image of), is this land document from 1664: <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFyx4QmB7xxCfBa1jNVyWl1EMbsQLSJsp36F6PBajsqsIn__K9Zar2EA97xkQh1f0rRdJCUh1yLBsAsnNwSmvk6v06lcop0IpuaWwnhAhYudtD7fm_b76FXg60eR-Wwhq8f5H850FWLo/s1600/msa_sc5807_07-0001.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFyx4QmB7xxCfBa1jNVyWl1EMbsQLSJsp36F6PBajsqsIn__K9Zar2EA97xkQh1f0rRdJCUh1yLBsAsnNwSmvk6v06lcop0IpuaWwnhAhYudtD7fm_b76FXg60eR-Wwhq8f5H850FWLo/s400/msa_sc5807_07-0001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498294781983213218" border="0" /></a>It details various "parcells" of land that were laid out at the head of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wye_River_%28Maryland%29">Wye River</a>. To give a little bit of context, at this point in time, Maryland was still a Province — under control of the British Crown — some 112 years away from declaring its independence with the rest of the 13 Colonies. In fact, when this document was originally penned, <span style="font-style: italic;">with a quill undoubtedly,</span> the Governor of Maryland (or Proprietary Governor for that matter) was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Calvert,_3rd_Baron_Baltimore">this guy</a>:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7IHobzIOTQ9MuKPPMFOEmD_Gcy5Nsd_vpmLfu3AY1oYtG5z_pJIpNNnzPCyS6941hjdU8nClXiF0XLNquh7U-Xsbxz8pMcmXU-qyaENh3MKCxmRr3ItFdSdxn5VElvix7rhMKZE2JH4/s1600/Charlescalvert_800.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7IHobzIOTQ9MuKPPMFOEmD_Gcy5Nsd_vpmLfu3AY1oYtG5z_pJIpNNnzPCyS6941hjdU8nClXiF0XLNquh7U-Xsbxz8pMcmXU-qyaENh3MKCxmRr3ItFdSdxn5VElvix7rhMKZE2JH4/s400/Charlescalvert_800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498295747501095266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, 2nd Proprietor Governor of Maryland</span>), <span style="font-style: italic;">from the original painting in the collection of the <a href="http://epfl.mdch.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Flordsbalto&CISOPTR=1&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=&DMTHUMB=0&REC=3&DMROTATE=0&x=678&y=385">Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Maryland</a></span><a href="http://epfl.mdch.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Flordsbalto&CISOPTR=1&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=&DMTHUMB=0&REC=3&DMROTATE=0&x=678&y=385"><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-style: italic;"></span></a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Any local document that survives from the seventeenth century already carries a great deal of importance. But as someone who has been fortunate enough to hold this one in his own hands, I can honestly tell you that it's in absolutely superb condition. It's truly a pleasure to be able to work with a collection like this.<br /><br />Until next time,<br /><br />Jas. Goldſborough Bigwoodj-bigshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281364810606314167noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-62022423273934204032009-11-23T14:25:00.009-05:002009-11-23T15:26:24.253-05:00Friends and Family at Poplar GroveHello readers,<br /><br />You may have noticed the absence of a blog entry last Friday. This was due to the significant amount of work that Nathan and I were doing in preparation for the digitization of the Poplar Grove materials. The good news is that this made many new images available to share with you on the blog. The bad news is that this work has carried over into the new week, and I still have little time to provide one entry before we leave for the Thanksgiving holiday. In the interest of the gathering of families and friends over the coming week, I have decided to provide you with several photographs of people coming together in the past.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilB9i_0nrQSTVpO5sD9rZtw4eKOrKVVjmg6zu4VZWtOfigolnAgzfFMpwV3duBVU_4dZW8ew_VUSnjAQJ_IIP4GZ9Kw9yffZbNmqPmhyphenhyphensuWIpC21XD_FdTw14L1TFVw__ES_ynSaSWvRC2/s1600/photoalbum1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilB9i_0nrQSTVpO5sD9rZtw4eKOrKVVjmg6zu4VZWtOfigolnAgzfFMpwV3duBVU_4dZW8ew_VUSnjAQJ_IIP4GZ9Kw9yffZbNmqPmhyphenhyphensuWIpC21XD_FdTw14L1TFVw__ES_ynSaSWvRC2/s320/photoalbum1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407391181219589394" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKa8vFRMLmvN2DRLyXYJdJAdIen2jBG_vn3fRpW70nukCPwfWPE6hQhg4BBwQ-PtjkGtcfKKOSHE_W8Cr5lGRTbAju_lCBAxQYIt659U2B5x8zxYV6mZI5jgpKeTjTK-SJjRiAQDODVggt/s1600/photoalbum2a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 78px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKa8vFRMLmvN2DRLyXYJdJAdIen2jBG_vn3fRpW70nukCPwfWPE6hQhg4BBwQ-PtjkGtcfKKOSHE_W8Cr5lGRTbAju_lCBAxQYIt659U2B5x8zxYV6mZI5jgpKeTjTK-SJjRiAQDODVggt/s200/photoalbum2a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407394010504097666" border="0" /></a><br />We have, first, several photos from a curiosity found in Series 18 of Poplar Grove. This is a photo album depicting friends of E. B. Emory from Virginia. The date is especially interesting, as the album seems to have been compiled in 1866. With the Civil War having concluded in the recent past, friendship was needed to begin healing a wounded nation. As with so<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0xwGick1qLSInY6Q0um2TAqH63Hfy33pxW5-uVHSpVKnnmPpC7JVjbbwiw3PVp7Zlu1DiTKWjkheKGE4scYblgOB2qkyG_Ck3r6qS4R5wpbVZ27W79aYWfS-K2XVgTHKEiTiDk3N0zI0/s1600/photoalbum2b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0xwGick1qLSInY6Q0um2TAqH63Hfy33pxW5-uVHSpVKnnmPpC7JVjbbwiw3PVp7Zlu1DiTKWjkheKGE4scYblgOB2qkyG_Ck3r6qS4R5wpbVZ27W79aYWfS-K2XVgTHKEiTiDk3N0zI0/s200/photoalbum2b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407394067496083442" border="0" /></a> many of these items, we don't yet have a strong sense of context in which to place this album, but I hope you will enjoy it simply for the photos from a semi-distant past in which friends, as today, kept in touch over significant distances. The images to the left and right are one such example, as a person who seems to have been a friend from University of Virginia wrote E. B. Emory some kind words about friendship. Regular readers will be reminded of the warm friendship between Emory and Mary Holladay, discussed in an earlier post.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjd-Rxw9bOiKFMuJv3CrdFwi1zIAt_BLVdDzFrqOKl3R2PBzaAoGCj85Y386azUUAQb2wFHqTpceQNiEsk9WLvwkcYXbb67j6Zm5kW-uzfJgsI5Yvo2bUoAvMZqpii0jXMwdtNyfGBA4p_/s1600/coupleinfrontofhouse.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjd-Rxw9bOiKFMuJv3CrdFwi1zIAt_BLVdDzFrqOKl3R2PBzaAoGCj85Y386azUUAQb2wFHqTpceQNiEsk9WLvwkcYXbb67j6Zm5kW-uzfJgsI5Yvo2bUoAvMZqpii0jXMwdtNyfGBA4p_/s200/coupleinfrontofhouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407395382430960930" border="0" /></a>I also have some other images, these of family life in the early twentieth century. Above, one finds a young couple in front of a house, and below is an elderly man watching over a young boy in a yard. These images of family life in America remain timeless, except perhaps for the old man's hat, which certainly speaks of an earlier era.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MNigIzeYN6AizdR-Stjg-22-y-2EbWWwgqQfIJ0hxgGzEzx9tIA1rlgSs6uMCG_G2Ms2mZaa0nRaJnTblO5zmByYgeVQ3NFTZNr3WhijvceirZy-fCr1dLVaAFEEZrEIe5vvXEXolPK6/s1600/oldmanandchild.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 97px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MNigIzeYN6AizdR-Stjg-22-y-2EbWWwgqQfIJ0hxgGzEzx9tIA1rlgSs6uMCG_G2Ms2mZaa0nRaJnTblO5zmByYgeVQ3NFTZNr3WhijvceirZy-fCr1dLVaAFEEZrEIe5vvXEXolPK6/s200/oldmanandchild.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407395636678425954" border="0" /></a>Unfortunately, we cannot yet identify the people in these photographs. Even so, they stand out as distinct reminders of the real emotions and relationships enjoyed by those in the past. These photos provide a visual insight into some of the figures, admittedly unknown, that passed through the lives of those living at Poplar Grove. I hope you have enjoyed this brief entry, and I look forward to giving you many more posts after I return from the Thanksgiving holiday.<br /><br />-ChristianChristian S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17240054945921762992noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-36123971439270035532009-11-13T13:05:00.012-05:002009-11-16T13:23:17.634-05:00Around the World in Six Photographs<div style="text-align: justify;">Good afternoon,<br /><br />Friday has come around again, and that means I have some new images for you. I'll leave this post somewhat slim on description, and focus on the images. The last two posts have been fairly heavy on information, so I will allow these photos some breathing room, providing only what limited context I have available.<br /><br />As a bit of context before presenting the images, these items were found in a series of Poplar Grove concerning the early twentieth century. They are primarily photos and postcards from the wanderings of one or another member of the family. In the case of postcards from Europe, it is not immediately clear who the buyer or intended recipient was, as they do not have any information written on them. They are fascinating, however, in their documentation of a place now foreign to us.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicg7YOurdf6giUV6Ava0-XZNFLhgNG3cRI5xEuWmnsCuST5q6zOgwh8iQeOB9yMEXdIjk_5DfWDnj77O1DPXbBLZ0NFsCBoN2ik3dwbuWm4cpkr5kk-lUKgVl72KjnA02RMwEWxaRe-3qT/s1600-h/Series18-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicg7YOurdf6giUV6Ava0-XZNFLhgNG3cRI5xEuWmnsCuST5q6zOgwh8iQeOB9yMEXdIjk_5DfWDnj77O1DPXbBLZ0NFsCBoN2ik3dwbuWm4cpkr5kk-lUKgVl72KjnA02RMwEWxaRe-3qT/s320/Series18-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403661659421703154" border="0" /></a>This is a picture, as indicated by an inscription, of Jacob Martenis and his wife "around 1900," in Wilmington, Delaware. Their facial expressions are somewhat mysterious. The woman in the photograph wore an amused visage, while her husband looked down, expressionless.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi32Vq9PsmSpYOKupTmbLTJM1DK0IrqU6nw-nYusnk6uruYDKOzjxsgRd3M9Sg4DHNNYceHVpQ51wOofkaCNMdUgQAvq564SOnk7OGq_4UNPsEDL_qQvst9f_QdTubQRk9FYTdgePlPb7p/s1600-h/Series18-31.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi32Vq9PsmSpYOKupTmbLTJM1DK0IrqU6nw-nYusnk6uruYDKOzjxsgRd3M9Sg4DHNNYceHVpQ51wOofkaCNMdUgQAvq564SOnk7OGq_4UNPsEDL_qQvst9f_QdTubQRk9FYTdgePlPb7p/s320/Series18-31.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403663607672245730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To the right is a photograph from Barcelona in 1929. It depicts a street scene in a bustling metropolis. Barcelona, in 1929, was hosting the International Exposition, and populated streets like this would be unsurprising. What is somewhat chilling about the pleasant quality of this image, however, is the looming shadow of the Spanish Civil War, which would erupt in the following decade. On a <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xfCdH0FelCmsyg8Hiw8e-IAI_7AHBNeof2F1gXmQPLKbHu0FGpIyoweTifhtDkZUEPFywYqmpDLArocCF1F899o1cM21szH-UYBqGNj1_TZi0Px6V_6hFuLi_Ek8zWBJDYYM12heSFG6/s1600-h/Series18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xfCdH0FelCmsyg8Hiw8e-IAI_7AHBNeof2F1gXmQPLKbHu0FGpIyoweTifhtDkZUEPFywYqmpDLArocCF1F899o1cM21szH-UYBqGNj1_TZi0Px6V_6hFuLi_Ek8zWBJDYYM12heSFG6/s320/Series18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403666337307107362" border="0" /></a>more amusing note, click on the image to the lower-left to find a building being constructed. This church, the Sagrada Familia, was begun in 1882 and remains unfinished. It actually looks quite similar today, since much of this work was destroyed in the Spanish Civil War, and has proceeded under several different architects since then. Feel free to type the name into google and find more recent photos in which the surrounding area has changed but the facade has remained very similar.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdSn9kdAbOHw91Wk1R0tBDwjnLvbKS9rT23ft_dCqRtuPS-jRVLThWyzTCM-CdoBOFN7E_NulsZMPIlFzGILLvKbzY9T_FTYrtOgzyRMR7sqeFApfHN9-XJjJcKGBIq9bcXtXZGc59rcG/s1600-h/Series18-125.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 118px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdSn9kdAbOHw91Wk1R0tBDwjnLvbKS9rT23ft_dCqRtuPS-jRVLThWyzTCM-CdoBOFN7E_NulsZMPIlFzGILLvKbzY9T_FTYrtOgzyRMR7sqeFApfHN9-XJjJcKGBIq9bcXtXZGc59rcG/s320/Series18-125.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403667977432202866" border="0" /></a><br />The next photo, to the right, is an admittedly context-free addition. I find it simply evocative of an early twentieth-century American landscape. Train tracks run by a row of shops with hills rising in the distance. This is likely an image of a potential boom-town, but any information beyond that is elusive. The dog left at the store-front seems a particularly personal touch, and one wonders if the dog belonged to the photographer or some patron of the store.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnxOuzQ3e_OJqUavrDB29NpoGzL_te6u0ZBozo2wVpKnRIbmOQVbcOp81cOkCYP-T4ulLjwFnemhtjzMgU1kF47kDD29CPDCaVtSlqZWuUW8FZOn-GJ6qqJ5ho-A5to8mtYECJpuBGzNH/s1600-h/Series18-131.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 102px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnxOuzQ3e_OJqUavrDB29NpoGzL_te6u0ZBozo2wVpKnRIbmOQVbcOp81cOkCYP-T4ulLjwFnemhtjzMgU1kF47kDD29CPDCaVtSlqZWuUW8FZOn-GJ6qqJ5ho-A5to8mtYECJpuBGzNH/s320/Series18-131.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403668982986928306" border="0" /></a>The final two images are documents from Lloyd T. Emory's South American expedition. Emory was searching for resources that might be exploited by the United States, and took any number of photos of a modernizing Brazil. One of the most evocative pictures of the difference between the country's past and its future was this photo of what appears to be a nineteenth century sailing vessel.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0poDBsL9xCTkQaJOYIzG8ARTbmkDu8L3ukI06nLUxjtjETUHS9bWXHG0n58eLRResu7IxFFDfFWJjcsE-ZRwU0hZrJqrj0mjsZYKUmITCbxE1pb1QvfgpV7C3a3GoPWV-A7teHCF2r24/s1600-h/Series18-160.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0poDBsL9xCTkQaJOYIzG8ARTbmkDu8L3ukI06nLUxjtjETUHS9bWXHG0n58eLRResu7IxFFDfFWJjcsE-ZRwU0hZrJqrj0mjsZYKUmITCbxE1pb1QvfgpV7C3a3GoPWV-A7teHCF2r24/s320/Series18-160.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403671946853651538" border="0" /></a><br />To the right is an image very similar to the second one, found above. This scene is probably from a Brazilian town at the beginning of the twentieth century, suggested by the labeled photos that bookend it. This picture was, of course, far less populous than the photograph from Barcelona, but again juxtaposed the old and the new. Men and women in twentieth century clothing walked past nineteenth century buildings set against a much older fortress in the background. The photo captured the scenery of a moment in time that has since disappeared.<br /><br />I hope these images provide a brief and interesting glimpse into the past. Typically, we present written documents for you to observe, but this week I thought some photos might bring you closer to the experiences of those living at Poplar Grove. This international character is one that we have not covered significantly so far, and we hope to explore it further in the future. Hundreds of other photos are being scanned at the moment, and all will be accessible once the collection is online. Thanks for reading, and please do add any insights you can to these somewhat mysterious documents by posting in the comments section below.<br /><br />-Christian</div>Christian S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17240054945921762992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-71809969046794467972009-11-06T09:42:00.008-05:002009-11-06T13:28:12.336-05:00E. B. Emory's "Holladay" - Correspondence from 1897<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IXpAJvUHQcKJy22hssEATXncYEkrvnJnrVFrbMStBANFS_kdMWhTk84mXRIfzUi9GeSp2eNBEsYtpce9vbdIMzOKPlq5DcjCsHjg6jvjabFqXvfEpyoB-m83UuhfIwY8PHgOghT_BbZo/s1600-h/Psychology3995.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IXpAJvUHQcKJy22hssEATXncYEkrvnJnrVFrbMStBANFS_kdMWhTk84mXRIfzUi9GeSp2eNBEsYtpce9vbdIMzOKPlq5DcjCsHjg6jvjabFqXvfEpyoB-m83UuhfIwY8PHgOghT_BbZo/s320/Psychology3995.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401007544138466066" border="0" /></a>Good afternoon readers,<br /><br />This letter, written by Mary Holladay, was addressed to E. B. Emory and provides a brief look into the life of a young woman recently relocated from the Eastern Shore to Annapolis. The year was 1897, and that provides a context for some of the more intriguing pieces of this document. On the first page, displayed above, Mary recounted a recent fox-hunt in which a Tilghman and some others participated, at Annapolis. This was a relief from the apparent boredom felt by the author.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeX6nTeFqQtcyKzPaymIwzB9KaOYCb85K3KGmWnIsNG2pfmscv3zBvWDdqcpPJHHLZDOg6eNmrdLRVhsN1gLXb9Fo6F05lmV8YzzzRG0YPoIIv8vPDXWliftMc63pafItdF14ROXoNkQJX/s1600-h/Psychology3999.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 111px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeX6nTeFqQtcyKzPaymIwzB9KaOYCb85K3KGmWnIsNG2pfmscv3zBvWDdqcpPJHHLZDOg6eNmrdLRVhsN1gLXb9Fo6F05lmV8YzzzRG0YPoIIv8vPDXWliftMc63pafItdF14ROXoNkQJX/s320/Psychology3999.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401011444842189586" border="0" /></a>One wonders about that boredom, however, when "Experimental Psychology" is discussed several pages later. Mary was enjoying a series of lectures being given by Professor Alfred Dumm. The humor of the lecturer's name was not lost on Mary, who asserted that E. B. Emory "must not judge him by his name, for he is far from dumb." Besides the amusement associated with Professor Dumm's name, this situation intrigues me. American psychology had hardly become a common subject by 1897, and Mary was on the cutting edge of psychological research. The topics being covered by the lectures immediately preceding and following the letter were "The Dermal Sense" and "Kinaesthetic and Static Sense," respectively. Perhaps most curious, Alfred Dumm was referred to as a native of Kansas City; research methods and principles must therefore have been disseminated somewhat rapidly to the Midwest during the 1890s. Sadly I can find no more information on this professor, so we are left to wonder to what extent he represents the academic world of Kansas City. Regardless, it is fascinating to read the admittedly brief observations of a student of this now-common discipline from the era when it was in its infancy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3L7vY5W17ESP4BAEd1xF0u280yRwGHTfkDlLvnNJG8NkLvYh53gugf_jrYLJQtpgaNpAx9Mr4KYTCqQJKb6evVojeWclkXVzCz9VsAeLmlU8UscS6EBnSDU0NdcJ1nm5boSiem3ohhmLb/s1600-h/PsychologyRev3999.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3L7vY5W17ESP4BAEd1xF0u280yRwGHTfkDlLvnNJG8NkLvYh53gugf_jrYLJQtpgaNpAx9Mr4KYTCqQJKb6evVojeWclkXVzCz9VsAeLmlU8UscS6EBnSDU0NdcJ1nm5boSiem3ohhmLb/s320/PsychologyRev3999.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401035680141173682" border="0" /></a>The letter also touched upon local politics, discussing Governor Lowndes (1896 - 1899). He was "playing politics very hard," Mary wrote. She added the personal touch that the governor was attempting to make Annapolis his legal residence because of "his inclination of not going back to Cumberland," the town from which he had come. His wife was helping him as well, because "she is also anxious to go back to Washington," where Lowndes <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqR8u16PvU8WKagVx9ycDrfIFH7SZwHeTuKzDH6tD-h-SYEDzG2l7JYMqO4HTaEA8V8P7cztV-O4plpK18Ex0rqgnz70xxChscQi9QtUg9t3AaUB42vENvIdkuCEXPZ5gbtjBSxlhhEY2/s1600-h/Psychology4000.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 103px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqR8u16PvU8WKagVx9ycDrfIFH7SZwHeTuKzDH6tD-h-SYEDzG2l7JYMqO4HTaEA8V8P7cztV-O4plpK18Ex0rqgnz70xxChscQi9QtUg9t3AaUB42vENvIdkuCEXPZ5gbtjBSxlhhEY2/s320/Psychology4000.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401035816734093778" border="0" /></a>had been a State Senator earlier in the century. Sadly, they did not succeed in this venture; Lowndes returned to Cumberland and died there in 1905.*<br /><br />Perhaps there are more observations in other letters from Mary Holladay to E. B. Emory, found in Poplar Grove Series 17. We are working hard to render these papers accessible to our readers in their entirety; this task will ideally be accomplished by the end of the year. Until then, these fragments of personal correspondence must suffice to whet the appetite.<br /><br /><br />-Christian<br /><br />* Much of this biographical data was obtained from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, available at <a href="http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=L000481">http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=L000481</a>.Christian S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17240054945921762992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-51436278702111135582009-10-30T14:04:00.010-04:002009-10-30T15:03:13.207-04:00Running a Horse Farm in the 1890s - E. B. EmoryGood afternoon,<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />I hope Nathan's update on the status of the Poplar Grove Project was well-received. If you've not yet had the chance to read it, please scroll down and gain some insight into the progress of this project.<br /><br />My own post today will be on a subject heretofore absent from the blog, but one that is conspicuously present in the collection. I am writing, of course, about E. B. Emory's stock farm at Poplar Grove. This was big business in the 1890s, and the papers collected in Series 11 reflect that fact.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxc4kF7LRMTYNoCvLwSX7umk1IHTx9oXYFd4elmbWDmBv_QOXPAawvnfEyIGqWdwUnK8tl1e21brLqPtf0CHHwcBlb8jDtCKisarmy_z8-NHbm1tnAXhEuj535N4PCkIGKozjogoNlovg/s1600-h/EBEmoryHorseRacingAds0597.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 87px; height: 78px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxc4kF7LRMTYNoCvLwSX7umk1IHTx9oXYFd4elmbWDmBv_QOXPAawvnfEyIGqWdwUnK8tl1e21brLqPtf0CHHwcBlb8jDtCKisarmy_z8-NHbm1tnAXhEuj535N4PCkIGKozjogoNlovg/s320/EBEmoryHorseRacingAds0597.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398468270242473426" border="0" /></a>Several documents reveal the different aspects of E. B. Emory's presence in the horse industry. The first is almost certainly the most prosaic. It is a list of prices one might pay to board an animal at the Poplar Grove farm. There are many duplicates of this item in the series, and one wonders why so many remained at the farm rather than being passed into the hands of potential clients. One finds, perhaps surprisingly, that horses were not the only kind of livestock able to be boarded at the farm. Pigs, lambs and calves were all welcome at Poplar Grove for a price. The most expensive, however, were horses. This seems reasonable, taking into consideration the prices associated with well-bred horses in the 1890s.<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOG24ymtW54PIiHhIDfrdSw1AGtdDyyUwh5xG12K05CqVJyKh3rWyzDhBt6C35mSNi9TZ5SS6DzbEDKaqM4T6wo5saS-D7jqUZIhbT32aeK5LyWH__uwKU3nbmG47VoiaK4tHhSwPlP3f/s1600-h/EBEmoryHorseRacingAds0534.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 103px; height: 99px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOG24ymtW54PIiHhIDfrdSw1AGtdDyyUwh5xG12K05CqVJyKh3rWyzDhBt6C35mSNi9TZ5SS6DzbEDKaqM4T6wo5saS-D7jqUZIhbT32aeK5LyWH__uwKU3nbmG47VoiaK4tHhSwPlP3f/s320/EBEmoryHorseRacingAds0534.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398469323837738578" border="0" /></a>We know from this document on the left, for example, that E. B. Emory spent quite a bit of money on his horses. Advertising space did not come cheap, as Emory <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrNtJ3pP6aE8KAylSrygvLQMkxu1eQOpkwO4jFeR_z4-5s7z99yYVQWzLgMKqlg8aRtit_96DxDhvN3ZX0Czi-NhXPaTWJLiUKPXM9ZiuWC48pOxZN42X5s5Gi3l_WW6rm8MyfBxeM1hV/s1600-h/EBEmoryHorseRacingAds0537.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 114px; height: 108px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrNtJ3pP6aE8KAylSrygvLQMkxu1eQOpkwO4jFeR_z4-5s7z99yYVQWzLgMKqlg8aRtit_96DxDhvN3ZX0Czi-NhXPaTWJLiUKPXM9ZiuWC48pOxZN42X5s5Gi3l_WW6rm8MyfBxeM1hV/s320/EBEmoryHorseRacingAds0537.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398469930277134210" border="0" /></a>paid sixty-three dollars for advertising space, according to these two letters. Another, to the right, gives an example of a similar advertisement; it is a Baltimore Sun ad for Happy Russell, the sire of Happy Bee, a prize-winning Emory horse.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEJTeBeKGBhLvjGp2hzw970JuebCnc-JOhYvq8zSNqz3ewyw_Lg_OljWvLi5KKfK45_vREzHZi8gg7ye3RpkT8XXz7es4Inlsg6cTDxo4ineDhSa8HHtnfml9PzkmN3He7D5ghtEMFJQ4/s1600-h/EBEmoryHorseRacingAds0527.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 84px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEJTeBeKGBhLvjGp2hzw970JuebCnc-JOhYvq8zSNqz3ewyw_Lg_OljWvLi5KKfK45_vREzHZi8gg7ye3RpkT8XXz7es4Inlsg6cTDxo4ineDhSa8HHtnfml9PzkmN3He7D5ghtEMFJQ4/s320/EBEmoryHorseRacingAds0527.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398467919909286466" border="0" /></a>These ads would be meaningless, however, without success on the racetrack. Emory had needed to develop a reputation in order to fulfill hopes of money-making <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVcuEUd4_czCCQ71HVyx-fI3BSYYf3mvrBMsAw5teH1XL6Tmu5XJPFfqezixlrIwCNsVLsfxMmjpmTo0P0f953IiZbhM3O_zenVl2pa8dtwPMMC2S6Fjzn3Ay82TwwVcpvTa76LBQ7-sx/s1600-h/EBEmoryHorseRacingAds0528.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 91px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVcuEUd4_czCCQ71HVyx-fI3BSYYf3mvrBMsAw5teH1XL6Tmu5XJPFfqezixlrIwCNsVLsfxMmjpmTo0P0f953IiZbhM3O_zenVl2pa8dtwPMMC2S6Fjzn3Ay82TwwVcpvTa76LBQ7-sx/s320/EBEmoryHorseRacingAds0528.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398468710373363810" border="0" /></a>success at Poplar Grove. The above reference to Happy Bee is critical here, as we find from another document in this series that Happy Bee was a prize-winning horse on the racing circuit. In the letter presented, one Robert Hough congratulated E. B. Emory on his horse's success in Buffalo and Rochester, mentioning plans to race the horse again in Hartford. With Happy Bee's apparent success in racing, Emory could expect to receive more offers to board animals at Poplar Grove and offers on his other horses.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />The business of running a stock farm was a multifaceted one, clearly, and E. B. Emory took part in all aspects. Whether he was boarding animals, selling horses through newspapers, or sending other horses to race throughout the country, Emory was quite involved in the 1890s horse industry. You can expect to see his name more often as we present other parts of the collection, upon which he was a significant influence. As always, comments and questions are appreciated.<br /><br />-Christian<br /></div>Christian S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17240054945921762992noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-23246365256820778612009-10-30T08:50:00.001-04:002009-10-30T08:53:18.824-04:00Progress ReportGood morning,<br /><br />I figured that it was time to give our loyal readers a progress report on the Poplar Grove Collection. Christian and I have been hard at work completing the scanning portion of this project, and we are within days of finishing. Series 10; the series from which our recent finds have been coming is already completed.<br /><br />At the moment we are scanning the last two boxes from Series 11, which was found to be only partially complete. This is the series that deals with records relating to farm and plantation administration, and is dominated by documents dealing with horses. Once Series 11 is completed in the next day or two, scanning for the Poplar Grove Collection should be all but complete. Our next step in this project will be to render all of the Poplar Grove documents accessible online through the E-Books format. E-Books, for those that may not know, are electronic books where vast amounts of information can be assembled and made conveniently searchable through links. Our exact timetable for this project is not yet fully known, but we should be starting it in the near future.<br /><br />Besides finishing up scanning, Christian and I have been also working on the organizational aspect of this collection. We have been doing this by editing the online series descriptions, and in some cases providing descriptions for the specific contents of each folder. This is all found in the Poplar Grove Collection entry at the Maryland State Archives Special Collections website. Also we have made sure our scan counts match up with what we have documented for each box and folder. With any collection, organization is key, and we especially want to make sure this collection is in top organizational shape before it is available online in its entirety.<br /><br />Lastly, we are in the early stages of brainstorming ideas for a handbook about how to organize and deliver a collection, using the Poplar Grove Collection as a model. We are both very excited to work on E-Books for this project, as well as create a helpful handbook for future projects.<br /><br />We hope everyone is as excited by the progress being made with this collection as we are; questions, comments and discussions are encouraged. Also don’t forget to return later this afternoon to see Christian’s weekly post.<br /><br />~NathanNatemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13703737774534239369noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-18087828175096532672009-10-23T15:35:00.006-04:002009-10-23T15:50:37.422-04:00An Anomalous Receipt<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSG05RRkc9XexjQBq_-7j0QZ-1jghQo8CPmcdV3TcM2hEf_wtVzz7DAyxvry7aA-HCN09eRrP6__g5j6m2uHsPvFkVzy_pg0mEDHi1pVoAK-k3b-6IUWeyUL_D_FT8CpMKH1UYRWVjDv0/s1600-h/JTilghmanEngReceipt0001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSG05RRkc9XexjQBq_-7j0QZ-1jghQo8CPmcdV3TcM2hEf_wtVzz7DAyxvry7aA-HCN09eRrP6__g5j6m2uHsPvFkVzy_pg0mEDHi1pVoAK-k3b-6IUWeyUL_D_FT8CpMKH1UYRWVjDv0/s320/JTilghmanEngReceipt0001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395884068088418786" border="0" /></a>As a relief from the more serious and complex recent posts, I have decided to provide a distinctly brief update this week. The subject is a curious, albeit simple, one. While Poplar Grove Series 10 has provided us with numerous receipts signed by John Tilghman, few if any are as peculiar as the one I will highlight today.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRNFGi9CwU-l2_F9IP4q3C9poKwdRlB4T2Vns5hKHkou6EyGoPYFiGKrr41POjWPR5M1p80opPYvFJ5pb5iRRFPKmqKcm1O8lhWqxKt1KOShXiOnkGkl4sEv0t2-KVuUFnsW7GAS_vlj9/s1600-h/JTilghmanEngReceipt0002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRNFGi9CwU-l2_F9IP4q3C9poKwdRlB4T2Vns5hKHkou6EyGoPYFiGKrr41POjWPR5M1p80opPYvFJ5pb5iRRFPKmqKcm1O8lhWqxKt1KOShXiOnkGkl4sEv0t2-KVuUFnsW7GAS_vlj9/s320/JTilghmanEngReceipt0002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395884218478948466" border="0" /></a><br />In the midst of the several thousand receipts and accounts, Nathan and I found one paid for in shillings and pence. To those unfamiliar, the shilling is a British monetary value used until 1971, at which point it was phased out. The penny (plural: pence) remains in use today. The receipt was for payment of John Tilghman to one Thomas Kent, with the name Thomas Buchanan written beside the two financially bound parties. The document appears to date from 1820. We know nothing more than this, and any information our readers could provide as to the significance of an otherwise mysterious transaction paid for in foreign currency would be appreciated. I look forward to providing a more detailed post next week, but I hope that this curiosity will keep you satisfied until then.<br /><br />-ChristianChristian S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17240054945921762992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-44457347087979717882009-10-21T13:44:00.038-04:002009-10-21T15:38:59.736-04:00V. I. P. Sighting<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNATHAN%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1026"> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout ext="edit"> <o:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Good afternoon all,
<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">I hope everyone has enjoyed our posts about Benjamin Chew and the Estate of William Tilghman. That was a topic we felt was very important in Series 10, despite the series’ focus on John Tilghman’s receipts. There is more to Series 10 than William Tilghman’s Estate and John Tilghman business receipts, however, and that is where today’s topic comes into play.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Today I would like to share a few documents that we have come across, dealing with an important <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Maryland</st1:place></st1:state> figure: Ezekiel Forman Chambers. These documents may not be groundbreaking, but I find them interesting, and believe that this shows the caliber of characters that can be found in the Poplar Grove Collection.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Ezekiel F. Chambers (1788-1867), a person familiar to our readers with a knowledge of 19<sup>th</sup> Century <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">Maryland</st1:state></st1:place> politics, was born and lived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He was commended for bravery at the Battle of Caulks Field in 1814 and was a lawyer in private practice in Chestertown, Md. He served as a member of the Maryland State Senate, Eastern Shore, from 1821-25, acted as a U.S. Senator for Maryland from 1826-34, was a judge for the Maryland Court of Appeals and chief judge for the 2<sup>nd</sup> district of Maryland from 1834-51, served as a delegate to the Maryland State constitutional convention in 1850 and 1864, and was a Washington College alum (1805).* He was a man of importance throughout his career, and worth highlighting as a person in this series.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">The following three documents are letters written by Mr. Chambers. The first two letters were written to John Tilghman. The last letter was written to Lloyd Tilghman, who I believe was the son of John Tilghman.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6vYW5_JwjtKAPOXW_EuMIuni9vxptC-efCsHYu-e9iza3nTbS-oYKo39tSR1EWopr2s-P9B8HXriVVq9UJPAUQHYpJeuQTAc_bSm3sVPOH_MmsTrIpQwnRjp5B4Ald5u4q-xtHYMClY/s1600-h/Chambers+post0612.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6vYW5_JwjtKAPOXW_EuMIuni9vxptC-efCsHYu-e9iza3nTbS-oYKo39tSR1EWopr2s-P9B8HXriVVq9UJPAUQHYpJeuQTAc_bSm3sVPOH_MmsTrIpQwnRjp5B4Ald5u4q-xtHYMClY/s200/Chambers+post0612.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395125131542389794" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Our first letter (right) is dated January 31, 1838 at the time that Mr. Chambers was a Maryland Court of Appeals judge. The letter concerned an old judgment Mr. Chambers made that was brought to light again. Mr. Chambers wrote, “On my way through Balto. (<st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Baltimor</st1:place></st1:city><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">e</st1:place></st1:city>) a short time since Mr. G. W. Williamson spoke to me on the subject of the claim he had against you and which I thought we lettered.”Mr. Chambers went on to discuss his conversation with Mr. Williamson and the claim, which was apparently over a payment of $ 91.07 in 1925, for what is unclear.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnBq4Ydaz0fF-5cw5bubFmj5gbMfFLw28-8kDCsX3IbJ-HyhajeBJa76ZwXylawcRwFQKkKdbnDoZMG1qO1Ry8giuiQBzUseLCWpj9q3Q7pKiJxloZ4-EW8_-aOcmiMIX84VhwtXZ2-k/s1600-h/Chambers+post0609.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnBq4Ydaz0fF-5cw5bubFmj5gbMfFLw28-8kDCsX3IbJ-HyhajeBJa76ZwXylawcRwFQKkKdbnDoZMG1qO1Ry8giuiQBzUseLCWpj9q3Q7pKiJxloZ4-EW8_-aOcmiMIX84VhwtXZ2-k/s200/Chambers+post0609.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395124533452707090" border="0" /></a>The second letter (front left, back right), from Mr. Chambers to John Tilghman, was written eight days later on February 8, 1838, discussing how the claim was to be settled and payment done. I find these two letters fascinating because they connect a person from Poplar Grove with someone as prominent as E<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9rJL7GFtBhKNMcCdmWAJYGxXMhDaFilZOsT8HVazNOmDeR716v3swy2EQjcXCcmHB8rZToJGPrPsEciHPEnF89VBs0JJbTgENg9Tpm0fEKCx8FjXprMJCqGAsgAVg0jsOF0Zq29Cnqo/s1600-h/Chambers+post0610.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 126px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9rJL7GFtBhKNMcCdmWAJYGxXMhDaFilZOsT8HVazNOmDeR716v3swy2EQjcXCcmHB8rZToJGPrPsEciHPEnF89VBs0JJbTgENg9Tpm0fEKCx8FjXprMJCqGAsgAVg0jsOF0Zq29Cnqo/s320/Chambers+post0610.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395135700094360882" border="0" /></a>zekiel Chambers, who could have been John’s lawyer since he was an attorney. Also, one notices a sense of camaraderie between the two while reading the letters, which I recommend, though it may take some practice.
<br /><o:p></o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNATHAN%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1026"> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout ext="edit"> <o:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_dwIx42oq6Qkjvu54v341ejM6CdDNhRMPQKZR4UPSNIfbcKLKwsd8uSuu6RY1_sIixlCpSOjZ7O4XRGpMj6VYXEVL2kA9h5wUWoXyCdkpF2j8HlcJqNyPQ2l-qAaEUAG9DZg0w7WbKA/s1600-h/Chambers+post0610.jpg">
<br /></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">Our third letter (left) dates from March 5, 1858; it was between Mr. Chambers and Lloyd Tilghman. In this letter Mr. Chambers <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Nx4MRwiDUvnOIk1C_z2QlcCFRj2sQmeQMgrHcMjTCUK7R7LNGLbc2LV_YcsTtgFs5JOF3O7TG1ELeRZg4NJoFIvWbyUQhbK7Xn-uUh7Rr3mtsm9klwVVf3mj2njaAYA2B_oGaHQ-xAo/s1600-h/Chambers+post0291.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 143px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Nx4MRwiDUvnOIk1C_z2QlcCFRj2sQmeQMgrHcMjTCUK7R7LNGLbc2LV_YcsTtgFs5JOF3O7TG1ELeRZg4NJoFIvWbyUQhbK7Xn-uUh7Rr3mtsm9klwVVf3mj2njaAYA2B_oGaHQ-xAo/s320/Chambers+post0291.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395136132593120322" border="0" /></a>thanked Lloyd for his, “very acceptable favor,” which was, “covering a check for $140.11 in part of my fee in the case of the late Col. N. Goldsborough against General Tench Tilghman.” This letter again suggests that the Tilghman’s, or at least John and Lloyd Tilghman, not only dealt with Ezekiel Chambers professionally, but were friends as well.</p><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">I hope you have enjoyed today’s post concerning Ezekiel F. Chambers. Comments and discussions are welcome and questions are encouraged. Keep a look out for Christian’s weekly post on Friday.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">~Nathan
<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">* Information is from the <i style="">Archives of Maryland</i>, Biographical Series, Ezekiel F. Chambers biography page at the Maryland State Archives.<o:p></o:p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> Natemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13703737774534239369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-1767618618268155212009-10-16T11:59:00.010-04:002009-10-16T14:25:27.883-04:00Some Final Notes on the Struggle Over the Estate of William TilghmanGood afternoon,<br /><br />Perhaps spending one more post on William Tilghman's Estate may seem excessive, but I cannot help feeling as though further details require discussion. In approaching the legal battle between John Tilghman and William Tilghman a second time, I uncovered biographical material about both William Tilghman and Benjamin Chew, the executor of his estate.<br /><br />Nathan and I had both been wondering what connection exactly drew John Tilghman and William Tilghman together, as their closest family relation was that their <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfR-1TwRPCnX90xqA9-vC8KJm7tnqFKVu9jzf1N28bgu67pd-ulCB4f8A7KidtHzNnoExSdCxGLItGGni-O3SPrv0pS6GhcOxI6IuY_-FLetec9GWV_siITJZ_Uwy3X675umVyGW10L9J1/s1600-h/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2254.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 101px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfR-1TwRPCnX90xqA9-vC8KJm7tnqFKVu9jzf1N28bgu67pd-ulCB4f8A7KidtHzNnoExSdCxGLItGGni-O3SPrv0pS6GhcOxI6IuY_-FLetec9GWV_siITJZ_Uwy3X675umVyGW10L9J1/s320/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2254.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393261955839905826" border="0" /></a>fathers were cousins. In fact, the reason why so much of this correspondence bears the name of John Tilghman, and indeed the reason why we are privy to so many of the documents, is that John was the agent of Benjamin Chew in Maryland. This is indicated by the document to the left. Chew was a Pennsylvania resident, and therefore John agreed to help dispose of William Tilghman's Estate in Maryland, with the provision that all funds raised went to Benjamin Chew.<br /><br />With that mystery solved, I turned to speculating upon why William Tilghman had left so much money to Benjamin Chew's son, and why John Tilghman was suing Benjamin Chew within months of Chew's appointment as executor. The reply to John and Ann Tilghman's claim (provided in my post on October 9) laid out the reasons why William Tilghman's death and the subsequent sale of his estate were so contentious; an intriguing family drama played out from there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXIKxviqXx3CW4QGygFROo66atMf2NplNjIG8vnElGOsufScuPy40GrCt1kYt_eFNe7liPVcWKevqR-wIGD6O-GerTvswOZf2SgAUsjnc-p5AFwbo5kEUwi7qwXBNJ3G1V-aYKzTij6Zw/s1600-h/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2262.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXIKxviqXx3CW4QGygFROo66atMf2NplNjIG8vnElGOsufScuPy40GrCt1kYt_eFNe7liPVcWKevqR-wIGD6O-GerTvswOZf2SgAUsjnc-p5AFwbo5kEUwi7qwXBNJ3G1V-aYKzTij6Zw/s320/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2262.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393244972526544754" border="0" /></a>John and Ann Tilghman claimed that they should be inheriting "one fifth part" of William Tilghman's Estate, as described in his will. They argued that his funeral expenses and debts could be fully paid for, still leaving them with their allotted fifth part. In his rebuttal, which begins in the image to the left, Benjamin Chew did not disagree that Ann Tilghman was named in the will as an inheritor of one fifth of the Estate. He did dispute their claim, however, on other grounds. His explanation took ten pages, and in this post I have selected several of those pages to highlight the issues raised.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmpUKdKaVoALEoNp_filKZeeFQ2FTlrukEwNJ9ZwrldGIR6Q5qfLlFduyq2HieX63XFZyDbdfBRfBxCxDeNil7bIN6Vw5KIzn9O1USM8ykSLrK3VGiVZZP7Wp1avI1HFMGe8AEXOdLljo/s1600-h/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2263.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmpUKdKaVoALEoNp_filKZeeFQ2FTlrukEwNJ9ZwrldGIR6Q5qfLlFduyq2HieX63XFZyDbdfBRfBxCxDeNil7bIN6Vw5KIzn9O1USM8ykSLrK3VGiVZZP7Wp1avI1HFMGe8AEXOdLljo/s320/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2263.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393248505266656866" border="0" /></a>The primary reason for the appropriation of funds raised by sale of William's Estate, as stated on the above page, was that William owed a heavy debt at the time of his death in 1827. He had married his daughter, Elizabeth Margeret, to Benjamin Chew, in 1816. This had come with a price, however, as it seems that the Chews were of a higher social rank than was William Tilghman. William, therefore, offered to sell a piece of land in his daughter's name in order to raise money towards the $20,000 he promised Benjamin Chew as a dowry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqGCJ19crAaPWxn247lYgiLLIwhIJZozZpU87ZY5kb0uuOiLrO9lrkNEYhIJF5hixyJb9XPOgWPQx-9QEvBrueFNUdBmBxQsPnnzSrcIOAIT0IBy8iQkaTUQ_I1WPKEvW_k-Hhs_GWje-/s1600-h/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2266.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 101px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqGCJ19crAaPWxn247lYgiLLIwhIJZozZpU87ZY5kb0uuOiLrO9lrkNEYhIJF5hixyJb9XPOgWPQx-9QEvBrueFNUdBmBxQsPnnzSrcIOAIT0IBy8iQkaTUQ_I1WPKEvW_k-Hhs_GWje-/s200/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2266.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393250203334643778" border="0" /></a>Unfortunately, however, he did not pay anything more than $2500 to Benjamin Chew. The land remained in his hands, and he refused to sell it prior to his daughter coming of age; once she had come of age and been married to Benjamin Chew, William Tilghman continued to hold the land, going against the contract as stated in the image to the left.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEZW30b-CkGeVn0_uhyphenhyphenEzFUAWTm4cLqAH6qz4YWGLaPMW8bDkOo1_iYOCa54Iui8uVwiV84J3qjoKLzOzkEzSrH8PU_qzXIQ7v_rbXVdN23Vy7U4L66oQjNR2f2MNv3ZlUg6xu774nPaP/s1600-h/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2266.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 127px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEZW30b-CkGeVn0_uhyphenhyphenEzFUAWTm4cLqAH6qz4YWGLaPMW8bDkOo1_iYOCa54Iui8uVwiV84J3qjoKLzOzkEzSrH8PU_qzXIQ7v_rbXVdN23Vy7U4L66oQjNR2f2MNv3ZlUg6xu774nPaP/s200/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2266.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393251654937328578" border="0" /></a>It would seem that, according to Benjamin Chew's defense at the right, William Tilghman actually sold a large amount of real estate that was in his daughter's name throughout the early 1800s. The money went into his own possession, rather than to his daughter, who was left with little upon reaching maturity.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlexkR-lREx3GiVH73JGE2d5fG0hmepyyI0cnKdVgbpPI8HfAlI4uT4Jah32N5CgI42EiUI4sE6RTSIolmNsFWI61xtEtqotq-FNBmU8ol1dWxz-RRxHXs2-USmqdGJ3VcyS_2lpvyWdko/s1600-h/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2268.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlexkR-lREx3GiVH73JGE2d5fG0hmepyyI0cnKdVgbpPI8HfAlI4uT4Jah32N5CgI42EiUI4sE6RTSIolmNsFWI61xtEtqotq-FNBmU8ol1dWxz-RRxHXs2-USmqdGJ3VcyS_2lpvyWdko/s320/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2268.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393253571690567746" border="0" /></a>By 1817, Elizabeth Margaret Tilghman, who had become Elizabeth Margaret Chew through her marriage to Benjamin, had died. This did not free William Tilghman from his debt to Benjamin Chew, however. Chew did not press charges, ostensibly because he was so affectionate toward his father-in-law, but the rebuttal maintained that he never relinquished his claims to the $20,000, which had eventually ballooned to $27,500. William told him, when pressed throughout the 1820s, that to "pay the debt, he would have to sell the house over his head" (see left). This may have seemed true at the time, but the vast inventory William left behind at his death suggests otherwise.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ38DmZCY8Rd0jL6xrcUTrWivvq0Z3al5l6HnAJUHjqJ-WToe8RfE9hALGyZo1MVx9-AEirSpRM_AwJCVPhE4eAJ8rf6dVoeASTc_ky2rP4z9x6fHPNkAnXU-4irp7Me95jfcAoo8LIvh1/s1600-h/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2270.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ38DmZCY8Rd0jL6xrcUTrWivvq0Z3al5l6HnAJUHjqJ-WToe8RfE9hALGyZo1MVx9-AEirSpRM_AwJCVPhE4eAJ8rf6dVoeASTc_ky2rP4z9x6fHPNkAnXU-4irp7Me95jfcAoo8LIvh1/s320/johntilghman_bchew_dispute2270.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393255817883713618" border="0" /></a>According to Benjamin Chew's defense, it was an unwillingness to pay rather than an inability. William Tilghman took responsibility for the estates of his daughter and grandson, worth roughly $50,000, and refused to use any of this property to pay off the marriage contract. This is explained in the document to the right. It was for these reasons that Benjamin Chew thought it fair to appropriate funds raised from the sale of William Tilghman's property to pay off the outstanding debt owed him. Sadly we do not know the outcome of this court case, but Benjamin Chew's detailed ten-page rebuttal, if not fabricated, certainly made a strong case for his position. Despite William Tilghman's intent that parts of his Estate go to his grandson, William Tilghman Chew (son of Elizabeth Margaret and Benjamin), Benjamin Chew was still owed a significant debt that had existed before the will was made in 1819. Perhaps the first document presented here offers a clue: John Tilghman was Benjamin Chew's agent in 1833. Whatever the outcome of the court case, it seems to have been a somewhat amicable one.<br /><br />I hope this lengthy interpretation of the evidence has shone a light onto a somewhat bizarre legal struggle of 1830. Some of the questions raised in our last two posts (i.e. Why was John Tilghman involved? What was the perceived wrongdoing committed by Benjamin Chew?) have been answered sufficiently, and we will be moving on to other topics next week. Undoubtedly William Tilghman, Benjamin Chew, and John Tilghman will reappear in this blog, but next week we will be presenting some other people who figured prominently in the papers of Series 10. Thank you for reading, and feel free to comment in the space below. After all, if you have a particular interest in this collection and you would like it addressed, we would be happy to oblige.<br /><br />-Christian<br /></div>Christian S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17240054945921762992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-55219085500470139382009-10-14T09:00:00.044-04:002009-10-15T12:20:22.753-04:00Penal bonds concerning the Estate of William TilghmanHello again readers,<br /><br />I, like my colleague Christian, am determined to spread the word about the kind of historically important and interesting finds we come across while working with the Poplar Grove Collection. For this reason, we will both post regularly and encourage comments and discussions about this collection. We both feel that this collection deserves attention since it is rich with Maryland history.<br /><br />Today, I would like to share with you some penal bonds that relate to Christian’s post about the estate of William Tilghman.<br /><br />As a note for those unfamiliar with the concept of a penal bond, this was a bond made to secure a fine payment as penalty if an obligation or promise is not upheld; ideally this ensured that the deal would not be broken.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">While processing Series 10 of the Poplar Grove collection, three penal bonds were found concerning slaves from William Tilghman’s estate. Our first penal bond <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwiMZU5BK_JqEVdlGqiNixslGL8mHS3R0PFEx_MjEUSpUBp9tu7030jwcGZDoP1m5UWeTtJSBQy8hntRkf45GNbNb4PhIxu4UxycDNAwJLefvVmRRmHuyMT3BfA5xpMl0LD376WtQUk8o/s1600-h/penal+bond+post1459.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwiMZU5BK_JqEVdlGqiNixslGL8mHS3R0PFEx_MjEUSpUBp9tu7030jwcGZDoP1m5UWeTtJSBQy8hntRkf45GNbNb4PhIxu4UxycDNAwJLefvVmRRmHuyMT3BfA5xpMl0LD376WtQUk8o/s200/penal+bond+post1459.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392519033947238002" border="0" /></a>was between Benjamin Chew, the primary executor of William Tilghman’s Estate, and Joseph Hoffecker. The other two penal bonds dealt with business between Chew and Jacob Raymond.</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Benjamin Chew, was in charge of selling William’s property, which included his slaves.* Chew sold Hoffecker a slave named Samuel for two years of service. The penal bond (on right) stated "Samuel shall not be removed from the state of Delaware during his time of service, than this obligation shall be null and void." Hoffecker would then have to pay a one thousand dollar penal sum, which was mentioned at the beginning of this document. Penal bonds made against transporting slaves from one state to another, like this one, were probably used as one way to control and track the slave trade.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhdWdlJCfeF35TPl9j-2T31lNBnsvPqzLd3CEHq6it1t9x0w1rq0cecz55uJ1s_GICSYFLilQepH0ePWSD-ua4-tEDeIZ21Tx3rmzD8Hj7_5OL5RUGNSaS6vCkiQi6WrEiaIvSv7g4QA/s1600-h/penal+bond+post1460.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 108px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhdWdlJCfeF35TPl9j-2T31lNBnsvPqzLd3CEHq6it1t9x0w1rq0cecz55uJ1s_GICSYFLilQepH0ePWSD-ua4-tEDeIZ21Tx3rmzD8Hj7_5OL5RUGNSaS6vCkiQi6WrEiaIvSv7g4QA/s200/penal+bond+post1460.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392525516754615394" border="0" /></a>The next penal bond (front side left, back side right) was between <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TcVhwTZKC9VoFwvyfV0Qc7wOCP30BKxjU2lIP1ysP_8QDxtd2SH20bYkc_7tZTB5NYMzR6zB6aUIwY_tevjBpFxntln16myv1_jP2-2u6RY7fZ3JRpCxBTtReQg-fR9oLTAquk-U8-s/s1600-h/penal+bond+post1461.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 103px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TcVhwTZKC9VoFwvyfV0Qc7wOCP30BKxjU2lIP1ysP_8QDxtd2SH20bYkc_7tZTB5NYMzR6zB6aUIwY_tevjBpFxntln16myv1_jP2-2u6RY7fZ3JRpCxBTtReQg-fR9oLTAquk-U8-s/s200/penal+bond+post1461.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392510831756281234" border="0" /></a>Chew and Jacob Raymond of Delaware on March 17, 1830; the penal sum was one thousand dollars if either of the two slaves bought, Abraham for 13 years and Charlotte for 15 years, were removed from Delaware.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Along with this bond was a letter( on left), which is the last document that I am going to share with you. This letter was written by Jacob Raymond concerning his problems with the above penal bond, and was written to John Tilghman. John was most likely contacted because had contact with Benjamin Chew and was familiar with the court system. Raymond, in the letter, complained a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Oi-DMiQtqI2yi6YLq6ySYhe8h1HV9MvykQuhQ8_k9MKRyt_Z_d9IJU6XN4bg-IUFkhjQpUPe2qJ-k2RMroTscVtYwG1qSp8PO-xs1g3Gyxx8Yl9Rn7_vyE0bSXOdEcesxPdBx_guEeU/s1600-h/penal+bond+post1471.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Oi-DMiQtqI2yi6YLq6ySYhe8h1HV9MvykQuhQ8_k9MKRyt_Z_d9IJU6XN4bg-IUFkhjQpUPe2qJ-k2RMroTscVtYwG1qSp8PO-xs1g3Gyxx8Yl9Rn7_vyE0bSXOdEcesxPdBx_guEeU/s200/penal+bond+post1471.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392521470707288626" border="0" /></a>bout the penal bond that Benjamin Chew made, as well as the stiff 500 dollar fine and imprisonment penalty that. Delaware enforced for selling a slave outside of the state. Raymond wrote,"Had I been appraised of this previous to my having brought my two blacks home they might have remained in Maryland, the laws in our own state inflict a very severe penalty for selling blacks out of it." In other words, Raymond was not happy that the penal bond did not allow him to move his slaves out of Delaware, and that if he did move them he would face punishment by both the penal bond and the state of Delaware. I found it both interesting and informative to find a man’s penal bond and a letter expressing his problems with it.<br /></div><br />I hope you have enjoyed this quick glimpse into one of the many subjects that the Poplar Grove Collection holds. More posts are to come, until then…<br /><br />~Nathan<br /><br />* See previous post for more details.Natemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13703737774534239369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-15509475228313424912009-10-09T14:55:00.009-04:002009-10-09T16:35:15.487-04:00Struggles Over the Estate of William TilghmanHello again,<br /><br />It has been a week since my previous post, and I am happy to have, for the moment, made good on my promise of a weekly update. Let us hope this good fortune continues.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr5EAC-_PXfW96NhvggCfa4nXVQPwaypU9WY8V__-HjW4rpv6kdeLNpmOWP1TofH1G_KZMwSJq83tjJ0h3qQAKxQPqcz9MGuOY0fACCbhZjhfgvcB0uawI_3nzzXUcWAaxGm1UGQ_iC36/s1600-h/William+Tilghman+Entry+10_9_570.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr5EAC-_PXfW96NhvggCfa4nXVQPwaypU9WY8V__-HjW4rpv6kdeLNpmOWP1TofH1G_KZMwSJq83tjJ0h3qQAKxQPqcz9MGuOY0fACCbhZjhfgvcB0uawI_3nzzXUcWAaxGm1UGQ_iC36/s320/William+Tilghman+Entry+10_9_570.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390690024272843890" border="0" /></a>The topic of this week's discussion is one that I find both quite interesting and also somewhat baffling. In some ways, I am putting out a challenge to my readers, which will be made explicit at the end of this post. I will be offering a selection of documents pertaining to the battle over William Tilghman, the "Late Chief Justice of the State of Pennsylvania." At the moment, my biographical details on this figure are admittedly slim. I hope to have more time to delve into his story in coming weeks, but I have been somewhat caught up in a variety of other tasks. The important details for our discussion are to be found in a selection of papers from Poplar Grove, Series 10.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXOZE1RF7KrL1QXhHXPjFSdBEQbKFLr5PB2vz-UV6sPrQLHoFbubfT5Z1pJ2Ot8VP4K2R6-hM8Ckoo17wSjJJrDJWe1u-7Ay75b3bNgStxEYoqaYS-jEaqsYcMNH3lpSx4NF_J7JdPq6G/s1600-h/William+Tilghman+Entry+10_9_582.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXOZE1RF7KrL1QXhHXPjFSdBEQbKFLr5PB2vz-UV6sPrQLHoFbubfT5Z1pJ2Ot8VP4K2R6-hM8Ckoo17wSjJJrDJWe1u-7Ay75b3bNgStxEYoqaYS-jEaqsYcMNH3lpSx4NF_J7JdPq6G/s320/William+Tilghman+Entry+10_9_582.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390688470784742594" border="0" /></a><br />We know that William Tilghman<br />died in 1827, as is apparent in a Bill of Complaint filed by John Tilghman and his wife Ann found to the right. We also know that he drafted a will in 1819. Unfortunately, that will had apparently not been updated since 1819, and this caused some tension between those who expected to inherit some of his wealth (see the image to the upper-left). Clearly, John and Ann Tilghman were among those who wanted a piece of the pie, so to speak.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxJlakMgbN_oC4Y-rya8o9CqywGXB_XOatgYOcendwGG9w9joBh7DWDaFX-BXVK2vXQf1WuGJ9pWyuCmZq-LZn9h3MdFaBxPyPQvJoPnwVWXLYFv1S1xwVEcrqTQLtO4kYMSJSS3MkVaO/s1600-h/William+Tilghman+Entry+10_9_540.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxJlakMgbN_oC4Y-rya8o9CqywGXB_XOatgYOcendwGG9w9joBh7DWDaFX-BXVK2vXQf1WuGJ9pWyuCmZq-LZn9h3MdFaBxPyPQvJoPnwVWXLYFv1S1xwVEcrqTQLtO4kYMSJSS3MkVaO/s320/William+Tilghman+Entry+10_9_540.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390691185293346242" border="0" /></a>Perhaps the greatest issue causing contention over inheritance, however, was a sad event that had transpired in the decade between the writing and the execution of William Tilghman's will. According to the image to the left, he had intended to leave virtually all of his estate to his grandson, William Tilghman Chew. We learn from the same document that the grandson predeceased William Tilghman. This left the issue of inheritance in a nebulous area, without a clear heir. Clouding the issue was the fact that William's grandson was the son of Benjamin Chew, a prominent lawyer, who seems to have gone completely unmentioned in the will (which we do not posess). Benjamin became one of two executors of William Tilghman's estate upon the latter's death, and it is not hard to see why other family members may have seen Benjamin's involvement as somewhat dubious.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7MvJMbaxFfauJHGmrt6jQRtaKHaEeF7eVeX29sUEeMUWz_Rt7D5jSMdiEoRBGoJeOg1vLA2bTkiOUVcm6E1XdtDNG1W13iCdgA6F1QPJS_paTs-p_dF2Qp-l0u0DzA9or9gtqbPvYVLrR/s1600-h/William+Tilghman+Entry+10_9_571.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7MvJMbaxFfauJHGmrt6jQRtaKHaEeF7eVeX29sUEeMUWz_Rt7D5jSMdiEoRBGoJeOg1vLA2bTkiOUVcm6E1XdtDNG1W13iCdgA6F1QPJS_paTs-p_dF2Qp-l0u0DzA9or9gtqbPvYVLrR/s320/William+Tilghman+Entry+10_9_571.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390695352389131282" border="0" /></a><br />Two final pieces of information make this case even more bizarre. The first is that William Tilghman resided in Philadelphia at the time of his death, and had lived there for some time. The previous document to the upper left reveals this fact, and refers to the troublesome legal status of William Tilghman's large Maryland land-holdings. Much of the land was sold to a Mr. Cummins for a large sum, but this matter of the legal nuances of inter-state real estate surely complicated an already complicated subject. My final document of the day, however, makes obvious one of the especially troubling aspects of this situation. There were, in 1827, a large body of slaves owned by William Tilghman, living on the said Maryland property. These are referred to by name in the inventory to the right. In 1830, when Benjamin Chew and various members of the Tilghman family were muddling through this legal battle, Maryland was still a slave state. There were distinct abolitionist sympathies in the states on Maryland's northern border, and informed parties were almost certainly concerned about what would become of slaves caught in the awkward legal position of living in Maryland on a property owned by a deceased master residing in Pennsylvania.<br /><br />One can certainly understand why William Tilghman's Estate is of interest to me; I hope it is of similar interest to the readers of this blog. There is much more information to be scanned and discovered in the William Tilghman file, and I hope to present that information in the coming weeks. Look for a post in the near future by my colleague Nathan discussing several penal bonds we found that were also tied to Benjamin Chew and reveal in more depth the situation facing these slaves following the death of William Tilghman. Please continue to check in weekly, and expect another post by next Friday as we further explore Series 10 of the Poplar Grove Collection. Until then, feel free to post comments and even start a discussion on this subject. I would love to read what you have to say regarding the somewhat confusing estate of William Tilghman.<br /><br />-ChristianChristian S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17240054945921762992noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-47070636167313161872009-10-01T11:58:00.003-04:002009-11-06T13:30:34.594-05:00A New ContributorHello readers,<br /><br />I am the newest member of the Poplar Grove team, and consider it a privilege to begin adding my contributions and observations to this blog. I hope the time that has passed since the original discovery of this material has not diminished interest in the project; many of the most intriguing finds are still going on, and I hope to make this apparent throughout my work with the Poplar Grove Collection this Fall.<br /><br />First, however, I should provide some information about myself. I am Christian Skipper, a recent graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland. I graduated with honors, majoring in English and History; this program culminated in a lengthy Senior Project that took me a year to complete. I am no stranger to long-term projects, and I think this will serve me well in my time working with the Poplar Grove papers.<br /><br />I came to the Maryland State Archives in June, 2009 as an intern, and, after taking part in an extensive project to enhance the accessibility of the Brown Books,* I was assigned to assist my coworker Nathan scan several series of the Poplar Grove collection. This has proven a very fruitful task, as I hope to reveal in my upcoming blog postings.<br /><br />Nathan and I have been given the responsibility of scanning Series 17 and 10, two of the most damaged and disorganized collections. We have built on the foundation created by previous Poplar Grove workers, and in the case of Series 10 extensively organized ten boxes full of material. Much of this material, of course, is of interest primarily to those concerned with financial transactions carried out in the nineteenth century. Receipts abound, for goods as innocuous as empty bottles and transactions as high-profile as land exchanges. We have found documents discussing Tilghman Island in the Chesapeake, as well as the sale of several farms on the Eastern Shore. These could prove very helpful to the large body of historians interested in the development of Maryland's landowning culture. The receipts also shed light on any number of businesses operating in Maryland throughout the 1800s, especially in the Baltimore area. Several receipts suggest the buildup of the Poplar Grove Stock Farm (an important location in the 1890s, as we know from E. B. Emory's high level of financial correspondence during that decade).**<br /><br />Perhaps most bizarre, though, is the Estate of William Tilghman. We intend to highlight this as one of the prizes of the series, as a lengthy legal and social drama played out around William Tilghman's death. His failure to leave a will necessitated the hire of a third party to negotiate the legal quagmire brought on by residing in Pennsylvania but owning a large amount of land and slaves in Maryland. Social historians should take note of this battle, as the documents that pertain to it dovetail significantly with a body of slave-related papers found in this series. The apparent miscellany and largely financial quality of Series 10 fell away to reveal a bevy of intriguing sources concerning the period immediately preceding the American Civil War.<br /><br />Please return to this blog regularly; I intend to post updates as I am able, and ideally will provide new looks into our work once a week. This may be naive, given the large amount of work that we have yet to do on Series 10, and the following task of making these documents accessible to the wider public in a digital format. Even so, I hope to provide you with new insights into the remarkable Poplar Grove Collection quite frequently.<br /><br />-Christian Skipper<br /><br />* a collection of important Revolutionary-era documents compiled on microfilm in the 1940s.<br />** this correspondence forms the majority of items in Series 17.Christian S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17240054945921762992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-79369812747317217452009-07-10T15:02:00.025-04:002009-07-10T19:25:38.060-04:00Neat and new finds from Poplar Grove<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNATHAN%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="Street"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="address"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --</style><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >The Poplar Grove Collection seems to have something about everything and anything that has happened in </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><st1:state style="font-family: times new roman;" st="on"><st1:place st="on">Maryland</st1:place></st1:state></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >’s history. This is what I’ve learned in my short time as a summer intern here at the Maryland State Archives working in special collections here on the Poplar Grove project. </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >The newest find that I have come across is a vast group of records dealing with the </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><st1:street style="font-family: times new roman;" st="on"><st1:address st="on">Eastern Shore Rail Road</st1:address></st1:street></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" > —</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" > note that the word railroad was two words ba</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >ck in the 1800’s.</span><span style="font-size:85%;">
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<br /></span> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">In the first week of my internship I was shone a badly damaged and eaten plat that showed a path proposed for the <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Eastern Shore Rail Road</st1:address></st1:street>. This plat is in series 13 of our Poplar Grove special collection and can be found at the Maryland State Archives web page, through special <a href="http://speccol.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/catalog/cfm/dsp_inventory.cfm?speccol=5807&serno=13&a_level=inventory">collections</a>. It was determined that <a href="http://mdhistory.net/msaref11/msa_sc_5807_13/html/msa_sc_5807_13-0132.html">this pl</a><a href="http://mdhistory.net/msaref11/msa_sc_5807_13/html/msa_sc_5807_13-0132.html">at</a><i style=""> </i>was the original of a printed version of this plat at the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, </span><span style="font-size:85%;"> as State Archivist<i style=""> Dr. Edward Papenfuse </i>notes in his online transcription of the plat. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC9ONgVzqIel0BGnghPqvgMozqNJA5VoKtxCxxA0gRM-qsG6_9-gSAI134n6XsTnK8XUWGR3c_SBJMjwRDrWI5Ppvb07I3Z36-U64ftUODfbr3k9lT8fcnnoOh_HkI_F0pvtJ0W5Wnmo/s1600-h/msa_sc_5807_13-01324_v2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC9ONgVzqIel0BGnghPqvgMozqNJA5VoKtxCxxA0gRM-qsG6_9-gSAI134n6XsTnK8XUWGR3c_SBJMjwRDrWI5Ppvb07I3Z36-U64ftUODfbr3k9lT8fcnnoOh_HkI_F0pvtJ0W5Wnmo/s320/msa_sc_5807_13-01324_v2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356848638957090450" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Since this short introduction of what Poplar Grove has concerning the <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Eastern Shore Rail Road</st1:address></st1:street> I had not come across anything else concerning the E.S.R.R. until recently.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Thomas Emory’s dream was to see a railroad on the eastern shore of <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Maryland</st1:place></st1:state>. He spent part of his life trying to achieve this feat. It would only make sense that I would find a vast collection of documents dealing with the railroad while scanning his papers. While some of the documents are in surprisingly good condition, many are not. For this reason the exact span of time of these documents is not known; however, one could conclude that from the documents that I came across, the earliest date is from the 1830’s spanning until the documented date of 1871 on one fascinating piece, which we will get to later.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">My recent finds are not yet up on the MSA webpage since they have only just been scanned, but I hope they will be shortly.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielMX3GK5J8_6HYCwl4c2rsbM_bMk0-jFWULJXyzaliKwU-sMw-UEhvvV80j_lJRi-74747PjAh07s3Oa-Ls8ss0l18wAzylmqKATUVuDCr-n2lu5ioBS4GZjvINF07q7LCi-b6bECQus/s1600-h/resolution_p1.jpg">
<br /></a></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">One interesting find is resolution papers of the E.S.R.R. These are from what is believed to be 1836, but this is not documented. These papers tell of resolutions concerning the railroad, ranging from stock selling in an attempt to financially support construction of the railroad, to an agreement on the importance of a railroad on the eastern shore as well as how the people deserved a railroad.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
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<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">A survey of<st1:state st="on"> Maryland</st1:state>’s Eastern
<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MWlwrisqVEnihDMPPGDB2F_XOy0vUNNajd4j7lu3buPitMNuS_D2jCa5wY2KkN0for2F7v0nvJk55r8J-O_2m3jKewxZWW4iSVKm8noVrC5NN-n_fzVTlKYx7T1k04a1KM9zkZgwzX4/s1600-h/survey.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MWlwrisqVEnihDMPPGDB2F_XOy0vUNNajd4j7lu3buPitMNuS_D2jCa5wY2KkN0for2F7v0nvJk55r8J-O_2m3jKewxZWW4iSVKm8noVrC5NN-n_fzVTlKYx7T1k04a1KM9zkZgwzX4/s200/survey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356903612594332226" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> Shore, marking pickets for a
<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> possible rail line from Rice
<br /></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Creek towards the Green
<br /></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Swamp was one of my favorite
<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">discoveries while scanning.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">The survey marks roads and</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> rivers on the line as well, should
<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">things cross like“<i style="">Road to
<br /></i></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">Sockwood’s folly bridge</i>”</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">and “<st1:place st="on"><i style="">Middle River</i></st1:place>”.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">A bill draft for the railroad, possibly from the 1830's, was discovered that appears to have been ripped or cut in half. This bill dealt with a
<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">variety of topics, such as, how the Eastern Shore Rail Road</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> would be set up and run by directors,how the elections for</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> directors would be organized and how land owners of land</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> needed for the railroad should be dealt with.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> A short excerpt about director’s elections...</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6A_ODgwWYq6uRi0kJb4-cWM2gaoy6g42MfBTJ9sPIij00IbQeQfg4aAsT9w_KD87ZIQrPa-JOMjwRt_tmovUegj79iJKt_hW04cPAeIpdjqT1qMjbE0LuSsxaI8dE_UY8jkQEP10Iz4/s1600-h/RR_bill_p1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6A_ODgwWYq6uRi0kJb4-cWM2gaoy6g42MfBTJ9sPIij00IbQeQfg4aAsT9w_KD87ZIQrPa-JOMjwRt_tmovUegj79iJKt_hW04cPAeIpdjqT1qMjbE0LuSsxaI8dE_UY8jkQEP10Iz4/s200/RR_bill_p1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356895396538718498" border="0" /></a></span> </p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">"Sect. 2. And be it enacted, that the elections of Directors, required by the Act, referred to, in the proceeding section, other that State Directors</i>,<i style=""> shall be conducted in the following manner, that is to say; The </i><i style="">Directors, for the time being, shall, annually, appoint two of the Stock holders, not being Directors, to the Judge of said elections, and to conduct the same, after having severally taken and subscribed an oath, or affirmation, before a Judge, or Justice of the Peace, well and truly, and according to the Law, to conduct such elections..."</i></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMK029NbG2UFO1cogoXzQ_roSCkxkMqj0a8eoAn9gWXdMwEOk2fKSgI_W48AfAgB1A4cQ-HkbpZSaz673GThv6DErBejzUouKCQ8DdbeJHI9IFeEd9us8l3KNDgiPFDxTZvdIak2od4EI/s1600-h/RR_bill_p1.jpg">
<br /></a></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">The last two finds I want to note are a Queen Anne’s and <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Kent Rail Road</st1:address></st1:street> ticket from 1871 and an <st1:place st="on">Eastern Shore</st1:place> Rail Road Company seal from 1836. I was really excited to see these and was amazed by their wonderful condition.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKkCTWd85eSaP-4A8sSTUfn7Dl1MK6S1HHK1rtnk8R3FnnidmjLZci7w2LEQzJ9pMxe7uqWtob2dUciOY69GdKf4IsMl2-hkLV_r_tCLdzFxtYaUGHpdjjuJ9n2mobHy7ozG9F59tf2M/s1600-h/RR_ticket.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKkCTWd85eSaP-4A8sSTUfn7Dl1MK6S1HHK1rtnk8R3FnnidmjLZci7w2LEQzJ9pMxe7uqWtob2dUciOY69GdKf4IsMl2-hkLV_r_tCLdzFxtYaUGHpdjjuJ9n2mobHy7ozG9F59tf2M/s200/RR_ticket.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356899268079700290" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlP8TXEnLAQqa0ftq5x_3pnbeZNGeGlh3j1ZVZ4t9Q6xwk2TERcWaxWHLz_J-a0cnLAgFBmpP8y932KFmdrBMRBvrr4Fq5NyMDdWRdhG4zv_PLHZC0U8aMujZ5BU4FY6jh_qTJgPpmQI/s1600-h/seal1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlP8TXEnLAQqa0ftq5x_3pnbeZNGeGlh3j1ZVZ4t9Q6xwk2TERcWaxWHLz_J-a0cnLAgFBmpP8y932KFmdrBMRBvrr4Fq5NyMDdWRdhG4zv_PLHZC0U8aMujZ5BU4FY6jh_qTJgPpmQI/s200/seal1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356902786621341970" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Thomas Emory’s dream and life’s work towards a railroad for the Eastern Shore of <st1:state st="on">Maryland</st1:state>, is both fascinating and important to the eventual development of the oft- </span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style="font-size:85%;">forgotten <st1:place st="on">Eastern Shore</st1:place>. I certainly hope to find more documents concerning this matter, and I’m sure I will. After all, Poplar Grove is <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">Maryland</st1:state></st1:place> history 101.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> Many thanks to <i style="">Dr. Edward Papenfuse’s </i>helpful transcription and of course Thomas Emory, for saving such a valuable collection of information for future generations to preserve and learn from.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Until next time…</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Your trusty intern,</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Nathan Miller</span></p> Natemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13703737774534239369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-66859833830132013102009-07-02T15:31:00.033-04:002009-07-15T12:53:13.531-04:00A place where time stands stillEver just stumble upon someplace?<br /><br />Now we're not talking about anyplace... It has to be somewhere special. A place that grabs a hold of you — a place that draws all your attention and focus — a place that captures your imagination. Well on November 18, 2008, around 2:30 pm, I just so happened to come across such a place.<br /><br />Poplar Grove is its name, and fascination is its game.<br /><br />I'm sure the faithful followers of this blog need no <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">introduction</span> to this sprawling seventeenth century plantation, but I'll give a somewhat cursory description of mine, and how I came to be sitting here at this very computer in the State Archives' Electronic Classroom No. 1, writing for the Poplar Grove Project blog.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354008374239740514" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojHI_p_-veVAgYli0G0xcw1k6sWs32hjBkiRqkWMpW3Y0kIpY29JHWHrfQrrgAzn8KntzKYqcVtrX8mEWCCilztWe9CMPd1sHhdOvCbY1S0dPz6DDEP-YHILmhb9DvsDaEFL0UF-FXy4/s400/poplargrove1.jpg" border="0" />Now, I've long been a fan of history. Ever since I can remember, one of my strongest <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">inclinations</span> has been to memorize names, dates, people, and places. More than likely, the reasoning behind this has to do <em>at least partly</em><em> </em>with the native human desire to discover the unknown. It's a fairly frightening prospect, isn't it? To think that there's so much that we simply don't know. For instance... Where did we come from? How did we get here? Who was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">instrumental</span> in making those things happen?<br /><br />Although the answers to these questions vary in length and degree, and some still have yet to be answered, these are the types of questions that help fuel our need for knowledge.<div><div><p>And if knowledge is what you're looking for, then Poplar Grove is an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">intellectual</span> goldmine. It's simply <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">indescribable</span> how incredible this place is. But it's not just the place, it's what was found here. Hundreds of years worth of family records — hundreds of years worth of history — hundreds of years worth of knowledge.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGAUQ-X10U-TSzl0Qa1Vsxucec7vJwNbul98D_qDaEQmdzfk3weOLsGXc_OzlP7M3YJQ_sUC4wdZHy20Y0PF4rluYiIFN1MfCdXHZNb7Icv5PAOWtF_xJ4CrQsleJMcWuMPMaKXOG6GE/s1600-h/poplargrove3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354014522197436018" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right; width: 306px; height: 400px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGAUQ-X10U-TSzl0Qa1Vsxucec7vJwNbul98D_qDaEQmdzfk3weOLsGXc_OzlP7M3YJQ_sUC4wdZHy20Y0PF4rluYiIFN1MfCdXHZNb7Icv5PAOWtF_xJ4CrQsleJMcWuMPMaKXOG6GE/s400/poplargrove3.jpg" border="0" /></a> There was something that made me smile as I stepped through the door frame, and into a world previously <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">unknown</span>. At first I couldn't quite place it... But slowly I began to understand what contributed to its overall importance and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">intellectual</span> wealth. Poplar Grove is a time warp — a gateway to the past if you will. It's a place that most historians <em>not lucky enough to experience it in person </em>would dream about.<br /><p>My personal <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">introduction</span> came on a field trip to the site itself. This past fall, I took a class entitled, "1607: Jamestown and All That," which dealt with life in the seventeenth century Chesapeake region. My teacher, <em>one Adam <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Goodheart,</span> </em>gladly offered our class a unique perspective on the rather adventurous aspects of the Colonial American lifestyle. In talking about such matters <em>and giving Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Goodheart's</span> extensive involvement with the project, </em>naturally the topic of Poplar Grove trickled its way into our class discussions.</p><p>As luck would have it, on the 18<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">th</span> of November we took it upon ourselves to venture to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">the</span> very site that we had heard so much about. And let me tell you, it certainly didn't disappoint... Walking through the house and around the surrounding plantation grounds was an experience I won't soon forget. I felt as connected with the past as I ever have! Lest we forget... The fact that such a place still exists in Maryland (let alone anywhere) is truly remarkable.</p><p>How did I get involved might you ask?</p><p>I applied for the Summer Internship Program at the Maryland State Archives. Every morning, I wake up and come to Annapolis to assist in preserving this priceless collection — this precious piece of history — this invaluable assortment of knowledge.</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354015162757878226" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFf-fuSAb7G7idUrlkUDx0LS38diG3BD24ySENT6ljDGuG9qiV2yC9SFH3bI5IVUwu4_FPnc43_e4SR8kOgffm384IFrN1hBuLgiqrvDk7JJwn0hH6O_e5LGtzRr0Z2jNFk5m7KMDPXZo/s400/poplargrove2.jpg" border="0" />And the best part is, not only am I getting the opportunity to preserve the past, but I'm getting the opportunity to help those people in the future — the ones hungry for the same quest of knowledge that keeps all of us coming back to this very blog.<br /><p>Well I sure stumbled upon a place. And what a thrill! I've found a place, where time stands still.</p><p>Until then,</p><p><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Jas</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Goldſborough</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Bigwood</span></p></div></div>j-bigshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281364810606314167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-18011926774700632352008-12-08T09:55:00.007-05:002009-02-03T18:56:41.034-05:00Poplar Grove event video and documents now online<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7FMNPzE5AvTJFcMtD2bxiPTEKlTYP4XhN_TknKauX1KHpkOwCnRw4kV-9oiZfQS4D0xRvTz59kOSAFaOKv5xq5JKZQ2zEGdubkgaDqX94NnJl-iUjdolns3g1XJwJMxzIS1eXOfMzzxY/s1600-h/splashgraphic.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7FMNPzE5AvTJFcMtD2bxiPTEKlTYP4XhN_TknKauX1KHpkOwCnRw4kV-9oiZfQS4D0xRvTz59kOSAFaOKv5xq5JKZQ2zEGdubkgaDqX94NnJl-iUjdolns3g1XJwJMxzIS1eXOfMzzxY/s320/splashgraphic.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277433697268572946" border="0" /></a>The video of the November 24 presentation on the Poplar Grove Project is now available in its entirety online:<br /><br /><a href="http://itunesu.washcoll.edu/">http://itunesu.washcoll.edu/</a><br /><br />Click at the bottom of the page on the "Visit Washington College" button, and then you will see a link to the Poplar Grove event under "Featured topics."<br /><br />This is the event at Washington College at which all the members of the Poplar Grove Project team presented some of their discoveries from the summer's work. The video is divided into chapters for each part of the presentation to make it easier to view.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfTDEM8rHDmrprrIS-Hi7JfbHXuXedszOdnIDBEGOmkdEnbw47bsKwpq1MnXcoysEi4UuRMMBOHbsLY520TLxUMJqkSe-_1MhRSeNcORJUwYu9iH9AWc0Kpd-_4DVgTxbzy7KFKOGAeih/s1600-h/slavedoc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfTDEM8rHDmrprrIS-Hi7JfbHXuXedszOdnIDBEGOmkdEnbw47bsKwpq1MnXcoysEi4UuRMMBOHbsLY520TLxUMJqkSe-_1MhRSeNcORJUwYu9iH9AWc0Kpd-_4DVgTxbzy7KFKOGAeih/s320/slavedoc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298720799307736130" border="0" /></a>Some 4,000 pages of the Poplar Grove Papers (out of an estimated 30,000), spanning the 17th through the 20th centuries, are now available online for anyone to view. Thanks to the stellar efforts of the student research team and to Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse and his staff at the Maryland State Archives, these documents literally went "from attic to Internet" in less than six months.<br /><br />The papers are available to the public on the State Archives website, here:<br /><br /><a href="http://speccol.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/catalog/cfm/dsp_number.cfm?speccol=5807">http://speccol.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/catalog/cfm/dsp_number.cfm?speccol=5807</a><br /><br />Click on "Collection inventory" at the bottom of the page to reach a list of series arranged by topics/dates. Then click on the series numbers to view images of individual pages. There is no detailed index as of yet, but the work continues. Researchers are also welcome to use the collection in person at the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-2956236056678644052008-11-19T13:46:00.003-05:002008-11-19T13:53:10.010-05:00Monday: Poplar Grove team at Washington College<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswbv5lDg-DRPaYVf_1kMzgZD8dQ6YYl7xUM4_C0va5zf_0fP7n5fDgAYi7jpj5nWxjyr3x624te9Sf1dDeIjznuxAJwTNVaYe7R1OzdvC6OQ7RUltxrukTfXV-2mXURzILn_OLwNGhs8W/s1600-h/poplargrovefront.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswbv5lDg-DRPaYVf_1kMzgZD8dQ6YYl7xUM4_C0va5zf_0fP7n5fDgAYi7jpj5nWxjyr3x624te9Sf1dDeIjznuxAJwTNVaYe7R1OzdvC6OQ7RUltxrukTfXV-2mXURzILn_OLwNGhs8W/s320/poplargrovefront.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270442840400628114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">For everyone who has been wondering what we have been up to since last summer ...<br /><br />You are all invited to learn the inside story of the Poplar Grove find at "The<span style="font-family: monospace;"> </span>Poplar Grove Project: A Tale of Historical Discovery," a presentation at Washington College's Casey Academic Center Forum next Monday, November 24, at 7:30 p.m.<span style="font-family: monospace;"><br /><br /></span>Members of the Poplar Grove research team will describe some of the<span style="font-family: monospace;"> </span>remarkable fragments of the past that the farm's attics, outbuildings, and<span style="font-family: monospace;"> </span>servants' quarters yielded. Thanks to a team of student researchers, the documents have now been conserved and placed on deposit at the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, where they are accessible to researchers. A few of the original documents themselves will be brought from the State Archives for the occasion. Many descendants of the Emory family will also be on hand to join in the discussion.<br /><br />The Poplar Grove Project was directed by Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, State Archivist of Maryland, and Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the C.V. Starr Center. The student team included Washington College undergraduates James Schelberg '11 and Jeremy Rothwell '09, as well as Olivia Wood, a student at Rhodes College who is an Emory descendant. The<span style="font-family: monospace;"> </span>team supervisor was Washington College alumnus Albin Kowalewski '07, now a graduate student at the University of Tennessee. The entire team will be on hand for next Monday's event.<br /><br />"The Poplar Grove Project: A Tale of Historical Discovery" is jointly presented by the C.V. Starr Center, the Maryland State Archives and the Queen Anne's County Historical Society. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410 810-7161.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-32718954920394574122008-08-21T08:49:00.011-04:002008-08-26T08:55:34.107-04:00UpdateFaithful readers and inquisitive newcomers,<br /><br />I just wanted to give everyone a short update on the project thus far. The team wrapped up their portion of the project in early August and the job has since been passed to the skillful hands of the full-time staff at the Maryland State Archives.<br /><br />Thanks to all who shared their own family documents, stories, and recollections.<br /><br />To view the collection inventory as it now stands, please visit the Maryland State Archives' <a href="http://speccol.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/catalog/cfm/dsp_number.cfm">Special Collections website.</a><div>(If the link still doesn't work enter "5807"--the Poplar Grove Collection number-- into the collection number box on the bottom left-hand side of the Special collections page via the Maryland State Archives' website. There is a link to the State Archives at the top right-hand corner of this blog.) <br /><br />The inventory will, of course, change periodically as more of the collection is processed and scanned.</div>Abbie Kowalewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16091040739300639398noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-62293482675281211672008-07-29T20:11:00.020-04:002008-11-13T15:32:58.277-05:00J.E. Johnston... The Rest is History<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocGCIggzQIFs9v2ELdcOMBB50Uf-fVWZuC_1bSUeFNbqx4EZ7jDMU1CTCfNAnfELWHDUI08GJRQsehdq576jEaL4ZwGBfREwr-6ee0ZbPLa9ZxpynPI8VTsWngYMoFOHmpffdpvaH6UY/s1600-h/johnstonje2ad.jpeg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228593926897413010" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocGCIggzQIFs9v2ELdcOMBB50Uf-fVWZuC_1bSUeFNbqx4EZ7jDMU1CTCfNAnfELWHDUI08GJRQsehdq576jEaL4ZwGBfREwr-6ee0ZbPLa9ZxpynPI8VTsWngYMoFOHmpffdpvaH6UY/s320/johnstonje2ad.jpeg" border="0" /></a>If there is one fact that can attest to the immense nature of this collection, it is that even seven weeks after we first began rummaging through the papers at Poplar Grove, the team has yet to stop making new and exciting discoveries. One would think that the countless cycles of sorting, chronologizing, and cataloguing would have eventually resulted in a thorough familiarity with the collection. But that’s not the case. In fact, the past week or so has unearthed a strong connection between famed Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and the Emory family. Since the early stages of research, it was pretty well known that William H. Emory had been long-time friends with Johnston, but the details and extent of their relationship was a bit foggy.<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>In a recently-surfaced memoir of William, titled “Recollections,” William recounts the night that would lay the foundation for the long friendship. According to Emory, in the early days of West Point, the young cadets would pass their Saturday nights “in carousing, and it was customary to draw lots who should cross the River, or go to Benny Havens for a jug of whiskey.” Having just turned 15 at the time, young Emory was not permitted “the high priviledge of taking [his] chances in this discreditable lottery.” William continues:<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8MA-gFU7Na3bFQjv7iVvFBcjSvSfPFTECNnA0alJNhpiWxL3eNtYKFZmDipeVNb5kdBmm00b-k6lRtifm2aSrsW2vnc5OUqUVLWOKr6rXyiB7eILh-H2updIZHX8kU2TvUauZ45B7-w/s1600-h/West_point_painting.jpg"><em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228595143037075202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 219px" height="271" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8MA-gFU7Na3bFQjv7iVvFBcjSvSfPFTECNnA0alJNhpiWxL3eNtYKFZmDipeVNb5kdBmm00b-k6lRtifm2aSrsW2vnc5OUqUVLWOKr6rXyiB7eILh-H2updIZHX8kU2TvUauZ45B7-w/s320/West_point_painting.jpg" width="351" border="0" /></em></a>“<em>One cold night, when the River was running rapidly, and the ice beginning to move, the venture fell to the lot of one Johnston who afterwards became a confirmed sot and was dismissed. As he left the room, he beckoned me to follow, which I was not slow in doing. Unknown to the others, he intended I should be his companion in his risky foray. On reaching the River just above Gee’s Point, we found the ice weak and covered with slush. Johnston said he thought the ice would not bear him, but would carry me over nicely. Then the caitiff pointed to a bright light directly </em><em>across, and said ‘That is the little red cottage, take this,’ at the same time thrusting money into my hand, ‘and give it to Hunker; he will fit you out with a sled and jug, and I will wait here on the shore until you return.’ Goose that I was, instead of spurning him as I would have done a year later, I accepted his proposition as a fine chance to signalize myself by crossing the River when he was afraid to do so. Going over was easy enough, but coming back the ice began to move, and on nearing the shore, I found a belt of water between the ice and the rocks. After some difficulty in finding Johnston’s exact locality I threw him the end of the rope attached to the small sled on which the jug was fastened, and asked him after dragging the trophy on shore to throw the rope back to me. In place of doing as requested, he deliberately uncocked the jug and settling himself, commenced immediately to fill his worthless carcass with whiskey. The danger to me was imminent, for the ice was receding from the shore. Seeing Mr. Johnston intent on guzzling, and fearing he would not throw me the rope until it was too late, I made a leap for the shore which I could not reach, and landed in water over my head. Being a good swimmer I reached the shore, but found the rocks too steep and slippery to climb, so drifting along a short distance, I struck an inclined plane and landed thoroughly chilled, and very much ashamed of my companion</em>.”<br /></div><br /><div>Unfortunately, William spares us the details of what immediately followed, but we do know from <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoIZDkYgkPGGuS1jWAnoIKAcUiH9lzAWt7TYABNSgokgRb5noM7_a_MDEVM74QDEnW_KaY6v4fbH9r0LMKomxhvfTCFqsw_g3P24IdAViScodqG9QfN_3PA_B0p2ybmSdYBQQaAdtpqA/s1600-h/jejletter0001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228599064674974706" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoIZDkYgkPGGuS1jWAnoIKAcUiH9lzAWt7TYABNSgokgRb5noM7_a_MDEVM74QDEnW_KaY6v4fbH9r0LMKomxhvfTCFqsw_g3P24IdAViScodqG9QfN_3PA_B0p2ybmSdYBQQaAdtpqA/s200/jejletter0001.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARo9Zzb8ys_Ih0Ot08BMVFhki7fDhcNT40I7GzKkxt-MSlPFJtMDMu3-eWUO94fgzZpFa2-slW3jQnRauUrRNjnpLAAd9OHiBWAPzG8-JUD2RYIW9RrvKadqxSNNZzF3of5k9JfAm9Oo/s1600-h/jejletter0002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228599361285851202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARo9Zzb8ys_Ih0Ot08BMVFhki7fDhcNT40I7GzKkxt-MSlPFJtMDMu3-eWUO94fgzZpFa2-slW3jQnRauUrRNjnpLAAd9OHiBWAPzG8-JUD2RYIW9RrvKadqxSNNZzF3of5k9JfAm9Oo/s200/jejletter0002.jpg" border="0" /></a>letters found at Poplar Grove, that </div><div></div><div></div><div>the event helped initiate the friendship of the two men. Since then, Joe Johnston had apparently also befriended William’s younger brother, John Register, presumably though William. In a letter dated October 7th, 1838 (eleven years after the river/whiskey incident), Johnston jokingly writes to J.R.: “I have just come from church where in compliance with the request of your last paragraph, I prayed fervently for your deliverance from all temptation. Particularly in the shape of women.” Although Johnston did have a reputation for being even-tempered and passive, these letters reveal his clever sense of humor—a side of him that is hardly apparent in most Civil War history. </div><br /><div></div><div>Lamenting a recent lack of communication between him and William, Johnston asks, with <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfvoLba-xrRFCWwuqbqHj4KKZPWGG1-1OxCMVjlt1PJqX6tZ6NVwpobuj-wkQMaJkc7YUZkD6wYBnqmjbiRxarx8Z35XrUs4HEIv4oxcd3R_QvrOS2tQlrG60h20u5oYhUvZO6kLYod8/s1600-h/jejletter0003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228600234040827650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfvoLba-xrRFCWwuqbqHj4KKZPWGG1-1OxCMVjlt1PJqX6tZ6NVwpobuj-wkQMaJkc7YUZkD6wYBnqmjbiRxarx8Z35XrUs4HEIv4oxcd3R_QvrOS2tQlrG60h20u5oYhUvZO6kLYod8/s200/jejletter0003.jpg" border="0" /></a>prodding humor: “What has become of ‘Bro Bill’? I have heard no news of him since his marriage, except your casual notice. Couldn’t you get married until your friends are all dead? The man is worth a straw after it.” It seems Matilda had “Brother Bill” so caught up in the raptures of love as to make him forget about his old friend!<br /><br />Sadly, after years of service together in the same artillery, engineer and cavalry units, the War of the Rebellion would throw William and Joseph on opposite sides of the conflict. Regarding this, in his memoir William would state that “in spite of his going against us, the old Army will bear me out in asserting that he has always maintained... impulsive generosity and great magnanimity.” The loss of his old West Point comrade would be but one of many relationships consumed by the war; William would also fight against two brothers, one son and at least one other close friend (none other than Jefferson Davis).<br /><br /><em>Thanks to Bill Emory, who has provided the Poplar Grove Project with transcriptions of WHE's memoir, there is much more to come concerning “Recollections”.</em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em>Painting of West Point: </em>West Point, New York <em>by Seth Eastman, 1875. Oil on canvas.</em></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Jim Schelberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16408431437884642916noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-50343452176895396042008-07-23T20:38:00.020-04:002008-11-13T15:32:59.362-05:00"... a chance resurrection ..."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLMm8MYL8qFCrADqWdNMJPssykjlgSWLXlUczG-DBSNtjZ5nErFq916pAU1GYBbBFbfD95J75tkiPLciRaj2Eo27Ef_6NUh3r48uLhoQOx0oqk8T9PQfo4DhDpssn7nRTZ5Zndxetdb4B/s1600-h/fred_emory.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLMm8MYL8qFCrADqWdNMJPssykjlgSWLXlUczG-DBSNtjZ5nErFq916pAU1GYBbBFbfD95J75tkiPLciRaj2Eo27Ef_6NUh3r48uLhoQOx0oqk8T9PQfo4DhDpssn7nRTZ5Zndxetdb4B/s320/fred_emory.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226375041471738050" border="0" /></a>“Oswald had some literary taste, the dilettante kind, and was particularly fond of delving among old records and family papers. No occupation had greater charm for him than that of building up, bit by bit, from material obtained in this way, a picture of the long-buried past ...”<br /><br />So begins my favorite passage from <a href="http://poplargroveproject.blogspot.com/2008/07/poplar-grove-novel.html">the novel about 19th-century Poplar Grove</a>, <span style="font-style: italic;">A Maryland Manor,</span> that I wrote about here the other day. It's honestly felt and beautifully described because, I am certain, the author was writing about himself. Frederic Emory (he's the owlish chap you see above) recalled in a different context that while still a child, he happened to contract "a taste for rummaging among old papers and records, while exploring the garrets of certain venerable houses in Queen Anne's."<br /><br />To all of us who have spent at least part of this summer exploring the nooks and crannies of Poplar Grove and its history, the rest of the passage - which I'll quote in its entirety - has the shock of the familiar, even though the scene it describes is set in 1861. The character is Oswald Reeve, a young gentleman living at the Manor, and the setting is the "lumber room" [an old-fashioned term for a room used to store documents, unused furniture, etc.] in the attic:<br /><br />“It was a very large room, covering nearly the entire floor space of the main building. The steeply slanting roof showed its rafters and the sheathing of shingles untouched by paint. The large dormer windows looked out upon a zigzag line of roofs, thickly coated with moss, and upon chimneys of various heights and dimensions. Huge locust trees waved their scraggy branches almost against the window panes, and Lombardy poplars reared their shining green leafage above the tallest of the chimneys. A circular window in the front gable [NB: see the photo at the top of this blog] commanded a view of the lane, with its avenue of elms; a square window, at the opposite end of the room, afforded glimpses of the garden, the Quarter, the overseer’s house, with the cove in the distance.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFw1r04Jf_ehVVbfNOHw0hbw4VqDRixxWqcCmJ_zIPgp7zaPx1qUfIpQcJfDRF-t8US-axyYPDj24BA0Hc4kvXdPb8B6wJD_3JdcIUQY-S5d4fGEPmxMLGxlDWoY16WW38VqPiSDaS-8Z/s1600-h/atticsteps.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFw1r04Jf_ehVVbfNOHw0hbw4VqDRixxWqcCmJ_zIPgp7zaPx1qUfIpQcJfDRF-t8US-axyYPDj24BA0Hc4kvXdPb8B6wJD_3JdcIUQY-S5d4fGEPmxMLGxlDWoY16WW38VqPiSDaS-8Z/s200/atticsteps.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226378276529324882" border="0" /></a>“Oswald seated himself one afternoon upon an old armchair of colonial pattern, upholstered in faded red velvet, in one of the dormer recesses, and was soon absorbed in examining a package of letters which revealed a touching romance of the Cheston family during the Protestant Revolution of 1689. The floor in front of him was strewn with a great variety of objects – bits of rare China; broken articles of furniture; old, worm-eaten books; piles of yellow title-deeds, mortgages, letters; heaps of laces, silks, and velvets, the remains of clothing which had adorned some belle or beau of the family in the olden days. From rusty nails driven into one of the rafters, hung three suits of military uniform, each representing a different period of army service. One of them was the scarlet and buff of the Maryland 'macaronis' during the Revolution. Another was the militia colonel’s regimentals worn by our Colonel’s father, the Judge, in the War of 1812. The third, of much more modern pattern, was the dragoon suit which the Colonel himself had donned upon his promotion to a captaincy at the close of the last campaign against Osceola, the noted Seminole chief.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQA9b9TenRi9Atf-sMdVpHKOJdIsDWusmJHKwDD2S9vUAehN0md30kWbJeRhGrCoDuv4fMuq9cBfaQStSHJFtxkUNKi5uYOaiz_heBG0_iyOzHuRSHhIWZtMbQ9zMfXnkCCfLvBVqZjTis/s1600-h/attic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQA9b9TenRi9Atf-sMdVpHKOJdIsDWusmJHKwDD2S9vUAehN0md30kWbJeRhGrCoDuv4fMuq9cBfaQStSHJFtxkUNKi5uYOaiz_heBG0_iyOzHuRSHhIWZtMbQ9zMfXnkCCfLvBVqZjTis/s200/attic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226378730839135250" border="0" /></a>“There was scarcely an object in the room which did not possess some interest for Oswald in the associations it suggested. The silks and velvets and laces, for example, called up vividly the scenes of colonial times – the stately minuets in the parlors downstairs; the formal water parties in large bateaux, propelled by negro oarsmen, which were also used in making visits of ceremony at neighboring plantations; the foppish audiences in the tiny theatre of quaint old Annapolis, the provincial capital, which was visited frequently by strolling players; the groups of brilliant youths and maidens moving with slow, measured tread over the lawn or among the shaded, fragrant paths of the garden. But the chief interest for him lay in the collection of letters, and as he slowly deciphered the faded characters which told the romance upon which he had stumbled, he was brought close in sympathy to the poor ghosts who, in the flesh, had traced the lines which had secured to them a chance resurrection. How plainly were they brought to life again by their unconscious disclosures! A single sentence, in some instances, presented an individuality with all its distinguishing traits – its weaknesses, its faults, its prejudices, or perhaps, its worthy, lovable qualities – in clear outline. So real were some of the images, limned with a naively graphic power, that Oswald almost fancied he could see the originals before him.”<br /><br />Those few last sentences, in particular, ring true with uncanny resonance in light of our experiences this summer. (When we were in that attic, though, it was so ungodly hot, not to mention bee-infested, that we were hardly tempted to settle down in a cozy dormer as Oswald did. See <a href="http://poplargroveproject.blogspot.com/2008/06/old-trunk-and-lock-of-hair.html">this post</a>.)<br /><br />How odd to reflect, however, that many of the Poplar Grove documents that seem so old and quaint to us now were new - or not yet written - in 1861. As Abbie suggested in his <a href="http://poplargroveproject.blogspot.com/2008/07/calhoun-spotting.html">last post</a>, there were no doubt many papers that disappeared from the house over the years, perhaps some at the hands of Frederic himself. His own modernity, the era of the Civil War, is now even more remote and foreign to us than the colonial period was to him (or to Oswald).<br /><br />Although we have not, alas, unearthed any 17th-century love letters like the ones that enchanted Oswald, the "piles of yellow title-deeds" were still waiting for us.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHxlJq4M3pve-ega9ArnCZWfdskbTn1nJSYVPxXfMO81eOqmxflWjL90mc7qVBPkNxxjxRmcVPTuAM5Z011p59MpGWtc8sjtJWeKRtofpujQ4JWZlsgdJeFq14HsBPIpGZOA5Q__zT3fE/s1600-h/1665.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHxlJq4M3pve-ega9ArnCZWfdskbTn1nJSYVPxXfMO81eOqmxflWjL90mc7qVBPkNxxjxRmcVPTuAM5Z011p59MpGWtc8sjtJWeKRtofpujQ4JWZlsgdJeFq14HsBPIpGZOA5Q__zT3fE/s320/1665.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226382912528910146" border="0" /></a><br />[The one shown here (click to enlarge) is among the oldest pieces of paper that we have found. It is dated at the top, in Roman numerals, November 24, 1665 (it may possibly be a very early copy). The deed is to Samuel Withers, for "a parcell of land called Witherington lying in Talbot County on the north side of Choptank River ... to be held of the mannor of Baltamore." Withers was one of the founders of Ann Arundel County, and was one of the Commissioners of the colony under the Cromwellian government of the 1650s, when Maryland was taken away from Lord Baltimore. Clearly all had been forgiven enough by 1665 for Withers to get a nice land grant from the very nobleman he had formerly displaced. So there's not a 17th-century love story written in this document, but perhaps a political romance of betrayal and reconciliation.]<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3ZbXtG0Efj2W13ozUHM9naZP3qNh26WSUfVz4GDkHfFyrAarGULl_Gzt0zk17LdfFIefVgZmokA3exYR-QOfKyjp8U83talAD6-2nAawmaeOTbravW9EW_FgeAfjenWQTGocmzGKOEan/s1600-h/uniform.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3ZbXtG0Efj2W13ozUHM9naZP3qNh26WSUfVz4GDkHfFyrAarGULl_Gzt0zk17LdfFIefVgZmokA3exYR-QOfKyjp8U83talAD6-2nAawmaeOTbravW9EW_FgeAfjenWQTGocmzGKOEan/s320/uniform.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226398326855948162" border="0" /></a><br />[... and there may no longer be any Seminole War dragoon uniforms hanging from the rafters at Poplar Grove, but in a similar spirit, we did come across someone's - probably Lloyd Tilghman Emory, Jr.'s - campaign jacket from World War II.]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-64007949372415810192008-07-21T17:01:00.013-04:002008-11-13T15:32:59.485-05:00Calhoun SpottingWhen Thomas Emory served in the Maryland State Legislature, he apparently had much on his mind. Between lashing out at the Jacksonians and keeping abreast of his prize race horses, Emory frequently jotted down notes to himself on the outside of the letters he received. Most were short reminders to write to so-and-so politician, and in one instance he listed the number of hogs he had butchered at Poplar Grove in his absence. Emory's notes are great since the collection has few letters by his own pen. The documents we do have tend to be rather scathing letters he wrote in the heat of frustration, but thought better of sending the next day. These papers are funny in another respect as well because of the conspicuous absence of any letters to or from some of the big-name politicians of the age. Emory had a pretty impressive political career in the state government and even came close to being elected governor in 1838. Although he never served in Congress or in any national office, the Poplar Grove collection contains letters from U.S. Congressmen and Senators, albeit mainly from Maryland.<br /><div><br /><div>A few weeks ago, we came across a series of notes Frederick Emory (grandson of Thomas) had written in the late nineteenth century about his own experiences looking through these very papers (for more information on Frederick and his childhood rummagings see Adam's post below on <em>A Maryland Manor</em>). One card dated December 22, 1896 stated, very simply, that he had removed the letters pertaining to the American Revolution to keep as "autographs." Bummer. </div><div>Born too late to have participated in the Revolution, Emory did know national figures like John C. Calhoun, and is rumored to have sold a few horses to Henry Clay (there is one letter from Henry Clay Jr. to William H Emory during their time at West Point, but that's it). Frederick remains my top suspect for the apparent absence of these letters, too. In the published papers of John C. Calhoun there are two entries pertaining to the Emory family, and as of yet we have found little other evidence of their relationship.</div><br /><div>Today, however, we found some further evidence that Thomas had at least some correspondence with Calhoun. On the outside of a pretty mundane letter from January 3, 1834, about his power of attorney with the Badger family of Philadelphia, Emory scribbled on the left-hand side a series of reminders to himself, including one to write to "J.C. Calhoun" (see third remark from the top).<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfrcaGbk9OD_tciSqIXYKBbv3Z0E-Z_LoHLQL0MogUnlaPnb1VeQMBoQ3HIJTix_TcwhYYnJ0HnfqCDJE_yzINWDpWyY9CkMVTO5aueZgy6uxqzObNRW4EFqiRgcohpN9dlA8EvBIJ00/s1600-h/1834_01_03_S+Badger+to+Thomas+Emory_msa_sc_5807_04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfrcaGbk9OD_tciSqIXYKBbv3Z0E-Z_LoHLQL0MogUnlaPnb1VeQMBoQ3HIJTix_TcwhYYnJ0HnfqCDJE_yzINWDpWyY9CkMVTO5aueZgy6uxqzObNRW4EFqiRgcohpN9dlA8EvBIJ00/s320/1834_01_03_S+Badger+to+Thomas+Emory_msa_sc_5807_04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225644895225481842" border="0" /></a><div></div><br /><div>Emory may have written to Calhoun to discuss his upcoming speech on the dangers of Andrew Jackson's pet banks; a policy Calhoun called "a fearful crisis" that promised to alienate the citizens from their government. A sentiment Emory, a tried-and-true anti-Jackson man, would have sympathized with. (See, "Remarks of the Hon. J.C. Calhoun, delivered in the Senate of the U. States, on the Subject of the Removal of the Deposites from the Bank of the U. States," (Duff Green, 1834), 14).</div></div>Abbie Kowalewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16091040739300639398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-75199146791454249142008-07-19T14:15:00.022-04:002008-11-13T15:33:00.079-05:00Poplar Grove: The Novel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmKCVp2FJyoVMlqwurR-GjYveP4mdHqux1n-Bi34aqXZg7KfD6jKCAbRTiQ1JKtfb51FIdH9LM4jXB9sAd101da4KTDzFcr08StqGXjtf41qFg9bbqAknleLPrigFFpHd43bKLXtgYjTn/s1600-h/Emory+book_cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmKCVp2FJyoVMlqwurR-GjYveP4mdHqux1n-Bi34aqXZg7KfD6jKCAbRTiQ1JKtfb51FIdH9LM4jXB9sAd101da4KTDzFcr08StqGXjtf41qFg9bbqAknleLPrigFFpHd43bKLXtgYjTn/s320/Emory+book_cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224791930967496002" border="0" /></a>There's a wonderful used bookstore here on the Eastern Shore called the <a href="http://www.unicornbookshop.com/">Unicorn Bookshop</a> - my good friend <a href="http://www.newamerica.net/people/ted_widmer">Ted Widmer</a> first took me there several years ago, and since then, every time I visit, I seem to come away with something interesting and unusual. A year or two ago, an old hardcover novel attracted my eye, and for a few dollars I brought it home. It then went onto the shelf unread and I forgot about it until just this week, when it caught my eye again and - for reasons that will be obvious in a moment - I read it with great interest.<br /><br />The book is <span style="font-style: italic;">A Maryland Manor, </span>subtitled <span style="font-style: italic;">A Novel of Plantation Aristocracy and its Fall, </span>by Frederic Emory, and was published in 1901 by Frederick A. Stokes, a fairly prominent New York publishing house of the time. It is set on an Eastern Shore plantation during the Civil War - referred to simply as "The Manor" - that has been the seat of the wealthy Cheston family for two centuries.<br /><br />As I began reading, I realized almost immediately that the book was a thinly veiled portrait - with some fictional embellishments - of the Emory family and Poplar Grove.<br /><br />The house itself - grand but shabby, "a rambling structure of mottled brick, reddish brown and gray," swathed in vines and creepers, with verandas around it, and the brick-walled family cemetery immediately adjacent, next to the library - is clearly Poplar Grove. Emory even describes the long cove off the river (in real life, Emory's Cove) and the adjacent farm known as "Indian Spring" (aka, Indiantown), and another nearby farm that is clearly supposed to be Readbourne, the old Hollyday estate next door to Poplar Grove. There are vivid descriptions of a nearby town (unnamed) that is obviously meant to be Chestertown, and of a village called "Winton Mills" (aka, Wye Mills) where the family goes to church. The family names of the main characters are also clearly based on local geography: "Cheston" (after Cheston-on-Wye, an old manor in Queen Anne's County) and "Kent" (the name of the adjacent county).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fACxMU4eA0CDMGSC14IAR5ecpMAvQiZvcfiOcD5IKfQJWGVMNb0jmQxe9WM86UYVZoPFZPIwbzzr37rNF9cmNFRA8YLB5F0n_-aFXDk33IwOqrEaRiEKz4WZo2iraHr10c-tjnZFtD1M/s1600-h/Emory+title_page.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fACxMU4eA0CDMGSC14IAR5ecpMAvQiZvcfiOcD5IKfQJWGVMNb0jmQxe9WM86UYVZoPFZPIwbzzr37rNF9cmNFRA8YLB5F0n_-aFXDk33IwOqrEaRiEKz4WZo2iraHr10c-tjnZFtD1M/s320/Emory+title_page.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224803647412633714" border="0" /></a>The novel's plot is a typically implausible Edwardian potboiler, with some overtones of Henry James - an impostor and unclaimed inheritance; long-lost neighbors and relatives reappearing from Europe and New York; a headstrong girl who needs to be tamed by the right man; sinister social-climbers scheming to wrest the Manor out of the hands of the noble-hearted but naive Cheston family.<br /><br />But it's clearly also set against a very real backdrop of Poplar Grove as it was at a crucial moment in its history, when the Civil War broke out and slavery began to crumble. The plantation's owner, Colonel Robert Cheston, is an old Seminole War veteran who was called home to resign from the Army and manage the plantation when his father died unexpectedly - just exactly like Colonel John Register Emory (1818-1880). And like Colonel Emory, the fictional Colonel is "an ardent 'States Rights' man" who commands the local militia and fervently supports the Confederacy, even though practical considerations prevent him from going South himself. In the book, he is also as naive about slavery as he is about the plantation's finances: "He failed to see that repression, however benevolent, generates in all human society diseases which gradually sap the stateliest and stoutest fabric. All was fair, to his eye, because the many submitted so amiably to the few. He was blind to the fact that the free states were rapidly outstripping the slave states in wealth, in enlightenment, in the general average of happiness precisely because they gave every individual an equal chance. He pitied what seemed to him their inevitable lack of social graces, their sordid materialism...."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIxAtWe8urS8i_AO5-ikjVqGQF2fgGle2dU0-pNWq1JDKipd2RHPTx1U6pllalVlwReAslqBqV0Jyg2hT0MsXqwwYRHh3L1YnNnEzI9qZlM3zJgvXVhWRwbtW-4ZZ_sm3b3V8MNgOYXSF/s1600-h/Emory+frontispiece.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIxAtWe8urS8i_AO5-ikjVqGQF2fgGle2dU0-pNWq1JDKipd2RHPTx1U6pllalVlwReAslqBqV0Jyg2hT0MsXqwwYRHh3L1YnNnEzI9qZlM3zJgvXVhWRwbtW-4ZZ_sm3b3V8MNgOYXSF/s320/Emory+frontispiece.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224810654884721266" border="0" /></a>In fact, the book is somewhat cutting-edge for its time on the subjects of slavery and race - since in 1901 it was very much the fashion for Southern "local color" authors simply to rue the demise of the moonlight-and-magnolias Old South. True, Emory portrays his black characters with stereotypical traits (though also sympathetically, for the most part). Yet his noble young hero, Basil Kent, son of a neighboring planter, has inwardly come to the secret conclusion that slavery is morally wrong - and at a climactic moment in the book, he reveals his true feelings, frees all the family slaves and enlists in the Union Army (much to the shock and dismay of the white community). The novel daringly portrays a mixed-race house servant, Phyllis, who is in love with Colonel Cheston's white brother - a love that Emory strongly suggests was once consummated.<br /><br />While Emory seems to sympathize politically with the abolitionist views of Basil Kent, he also feels emotional sympathy with the proslavery Colonel Cheston. <span style="font-style: italic;">A Maryland Manor</span> vividly describes the moment - a painful and poignant one, from the white family's perspective - when the Manor's slaves all abandon the plantation and flock to a Union encampment:<br /><br />"The blow was a heavy one for the Colonel. His pecuniary loss scarcely affected him at all, but the absence of the familiar figures about him caused him cruel pain .... Many of them had been companions of his boyhood with whom he had played and hunted. Others had been the nurses or out-of-door preceptors of his early childhood to whose quaint stories he had often listened with rapt attention. ... Sad at heart, he walked down to the Quarter at nightfall, hoping against hope that some had returned. The building was empty. Tears glistened in his eyes at the sight of it, a shadowy mass in the darkness from which came no sound. Usually, at this hour, it was gay with lights and laughter, but now, for the first time in its history, it was silent and deserted. It was as though Death had entered, to abide there. And death, indeed, was there - death to the Old Order which the Colonel so passionately loved."<br /><br />As alien and politically-incorrect as these feelings may seem to a modern reader, they also seem authentic, as if Frederic Emory had experienced them firsthand. And in fact, some sleuthing into his life reveals that he did.<br /><br />Frederic Emory (1853-1908) was the nephew of Colonel John Register Emory, the proprietor of Poplar Grove during the Civil War era. The 1860 Census lists him and his parents (he was then seven) immediately after John Register Emory's family, which strongly suggests that they lived either at Poplar Grove or immediately next to it. Frederick's father was Blanchard Emory (1831-after 1900), the youngest of General Thomas Emory's eleven children. Blanchard and his brother John married two sisters, Mary and Alice Bourke, so the families must have been exceptionally close. When Frederic Emory wrote <span style="font-style: italic;">A Maryland Manor</span>, then, he was describing Poplar Grove as he knew it between the ages of about 8 and 12.<br /><br />And Emory was clearly a formidable youngster - the sort who would have missed very few details, even at that early age. While still a teenager, he researched and published a series of newspaper articles on Queen Anne's County's history, which were later enlarged into a book. As an adult, he worked as a journalist for the <span style="font-style: italic;">Baltimore Sun</span> and then, from 1893 to 1905, served as Chief of the Bureau of Trade Relations at the U.S. State Department - playing an important supporting role in developing and theorizing American foreign policy during those critical years. Emory returned from Washington, D.C. to Queen Anne's County in retirement, and lived in a house on the Chester River that he called "Blackbeard."<br /><br />Frederic Emory's sharp political eye, his love of history, his understanding of the broader world, and his deep attachment to his native soil are all evident in the pages of <span style="font-style: italic;">A Maryland Manor, </span>which was the only novel he ever published. It brings Poplar Grove to life differently than the family letters and political and business documents that we have found: more visually, for one thing, with vivid descriptions of the place when it was not an empty house, but a bustling plantation peopled with family members, visitors, retainers, and slaves. I will follow up this entry soon with some posts of more passages from the book.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-67618381607002501342008-07-11T21:30:00.017-04:002008-11-13T15:33:00.504-05:00Brothers in Arms<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH3QNFhbtMOTJMhLAUrAEPb5GH2avYnEzS5qLEUb6CLIOpoKsQ1emeRb8hLvzGnr1PvKDDItwwT8q2X-7t0Gax8IvKbDEXEgZrqA1D4FrzloYKXdbu5OBVTLhx7qXkSd-FMaERNSpniu_/s1600-h/confederate-artillery.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH3QNFhbtMOTJMhLAUrAEPb5GH2avYnEzS5qLEUb6CLIOpoKsQ1emeRb8hLvzGnr1PvKDDItwwT8q2X-7t0Gax8IvKbDEXEgZrqA1D4FrzloYKXdbu5OBVTLhx7qXkSd-FMaERNSpniu_/s320/confederate-artillery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221951463775026370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Left: </span>Confederate artillery battery, 1863.</span></span><br /><br />On the bright spring morning of May 18, 1863, a group of Marylanders, far from home, stood watchfully at a bend in the Mississippi River. It was a carefully-chosen spot where the rapid current would draw steamboats close to shore, and where a clump of thick brush at the water's edge hid the men and their four powerful cannons that sat loaded and aimed across the water, packed with canister shot and explosive shells. The artillerymen picked ripe blackberries among the brambles while they waited.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span>They did not have to wait long. A sidewheeler steamboat soon hove into view. She was the <span style="font-style: italic;"> Crescent City</span>, a big vessel that in peacetime plied the route between Memphis and New Orleans. Now pressed into service as a troop transport, her tiered decks were blue with soldiers of the U.S. Army - packed as thickly as daytrippers on a pleasure outing, eyewitnesses later recalled. As the <span style="font-style: italic;">Crescent City,</span> followed closely by five more vessels, rounded the bend, the Confederate gunners opened fire. The effects of their close-range canister shot - deadly fragments of metal designed to kill and maim in as wide a swath as possible - on the crowded, unsuspecting men can probably be better imagined than described.<br /><br />One of the Marylanders manning the Confederate guns that morning was Albert T. Emory, born and raised at Poplar Grove, Queen Anne's County.<br /><br />That morning, 300 miles or so down the same river, Albert's older brother, William H. Emory, was commanding some of the Union soldiers struggling for control of the Mississippi. For all that Albert knew, he could have been firing canister shot against his brother's own troops - or even against his brother himself.<br /><br />In the Emory family, as we are gradually discovering, the Civil War cliché of "brother against brother" is neither a cliché nor even a metaphor. It is quite literally true.<br /><br />The discovery that William H. Emory, the famous Union commander, had a brother fighting on the Confederate side came to light just this week. It is not mentioned in William's biographies. Oddly, the official family genealogies state that Albert Troup Emory, born in 1821 (ten years younger than William), died in 1854. But this week, thanks to some wonderful new Readex<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6eyBuTRT0F0nMIvS_9JLFRJobR2fef5MiUARjbUu7CugmQGIH5Gb8l_ZTAV7kCY5W5h4sxB_wH0va93rP3SLibr9dqOPof6Y30taOVff81t3E_g7WM-apz3dJWngSDEzoPQKUVsa-u9n/s1600-h/ATEmoryObitSun27Mar96.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6eyBuTRT0F0nMIvS_9JLFRJobR2fef5MiUARjbUu7CugmQGIH5Gb8l_ZTAV7kCY5W5h4sxB_wH0va93rP3SLibr9dqOPof6Y30taOVff81t3E_g7WM-apz3dJWngSDEzoPQKUVsa-u9n/s320/ATEmoryObitSun27Mar96.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221968343272481506" border="0" /></a> newspaper databases that Washington College has just acquired, I found Albert's obituary from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Baltimore Sun </span><span>(<span>right</span>)</span> dated almost half a century later - March 27, 1896. The article's biographical details made it clear that this was the same man - and also mentioned his active service in the Confederate Army.<br /><br />That reference, in turn, quickly led me to a postwar memoir by the captain of the Third Maryland Artillery, CSA (also known as Ritter's Battery). It noted that one of the unit's sergeants was "Albert T. Emory, of Queen Anne's county, Md." By way of further confirmation, the captain mentioned that Sgt. Emory was "a relative of General Emory, of the United States army." Far from being a secret, Albert's close family tie to a prominent Union officer seems to have been a matter of interest, perhaps even a source of pride, among his rebel comrades.<br /><br />The Third Maryland Artillery, histories note, was one of the few Maryland Confederate units to serve in the Western theatre of the war. It was also "one of the most traveled units in the Civil War, seeing action in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee." The 90-odd Marylanders participated in the battles of Vicksburg, Resaca, Atlanta, and Nashville, along with many lesser clashes.<br /><br />Albert and William - among eleven siblings who lived to adulthood - had at least two other brothers with Confederate leanings. John Register Emory (1818-1880) served as a delegate to the States Rights' Convention in Baltimore in 1861, a gathering that pushed unsuccessfully for Maryland to secede. Frederick Emory (1829-1901?), the family's black sheep (more on him later) was a "Border Ruffian" in Kansas shortly before the war, terrorizing and even murdering abolitionist settlers. At the end of his life, he lived in a Confederate veterans' home; further research may confirm his wartime service.<br /><br />Moreover, William, the Union general, experienced another family division that struck even closer to home.<br /><br />In 1861, William had two sons of military age, Campbell and Thomas. Campbell, a freshly-minted West Point graduate, joined the Union Army and was brevetted for gallantry at Petersburg. Thomas, a medical student in Richmond, was commissioned an assistant surgeon in the Confederate Navy and served aboard one of the most famous rebel raiders of the war, the <span style="font-style: italic;">CSS Florida. </span>After his ship's capture, in 1864, he was marched as a prisoner through the streets of his own hometown, Washington, D.C. In the Emory family, then, it was not just brother against brother, but also son against father.<br /><br />Present-day historians are sometimes all-too-fond of reducing people from the past into neat categories defined rigidly by class, race, region, and the like. But family stories like this one restore their individuality and free will. What motivated some of the Emory men - despite their similar backgrounds and upbringings - to fight for the North, while others went South? Did it have to do with their particular political leanings, their temperaments, their friendships and enmities, their ambitions and opportunities? What made some Americans turn weapons of death against their own flesh and blood?<br /><br />We hope that the documents may continue to provide clues.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(The description of the Third Maryland Battery and its ambush of the steamer <span style="font-style: italic;">Crescent City</span> is based on William W. Goldsborough, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Maryland Line in the Confederate Army, 1861-1865</span> [Baltimore, 1900]</span>; <span style="font-weight: bold;">also W.H. Ritter, "Sketch of the Third Battery of </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maryland Artillery,"</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Southern Historical Society Papers</span>, Vol. X [July, 1882].</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> The divisions within the Emory family go wholly unmentioned in the recent scholarly biography by L. David Norris et al., <span style="font-style: italic;">William H. Emory, Soldier-Scientist </span>[University of Arizona Press, 1998], as well as in other accounts of Gen. Emory's life.) </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7255584089561922899.post-86128143981395425602008-07-10T21:15:00.015-04:002008-11-13T15:33:01.289-05:00Toadies and DemagoguesAll I can say is that I wish I had more of these—the sort of “gem of a letter” that snares the mind of a reader into the 19th century with such engrossing content. This particular letter of William H. Emory was written to his wife and is at once a love letter, war letter and political letter. Much of William’s writing stands alone and needs no explanation, but it is helpful to know the circumstances under which the letter was written.<br /><br />In early June of 1846, William received the following official orders in Washington: “You will report without delay, to Fort Leavenworth, and report yourself and party to Col. Kearny, 1st Dragoons… Should Col Kearny have moved on the prairie with his command, you will make every effort to overtake him.” He was given less than 48 hours to leave his pregnant wife and children and begin the long march to the Mexican War. Once at Ft. Leavenworth, Lt. Emory would play a large role in what is one of the United States’ greatest westward pushes, an expedition that is known as the “Army of the West.” This expedition, under the command of Col. Kearny, would strike a decisive blow to the Mexican forces, leading to an American victory. Alas, it was hardly an easy victory. During the loathsome marching months, the expedition was ravaged by the forces of hunger, disease and death. Here are William’s words to Matilda during one of those months: <div><div><div><div><br /><br /><div><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ExLypA_DOCjMFI7YraGwuatW7cLpJVmBwVLuiYzqLVHOlSecYhfZWUw_kr2TqxSvit_xm8cHn14EgU2NEL6CVIlI0HY-kEPzAtgJ2rmrdsdS-4ScA9lh3arCsZkBJVBcs6b3Gmssoy4/s1600-h/wh10001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221561115036191506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ExLypA_DOCjMFI7YraGwuatW7cLpJVmBwVLuiYzqLVHOlSecYhfZWUw_kr2TqxSvit_xm8cHn14EgU2NEL6CVIlI0HY-kEPzAtgJ2rmrdsdS-4ScA9lh3arCsZkBJVBcs6b3Gmssoy4/s320/wh10001.jpg" border="0" /></a>Bents Fort July 29th 1846 </em></strong></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><strong><em>My dear Matilda, t</em></strong><strong><em>his is the only opportunity which has presented itself since I left Pawnee Fork to write you & I am almost afraid to avail myself of it as I must necessarily say that James Abert has been extremely ill, but is now recovering although still very low. He has received every attention & was carried in my instrument wagon. Had he have shared the fate of other officers of the command who were placed in the common wagons, death inevitably would have been the consequence. I have placed him in a very comfortable room at Bent Fort, where he receives every attention. His fever is entirely gone and he has nothing to contend against now but debility. </em></strong><strong><em>I attribute the whole business to the infamous tents furnished us by the Qtr Mtr Depmt. They are worse thanthe open air. They are simple, thin, sleezy sheets of cotton, that do not reach the ground and produce on you a constant current of air. Peck & myself have both been sick but I have not yet been out of my saddle at the call to assemble or the call to halt. My whole attention for the last three or four days has been taken up with poor Albert who is a noble fellow. With Peck I am utterly disgusted not only with his selfishness & inattention to Abert, but </em></strong></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqnGrBtx7IDNMKtcgG8l5ceQI9vJsij5aRVD8-eBH1u14cCqzZsUwQ7IoknBvWu-YMRv62Fl-QRZu9k5yax-6phlywdrF8lWoBJKY6dG5-iq_xZfU8Ix9uLlfKHOmiy0c3UF4Bs5rVKg/s1600-h/wh10002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221561685971856034" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqnGrBtx7IDNMKtcgG8l5ceQI9vJsij5aRVD8-eBH1u14cCqzZsUwQ7IoknBvWu-YMRv62Fl-QRZu9k5yax-6phlywdrF8lWoBJKY6dG5-iq_xZfU8Ix9uLlfKHOmiy0c3UF4Bs5rVKg/s320/wh10002.jpg" border="0" /></a>his unhappy childish disposition. The Army is below 7 miles, there being no grass about here. I pushed on to get observation but the night is overcast. Tomorrow or next day we commence the really difficult part of our march over the deserts to the South. Already we have traversed 600 miles and 250 are still between us and the enemy. Seven hours a day besides ever so many at night are devoted to you & the children from the moment I mount my mule until I dismount. I am building castles peopled with yourself &the chicks. God grant I was with you. This is my last absence is[sic] resignation is the consequence. What is the use of toiling & sweating in the service of a government that no[sic] knows no merits but those of the basest toadies & demagogues. I wish my paper on Latitude at the Hd of Lake Sophy sent to Mr. Hamilton for publication in the journal of the Franklin Institute. You will find it amongst my papers, headed Latitude with the " Zenith Telescope & double wise micrometer." Do not neglect this it is all important thatI shall have it out at once. There are several copies with the </em></strong></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hKD9CFOL5Tg1kdJFf-HywbWdPdeB_NMgubqDj4yYpZpDwpa0LgV7Od-_tdgyVcj2cDHeBNUgBdFWze9EprRBfh9I4cLlW_tdMFLz4g91eLUcwLYgRDsooqVBmaXBTYaY8rEVNmLfPpo/s1600-h/wh10003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221562081720911314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hKD9CFOL5Tg1kdJFf-HywbWdPdeB_NMgubqDj4yYpZpDwpa0LgV7Od-_tdgyVcj2cDHeBNUgBdFWze9EprRBfh9I4cLlW_tdMFLz4g91eLUcwLYgRDsooqVBmaXBTYaY8rEVNmLfPpo/s320/wh10003.jpg" border="0" /></a>appendix, and you can easily distinguish the one which is the last corrected copy. Send to borrow it from James Graham, should you have any difficulty in seeing which is the right paper. He has a copy and it is of little consequence if you never return it to him. The money due me by John and by the estate about $2900 will no doubt be coming in soon & I think you better buy a house either in Princeton or in Washington, in that part of it about the Walkers & Sestons live. It is the most healthy & will be the most convenient to the Smithsonian & other [illegible/torn, "institutions'] In hopes you will receive it without theknowledge of James friends. I have written him a short note describing our march which he will send you. We have now been a month on the march and no mail but one, which brought me nothing. I shall perhaps have no other opportunity till we get to Santa Fe. Afftly & truly yrs </em></strong></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>WH Emory</em></strong></div><br />If a brighter note is to be found among the words of the Lieutenant, it will be in the shared love <div>and adoration of Matilda and William. Speaking of which, a direct descendent of WH Emory recently shared with the Poplar Grove Project photos of the couples' individual portraits. Unfortunately we have not pinpointed an exact date for them, but Adam has worked to narrow it down between 1838 and 1846. And is anybody else seeing the resemblance from B. Franklin in <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZjEvHyYpcOr_e2fjzxovrAUP3kK5S8FtyupUJnFjiOijDvOOXEOnNBVkYd5jHD3pSA5r_bhow8dVhhm1QqGM44YVlh9JDPqI5Y1VaQevMykMo-0l_J5z7ZI8av3860sD7899pLA7Qws/s1600-h/Emory,-Matilda-Wilkins-Bach[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221565333325226786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZjEvHyYpcOr_e2fjzxovrAUP3kK5S8FtyupUJnFjiOijDvOOXEOnNBVkYd5jHD3pSA5r_bhow8dVhhm1QqGM44YVlh9JDPqI5Y1VaQevMykMo-0l_J5z7ZI8av3860sD7899pLA7Qws/s320/Emory%252C-Matilda-Wilkins-Bach%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a>Matilda?</div><div><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI17hM0uxqbvh6BVuJcRxKlbuUHscUN_dduei4Pa4e5V_1WIw46xuuMdTIOK-yYfaTXULr1TuOWK-x7sE38C4bul6o1ztpsz5SO_xnq3InvZ8IhADqXzmVzv4ioZoz5P1NUpkAYI9I5v0/s1600-h/Emory-Wm-H-portrait[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221566047184312258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI17hM0uxqbvh6BVuJcRxKlbuUHscUN_dduei4Pa4e5V_1WIw46xuuMdTIOK-yYfaTXULr1TuOWK-x7sE38C4bul6o1ztpsz5SO_xnq3InvZ8IhADqXzmVzv4ioZoz5P1NUpkAYI9I5v0/s320/Emory-Wm-H-portrait%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a></em></div><div><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI17hM0uxqbvh6BVuJcRxKlbuUHscUN_dduei4Pa4e5V_1WIw46xuuMdTIOK-yYfaTXULr1TuOWK-x7sE38C4bul6o1ztpsz5SO_xnq3InvZ8IhADqXzmVzv4ioZoz5P1NUpkAYI9I5v0/s1600-h/Emory-Wm-H-portrait[1].jpg"></a></em></div><div><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI17hM0uxqbvh6BVuJcRxKlbuUHscUN_dduei4Pa4e5V_1WIw46xuuMdTIOK-yYfaTXULr1TuOWK-x7sE38C4bul6o1ztpsz5SO_xnq3InvZ8IhADqXzmVzv4ioZoz5P1NUpkAYI9I5v0/s1600-h/Emory-Wm-H-portrait[1].jpg"></a></em></div><br /><div><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI17hM0uxqbvh6BVuJcRxKlbuUHscUN_dduei4Pa4e5V_1WIw46xuuMdTIOK-yYfaTXULr1TuOWK-x7sE38C4bul6o1ztpsz5SO_xnq3InvZ8IhADqXzmVzv4ioZoz5P1NUpkAYI9I5v0/s1600-h/Emory-Wm-H-portrait[1].jpg"></a></em></div><div><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI17hM0uxqbvh6BVuJcRxKlbuUHscUN_dduei4Pa4e5V_1WIw46xuuMdTIOK-yYfaTXULr1TuOWK-x7sE38C4bul6o1ztpsz5SO_xnq3InvZ8IhADqXzmVzv4ioZoz5P1NUpkAYI9I5v0/s1600-h/Emory-Wm-H-portrait[1].jpg"></a></em></div><br /><br /><br /><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em>Portraits courtesy of Bill Emory</em></div></div></div></div></div>Jim Schelberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16408431437884642916noreply@blogger.com1