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+--- Thread: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. (/thread-4167.html)
1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - bob_summers - 09-11-2019 01:08 PM
For anyone looking for a map of the Southern Maryland road network and towns as they existed at the time of Booth's escape attempt, see the Library of Congress map at https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3840.cw0245100/
Gallant Green is the location of Dr. Mudd's farm. The download option for TIFF and other quality is at the bottom of the map.
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - mike86002000 - 09-11-2019 03:00 PM
Another set of maps is @: http://slavery.msa.maryland.gov/html/mapped_images/mapsindex.html . This shows churches, schools, post offices, shops and stores, from the early 1860's.
Mike
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - Robert.Lee.Jones - 11-17-2019 02:03 AM
MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Through Ancestry.com, I recently discovered that Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford, the brother of my mother’s paternal great grandfather, Thomas Sprigg Blandford, married Anna Cecilia Mudd, the sister of Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd who, as we all know, set the leg of John Wilkes Booth during his escape from Washington, D.C. after assassinating President Abraham Lincoln. My mother’s father is Hamilton Hill Blandford. His father (her paternal grandfather) is Alexander Hill Blandford. His father (her paternal great grandfather) is Thomas Sprigg Blandford, mentioned above. His father (her paternal great great grandfather) is Henry Stanislaus Blandford.
The Maryland County District Maps that were referenced in Lincoln Discussion Symposium, show farms within Prince George’s County with the name “Blanford” as follows:
“S Blanford” located south of Surratsville on the Surrats No. 9 District Map
“J Blanford” located north of Tee Bee on the Piscataway No. 5 District Map
“TS Blanford” located in Farmington on the Piscataway No. 5 District Map
Based on my Ancestry.com family tree, the following family tree members with last name “Blandford” (or Blanford) that were alive during the 1860’s and that could have owned and/or lived at these locations are as follows:
Henry Stanislaus Blandford, the father of three sons, known as Stanislaus Blandford (“S Blanford” on the map);
His first son, Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford (“J Blanford” on the map);
His second son, William Benson Hall Blandford; and
His third son, Thomas Sprigg Blandford (“TS Blanford” on the map).
In the 1850 U.S. Census:
Henry Stanislaus Blandford (age 53), was listed with his wife, Mary Smith Hall Blandford (age 50), and his two youngest sons, William Benson Hall Blandford (age 13) and Thomas Sprigg Blandford (age 10).
1850 U.S. Census Reference, Prince George County, Piscataway District:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8054/4199336_00500/17870725?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212086650499/facts/citation/722172719949/edit/record)
His oldest son, Joseph Henry Blandford (age 17) was attending Georgetown College.
1850 U.S. Census Reference, Georgetown College:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8054/4193082-00366/19722128?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212106120288/facts/citation/722145599211/edit/record)
In the 1860 U.S. Census:
Henry Stanislaus Blandford (age 63) was listed with May Blandford (age 54) and the two youngest sons, William Benson Hall Blandford (age 23) and Thomas Sprigg Blandford (age 20).
1860 U.S. Census Reference, Prince George County, 9th Election District, Surratsville Post Office:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7667/4231338_00582/54006669?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212086650499/facts/citation/722118129704/edit/record)
His oldest son, Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford (age 27) was listed separately and singly in the 1860 Census.
1860 U.S. Census Reference, Prince George County, 9th Election District, Surratsville Post Office:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7667/4231338_00582/54006762?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212106120288/facts/citation/722171698190/edit/record)
In the 1870 U.S. Census:
Henry Stanislaus Blandford was not found, nor was he found in the 1880 U.S. Census.
Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford (age 37) was listed with his wife, Anna Cecelia Mudd Blandford (age 31), and the first four of their children (ages 2, 4, 6, and 8).
1870 U.S. Census Reference, Prince George County, Piscataway District, TB Post Office:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7163/4269480_00297/23603585?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212106120288/facts/citation/722145599210/edit/record)
Thomas Sprigg Blandford (age 30) was listed separately with his wife, Elizabeth (age 24), and the first three of their children (ages ½, 2, and 4). Also listed were his older brother, William Benson Hall Blandford (age 33), and their mother, Mary Smith Hall Blandford (age 70).
1870 U.S. Census Reference, Prince George County, Surrats District, TB Post Office:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7163/4269480_00508/23612499?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212086605997/facts/citation/722118065293/edit/record)
Based on the location and date that the above U.S. Census data was taken, the following summarizes and verifies that the “Blanford” farms shown on the Maryland County District Maps could be that owned by the family of Henry Stanislaus Blandford, especially the two farms, “S Blanford” and “J Blanford,” located between Surratsville and “Tee Bee” as shown on the maps:
The father, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, known as Stanislaus Blandford:
1850, Prince George County, Piscataway (No. 5) District, lived with his wife, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and family of two boys
1860, Prince George County, 9th Election (Suratts) District, near the Surratsville Post Office, lived with his wife, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and family of two boys
1870, No U.S. Census record
His first son, Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford:
1850, Georgetown College, attended Georgetown College
1860, Prince George County, 9th Election (Suratts) District, near the Surratsville Post Office, lived alone
1860, Prince George County, Piscataway (No. 5) District, near the TB Post Office, lived with his wife and family of four children
His second son, William Benson Hall Blandford:
1850, Prince George County, Piscataway (No. 5) District, lived with his father, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, his mother, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and his older brother, Thomas Sprigg Blandford
1860, Prince George County, 9th Election (Suratts) District, near the Surratsville Post Office, lived with his father, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, his mother, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and his older brother, Thomas Sprigg Blandford
1870, Prince George County, Surrats (No. 9) District, near the TB Post Office
Lived with the family of his older brother, Thomas Sprigg Blandford
His third son, Thomas Sprigg Blandford:
1850, Prince George County, Piscataway (No. 5) District, lived with his father, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, his mother, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and his younger brother, William Benson Hall Blandford
1860, Prince George County, 9th Election (Suratts) District, near the Surratsville Post Office, lived with his father, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, his mother, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and his younger brother, William Benson Hall Blandford
1870, Prince George County, Surrats (No. 9) District, near the TB Post Office, lived with his wife and family of three children
Notes:
The Post Office listed in each 1870 U.S. Census is “TB” (i.e., assumed to be “Tee Bee” on the 1860 Maryland County District Maps).
Additionally, Stanislaus Blandford was listed in the U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918, in May 1864 at a location listed as “T.B.” (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1264/rhusa1862_101884-00225/8497975?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212086650499/facts/citation/722172492830/edit/record)
A source citation from Ancestry.com entitled, “Across the Years in Prince George's County, Maryland,” (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=FLHG-AcrsYearsPrinceGeorgesCnty&h=5602&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt), states the location of the farm owned by Stanislaus Blandford in relationship to the farms owned by Bennett F. Gwynn and his brother, John Dyer Gwynn, in Surratsville, Prince George’s County, Maryland. The portion describing this location is as follows:
“The census of 1860 shows BENNETT F. GWYNN, a resident of Surrattsville, Md. Age 35; realty appraised at $15,000, personalty at $11,000. Wife Eleanor aged 30, and the following children at home: Clarence aged 16, Edward 12, Rafael 10, John 4, Laura 2.
“Their home, Mount Auburn, was a 325 acre farm, part of his Lordships kindness, about one mile from Surrattsville, (now Clinton) Prince George’s County, on the stage road leading to Washington, and about ten miles distance therefrom. It adjourned the estates of Stanislaus Blandford and John Dyer Gwynn, his brother. This estate was sold in 1870, when Bennett Gwynn removed with his family to Baltimore where they lived for many years.”
The Maryland County District Maps that were referenced in Lincoln Discussion Symposium, show a farm within Prince George’s County with the name “BF Gwynn,” located south of Surratsville on the Surrats No. 9 District Map. Note that a farm with the name “S Blanford” is located just southeast of this farm, assumedly belonging to Henry Stanislaus Blandford, known to all as Stanislaus Blandford.
A ten-page letter entitled “History of H.S. Blandford family,” (https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/159000501/person/212106120288/media/bb8c2161-1d27-4866-b6c5-f15e886955f4?_phsrc=esV8&usePUBJs=true), was originally shared by Peter O'Connell on October 12, 2016 with Ancestry.com for genealogical reference purposes. The letter’s letterhead was entitled, Blandford & Blandford, Lawyers, P. O. Box 363, Kimberly, Idaho 83341 with the names, A. L. Blandford (208) 423-5264) and J. H. Blandford (1896-1987) printed at the top.
The letter was written by A. L. "Jim" Blandford, family genealogist, to his cousin, dated March 13, 1989. The first page of the letter describes what he knows about his grandfather, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, the oldest of eleven children born to Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford and Anna Cecilia Mudd, the sister of Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd. The first page of the letter as written is as follows:
“Our grandfather [, Henry Stanislaus Blandford,] was born May 1, 1862, the oldest of eleven children born to Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford (born Aug 25, 1833; died Aug 26, 1918) and Anna Cecilia Mudd (born Feb 2, 1838; died Feb 2, 1917). She was a sister of Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, being the fifth child born in the Mudd family while Dr. Mudd was the fourth.
“Our grandfather, together with his ten brothers and sisters, were all born at Meadow Grove Farm, Prince George's County, Maryland, which was located at that time 12 miles from Washington D.C. (now 10 miles from the District of Columbia line) at the top of Burch's Hill on Old Branch Road (now Branch Avenue). The official birth place, however, is given as T.B., Maryland, where the closest post office to Meadow Grove Farm was then located.
“Our grandfather was just 16 days from attaining his third birthday when John Wilkes Booth rode right by the Blandford farm while escaping into Southern Maryland on his way to Virginia after shooting President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865. And he was approaching his seventh birthday when his father, brother-in-law of Mrs. Samuel A. (Sarah Frances Dyer) Mudd, accompanied her to the White House to receive Dr. Mudd's pardon from President Andrew Johnson on February 13, 1869.
“Dr. Mudd arrived home from Fort Jefferson on Dry Tortugas Island on March 20, 1869, and lived there until his death on January 10, 1883, at the age of 50. I often wonder how many times our grandfather may have visited with his uncle after the doctor's release from prison, as their homes were located only 17 miles from each other.”
Note that according to my family tree in Ancestry.com, J. H. Blandford (1896-1987) in the letterhead is the oldest son of Henry Stanislaus Blandford, who is the “grandfather” in the letter. (J. H. Blandford was born in 1896 and died in 1987.) Also note that the Henry Stanislaus Blandford being described in the letter, born in 1862 and died in 1915, is not to be confused with his grandfather (i.e., his father’s father) with the same name, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, born in 1797 and died in 1881.
Knowing that two doctors and their families were very close in more ways than one, this begs the (rhetorical?) question, “If John Wilkes Booth knew Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, why did John Wilkes Booth not stop at the house of Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford to get his leg set?” Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford was married to Anna Cecilia Mudd, the sister of Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd. Therefore, if John Wilkes Booth knew Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, it would seem reasonable to assume that he would have also known Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford.
A story entitled, “Civil War, 1865, Southern Maryland,” (https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/159000501/person/212106120288/media/2690d5de-738a-4054-b27e-d460528a46b4?_phsrc=esV8&usePUBJs=true), was shared by “dbburr” on February 12, 2011 with Ancestry.com for genealogical reference purposes. The story is a family oral history concerning the part Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford played during the Civil War, which follows:
“The family oral history said that Dr. Blandford was in the Confederate secret service (his obit in the Washington Post left out the confederate part). He was supposed to be a courier between the spies in D.C. and Richmond. Also involved were Dr. Samuel Mudd (his brother in law) and a Dr. Wyville (sp) of Accokeek. Doctors normally had fast horses and the ability to get in and out of Washington easily. I have often wondered if the story was a cover for the fact that he did not openly support and join the southern army. The family might have used the story as an excuse for the doctor's staying home during the conflict. He was a small-time slave holder, but he may have been too smart to believe in the southern cause, and the possibility of a southern victory. Dr. Blandford was a witness in the trial of Dr. Mudd. If they both were involved in Confederate spying, it would help explain Dr. Mudd's inability to talk freely about his connection with John Wilkes Booth.”
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - L Verge - 11-17-2019 08:15 PM
Welcome, Mr. Jones -- I remember the home of Dr. Joseph Blandford very well. My gym teacher in high school actually lived there in the 1950s-60s. It stood until about 1980 or so. Booth and Herold rode right by it, and it sat very close to the road. I also remember other Mudd and Blandford families who lived close by -- Ed Mudd and Pauline Mudd Blandford Gwynn. There are still Blandfords in the area; one was a volunteer at Surratt House until her death, one was a friend of my mother, and several are still members of the Surratt Society. They grew up in the village of Piscataway - about five miles from Surrattsville. I think some are buried in the graveyard around St. Mary's Catholic Church in that village.
Reading your post is like old-home week! My great-grandfather Huntt was the postmaster in T.B. from 1862 until his death in the 1890s.
Re: some of your thoughts: The fugitives were too close to D.C. when they passed Dr. Blandford's; they could have been caught for sure, and the house was only about 50 yards from New Cut Road (also called T.B. Road then and is Brandywine Road now). No doubt that the doctor was a minor player in the Confederate underground as was the Dr. Wyvill that he mentions. Wyvill actually lived closer to Surrattsville, and there is a diary kept by a governess to his children in which she makes comments about obvious Southern agents visiting. I was friends with one of Wyvill's descendants and introduced her to James O. Hall and Bill Tidwell, who co-authored the great book Come Retribution. She shared a lot with them. The house is gone now, but I showed Rick Smith of this forum where it (Burton Hall) was, and he's been trying to find foundations through the overgrowth.
Did not know that the Blandford farm was Meadow Grove. It also adjoined the plantation of Walter Griffin, and the politician Sydney Mudd married into that family. Bennett Gwynn's Mount Auburn was right across the modern Route 5 from Colony South Hotel where the Surratt Society holds our annual conferences. Gwynn’s plantation was raided at night by about 200 cavalry early in the war. They were accusing him of supplying weapons to the South (and no doubt he was). A brother whose plantation was outside of T.B. served in the Confederate Army, and his wife and children ran a safehouse and mail drop while he was gone. Story is that the Union paid some slaves to burn the house.
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - Dennis Urban - 02-07-2020 07:10 PM
Searching for reasonably exact location of Parson Wilmer's house, supposedly in an area called Piney Church, which is where Booth and Herold said they wanted to go after leaving Dr. Mudd's. Best information I've read is about four miles west of the Mudd place and across the swamp. l realize the house and road may no longer exist but I cannot locate either name on the period maps referenced above. I'd really like to see where that is in relation to Beantown and Dr. Mudd's.
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - mike86002000 - 02-08-2020 08:34 PM
"Piney Church" was, and is St. Paul's Protestant Episcopalian church. I think it's the "P E Ch" shown on the map I mentioned above, on the boundary between Bryantown and Port Tobacco districts. On modern maps, it's on Piney Church Road off of Rt. 488. Until at least the 1970's a county road, "Brice Chapel Road", ran between 488 and Piney Church Road, in the area of St. Paul's. Brice Chapel was a black church. The county stopped maintaining Brice Chapel Road and it's disappeared from most maps. "Brice" is shown on the map once used by Ford's Theater as being on Booth's escape route. All of these places are on the West side of the swamp. One story I heard years ago was that Booth and Harold generally followed Dr. Mudd's instructions trying to find St. Paul's, and came across Brice Chapel instead. Of course I realize that's not the currently popular story.
Mike
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - Dennis Urban - 02-09-2020 02:26 PM
Thanks, Mike. I agree with your information on the PE Church. I found it on the 1865 Martenet map. I was looking for something labeled Piney Church not realizing the full name of the church. On a prior post on this website several years ago, Laurie posted some information about Parson Wilmer (Rev. Dr. Lemuel Wilmer, 1795-1869) and St. Paul's Piney Church. Belated thanks go to Laurie. The original church building still stands and it is pictured on their website.
Interestingly, it was Herold who first inquired of Dr. Mudd about the way to Parson Wilmer's place. This suggests that Herold knew of Parson Wilmer or perhaps knew him and had attended his church when in southern MD. Herold was apparently an Episcopalian as he was ministered to on the gallows by Rev. Dr. Marcus Olds, an Episcopal priest. The ever helpful Dr. Mudd told Herold of the two ways to get to Piney Church; "by the public road leading by Beantown" (Col. Wells written statement after interviewing Dr. Mudd) and across the swamp. If Herold actually wanted to go to Parson Wilmer's, it was probably to obtain assistance in continuing west to the Potomac River. This could also be a complete ploy by Herold to throw off any pursuers who would talk to Dr. Mudd, as they shortly did.
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - mike86002000 - 02-09-2020 05:39 PM
Parson Wilmer was generally well known in Charles County. At a time when supporters of the Union and Lincoln were despised, and few in number, he made his sympathies known. I think he was very courageous. Booth and Herold would have gotten no help from him. I think it was Herold's bad joke to imply they would seek refuge there.
However, note the very direct road from the church to Port Tobacco. If they had found St. Paul's, and managed to avoid Parson Wilmer, Booth and Herold would have been "home free" to familiar territory and friends.
If Booth and Herold did indeed leave Dr. Mudd's following his directions to "Parson Wilmer's", as he told Col. Wells, the Dr. did not attempt to misdirect their pursuers. It undermines part of the case against Dr. Mudd.
The old map I mentioned above showing Booth's escape route through "Brice", was included in a pamphlet printed 10 or 15 years ago, although the author seemed unaware of it. He was a firm believer in the escape route East of the swamp.
I found a modern map that still shows a bit of Brice Chapel Road. It's the end at 488, between Piney Church Road and Rt 5. At one time, I think it extended to the area of St. Paul's. I don't know where, exactly, Brice Chapel was. I think it had disappeared by the 20th century. https://www.bing.com/maps?q=st+pauls+church+waldorf+md&form=WNSGPH&qs=SW&cvid=2972e0b4e0614e09ab7d2d88d9b4230f&pq=st+pauls+church+waldorf+md&cc=US&setlang=en-US&PC=HCTS&nclid=0CB09A31B0497B5C07DDCF3CE98826AD&ts=1581238984416&wsso=Moderate .
Mike
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - Dennis Urban - 02-12-2020 04:01 PM
Thanks, Mike. Too bad Parson Wilmer was not questioned to determine what he knew of Herold & JWB. Just another association which could have been followed up by the authorities but was dismissed after the main perps were rounded up.
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - mike86002000 - 02-12-2020 05:20 PM
I doubt Parson Wilmer knew anything about Booth and Herold. He was a staunch Union supporter and very well known for it. I think he and his descendants would be outraged at the implication that he had anything to do with them.
The possible reason for Booth and Herold wanting to go to St. Paul's was that direct road to Port Tobacco from there.
I don't know where Wilmer actually lived. At one time, I think he was pastor at the church in Port Tobacco. Perhaps at the same time he held services at St. Paul's. That would have made him a frequent traveler on the road between.
Mike
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - Dennis Urban - 03-21-2020 04:49 PM
Among the assassination books I enjoy reading are the early accounts of the escape and it's route. I just read Osborn Oldroyd's 1901, "Assassination of Lincoln". I was particularly interested in his walk of the escape route and the pictures he included, which he took with his kodak. My first edition book also includes a fold out map in the back delineating the route Oldroyd walked; though he didn't actually always walk.
What piqued my interest was his description on page 256 of his walking a route that lead him past Piney Church and Brice Chapel. He wrote, "There was a cart road leading west from Dr. Mudd's, passing the farm of his brother, Henry L. Mudd. Within three-quarters of a mile from the Beantown and Bryantown road they passed the farm of Mrs. W.J. Middleton, and then followed the road leading from Bryantown to Beantown for a mile, when they turned south, passing St. Paul's, or Piney, Episcopal Church, presided over by Parson Wilmer. It will be remembered that Booth inquired (sic: actually Herold did) for Parson Wilmer's, but this was only a blind, as the good old parson was a staunch Union man all through war times, and did good service by furnishing the Government with information regarding the movements of the Confederates in that section of the country. When Booth and Herold reached Brice Chapel (a colored church) they lost their way, and Herold went a mile and a half toward Bryantown to the negro cabin of Oswald Swann, who lived on the LaPlata road, half a mile from the Bryantown road."
Amazing description! Since the book contains no footnotes or bibliography, one wonders from where Oldroyd obtained his information about this portion of the escape route, which today, of course, is not accepted as the correct route. Or could it have actually been so?
The many photos in the book are also quite a treat. Some have been produced elsewhere where I have seen them and others I have not before viewed. I wonder if the rest of his photos from that walk remain in the Ford's Theatre collection along with any notes Oldroyd wrote concerning his sources for the escape route. Such research could be enlightening.
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - Gene C - 03-22-2020 06:09 AM
Here is a copy of Oldroyd's book, "Assassination of Lincoln" from Internet Archives, that Dennis mentions.
https://archive.org/details/assassinatio3358oldr/page/n13/mode/2up
Anything else you read that caught your interest?
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - Dennis Urban - 03-22-2020 07:58 PM
It is unfair to be too critical of Oldroyd's telling of the assassination story as he was working 120 years ago and we, today, have so much more accurate information from many additional sources. For those who know the history by today's accepted facts, the written errors are readily apparent. That is why I'd love to know his sources. Guess I'll write to the NPS at Ford's.
A serious error with the map is where Oldroyd locates Oswall Swann's home. He pinpoints it directly west of Bryantown and on the west side of Zekiah Swamp. Swann's home was actually southeast of Bryantown on the east side of the swamp. Oldroyd shows a dotted line of the fugitives going from Brice Church to Swann's which would not be possible if Swann's place was accurately located. The base map is very good and sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey in 1901. The map looks to be accurate in its place name locations including St. Paul's PE Church and Brice Church. The map is helpful in depicting the roads in 1901 of which there is no doubt some change from 1865. Oldroyd notes that the railroads were "not built in 1865". Comparing Dave Taylor's escape route maps in this area against Oldroyd's allows one to see just how far off the path Oldroyd was.
But giving Oldroyd his deserved dues, his 1901 effort makes fine reading and does reveal a few minor facts not previously known by this reader. Like David Herold's "confession", these must be taken with a dose of salt.
RE: 1865 Southern Maryland road and town map. - Peter O'Connell - 11-28-2021 12:08 PM
(11-17-2019 02:03 AM)Robert.Lee.Jones Wrote: MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Through Ancestry.com, I recently discovered that Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford, the brother of my mother’s paternal great grandfather, Thomas Sprigg Blandford, married Anna Cecilia Mudd, the sister of Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd who, as we all know, set the leg of John Wilkes Booth during his escape from Washington, D.C. after assassinating President Abraham Lincoln. My mother’s father is Hamilton Hill Blandford. His father (her paternal grandfather) is Alexander Hill Blandford. His father (her paternal great grandfather) is Thomas Sprigg Blandford, mentioned above. His father (her paternal great great grandfather) is Henry Stanislaus Blandford.
The Maryland County District Maps that were referenced in Lincoln Discussion Symposium, show farms within Prince George’s County with the name “Blanford” as follows:
“S Blanford” located south of Surratsville on the Surrats No. 9 District Map
“J Blanford” located north of Tee Bee on the Piscataway No. 5 District Map
“TS Blanford” located in Farmington on the Piscataway No. 5 District Map
Based on my Ancestry.com family tree, the following family tree members with last name “Blandford” (or Blanford) that were alive during the 1860’s and that could have owned and/or lived at these locations are as follows:
Henry Stanislaus Blandford, the father of three sons, known as Stanislaus Blandford (“S Blanford” on the map);
His first son, Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford (“J Blanford” on the map);
His second son, William Benson Hall Blandford; and
His third son, Thomas Sprigg Blandford (“TS Blanford” on the map).
In the 1850 U.S. Census:
Henry Stanislaus Blandford (age 53), was listed with his wife, Mary Smith Hall Blandford (age 50), and his two youngest sons, William Benson Hall Blandford (age 13) and Thomas Sprigg Blandford (age 10).
1850 U.S. Census Reference, Prince George County, Piscataway District:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8054/4199336_00500/17870725?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212086650499/facts/citation/722172719949/edit/record)
His oldest son, Joseph Henry Blandford (age 17) was attending Georgetown College.
1850 U.S. Census Reference, Georgetown College:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8054/4193082-00366/19722128?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212106120288/facts/citation/722145599211/edit/record)
In the 1860 U.S. Census:
Henry Stanislaus Blandford (age 63) was listed with May Blandford (age 54) and the two youngest sons, William Benson Hall Blandford (age 23) and Thomas Sprigg Blandford (age 20).
1860 U.S. Census Reference, Prince George County, 9th Election District, Surratsville Post Office:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7667/4231338_00582/54006669?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212086650499/facts/citation/722118129704/edit/record)
His oldest son, Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford (age 27) was listed separately and singly in the 1860 Census.
1860 U.S. Census Reference, Prince George County, 9th Election District, Surratsville Post Office:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7667/4231338_00582/54006762?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212106120288/facts/citation/722171698190/edit/record)
In the 1870 U.S. Census:
Henry Stanislaus Blandford was not found, nor was he found in the 1880 U.S. Census.
Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford (age 37) was listed with his wife, Anna Cecelia Mudd Blandford (age 31), and the first four of their children (ages 2, 4, 6, and 8).
1870 U.S. Census Reference, Prince George County, Piscataway District, TB Post Office:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7163/4269480_00297/23603585?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212106120288/facts/citation/722145599210/edit/record)
Thomas Sprigg Blandford (age 30) was listed separately with his wife, Elizabeth (age 24), and the first three of their children (ages ½, 2, and 4). Also listed were his older brother, William Benson Hall Blandford (age 33), and their mother, Mary Smith Hall Blandford (age 70).
1870 U.S. Census Reference, Prince George County, Surrats District, TB Post Office:
(https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7163/4269480_00508/23612499?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212086605997/facts/citation/722118065293/edit/record)
Based on the location and date that the above U.S. Census data was taken, the following summarizes and verifies that the “Blanford” farms shown on the Maryland County District Maps could be that owned by the family of Henry Stanislaus Blandford, especially the two farms, “S Blanford” and “J Blanford,” located between Surratsville and “Tee Bee” as shown on the maps:
The father, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, known as Stanislaus Blandford:
1850, Prince George County, Piscataway (No. 5) District, lived with his wife, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and family of two boys
1860, Prince George County, 9th Election (Suratts) District, near the Surratsville Post Office, lived with his wife, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and family of two boys
1870, No U.S. Census record
His first son, Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford:
1850, Georgetown College, attended Georgetown College
1860, Prince George County, 9th Election (Suratts) District, near the Surratsville Post Office, lived alone
1860, Prince George County, Piscataway (No. 5) District, near the TB Post Office, lived with his wife and family of four children
His second son, William Benson Hall Blandford:
1850, Prince George County, Piscataway (No. 5) District, lived with his father, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, his mother, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and his older brother, Thomas Sprigg Blandford
1860, Prince George County, 9th Election (Suratts) District, near the Surratsville Post Office, lived with his father, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, his mother, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and his older brother, Thomas Sprigg Blandford
1870, Prince George County, Surrats (No. 9) District, near the TB Post Office
Lived with the family of his older brother, Thomas Sprigg Blandford
His third son, Thomas Sprigg Blandford:
1850, Prince George County, Piscataway (No. 5) District, lived with his father, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, his mother, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and his younger brother, William Benson Hall Blandford
1860, Prince George County, 9th Election (Suratts) District, near the Surratsville Post Office, lived with his father, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, his mother, Mary Smith Hall Blandford, and his younger brother, William Benson Hall Blandford
1870, Prince George County, Surrats (No. 9) District, near the TB Post Office, lived with his wife and family of three children
Notes:
The Post Office listed in each 1870 U.S. Census is “TB” (i.e., assumed to be “Tee Bee” on the 1860 Maryland County District Maps).
Additionally, Stanislaus Blandford was listed in the U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918, in May 1864 at a location listed as “T.B.” (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1264/rhusa1862_101884-00225/8497975?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/159000501/person/212086650499/facts/citation/722172492830/edit/record)
A source citation from Ancestry.com entitled, “Across the Years in Prince George's County, Maryland,” (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=FLHG-AcrsYearsPrinceGeorgesCnty&h=5602&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt), states the location of the farm owned by Stanislaus Blandford in relationship to the farms owned by Bennett F. Gwynn and his brother, John Dyer Gwynn, in Surratsville, Prince George’s County, Maryland. The portion describing this location is as follows:
“The census of 1860 shows BENNETT F. GWYNN, a resident of Surrattsville, Md. Age 35; realty appraised at $15,000, personalty at $11,000. Wife Eleanor aged 30, and the following children at home: Clarence aged 16, Edward 12, Rafael 10, John 4, Laura 2.
“Their home, Mount Auburn, was a 325 acre farm, part of his Lordships kindness, about one mile from Surrattsville, (now Clinton) Prince George’s County, on the stage road leading to Washington, and about ten miles distance therefrom. It adjourned the estates of Stanislaus Blandford and John Dyer Gwynn, his brother. This estate was sold in 1870, when Bennett Gwynn removed with his family to Baltimore where they lived for many years.”
The Maryland County District Maps that were referenced in Lincoln Discussion Symposium, show a farm within Prince George’s County with the name “BF Gwynn,” located south of Surratsville on the Surrats No. 9 District Map. Note that a farm with the name “S Blanford” is located just southeast of this farm, assumedly belonging to Henry Stanislaus Blandford, known to all as Stanislaus Blandford.
A ten-page letter entitled “History of H.S. Blandford family,” (https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/159000501/person/212106120288/media/bb8c2161-1d27-4866-b6c5-f15e886955f4?_phsrc=esV8&usePUBJs=true), was originally shared by Peter O'Connell on October 12, 2016 with Ancestry.com for genealogical reference purposes. The letter’s letterhead was entitled, Blandford & Blandford, Lawyers, P. O. Box 363, Kimberly, Idaho 83341 with the names, A. L. Blandford (208) 423-5264) and J. H. Blandford (1896-1987) printed at the top.
The letter was written by A. L. "Jim" Blandford, family genealogist, to his cousin, dated March 13, 1989. The first page of the letter describes what he knows about his grandfather, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, the oldest of eleven children born to Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford and Anna Cecilia Mudd, the sister of Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd. The first page of the letter as written is as follows:
“Our grandfather [, Henry Stanislaus Blandford,] was born May 1, 1862, the oldest of eleven children born to Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford (born Aug 25, 1833; died Aug 26, 1918) and Anna Cecilia Mudd (born Feb 2, 1838; died Feb 2, 1917). She was a sister of Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, being the fifth child born in the Mudd family while Dr. Mudd was the fourth.
“Our grandfather, together with his ten brothers and sisters, were all born at Meadow Grove Farm, Prince George's County, Maryland, which was located at that time 12 miles from Washington D.C. (now 10 miles from the District of Columbia line) at the top of Burch's Hill on Old Branch Road (now Branch Avenue). The official birth place, however, is given as T.B., Maryland, where the closest post office to Meadow Grove Farm was then located.
“Our grandfather was just 16 days from attaining his third birthday when John Wilkes Booth rode right by the Blandford farm while escaping into Southern Maryland on his way to Virginia after shooting President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865. And he was approaching his seventh birthday when his father, brother-in-law of Mrs. Samuel A. (Sarah Frances Dyer) Mudd, accompanied her to the White House to receive Dr. Mudd's pardon from President Andrew Johnson on February 13, 1869.
“Dr. Mudd arrived home from Fort Jefferson on Dry Tortugas Island on March 20, 1869, and lived there until his death on January 10, 1883, at the age of 50. I often wonder how many times our grandfather may have visited with his uncle after the doctor's release from prison, as their homes were located only 17 miles from each other.”
Note that according to my family tree in Ancestry.com, J. H. Blandford (1896-1987) in the letterhead is the oldest son of Henry Stanislaus Blandford, who is the “grandfather” in the letter. (J. H. Blandford was born in 1896 and died in 1987.) Also note that the Henry Stanislaus Blandford being described in the letter, born in 1862 and died in 1915, is not to be confused with his grandfather (i.e., his father’s father) with the same name, Henry Stanislaus Blandford, born in 1797 and died in 1881.
Knowing that two doctors and their families were very close in more ways than one, this begs the (rhetorical?) question, “If John Wilkes Booth knew Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, why did John Wilkes Booth not stop at the house of Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford to get his leg set?” Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford was married to Anna Cecilia Mudd, the sister of Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd. Therefore, if John Wilkes Booth knew Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, it would seem reasonable to assume that he would have also known Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford.
A story entitled, “Civil War, 1865, Southern Maryland,” (https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/159000501/person/212106120288/media/2690d5de-738a-4054-b27e-d460528a46b4?_phsrc=esV8&usePUBJs=true), was shared by “dbburr” on February 12, 2011 with Ancestry.com for genealogical reference purposes. The story is a family oral history concerning the part Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford played during the Civil War, which follows:
“The family oral history said that Dr. Blandford was in the Confederate secret service (his obit in the Washington Post left out the confederate part). He was supposed to be a courier between the spies in D.C. and Richmond. Also involved were Dr. Samuel Mudd (his brother in law) and a Dr. Wyville (sp) of Accokeek. Doctors normally had fast horses and the ability to get in and out of Washington easily. I have often wondered if the story was a cover for the fact that he did not openly support and join the southern army. The family might have used the story as an excuse for the doctor's staying home during the conflict. He was a small-time slave holder, but he may have been too smart to believe in the southern cause, and the possibility of a southern victory. Dr. Blandford was a witness in the trial of Dr. Mudd. If they both were involved in Confederate spying, it would help explain Dr. Mudd's inability to talk freely about his connection with John Wilkes Booth.”
Stanislaus Blandford owned 41 slaves in 1860, but his wife owned 73 slaves making a total of 114 slaves on their plantation located just south of Clinton/Surrattsville. I would say that they were not "small" slaveowners, but probably in the mid-range. At least 9 of Stanis laus Blandford's slaves escaped to Washington DC in 1861 shortly after the Civil War broke out when Thomas Shorter hid his wife and 7 children under a load of potatoes and drove them to freedom. Stanislaus Blandford died in 1867 and divided his property pretty evenly among his three sons Dr. Joseph Blandford, Thomas Sprigg Blandford and Benson Blandford. His wife Mary lived with Benson after Stanislaus died (see the 1870 census). Benson filed a claim with the Prince George's County Commissioner for reimbursement of lost slave property in 1867 on behalf of his brothers seeking reimbursement for the loss of the 41 slaves previously owned by Stanislaus Blandford, but did not file any such claim in Prince George's county on behalf of his mother for her 73 slaves (or perhaps a few more if additional children were born between 1860 and 1867). Therefore, we have the names, genders and ages for all of the slaves of Stanislaus Blandford, but not for the slaves owned by Mary Blandford.
With respect to Dr. Joseph Henry Blandford's role with the Confederate Secret Service and reasons that he did not join the Confederate army, let me suggest several points: (1) Dr. Joseph Blandford and Dr. Samuel Mudd were classmates at Georgetown Medical School, which is probably how Dr. Blandford came to meet and court Dr. Samuel Mudd's sister Anna Cecilia. (2) My understanding is that doctors were exempt from military service during the first years of the Civil War, though Dr. Joseph Blandford did register for the Union draft in 1863 as required. Both Dr Mudd and Dr. Blandford had married by 1860 and started families during the first years of the war. (3) Rose Greenhow, the famous "Rebel Rose" and well-documented Confederate spy, was Dr. Blandford's second cousin (she was 19 years older than he was) giving some further strength to the evidence in Dr. Blandford's obituary that he provided valuable service to the (Confederate) Secret Service (4) I have found no evidence that Dr. Blandford had ever met John Wilkes Booth whereas Dr. Mudd had met Booth on 2 or 3 occasions. (5) I believe that both Dr. Blandford and Dr. Mudd signed the loyalty oath to support the Union in order to vote in the 1864 election as required by Maryland's new constitution ratified in 1864 that freed all Maryland slaves.
I hope this information provides further "food for thought."