Thursday, May 19, 2011

Thomas Meredith's 1853 Will, Part II - A cast of thousands

On Monday I posted a transcription of Thomas Meredith's will which was far lengthier and more detailed than other wills I have transcribed. The will named 35 different individuals - most as heirs, witnesses or executors. I have developed an index that gives a brief overview of each person's relationship to Meredith and other germane information.

Further information about many of the people named in this will can be found in this blog's posts tagged "Meredith" and in an article at WeRelate about the Meredith papers at the Maryland Historical Society.

Persons named in the will

Bayzand, Wm. H Witness to will. Listed as a Justice of the Peace in Matchett's Baltimore Directory for 1853-54.
Hickman, N Register of Wills. Listed as Nathaniel Hickman in Matchett's Baltimore Directory for 1853-54.
Israel
J. Robert Witness to will. With Henry, below, was a member of the firm Israel Fielder & Sons, listed as conveyancers in Mattchett's Baltimore Directory for 1856-57. A conveyancer was an attorney specializing in property sales and transfers.
W. Henry See Robert (above).
Jackson
Henry Heir. Son of Henry F. (below).
Henry F. Father of two heirs (above and below). Proprietor of the Eutaw House Hotel where Meredith and his wife lived for almost 20 years. Jackson began managing the hotel in 1846. See Scharf's “History of Baltimore City and County...”
Lucy M. Heir. Daughter of Henry F. (above).
Jenkins, Michael Courtney Executor of will. An attorney in Baltimore. The Jenkins' were a prominent Catholic family in Maryland. May be related to TM's sister-in-law Ann Spalding Jenkins.
Kelly, James Neighbor of Lancaster/Northumberland County VA Merediths who was leasing the slave Jim Sanders from Meredith. Not a known relation, but possible related by marriage to TM's niece Margaret Palmer (below) through her late husband, James Armistead Palmer.
Kennedy, William Executor of will. Listed as president of Mount Vernon Co. (a cotton mill) in Matchett's Baltimore Directory for 1853-54. Kennedy was another Baltimore merchant.
Kenrick, Francis Patrick Heir. Archbishop of Baltimore from 1851 to 1863. See Wikipedia article.
Kirk, Elizabeth Her unnamed children were heirs. Niece of TM and sister of William Pullen. Pullen was the son of TM's sister Frances Meredith Pullen Yerby. She is presumed to have died before the will was written.
McCrorken, Rosanna Heir. Maid to TM's wife Maria Meredith. Not found in 1850 census using Ancestry.com index.
McSherry
Richard Heir. Son of Richard Jr. MD (below)
Richard, Jr. MD Father of an heir (above). Prominent Baltimore Physician. His Aunt Susan McSherry married John Piet, son of TM's sister-in-law Margaret Meredith from her first marriage. He wrote a letter dated 21 Mar 1843 from Martinsburg, Virginia sending “sincere regards to Cousin M. (Maria?) and Cousin __ James”. Online trees (sourced) state that Anastasia Lilly (this Richard's mother) and Mary Lilly (mother of TMs wife Maria Spalding Meredith) were sisters. This suggests that the mother of James (Thomas J. Meredith, below) may have been related to McSherry since there is no known relationship through the Meredith family.
Menzies, Margaret Louisa Heir. Nee Ghequiere. Great great niece of TM. Granddaughter of his brother William Meredith and his wife, the widow Margaret Piet, who was also the mother-in-law of Dr. McSherry (above).
Meredith
Maria M. Heir. Nee Spalding. Wife of TM. Died in 1877.
Thomas Testator. Identified as TM throughout this article.
Thomas J (1815-1855) Heir. Nephew of TM and eldest son of John Meredith and his unknown first wife. Half-brother to William V (below) and Margaret Palmer (below). A Baltimore merchant, he left a widow and three young children when he was killed in a train wreck.
William V. (1832-1884) Heir. Nephew of TM. Youngest son of John Meredith and his last wife Ann Steptoe Brent. Half-brother to Thomas J. (above) and Margaret Palmer (below). Catholic priest.
Murray, John Heir. Leased a farm belonging to TM located in "Peter", Baltimore County. Neither the land nor Murray have been researched at this point. Not yet identified in any census. 
Palmer
John T. (1846-1929) Heir. Great nephew of TM and son of Margaret M. (below).
Margaret M. (1823-1889) Heir. Nee Meredith. Niece of TM and daughter of John Meredith and his wife Ann Currell Lee Towell. Half sister of William V. Meredith and Thomas J. Meredith (above).
Maria (1844-1931) Heir. Great niece of TM and daughter of Margaret M (above).
Purcell, Ann B Heir. A niece of TM. Not yet defined but (based on indexes of Richmond County Chancery Court Records) believed to be a daughter of Francis Frizzel Meredith Pullen/Pullin Yerby. This would make her a sister to James Pullen/Pullin and Elizabeth Kirk.
Sanders, Jim A bequest. A slave working at James Kelly's plantation near Kilmarnock.
Scammon
Caroline M. Heir. Daughter of below.
E. T. I., Lt.  Father of an heir (above). May be the Lt. Eliakim P. Scammon (1816-1894) of the Army Engineers stationed in Baltimore in 1836 who became a Union Army Brigadier General during the Civil War. Further research needed.
Shearman, Joseph W. Heir. Nephew of TM. Only child of his sister Caroline Meredith Shearman. His education at Georgetown College was paid for by TM.
Spencer, Joseph H Business partner of TM & his nephew in Meredith & Spencer. He appears in the 1850 census aged 26, born in Maryland living with three Spencer females (Ancestry Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: Baltimore Ward 18, Baltimore, Maryland; Roll: M432_287; Page: 16B; Image: 37). Probably an heir to Edward Spencer, an earlier partner of TM.
Ward, Charles Heir. Servant at the Eutaw House where TM lived for many years. He is enumerated as a 30 year old black male, born in Maryland, living at the Eutaw House in the 1850 census.
Yerby
Ellyson Husband of Heir (below). Brother-in-law and probably cousin of TM. Also a merchant who dealt with TM and his nephew James during the 1840s.
Hannah Heir. Sister of TM and wife of Ellyson.
Maria Heir. Great niece of TM and daughter of Ellyson & Hannah Yerby.
Virginia Heir. Great niece of TM and daughter of Ellyson & Hannah Yerby.