Mary Jane Bland - Wife of George William Arnold Sr - Life Events
1813 - Mary Jane Bland was born in Virginia, Md. The 1850 Census indicates that Mary was 35 years old therefore by deducting 35 years from 1850 would make her birth year 1815. However, her obituary states that she was in the 52nd year of her age. The obituary information was usually furnished by a member of the family, and is usually more accurate. It is not known at this time who her parents were.
Nov 8, 1831 - George and Mary Jane were married in Washington, DC
1833 - George William Arnold Jr., Mary Jane and George's first child was born in Georgetown, District of Columbia. The birth date of George William Arnold Jr. was obtained by deducting his age at the 1850 Census. The 1850 Census was obtained at the Hall of Records, Annapolis, Md.
Sep 6, 1834 - Samuel Bland Arnold, Mary Jane and George's second son was born in Georgetown, District of Columbia. The birth date of Samuel Bland Arnold was obtained by deducting his age at the 1850 Census. The full birth date was found on his death certificate.
1838 - Theodore Frank Arnold, Mary Jane and George's third son was born in Maryland. The birth date of Theodore Frank Arnold was obtained by deducting his age at the 1850 Census. His death certificate does not include his birth date.
Mar 28, 1840 - Charles Albert Arnold, Mary Jane and George's fourth son was born in Maryland. The birth year of Charles Albert Arnold was obtained by deducting his age at the 1850 Census. The full birth date was found in "Memoirs of a Lincoln Conspirator" a book by Mike Kauffman, and verified at his grave stone at Druid Ridge Cemetery, Baltimore, Md.
Jan 25, 1842 - William Ferdinand Chatard Arnold is born in Baltimore, Maryland to Mary Jane Bland and George William Arnold. The existence of William F. Arnold was found in the book "Listing of Deaths and Marriages in the Baltimore Sun Papers". The birth date of William F. Arnold was derived from the infants obituary, May 31, 1842 which states that the child was 4 months and 4 days old.
May 29, 1842 - William F. C. Arnold dies in Baltimore, Maryland at age 4 months and 4 days. The cause of his death is not known nor is known where he may have been interned.
Mar 6, 1845 - William Stockton Arnold, Mary Jane and George's fifth son was born in Maryland. The birth date of William Stockton Arnold was obtained by deducting his age at the 1850 Census. The full birth date was also found on Williams grave stone in Hereford, Md. as well as on his death certificate.
Jun 17, 1848 - Florence Arnold, Mary Jane and George's first daughter was born in Maryland. The birth date of Florence Arnold was obtained by deducting her age at the 1850 Census. Florence's exact birth date was obtained from her obituary in the 'Baltimore Sun', July 2, 1851, which states that Florence was 3 years and 14 days old.
1848 - First record of Mary Jane Bland in the Baltimore area, Hookstown, Baltimore County. Mary Jane and George W. Sr. purchased a 118 acre farm one half mile east of the town which she deeded over to her brother, William J. Bland. (Land records of Baltimore County - Liber ABW # 395, Folio 31 - 3/3/1848 and Liber AG#6, Folio 411 - 10/16/1853) Later Mary Jane bought back about 21 acres which she held in abeyance for her youngest son and daughter, William and Oreon. (Wills, Baltimore County - Liber JLR#3, Folio 65 - 11/29/1865) The Arnold log house (on what became Park Heights Avenue and Northern Parkway in northwest Baltimore) was demolished in 1910. (from the Surratt Society News, July 1980, by Percy E. Martin)
1850 - Mary Jane and the Arnold family appear in the 1850 census of Baltimore City. The 1850 census enumerated on the 15th of July 1850. (Hall of Records, Annapolis Md. Soundex A654)
Jul 1, 1851 - Florence Arnold, Mary and George's first born daughter, dies at age 3. She is buried at Greenmount Cemetery, Baltimore, Md., Area P, Lot 40. (Obituary, Baltimore Sun, July 2, 1851)
Nov 12, 1853 - Oreon Mann Arnold, Mary Jane and George's second daughter was born in Maryland. The birth date of Oreon Mann Arnold was obtained by deducting her age at the 1870 Census, she was 16 years old at this time. However, the 1853 date was also provided by Mike Kauffman ("Memoirs of a Lincoln Conspirator"). The date was later verified by Dennis and Margaret Doyle of Dale City, Va. Dennis is a descendant of Oreon Mann Arnold.
Jan 1864 - Mary Jane, George W. and family lived near the corner of Park Avenue and Fayette Street in downtown Baltimore. This was stated in Samuel Arnolds Memoirs.
Jan 1864 - Samuel learned from a letter from home that Mary Jane Arnold, his mother, was ill. He traveled and arrived at home in the latter part of February 1864. Upon arriving home he found that Mary's health was in critical state. Sam stayed at home and continued to nurse his mother back to health. Mary's health gradually began to improve.
May 17, 1864 - Mary Jane Arnold prepares and records her last will and testament the text of which has been transcribed and included within.
Jul 6,1865 - Samuel Arnold wrote a letter to Mary Jane, his mother, during the time when he was sentenced to be imprisoned.
Nov 13,1865 - Mary Jane Bland died.
Nov 14, 1865 - Mary Jane is buried at Greenmount Cemetery, Baltimore, Md., Section P, Lot 40. The plot is plain, lined with half buried marble border stone. There is one stone marking the Arnold plot, it is white marble about half the size of a patio cinder block. It is inscribed with approximately 2" letters "ARNOLD".
1870 - George W. Sr. and his family appear in the 1870 census of Baltimore City as inhabitants of the Fifth Ward, and was enumerated on August 25, 1870. Mary Jane Bland was deceased at this time and she does not appear. In addition, Florence Arnold, their daughter, was deceased and does not appear.
2001 - Though the Arnold log house (on what became Park Heights Avenue and Northern Parkway) was demolished in 1910, the Bland family's farmhouse still stands on the same spot, one-third mile east of the site of the vanished Arnold log house, though completely surrounded by modern streets and houses. A cousin of Samuel Bland Arnold - Edward L. Bland - still lived in the house as late as 1943. In 1996 the house address is s 5801 Winner Avenue, Baltimore, Md.