Research Honored

Irma Harper, a dear friend, mentor and long time researcher of the Upper Shore - honored twice. Her research acknowledged by the Smithsonian Institute and the "Irma Harper Library" dedicated.  She always did want to hold court, and now she can say she did!  Congrats Irma!!!

By the Times Record, from MyEasternShore.com - 

By DUSTIN HOLT Caroline-Dorchester Editor

FEDERALSBURG — If you are looking for history about Federalsburg and Caroline County, a new place to look is the Smithsonian Institute as the National Museum of African American History and Culture recently accepted a book by local historian Irma Harper.
Harper, 89, of Federalsburg, began documenting local history 72 years ago by going through land records. The culmination of her life's work came when the Smithsonian Institute accepted her book "Here Lies Sarah Phillips." This book contains the history and genealogy of seven generations of the Phillips Family, a black and mulatto family in Caroline County, dating back from the early 1700s to today. Sarah Phillips was the mother of a son who fought in the Revolutionary War and had two grandsons who fought in the Civil War.
“I'm very proud the Smithsonian Institute wanted my book about the Phillips family,” Harper said. “I'm glad to have this happen because I enjoy learning about people and their heritage.”
In June, the Federalsburg Historical Society honored Harper by dedicating the Irma S. Harper Research Room to their fellow historical society member. The room is filled with 570 of Harper's books and records for public viewing.
“In 2003, Irma returned to Federalsburg where she joined the Federalsburg Historical Society,” said historical society member Dan Gedman. “She quickly became an invaluable asset to our organization, participating, working and contributing to the success of the organization. Irma decided to donate her collection of works to us.
“This room was not just to be a storage facility, rather, it would become a research room that would serve as a place for people to come and investigate their heritage and be used by professional researchers as well.,” Gedman said.”
Harper's book, "Here Lies Sarah Phillips," also will be in the research room. She began her research when friends told her about a cemetery in the woods near Federalsburg. She searched for the cemetery and this successful trip began Harper's interest in the Phillips family.
“As most of us are aware, many black families cannot trace their family line because of slavery,” Harper said. “It was also interesting about the amount of farm land they owned at such an early time, therefore I wrote the book.”
“This is a remarkable achievement indicating Irma's caliber of scholarship,” Gedman said. “Her accomplishments, generosity and overall contributions to the Federalsburg Historical Society are invaluable not only to us, but to successive generations of families to come who will use her works to discover their family history.”

Follow Dustin Holt on Twitter @Dustin_StarDem. Email him at dholt@stardem.com. 

Hidden History - Talbot County

You just never know what lies hidden where.

This is a note left for us by the census taker in 1810. I suppose he was as intrigued by this fact as I was when I read it. 

I'm glad I wasn't Mrs. Levi Shannahan!

Identifying the Past

Help!

We need your help identifying this house found in an old photo collection.

It was most likely located in Kent County, Maryland, maybe Queen Anne's County.

It is the side view of the house. 

If you think you know what house this is, please contact us.

Cindy at zekejr@goeaston.net 

Thank you for helping us identify history.

Hint - may have been the home of, or the home of friends, of the Elburn or Ringgold families.

Written in Stone - Conquest Cemetery

The Emory Family Cemetery

at Conquest in Spaniards Neck of Queen Anne's County

Individual tombstones and their transcriptions can be found to the right 

"Conquest Cemetery"

Preserving Family History

A family bible, published 1818, discovered by Barry and Frances Adkins, still containing family memories pressed between the pages. Images of the bible pages with family births, deaths and marriages are to the right - "Numbers Family Bible"
Family names of Numbers, Hackett, Coverdale and more of the 1700's and 1800's. An amazing find.

Happy 4th of July everyone

Kent County

 The formation of a Silk Company
                contributed by Joan Elburn Farley

There are two types of mulberry trees found along the east coast. The red mulberry tree is native to the eastern US and can be found from Massachusetts to the Gulf coast. The white mulberry tree is a native of Asia and was imported by colonists eager to start a silk worm industry to compete with the Asian silk makers.

Silkworms feed on the shiny, heart-shaped leaves of the mulberry tree, especially those of the white mulberry. According to Alan Whittemore, a botanist with the US National Arboretum, for many years if you owned land in Virginia, you were required to plant a certain number of mulberry trees on your property each year!

The colonial silkworm industry was a disaster. Silk production required labor that was cheap but skilled. The lack of skilled labor soon convinced the colonists that growing and exporting tobacco was exceedingly more profitable.

With the help of birds, who eat the juicy fruit of the mulberry, both red and white mulberry trees have proliferated and even cross-pollinated. Most people consider the mulberry trees a nuisance, an obnoxious weed that litters the sidewalks and driveways and splats car windshields with the soft sticky fruit.

However, residents of the Washington, DC area with Eastern roots – those from Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia – delight in picking the familiar fruit of their homelands. The ripened mulberries are devoured with glee.

Joan Elburn Farley

2013