I50462: THOMAS BUCHANAN "the Immigrant" (ABT 1740

Notes

Marriage 1 Caroline Beasley NORTON b: 1906 d. 1985.

Notes

Story of a chapel house From: [email protected] 14 Aug 2003

This is a story of a little Episcopal chapel in a small village called Pomonkey in Charles County Maryland. The chapel was built about 1841 when an earlier log structure was destroyed by fire. It was built next to the old cemetery that was across the old Port Tobacco Road from the earlier chapel on what is now called Bumpy Oak Road. The grounds of the cemetery and a 100 year old wood frame chapel known as St. John's chapel about a quarter mile up the road belong to the Christ Church, Accokeek Parish. St Johns chapel is a "chapel of ease". The little cemetery known as The Bumpy Oak was named for the huge old oaks with large bumps that live to around six hundred years. The Bumpy Oaks had been used as a meeting place for worshipers since the earliest days of the lower Potomac settlements. Today it is a quiet and solitary place with a growth of brush at one corner and old tombstones with familiar names from the area. A visitor might think this an insignificant little out of the way place. The cemetery and the old chapel that once stood there have a history that isn't taught in schools. The cemetery land was donated by a local family whose descendants lived on the surrounding lands until recently.

An elderly lady related a story of courage to me about her grandmother and great grandmother. It was 1861 and the occupiers were starting to pour into the areas around Washington. Charles County had many miles of shoreline along the Potomac River and by boat was a short distance to Fredericksburg, Virginia. Farms and churches were being taken over for use of encampment by these hordes of soldiers from other lands.

With a 5 year old child in tow Mrs. Rachael Compton, wife of Ruel Compton a local physician went into the small wooden chapel and smuggled out all the valuables they could hide and hid them in the attic of their house until after the war. The house which still stands and was about 100 years old at the time was near the cemetery and church. The chapel was quite small and was built by the local parishioners, pews, other furnishings, all built by the people who worshipped there.

Today there are two pieces of the original furniture that remain and are in use in the present chapel up the road. The yankee troops that occupied the area took over churches in the area and literally kicked the people out of their own houses of worship. Did these soldiers need a place to worship? Not at all. If they did it was done in camp like any army did. No, they used this small building as a stable for their horses. They ripped out the wood floors and pews and used them for firewood. They busted the windows out with glass shattered all around. I would suspect they did clean it up so as not to injure the horses. Anyone who knows horses and especially cavalry horses knows full well they don't need to be stabled. The only furniture that wasn't destroyed in this house of worship was the Bishop's chair dating to 1840 and a small table. The major in charge used these in his tent until they departed some years later.

Anyone who has ever been in a cemetery knows it is sacrilege and very disrespectful to sit on tombstones. These soldiers had no respect at all for the headstones of the dead buried there. Back in one section is an old tombstone dated 1862. Gerard Briscoe was a Pvt in the 1st Maryland who had been captured and sent to Old Capitol Prison where he died in the summer of 1862. His stone, now blackened with age is pointed at the top. One thing we look for when searching out graves of Confederate's in old cemetery's is a pointed headstone. Confederate dead were buried with these type stones to prevent the Yankees from sitting on them. Today when one orders a stone for a Confederate soldier or sailor from the Veterans headstone program you should order and get the Confederate headstone which is pointed at the crown. I have many relations who were soldiers and sailors in the Confederacy, all from Maryland save one. Three of these men left Maryland to cross the Potomac in early summer of 1862. They were members of this church and what happened to their little chapel no doubt played a big part in their decision. They joined the 2nd Maryland Inf in Richmond and fought all the way. One I know was wounded at Culps Hill in Gettysburg. The oldest, Corp James T Brown was captured in August 64 trying to defend the Weldon RR South of Petersburg. He was sent to Point Lookout Prison camp not many miles from his own home, the neighboring county. He died in Point Lookout on April 21, 1865 from Diarrhea as their records indicate. Diarrhea was a common report when a prisoner was shot for some reason. We will never really know. The other two, brother Sgt. Thomas and Pvt. Benjamin Hodges were captured defending Petersburg on April 3 1865 and were released in July 1865 from Point Lookout. They are buried next to each other in Bumpy Oak cemetery. Corporal James Brown's final resting place is known only to God since most of the graves at Point Lookout were destroyed by storms and erosion. His name is on the monument at Point Lookout. These young men did not leave their home to fight to maintain slavery. The Hodges didn't own any and James had set free two slaves after his father died before the war and had to sell the other two as anyone who knows you couldn't set slaves free unless you can prove they could take care of themselves. It was a federal law at the time. This story is just one of tens of thousands and why so many men and women risked their lives and fortunes, big and small to fight for a cause they believed was right and just. What weak coward would not lift a finger to defend their own home or land? The Confederate Army, outmanned and outgunned, gained the respect of the world and their northern counterpart for the fight they had. But then they were just doing what a man does, defend his home and loved ones.

The silver service set and other valuables that were smuggled out that night are now preserved for display in the Southern Maryland Center at the Charles County Community College. The table and Bishops chair are still in the newer St. John's, Pomonkey chapel which is now one hundred and two years old. The old chapel of the story was dismantled in 1901 when the new one was ready, moved to the new town of Indian Head where the US Naval Powder Factory had been built during the 1880's. It was used as an Episcopal chapel until 1916 when the present chapel was built in Indian Head and then a Baptist congregation took it over. Since the 1950's it has been used as a private rental property. I should maybe take a drive down and see what shape it is in, if it hasn't been torn down by now.

Rick In Olde Md

Pomonkey was an area people would cross the Potomac to Virginia. It was about a mile wide there and lots of boats and transport to be found.

Maryland Census, 1772-1890
COMPTON, RUEL State: MD Year: 1860
County: Charles County Record Type: Federal Population Schedule
Township: Coomes District Page: 751 Database: MD 1860 Federal Census Index

Name Age in 1880 Estimated Birth Year Birthplace Relation to head-of-house Marital
Status Race Gender Home in 1880 (City,County,State) Census

Ruel COMPTON 52 1828 Washington, D.C. Self Married White Male Pomonkey, Charles, MD

1860 Charles County census shows
Ruel age 31
Racheal age 31
Susan age 9
Catherine age 5
Jenny age 2

Notes

Lord Thomas HARRISON, KNIGHT, MAYOR Of Yorkshire ____ - 1573
Repository ID Number: I5072, RESIDENCE: Yorkshire, England; BIRTH: Yorkshire, England; DEATH: 1573, Yorkshire, England
RESOURCES: See: [S285]
Ancestor of this line ... though we are missing at least one generation before Cuthbert.

^[S720]

Notes

"son of JAMES JACKSON, GOV. DEATH AND OBITUARY NOTICES FROM THE SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE 1867-1878, Issue of September 1, 1875: My father, Col. Wm. H. Jackson, was born in Savannah, Ga., June 3d, 1786 and died at my residence in Macon, August 8th 1875. He was the eldest son of Gov. James Jackson, whose memory is almost idolized. He joined the Presbyterian Church in Athens. James Jackson.

Children of MILDRED COBB and WILLIAM JACKSON are:
i. MARTHA COBB17 JACKSON, b. 1818; d. September 26, 1893.
ii. JAMES JACKSON, b. 1818, Georgia; d. 1887. Grandson of James Jackson (1757-1806); nephew of Jabez Young Jackson. Born in Georgia. Member of Georgia state legislature; state court judge; U.S. Representative from Georgia, 1857-61. Interment at Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon, Ga."

Henry Jackson's nephew, William Henry Jackson, married Howell Cobb's sister, Mildred Lewis Cobb.

^[S2387]

Notes

John Kirtley born in 1764 married Mary, daughter of Henry Lewis; died in Barren County, KY in 1824.
Children:
Abraham Kirtley b. 13 JUL 1796 in Orange Co. VA d. 26 FEB 1871 in Prairie Twp. Tipton Co. IN m. Lydia Underwood.
Ambrose Kirtley b. 5 JUN 1800 in Smiths Grove, Warren Co. KY
Paschal J. Kirtley b. 29 APR 1802 in Smiths Grove, Warren Co. KY d, 29 JUN 1882 in Cave City, Barren Co. KY m. Mary McDaniel
Sarah "Sally" Kirtley b. 1808/1810 in Smiths Grove, Warren Co. KY m. Samuel Perrin Bowdry (Husband)
Elizabeth Kirtley b. 1804 in Smiths Grove, Warren Co. KY
Mary Kirtley b. 1806 m. Thomas Henry (Husband) Marriage: 4 MAR 1835 in Barren Co. KY

Notes

Listed in father's 1795 will.

Notes

+ Ann Price b: Abt 1763

My Southern Family

THOMAS BUCHANAN "the Immigrant"

ABT 1740 - Feb 1787

ID Number: I50462

Sources

Charles Archer BURNETT

25 Dec 1906 - 1 Jan 1984

ID Number: I72349

Notes

Sources

Dr. Ruel Keith COMPTON M.D.

6 Apr 1828 - ____

ID Number: I78604

Notes

Sources

Willie Elbert DUDLEY

Karen Hope FOGLE

William Southall GRAVES

23 Sep 1804 - ____

ID Number: I39908

Sources

Sir THOMAS HARRISON Knt.

____ - 1573

ID Number: I55829

Notes

Sources

Hon. and Col. William Henry JACKSON

3 Jun 1786 - 8 Aug 1875

ID Number: I63066

Notes

Sources

John H. KIRTLEY

1764 - 19 Apr 1824

ID Number: I105111

Notes

Sources

Mary Schuler MCCANTS

20 Nov 1884 - 29 Nov 1971

ID Number: I4472

Sources

WILLIAM PAULET

ABT 1550 - ____

ID Number: I95124

Sources

James PETTUS

ABT 1762 - AFT 1795

ID Number: I34541

Notes

Sources

Howard R. PEVY

Ann PRICE

ABT 1763 - ____

ID Number: I82520

Notes

Sources

Harriett SHIRLEY

1807 - ____

ID Number: I15087

Sources

John WALKER

ABT 1700 - ____

ID Number: I47145

Sources