Sunday's Obituary - Susan A. Godwin Sparks

Susan A. Godwin gravestone

This obituary was published in the Centreville Record on November 15, 1902 and was originally transcribed by Trish Surles in her book Obituaries from Maryland Newspapers Queen's Anne County for 1902-1903:

Mrs. Sanuel A. Sparks, wife of the late Samuel A. Sparks, died at the home of her son in law, Mr. J. W. Councill, November 2nd, after a long and lingering illness in the 72nd year of her age. She leaves four children, Charles G. Sparks, of Kent Island, Daniel Sparks, of Ravensdale, Washington, and two daughters, Mrs. R H. Councill, and Mrs. J.W. Councill, of near town.

Susan And Samuel A. Sparks were my 2x great-grandparents. Their daughter Ariana Sparks and son-in-law John Wesley Councill were my great-grandparents. Susan is buried in the Chesterfield Cemetery in Centreville, Queen Anne's County, Maryland next to her husband Samuel A. Sparks. 

Thanks to Corey and Douglas Marshall-Steele for taking the gravestone photo and posting it on Find A Grave.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2021 - Weeks 11 and 12 - Fortune and Loss - Edward C. Councell

Week 11's theme is "Fortune." Merriam-Webster gives several definitions for fortune: A large sum of money; prosperity attained partly through luck; or destiny, fate. Week 12's theme is "Loss." Loss is universal. There are many ways to explore this theme, whether it's the loss of a loved one, a livelihood, freedom.

Edward C. Councell was working for The Charleston Daily Courier newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina when he had the good fortune to win $15,000 in the Union Canal lottery of May 1828.  

The Charleston Daily Courier, May 16, 1828

In June of the same year he married Agnes Wallace, daughter of Thomas Wallace of Charleston.

The Charleston Daily Courier, June 09, 1828

Edward worked at several newspapers in Georgia and South Carolina before branching out to run his own book and job printing business. He was running a successful business in 1852 when misfortune struck and he was forced to sell his shop due to rapidly declining health. Edward died in May of 1854 due to consumption.

One of my Maryland ancestors is Edward Carey Councell of Maryland, so I was intrigued to see whether or not the lotto winning Edward C. Councell from Charleston was related to him. An obituary for Edward from May 19, 1854 in The Baltimore Sun confirmed my suspicion that Edward was from Maryland.

The Baltimore Sun, May 19, 1854

Another article from the Charleston Courier printed on June 22, 1854 states that Edward was a native of Talbot County, MD and left behind a widow, sister and an only son.

I found some mentions of Edward in Talbot County records that show he was the son of John Council. Edward C. Council was indentured to a printer in 1813 at the age of 15, placing his birth year at 1798. The following image is from the book Bound to serve: the indentured children of Talbot County, Maryland by R. Bernice Leonard. The book is available on FamilySearch.org.

Indenture of Edward C. Council in 1813

Edward was named as a grandson in the will of Elizabeth Browning written in 1807 and filed in 1809 in Talbot County, MD. She left most of her estate to her three daughters Eleanor, Elizabeth and Mary and grandchildren Edward, Eleanor and John Council Jr., but also mentions her daughter Ann Council, wife of John in the will.

From Maryland, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1655-1850 on Ancestry.com, Eleanor Counsell married Henry Newcomb in January 7, 1823 in Talbot County, MD. Eleanor Newcomb was named as a niece in the will of Mary Browning in 1826 in Talbot County.

In a Talbot County land sale recorded in book JP 62, page 288 Edward C. Councell and his wife Agnes sold land to Nicholas Willis. The record states that Edward and Agnes are living in Chatham County, GA and are selling land in Island Creek, Talbot County, MD. The tract of land was known by the names Hier Dyer Lloyd and Clora Dorsey and was from the estate of their deceased mother Ann Marie Councell. The deed was recorded on September 25, 1849.

There are additional land records in JP 59, starting on page 510 that show sales of parts of Hier Dyer Lloyd and Clora Dorsey from John Councell and his wife Ruth and from Ellen Newcomb. Both of these sales are also to Nicholas Willis and mention their deceased mother Ann Marie Councell. The land records are available on MDLandRec.net.

The records and articles listed above establish that John Councell and his wife Ann Marie Browning had at least 3 children: John Jr., Edward C., and Eleanor and that their child Edward was the one from Charleston. I believe that John the father may be the brother of my 4x great-grandfather Edward Carey Councell, but need to do more research to be sure.

#52Ancestors is a series of weekly family history prompts developed by Amy Johnson Crow. Newspaper articles in this post are available on Newspapers.com.

Sunday's Obituary - Arianna Sparks Councill

Arianna Councill was the daughter of Samuel Sparks and Susan Godwin, both of Queen Anne's County, Maryland. She was married to John Wesley Councill. The couple lived in Queen Anne's County, Maryland for many years, but later moved to Baltimore. I haven't been able to locate an obituary for her, but a death notice was published in the Baltimore Sun on December 19, 1929. The notice is available on Newspapers.com.

COUNCILL -- On December 16, 1929, ARIANNA, age 65 years, beloved wife of the late John W. Councill. Funeral from her late residence, 749 East McCabe avenue, Govans, on Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock. Interment Baltimore Cemetery. 

Sunday's Obituary is a prompt developed by Leslie Ann at Ancestors Live Here.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 12 - 12

The 52 Ancestors prompt for this week is "12". If you look at a numbered ancestor chart and you're at the beginning of it, #12 is your mother's father's father. You could also write about someone with a birthday or anniversary in December or on the 12th of any month.

My mother's father's father was John Wesley Councill and as I looked through my blog posts I realized I haven't written too much about him.

John was born on Feb. 9, 1959 in Centreville, MD to Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith. John married Ariana Sparks on Feb. 2, 1887 in Maryland and the couple had 14 children from 1888 to 1907. My grandfather Royce Councill was one of the younger children and was born in 1902 in Queen Anne's County, MD. 
 
In the 1860 census, John is listed with his parents in Queen Anne's County, MD. His father Francis is a farmer. I've found that his birth years vary quite a bit in the census records and in this one, he appears to be 6 years old, placing his year of birth around 1854.

1860 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

In the 1870 census, John's age is given as 13, placing his birth year around 1857.
 

1870 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

In the 1880 census, there is a 21 year old John Councill living with his uncle Thomas Councill in Talbot County, MD. John is working as a farm hand.

John's father Francis died in 1887 and he inherited a section of land in Queen Anne's County. By 1900, John and Ariana have 9 children. Some of his wife's family are also living with them on their farm in Queen Anne's County.

1900 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

A newspaper article published in the Baltimore Sun on May 20, 1908 shows that John had a Queenstown, MD address and was opening a boarding house called the Chester Hotel. It's not clear from the ad whether the hotel was in Queenstown or Baltimore, but this may be the same boarding house as the one listed in the 1910 census.

In 1908, John and Ariana sold their land in Queen Anne's County and according to the 1910 census, they were operating a boarding house in Baltimore, MD. There were 8 boarders living at the house. This census shows that they had 14 children with 12 still living. Their son Julius didn't want to move to the city and was living with an aunt and uncle in Queen Anne's County. I couldn't find their oldest son Herbert in the 1910 census, but he is living in Pennsylvania in the 1920 census.

1910 US Census, Baltimore, MD

John died on Dec. 5, 1916 in Baltimore and his occupation on his death certificate was listed as a watchman in a bank. He is buried in the Baltimore Cemetery on 2500 East North Avenue, Baltimore.

#52Ancestors is a series of weekly family history prompts developed by Amy Johnson Crow.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 15 - Taxes

The 52 Ancestors prompt for this week is "Taxes". It's that time of year here in the U.S. -- tax season. There are many ways you could approach this theme: An ancestor you discovered using tax records, an ancestor who was a tax collector, or maybe an ancestor who kept running from the tax collector! You could explore an ancestor who has been taxing to research.

I haven't made any huge discoveries through tax records, but they can help with locating ancestors in between census records. I ran across an interesting newspaper article on taxes due in Queen Anne's County, Maryland in 1811. The article mentioned several surnames that run in my family and the plot of land called Hawkins' Pharsalia.  I've posted a few times about Hawkins' Pharsalia as parts of it were owned and inherited by my Councill family.

The information below is from the newspaper article published on the 12th of Februrary, 1811 in the Republican Star of Easton, MD. I've transcribed the article and pulled out the references to Hawkins' Pharsalia and a few others with surnames that run in my family.

                                                            A LIST OF LANDS

LYING and being in Queen-Ann's county, belonging to sundry persons, subject to the payment of County Taxes, whereon no Personal Property is found liable to the payment thereof: viz.

The person or persons holding or claiming any part of the above mentioned Lands, are hereby notified, that unless the above Taxes are paid (with the proportion of costs arising thereon, for advertising, & c.) within thirty days after the insertion hereof in the public newspapers--the same, or a part thereof, (as the case may be) will be sold under the direction of the Commissioners o the Tax of said county, for the purpose of satisfying said claims, under the Act of Assembly. 
Per order, WILLIAM H. BLAKE, CLK. of the Commissioners of Tax for Q.A. County. January 12th, (22) 1811 

After Edward Carey Councill's death, a Queen Anne's County Land Commission was formed in 1810 to determine how his land would be distributed.  The land was surveyed and found to contain 114 acres worth $7.50 an acre in 1810. The Land Commission denied Edward Councill's heirs' request to split up the land in 1811. At that point, Henry Councell bought it with the approval of Edward's sons and then sold it back to John Councill (son of Edward) in 1813. It's not surprising that taxes were overdue in early 1811 since the estate was still being settled.

After John Councill's death, his estate was divided between his widow Ann and sons Francis, William, John, James, and Thomas. When Ann died, a land commission sold the land in 1838 and the proceeds were divided between the brothers.

The article on tax records provided some nice extra documentation on the land owners in Queen Anne's County, in 1811, at least for the ones that still owed taxes! The full article is available on GenealogyBank.com.

#52Ancestors is a series of weekly family history prompts developed by Amy Johnson Crow.

Matrilineal Monday - Councill family of Maryland

When I started researching my Councill family, I could only trace back to my 2x great-grandparents Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith from Queen Anne's County, MD. Using a combination of church, land, and probate records, I've been able to go back four more generations to Henry Councill and Elizabeth Banroche. There are still several mysteries and conjectures on here, but this is what I have in my family tree software so far. I have quite a few dates, marriages, and children that aren't entered yet, so I'll update the tree in a future post.

Outline Descendant Report for Henry Councill:

 

1 Henry Councill b: England, d: 1760 in Maryland
  + Elizabeth Banroche b: France
...2 John Councill d: 1795 
      + Sarah Carey
......3 Edward Carey Councill
        + Bridget Nowland
.........4 John Councill Jr. d: Aft. 1827
           + Ann Baynard or Browning m: 1808, d: Bef. 1834
............5 Francis Councill b: 1817 in Maryland, d: 1888
              + Mary Ann Meredith b: Abt. 1825 in Maryland,
                m: 08 Jul 1840 in Queen Annes, Maryland
...............6 John Wesley Councill b: 09 Feb 1859 in Centreville, Maryland, d: 05 Dec 1916 
                  in Baltimore, Maryland
                 + Ariana Sparks b: 18 Apr 1864 in Centreville, Maryland,
                   d: 16 Dec 1929 in Baltimore, Maryland
..................7 John Herbert Councill b: 1888, d: 1966 + Ollie W. Reed
..................7 Mary Blanche Councill b: 1889, d: 1889
..................7 Barbara Anna Councill b: 1890, d: 28 Dec 1964 in Salisbury, MD
                    + George Borcherding
..................7 Mabel Councill b: 1892 + Peter Lee
..................7 Myrtle Councill b: 1893, d: 1971
                    + Thomas William King m: 1912
..................7 Samuel Leonard Councill b: 1894, d: 1927 + Anne
..................7 Winifred Councill b: 1895, d: 1954 + Forest Goodrick
..................7 Hersey Hall Councill Sr. b: 06 Dec 1896 in Centreville, Maryland,
                    d: 06 Mar 1986 in Silver Spring, Montgomery, Maryland, USA
                    + Estelle Gibson
                    + Annetta Williams McPherson
..................7 Hilda Councill b: 02 Aug 1898, d: May 1983 in Baltimore, Maryland
                    + Fred Noble
                    + Tony Melka
..................7 Julius King Councill b: 1899, d: 1918
..................7 Royce Rufus Councill b: 17 Jul 1902 in Queen Anne's County, MD,
                    d: Nov 1970 in New Castle, DE
                    + Edna Catherine Willis b: 12 Jan 1905 in Queen Anne's County, MD,
                      m: 13 Jun 1925 in Queen Anne's County, MD,
                      d: 28 May 1973 in New Castle, DE
..................7 Oscar Fearson Councill b: 1904 in Queen Anne's County, MD,
                    d: 25 Aug 1986 in Orange City, Florida
                    + Grace Green b: 1905
..................7 Ruby Ordel Councill b: 1907,
                    d: 10 Mar 1990 in Holiday, Pasco, Florida, USA
                    + Justis Ehlers
                    + Edward Parlett
...............6 Robert Councill b: Abt. 1853
                 + Martha Sparks
..................7 May Councill
..................7 Margaret Councill
..................7 Lillian Councill
...............6 Mary Councill b: Abt. 1860 + Unknown
...............6 Anna Councill
                 + McDodd
..................7 Ida McDodd
..................7 Lizzie McDodd
..................7 Henry McDodd
...............6 Marietta A. Councill b: Abt. 1842
                 + James Booker m: 18 Dec 1862 in Queen Anne's County, MD
                 + Charles J. Weaver m: 28 Dec 1878 in Queen Anne's County, MD
...............6 Richard Councill b: Abt. 1850
...............6 Frank Councill b: 1859
............5 Thomas Henry Councell b: Abt. 1829 in Maryland,
              d: 16 May 1883 in Easton, Maryland
              +    Martha Rebecca Cooper b: 18 May 1841 in Talbot County, Maryland,
                    m: 10 Jan 1867, d: 1881 in Talbot County, Maryland
............5 William Councill b: Bef. 1813
............5 James N. Councill b: 1816
............5 John Councill b: 1821
.........4 Francis Beaston Councill
.........4 Elijah Councill
...2 Joseph Councill
     + Rebecca
......3 John Councill
......3 Mary Councill
......3 Ann Councill
...2 Catharine Councill
...2 Martha Councill
...2 Mary Councill
...2 Anastasia Councill

Henry Councill is said to be from England and Elizabeth Banroche from France. Elizabeth's surname is a bit suspect since I've never found anyone else with that name. One of my Councill cousins suggested that it may actually be referencing a place: Ban de la Roche in Alsace, France. I think that may be a good guess!

On page 281 of the book Catholics of Colonial Delmarva by Thomas Joseph Peterman, it says "She (Anastasia Councill) was the daughter of Henry Councill of Tully's Neck... The other children of Henry Councill (who had come to Maryland in 1729) and his wife Elizabeth Banroche (who was of French parentage)..." It goes on to name the children and their wives. The source the book gives for the paragraph is Carley, "Baptismal Register of Joseph Mosley, S.J.." 41.

I've seen several trees on Ancestry that have Dennis Councill as the father of Henry Councill. There are references to a Dennis Councill listed in the debts for the estate of Jacobus Seth in Talbot County, MD in 1698 and 1702. In the 1702 entry, Dennis is called a runaway, so I've wondered if he could've been an indentured servant. I need more information to prove whether or not he was the father of Henry, so I haven't added Dennis to my tree yet. I noticed that the reference in the above paragraph states that Henry came to Maryland in 1729, so that doesn't match up with the dates for Dennis.

Another mystery is the surname of the mother of Francis Councill. Most of my evidence points to her being Ann Baynard, but there are some sources that say Ann Browning. Despite the mysteries, I've learned a lot about my Councills since my first post about them in 2011.

Amanuensis Monday - Will of John Meredith, Queen Anne's County, MD

The will of John Meredith leaves his estate to his four children, John Meredith, William Meredith, Thomas Meredith, Sarah Cofton, and a grandson James Meredith. The will was signed on July 14, 1764 and probated in Queen Anne's County, MD.

One of the witnesses to the will was Henry Councell and the will mentions a tract of land called Tom's Fancy Enlarged that was named in land records for my Councill family. This copy of the will comes from MD wills, Vol. 31-32, available on Ancestry.com.

In the name of God Amen. I John Meredith, from Queen Anne County and the province of Maryland...

Item: I give and bequeath to my beloved son, William Meredith, eighty acres of land where he now dwells being part of a parcel of land called Tristram's? Ridge to be taken of said tract square ? to him and his heirs forever.

Item : I give and bequeath unto my beloved son John Meredith my now dwelling plantation being the remainder of any ? track of land called Tristram's Ridge with hundred acres of land thereto adjoining being part of a land called Tom's Fancy Enlarged to him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my beloved son Thomas Meredith one Negro named I? and one Negro named Co? to him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my beloved daughter, Sarah Cofton, one Negro, named ? and her child named ? to her and her heirs forever. Item I give and bequeath to my beloved grandson James Meredith, son of my son William Meredith one Negro girl named Rose? to him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my beloved son John Meredith all my wearing apparel and my sword and pistols.

Item: My will and desire is that should my son John Meredith die without issue? that then and in that case his part of my above named land should be divided up as follows Viz The dwelling ? called Tristram's Ridge to my son William Meredith being the remainder of the tract of land to him before bequeathed to him and his heirs forever, and the above mentioned ? acres of land being part of Tom's Fancy Enlarged to my son Thomas Meredith, him and his heirs forever.

Item: My will and desire is that after my just debts be paid and my funeral charges defrayed that the remainder of my estate to be equally divided between my above named four children Viz. William John Thomas and Sarah, and I do hereby constitute and appoint my beloved son John Meredith my sole executor of this my last will and testament hereby ? all other will and .. 14th day of July in 1764.

John Meredith

My 2x great-grandfather Francis Councill married Mary Ann Meredith, daughter of John Meredith and Elizabeth Hall. Mary's father John was born around 1800, so he is not the one named in this will. I suspect that the John Meredith that wrote the will is connected to my family, but I need to link up another generation or two to make the connection.

Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

Wedding Wednesday - Ann Baynard and John Councel

The Maryland State Archives has many books of marriage licenses available online. This entry is for Ann Baynard and John Councel, dated August 15, 1808 in Caroline County, Maryland. The date is for the marriage license and not the marriage itself.

I've been trying to figure out if John and Ann are the parents of my 2x great-grandfather Francis Councill. John and Ann were residing in Queen Anne's County in 1821 when they sold their share of an inheritance from Levin Baynard's estate. I know that Francis and his brothers were born after 1808 and inherited land from their father John in Queen Anne's County. The estate papers of their father John Councell mention his wife Ann, but don't mention her maiden name.

Wedding Wednesday is a Geneabloggers daily blogging prompt.

Wedding Wednesday - John Meredith and Elizabeth Hall

Marriage license books from the Circuit Court of Queen Anne's County, MD are available online through the Maryland State Archives. The licenses are in scanned books and cover most years from 1817-1906.

The following license is for John Meredith and Elizabeth Hall. The date on the record is Feb. 5, 1823 and the officiant was Rev. Reed. A fee of $4.00 was paid. According to the information on the Maryland State Archives site, the date recorded by the clerk was the date of the marriage.

The entry is number 191 on page 64 of the book. The entries on this page are for 1824, so it appears the clerk may have made a mistake in recording the date.

According to a comment I received on a post about Francis and Mary Councill, John Meredith and Elizabeth Hall were the parents of Francis' wife Mary Meredith. They would be my 3x great-grandparents.

The commenter also mentioned that Mary's grandfather was Richard Hall and Mary had a brother named John Thomas Meredith. Mary and her brother were raised by Richard Hall after John Meredith died in 1830 and Elizabeth died in 1833. Thanks to H. Meredith for the information!

Census Sunday - Francis and Mary A. Councill in Queen Anne's County, Maryland

Tracing my 2x great-grandparents Francis and Mary Ann Meredith Councill through the census has been a bit confusing. The names and ages of the children changed from census to census, but it looks like they may have used nicknames or middle names. All of the census records listed below were for District 3 of Queen Anne's County, MD.

1850 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

The 1850 census record has the family listed as Counall. The following individuals are listed in the household. I've added an estimated year of birth based on their ages.

Francis 35, 1815

Mary Ann 23, 1827

Mary 8, 1842

Frances 5, 1845

Sarah M 3, 1847

Richard James 2/12 months, 1850

This is the only census record where a Sarah is listed, although a Maria of about the same age is listed in 1860 and 1870. There is no mention of a Sarah or Maria in Francis Councill's will of 1886.

1860 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

This appears to be the same family in the 1860 census, although some of the names and birth years change. Both the 1850 and 1860 censuses were taken in July, so that doesn't explain the discrepancy in ages. The following individuals are listed:

Francis Council 40, 1820

Mary 32, 1828

Marietta 17, 1843

Frances 16, 1844

Maria 12, 1848 (maybe Sarah M. from 1850?)

Richard 10, 1850

Robert 8, 1852

John 6, 1854

Frank 1, 1859

 

1870 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

In 1870, the household has the following members:

Francis Council 55, 1815

Mary 45, 1825

Maria A. 19, 1851

Ric'd 20, 1850

Robert 17, 1853

John 13, 1857

Mary A. 10, 1860

Marietta, Frances, and Frank aren't listed here. Marietta got married in 1862 and I suspect that Frances was also married by 1870. Frank would've been too young to be married, so may have died young. Another child, Mary A. is added to the household.

1880 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

In the 1880 census, Francis and Mary are living with their grandsons, Fran. and W. Jas Booker. Their daughter Marietta married James Booker on December 18, 1862, so they are most likely her children. Marietta married Charles J. Weaver on December 28, 1878, so I don't know why the children are with their grandparents.

Francis Council 62, 1818

Mary 54, 1826

Fran. Booker, 12 1868

W. Jas Booker, 9 1871

The will of Francis was filed in December 1887 and the estate of Mary was probated in 1889. Their children Marietta Weaver, Frances Bramble, Richard, Robert, John, and Annie Dodd were left land and money in the will of Francis and the estate of Mary. Annie doesn't appear in any of the census records, so she may have been the Mary A. or Maria A listed in the 1870 census.

Sources:

• Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Image 35. Year: 1850; Census Place: District 3, Queen Anne's, Maryland; Roll: M432_296; Page: 198A; Image: 158
• Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Image 2.Year: 1860; Census Place: District 3, Queen Annes, Maryland; Roll: M653_479; Page: 34; Image: 34; Family History Library Film: 803479
• Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Image 124. Year: 1870; Census Place: District 3, Queen Annes, Maryland; Roll: M593_593; Page: 433B; Image: 312; Family History Library Film: 552092.
• Ancestry.com. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Image 3. Year: 1880; Census Place: Centerville, Queen Anne's, Maryland; Roll: 514; Family History Film: 1254514; Page: 402B; Enumeration District: 061; Image: 0425. Note: Census image says District 3.
• QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT (Marriage Licenses) 1817-1906 CE277, Maryland State Archives

Wedding Wednesday - Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith

The Maryland State Archives has digital copies of marriage licenses granted by the Queen Anne's County Circuit Court from 1817-1906. Click on the Link next to each set of years to open a PDF file with scans of the books. The records provide the names of the bride, groom, and officiant and the date of the marriage. There are gaps in the years available.

Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith, Maryland State Archives msa_ce277-1, Page 225

This entry is for the marriage of  my 2x great-grandparents, Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith. They were married in Queen Anne's County on July 8, 1840 by Rev. W. Larkins. The record also indicates that they paid $4.50 for the marriage license.

Transcriptions for the years 1817-1858 and 1865-1908 are available on Sandy's File Cabinet.

Military Monday on Memorial Day - Exploring Arlington National Cemetery with the ANC Explorer App

Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor the men and women who gave their lives while serving in the US Armed Forces. In honor of Memorial Day, Family Tree Magazine's genealogy insider blog recently listed 11 free sites that can be used to research Americans who've died in military service.

One of the sites listed is Arlington National Cemetery's ANC Explorer. The website allows you to locate gravesites, view photos of headstones, and take a virtual tour of the cemetery. Both a mobile app and web browser application are provided. This app wasn't available last time I looked at the Arlington website, so I decided to give it a try on my home PC.

My great-uncle Julius Councill was killed in action on August 12, 1918 in a battle in Fismette, France during WWI. Searching for Julius Councill on the ANC Explorer page brought up a display of a map of Arlington with a marker showing the location of Julius' grave site. Selecting the marker brought up details on Julius' grave and a small photo of his headstone.

ANC Explorer details on Julius K. Councill

The Details button brought up larger photos of the front and back of the headstone and the option to download the photos shown below.

The Directions button brought up the path to Julius' grave on the map and a detailed set of directions starting from the Welcome Center. There was a choice between the quickest and easiest route. In this case, both routes were about 1 1/4 miles from the Welcome Center.

Zooming in on the map showed that the Argonne Cross is not too far from Julius' grave.

I went back to the main page, selected "Browse Points of Interest", "Monuments and Memorials", and selected the Argonne Cross. Details about the Argonne Cross were displayed as well as front and back photos.

Argonne Cross Details from ANC Explorer app

This explained why Julius was buried in Arlington three years after his death. His burial case file included several forms filled out by Julius' mother Arianna Councill requesting that his remains be moved from France to Arlington Cemetery. I had no idea so many servicemen were moved to Arlington during that time.

Photo of the Argonne Cross from ANC Explorer app

If you have family buried at Arlington or are planning a visit there, I'd definitely recommend giving the ANC Explorer app a try. One thing to note is that the site says the tool is still under development and not all graves are included yet.

Sentimental Sunday - Grandparents Day 2014

Remembering my grandparents on Grandparents Day 2014...

Royce and Edna Councill, 1958

Royce Councill and Edna Willis were married on June 13, 1925 in Chestertown, Maryland. They had four daughters and fourteen grandchildren. They were born in Queen Anne's County, MD and lived much of their married life in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Their grandchildren used to call them Mom Mom and Pop Pop. While I don't have too many memories of Pop Pop, I remember a visit to their home when I was around six years old and visits with Mom Mom when she came to our home in Florida.

Anna Lee Pulskamp, April 1930

Robert F. Creeden, April 1930

Robert F. Creeden and Anna Lee Pulskamp were married on December 27, 1930, so these photos were taken a few months before their wedding. They had one son and two grandchildren. I never met my grandmother Anna Lee, but we had lots of visits with my grandfather when I was growing up and I still have many of the cards and letters he wrote to me. I don't have many photos of the two of them together, but I'm guessing that they took these photos of each other somewhere near their home in Celina, Ohio.

Military Monday - WWI Monument Dedication in Centreville, Maryland, October 1918

The Maryland State Archives has digitized copies of many pages of old Maryland newspapers available on its site. The dates are hit and miss since many pages no longer exist, but it's a great resource if you have Maryland ancestors.

The page shown below was published in The Centreville Observer on October 5, 1918. Centreville is in Queen Anne's County, Maryland and was the home to many of my ancestors.

The newspaper must have been in pretty bad shape as the scan isn't too good, but I was able to make out some references to my Councill family. Most of the articles on the front page were about World War One.

One article detailed a dedication ceremony for a monument and flag honoring the soldiers of Queen Anne's County. The ceremony included an address by Senator Harper of Centreville where he mentioned the soldiers that had lost their lives during the war, including my great-uncle Julius Councill.

He very feelingly spoke of the three boys who had already made the supreme sacrifice-- Jeff Davis, Jr. of Centreville, and J. Edgar Potts and Julius K. Council, of Baltimore, but natives of Queen Anne's county.

Another section of the articled talked about a procession of War Mothers where they wore arm bands with a star representing each of their children that were serving in the war. This must have been a very moving part of the ceremony. My great-grandmother Ariana Councill was one of two mothers that had three children in the military and had only learned of the loss of her son Julius a few weeks before the ceremony.

In the War Mothers' procession were nearly a hundred mothers of Soldiers and Sailors, two in the number, Mrs. Councill and Mrs. Joseph Fesnaper?, who have three from their families in the service, led the procession, wearing arm bands with three stars. There were any number who wore two stars and one star, and in most every instance it meant all that a mother had to give.

Liberty Loan Ad from The Centreville Observer, Oct. 5, 1918

The ceremony concluded with a mention of the upcoming Liberty Loan event intended to raise more money for the war efforts. According to the article, $100,650 was already subscribed during the afternoon of the dedication ceremony. Only a few pages were available in the digital collection for The Centreville Observer for October 1918, so I was fortunate that they included the information on the dedication ceremony and the connections to my Councill family.

Amanuensis Monday - Councill Land Transactions in Queen Anne's County, MD

I knew that my great-grandparents Arianna Sparks and John Wesley Councill lived in Centreville, Maryland when they were first married and later moved to Baltimore. I was surprised to learn that John sold land to Arianna before moving to Baltimore.

According to a Queen Anne's County land record, John sold Arianna a tract of land in Queen Anne's County, MD called Security or Neglect for the sum of $1 "in consideration of natural love and affection and ... considerations to me moving?". I'm a bit puzzled as to why John sold the land to Arianna. The last word in the quote isn't too clear, but if it's "moving" I wonder if John moved to Baltimore before the rest of the family.

John is listed in the 1900 census in Queen Anne's County, MD with Arianna and their children, but the family was living in Baltimore by the 1910 census. One exception was their son Julius King Councill, born in 1899. He was living with his aunt and uncle Alexander and Carrie Godwin in Queen Anne's County in 1910 and his uncle Robert Councill lived nearby. Robert is also mentioned in the land record, along with his wife Martha Ann (Sparks) Councill. Robert was John's brother and Martha was Arianna's sister. There are several land transactions between John, Robert, Martha, and Arianna and it's a bit difficult to figure out the reasons behind them.

The land record transcribed below is from the Queen Anne's County Court WHC Book 9, pages 122-123 available on the MDLandRec.net site.

WHC Book 9, bottom of page 122

Queen Anne's County, to wit: Be it remembered that on the Twenty fourth day of January, in the year One Thousand eight-hundred and ninety nine, the following Deed was brought to be recorded, to wit:
   This Deed, made the 24th day of January in the year Eighteen hundred and ninety nine, by John W. Councill of Queen Anne's County, Maryland. Witnesseth, that for and in consideration of natural love and affection and of various ? and valuable considerations to me moving?, and of the sum of one dollar, I, the said John W. Councill do hereby grant and convey unto Arianna Councill, in fee simple, all that farm or tract of land, called or known as Security or Neglect or by whatever name or names the same be called or known, situate in the 3rd Election District of Queen Anne's County, Maryland on the left of public road leading from Centreville to Queenstown, adjoining the lands of Martha Ann Councill, and the lands of the heirs of Wm McKenney and containing by metes and bounds, courses and distances, in a deed to said John W. Councill from Robt. H. Councill & wife, dated September 7th 1889, and recorded in Liber WD No 3 folios 344 &c., a Land Record Book for Queen Anne's County, one hundred and forty three acres ? and ten perches of land, more or less, except fifteen acres of land formerly in the tract but conveyed by the said John W. Councill to Martha Ann Councill by Deed dated 20th December in the year 1894, and recorded in Liber W.H.C. No 2 folios 242 &c., one of the aforesaid Land Records. This grant is made subject to the mortgage from John W. Councill to C.S. Jump , dated 24th September 1898, and recorded in Liber W.H.C. No 8 folios 291 &c., one of the aforesaid Land Records. Witness my hand and seal the date and year first above written.

WHC Book 9, page 123

The transaction mentioned from Book WD 3, pages 344 and 345 was a division of land between Mary A. Councill, Robert Councill and John W. Councill. It refers to Book WD 1, page 143 and this record states that the land was inherited from Francis Councill. He was the father of Mary, Robert, and John. I'm searching now for a record of Arianna selling the land to see if that sheds some light on when she moved and why the land was sold to her.

Updating to add that I found the record of Arianna and John selling the land in Book SS, Pages 131-134. They sold the land to J. Harry and Julia A. Lattimore in 1908. While Arianna was listed in the index as the grantor, both Arianna and John are listed on the deed. So, it's still a mystery as to why John sold the land to Arianna for $1!

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.

Mappy Monday - Levin Baynard's Estate

I posted last September about a distribution for John Councell's estate in Queen Anne's County, MD in 1836. It named his widow as Ann Councell and named sons John, Thomas Henry, James, William, and Francis. I believe that this Francis is my 2x great-grandfather, so I wanted to know more about his mother Ann.

I'd been having great success finding family information in the Maryland land records, but didn't find anything to shed any light on Ann's family in the Queen Anne's records. It turns out that I needed to broaden my search to some of the neighboring counties.

This record is from Book N, Page 338 of the Caroline County Court Land Records on MDLandRec.net.

The record states that John Council and Ann Council his wife (formerly Ann Baynard) of Queen Anne's County are selling their share of Levin Baynard's estate to William Hughlett of Caroline County. The record didn't give details on the land or the relationship of Levin Baynard to Ann, but it says that they inherited 1/5 of Levin Baynard's estate.

In the Distributions book from Caroline County for 1812-1828, Image 80 on FamilySearch.org, distributions from Levin Baynard's estate are paid to Levin Baynard, John Councill in right of his wife; Abner Roe (of William) in right of his wife Elizabeth; Samuel Credich in right of his wife Ann; and the children of the deceased John Baynard on August 29, 1826. That explains why John and Ann inherited 1/5 of Levin Baynard's estate. It is curious that a second Ann Baynard is mentioned as the wife of Samuel Credich (or Craddick) and the wife of John Councill is not named here. I've seen Samuel's wife given as Nancy Baynard in some online trees, so it's possible that Ann was a nickname.

I'm guessing that Levin Baynard died without a will since the land record above says that he died "seized" and a Land Commission was formed to assess and divide his lands.

 

The record above is the only one I could find online for the results of the Land Commission from March 1821 on the Maryland Archives site. The index for the Land Commission names Levin's lands in Caroline County as part of Mary's Garden, Glasco, Keresby, Garrett's Lookout, Sandy Hill, Jackson's Meadows, Byrn's Bower and Piney Neck.

John and Ann Baynard Councill sold their share of Levin's estate in December 1821, so I suspect that there are more distributions and account records for Levin's estate. The only one I've found so far is the one from 1826.

There is still a lot to investigate, but it seems probable that my Francis' parents were John Councill and Ann Baynard and that Francis' grandfather was Levin Baynard.

Thanks to Cindy of the Eastern Shore Facebook group for pointing me to the land record for John and Ann Baynard Councill!

Mappy Monday is a GeneaBloggers prompt where you can post map images and how they relate to your research or discuss other aspects of land ownership and your ancestor.

Mappy Monday - Following the Trail of Hawkins Pharsalia - Part II

In my last post on Hawkins Pharsalia, I sorted out some of the John Councells in my tree, but wasn't sure how Henry Councell fit into the mix. In the land records I was looking at, Henry Councell bought the part of Hawkins Pharsalia that had been left to Edward Carey Councell by John Councell "the Elder". The sale was documented in 1811 and was approved by several other Councell relatives.

In 1813, Henry Councell and his wife Sarah sold the land to John Councell, Jr., son of Edward Carey Councell. The following excerpt from Queen Anne's County Court Book JB 2, page 214 documents that Henry was the son of John Councell "the Elder" and grandfather of John Councell, Jr. The deed was recorded on December 4, 1813 and this record is available on the MDLandRec.net site.

Book JB 2, page 214, Queen Anne's County Court, Maryland

...that part of the tract of Land called and known by the name of Hawkins Pharsalia which the late John Councell (Father of the said Henry Councell and grandfather of the said John Councell Jnr. did by his Last Will and Testament devise to his son Edward Cary Councell Father of the said John Councell Jnr.) which said part of said Tract not being sufficient to bear a Division between the several heirs of the said Edward Cary Councell as adjudged by Commissioners appointed by the court of Queen Anns County for that purpose and the said John Councell Jnr. being the eldest heir made his election to take said Land at the valuation set upon it by said Commissioners and did by a Deed of sale bearing Date the fourth Day of January in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and eleven convey the same to the said Henry Councell being devised therein by John Councell Snr? William Councell Elijah Councell and Thomas Councell for the purpose of supplying? a Deficiency in the Will of the late John Councell ? together with all and singular the Buildings improvements wood ways waters...

The Land Commission denied Edward Councell's heirs' request to split up the land in 1811. At that point, Henry Councell bought it with the approval of Edward's sons and then sold it back to John Councell (son of Edward) in 1813. I'm not sure what the "deficiency" was in the will of "the late John Councell", but I'm guessing it was that he didn't specify how the land should be divided in the case of the death of his son Edward. Several family trees on Ancestry.com have Edward's year of death as 1797 which was the year after Edward's father John died.

This land record provided a little more clarification as to why the land switched back and forth between Henry and his grandson John. Next up is to investigate Edward Carey Councell. Are there any estate papers for him? My Councill tree as it stands now is shown below. John Councell Jr. was my 3x great-grandfather and his son Francis was my 2x great-grandfather. At some point my family started using the Councill spelling, so I have used that in the tree.

Mappy Monday is a GeneaBloggers prompt where you can post map images and how they relate to your research or discuss other aspects of land ownership and your ancestor. 

Amanuensis Monday - Councill Family Trees in Land Records

I posted a few weeks ago about following my Councill family through transactions in the Maryland land records. Here is another entry that helps to solidify the relationships between the Councills. The tricky thing was sorting out all of the John Councills. This entry is from the Queen Anne's County Court Book STW 9, page 414 from the Maryland Land Records site.

This indenture made this fifth day of January in the year 1811 between Henry Council, William Council, Elijah Council and John Council/Son of Edward Carey Council/ son and heir of John Council late of Queen Anne's County in the state of Maryland of the one part and John Council another of the children and heir of the said deceased of the same county and state of the other part. Whereas the land John Council the elder in his lifetime was seized in fee of and in a tract of land called Emory's Chance Corrected lying and being in Queen Anne's County and... Tom's Fancy Enlarged lying in the same county... and Hindsley's Plain Enlarged all which said lands by his last will and testament bearing date the 22nd day of December in the year 1795, he devised unto the above named John Council for his natural life only, and whereas it was the known instruction of the said John Council to ? his said lands to his said son in fee simple?, and the said Henry Council, William Council, Elijah Council and John Council (son of Edward Carey Council/Son and heir of John Council deceased) being sensible thereof, is willing to convey and release their rights in the same land unto their said brother and Uncle John Council.

Page 415 continues the transaction and shows the signatures of Henry, William, and Elijah Councill and the mark of John Councill. John "the Elder" Councill was the son of Henry Councill. John the Elder's grandson John, son of Edward Carey Councill is my 3x great-grandfather. I will post John the Elder's will in a future post. It leaves parts of Hawkins Pharsalia to his sons Edward Carey, Samuel, and James and clearly leaves the tracts of land named above to his son John. Thanks to Cindy of the Eastern Shore Facebook group for pointing me to this entry!

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.