The Elder Family Chroniclethewilliamelderofmaryland.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/0/5/14057977/th… · Elder. Throughout James W. “J W” Elder, organizer of past Elder reunions was on - [PDF Document] (2024)

The Elder Family Chronicle

Volume 2 Number 1 Spring 2012 EDITOR NEEDED!!!!

2011 Elder Reunion in Emmitsburg, Maryland

by Ann Denson, Vice President

On Friday Jul 22 at St Anthony‟s Shrine Parish hall inEmmitsburg cousins from all

over the United States met, many for the very first time, tohonor the memory of our

grandparents, William/Ann/Jacoba Elder.

Even sweltering 100 degree weather couldn‟t dampen the fun. Thepeople might have been dampened but not the fun. The

early morning was spent meeting one

another and figuring out to what branch of

the family we belonged.

St Anthony‟s Shire Hall site of the 2011 Elder

Reunion

Later Dale A. Valentine the Commander, Francis X. Elder AmericanLegion Post,

#121 spoke about the legion‟s purpose and

presented a certificate of appreciation, for the sacrifice oftheir name sake, and an

American Flag to the Elder Association.

Francis X. Elder, our cousin, was the first soldier fromFrederick County to die in

World War I. The flag and certificate will

be framed together and placed; (We Hope) near the Elder librarycollection in the

Emmitsburg Public Library. A copy of the

certificate is now available to any

association member that would like one. A copy is located on theBox.net site and on

the family tree at Ancestry.com

Elder Reunion display created by Steve and Tim Gallagher. Photosby Stephen F.

Gallagher

Dr. Robert Dahlem, DVM, an Elder cousin, explained about anarcheological dig that he had participated in at Flint Island, KY,an

area near where Elder descendants had

settled.

A reunion picture was taken by Bev Spalding, publisher of theCatoctin Banner who is the wife of and mother to Elder

descendants.

After lunch Carolyn Brannan Kirsch, an Elder cousin and a livinghistorian of the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars,

showed clothing and other items that our

ancestors would have worn and use.

Carolyn Brannan Kirsch and friends

She was assisted by Connie Elder Leaders, an Elder cousin, whom*odeled the clothing. On Friday evening we had dinner at theOtt

House owned by Elder cousin Bob Ott and

his family.

Ott House 5 W. Main Street Emmitsburg,

MD 21727

Speakers at the Ott House were Fr. Michael J. Roach, Instructorof Church History Mount St Mary‟s University and Scott

Fullerton, researcher from the National

Museum of Civil War Medicine, both spoke

about events in history and the role played by our ancestorArchbishop William Henry

Elder.

Throughout James W. “J W” Elder, organizer of past Elderreunions was on hand to provide us all with invaluable Elder

Family information.

On Saturday morning following a visit to the Grotto, we againmeet at St Anthony‟s for a

picnic lunch followed by more discussions of Elder ancestors.Saturday afternoon was

free time. Saturday evening we meet at the

motel to elect officers.

Sunday morning we attended Mass at St. Anthony‟s Shrine, one ofthe many house of

worship associated with the Elders of

Maryland.

St. Anthony‟s Shrine

Later that afternoon we all meet at the Elder Cemetery where theSons of the American Revolution (SAR) honored the Elder‟s with

a 21 gun salute.

Color Guard of the Maryland Society Sons of the AmericanRevolution

Finally Brother Mark Elder, C. M., another cousin, lead us in aSunday service similar

to one conducted in Colonial times when no

priest was available to say Mass.

Headstones of Ann, William and Jacoba Elder

With that we all piled into our cars to return to our respectivehomes, some going as far as California, Arizona, Nebraska,Kentucky,

Illinois, North Carolina, Wisconsin and

Florida as well as others as near as Maryland, Virginia,Delaware, and

Pennsylvania. Over the course of the

weekend 48 Elder descendants made an appearance at one or moreof our functions.

The came from 12 states.

Thanks to Tim and Steve Gallagher for a job well done!

Looking forward to meeting more cousins at the 2014 Elderreunion in Fancy Farm, Kentucky!!!!

Maryland Adopt-A-

Highway Program

The association has the paperwork for joining the MarylandAdopt-A-Highway

program and now we need Elder descendants to agree to attend atleast ONE

of four highway cleanups each year. The

road we will be cleaning is a 1.3-mile section of Motter StationRoad. This is

located in front of the Elder Cemetery in

Emmitsburg, MD.

We plan on meeting early on a Saturday or Sunday four times ayear and then have brunch or lunch as a group. We need a

person/s to chair this activity. If we have

other cemeteries, in other states with a preponderance of Elderdescendants/kin we

could do a similar project. It is a way of

giving back to the community, helps advertise the Elderassociation and is a great

excuse for us to get together on a local level

in between national reunions. We need a

volunteer to chair this effort.

2014 Reunion of the Descendants

of William Elder of Maryland

The 2014 Reunion of the Descendants of William Elder, AnnWheeler Elder and

Jacoba Livers Elder will be held in Fancy

Farm, Ky. The reunion is set for July 31st

through Aug 3rd

.

Among the events we will be attending are

the Annual Picnic at Fancy Farm and the KOC fish fry.

The Annual FF picnic is an all-day affair on Saturday and wewill have, if possible a

central tent pavilion area for everybody to

center their attendance around. We will also

be having a meet and greet, church services

on Sunday, farewell dinner, and a host of other events.Suggestions, especially from

locals are MOST welcome.

The hotel we are working with is the Days

Inn located in Mayfield. The address is

1101 W. Housman Street Mayfield, Kentucky 42066 Phone270-247-3700

They will have rooms available, both smoking and nonsmoking,double bed and

single bed, for the given time period. We have a reunion rate of$54.99 + tax per

room, per night

We are looking for a local Elder

descendant to coordinate the

event locally. If you can help

please drop a note to Tim at

[emailprotected]

Check out these Web sites: •http://www.williamelderofmaryland.com • http://box.com/ •http://www.ancestry.com/ • http://www.ancquest.com/viewer.htm. •http://www.genealogywise.com/

mailto:[emailprotected]

It’s a Hobby; it’s a Passion

Reenacting!!! By Carolyn Brannan Kirsch

Living Historian, Re-enactor, Educator, Keeper of Odd Knowledge,those are some of the titles that I answer to and many more

in the world of 18th century living history.

It started out as doing a favor for a friend. My friend, EmilieMcGinnis was interested in attending a local craft/trade fair withan

18th century theme. She enlisted my help as

a clothing model to attend the event.

Since, I do not sew, Emilie outfitted myself, our children andherself in stylish 18th century clothing. Our clothing was not

outlandish, just simple everyday clothes of

the time. We attended the event, and a few others that were heldlocally. By the end of

the year I was hooked.

Then the real work began, research, research, research! Eachevent was at a

different location, which meant dusting off the referenceshelves and the books

contained thereon. Hours and hours of

reading, of who fought whom and why, ensued. Where a particularevent was held,

brought it‟s own history to explore and

learn.

Not all history is contained in „history‟ books. Personaldiaries, newspaper articles, obituaries and wills, all containstories of

lives that can no longer be told.

Carolyn Brannan Kirsch and friends

That is where I come in as the Living

Historian. It is a distinct honor to engage the public at anevent. Sure there are the

usual questions such as: “Is that a real fire?”

Yes, people do really ask that question. Are you going to eatTHAT?! Most of the time

the answer is “Yes, what you see here is our

dinner (breakfast, lunch).” It may be something as simple ascorncakes on an

open fire or a fresh plucked (wild) turkey

strung up over a slow burning fire with yams

packed in mud then buried in the ground.

Others ask if we stay “there”. Meaning, do we really sleep inthose canvas tents when it

is 98 degrees, humidity similar to the

Amazon rain forest and the real possibility of a thunderstormcoming in during the

night. The answer is “Yes”. Gail force

winds have toppled many a wedge tent and

scattered belonging to and fro at more than one event.

When presenting a clothing demonstration, it is fun topersonally engage those

attending. By that I mean, pick a person or two to help with thedemo. Dressing a

person in the „day to day‟ wear while doing

a running commentary on that particular piece of clothing is, attimes, a challenge.

But, when you begin with a ladies under garment known as a„shift‟ (if English) or a chemise (if French) and moving on to

stockings, garters, pockets, petticoat, stays

(think 19th century corset), short gown,

kerchief, cap, apron and finally shoes!

The entire process can be quite humorous as well as educational.All that clothing

without benefit of air conditioning and

regular bathing, for that matter……makes one grateful forboth!

I have been fortunate to be part of a clothing demonstrationthat was conceptualized by

my aforementioned friend Emilie. She has

scrutinized my demonstrations on 18th century clothing as wellas Native American

living.

My family has been a great support of my Passion/Hobby bybecoming involved also. My husband, who is a musician, isattached

to the French Marines as a tambour

(drummer) who acts as a signal/messenger during battle. He isthe most well dressed

member of our family unit!

Terry and Carolyn Brannan Kirsch

Our youngest son portrays Native American of the Seneca nation.He has done exhaustive research to ensure that his

portrayal is factual as well as authentic as

possible.

Jacob Kirsch portrays a Native American of the Seneca nation

Clothing, living history, re-enacting, educating, research, allcome together to

create for me a hobby as well as a passion that I hope tocontinue for many more years!

“Like leaves on trees the race of man is found,

now green in youth, now withering on the

ground.

Another race the following spring supplies;

They fall successive; and successive rise;

So generations in their course decay,

So flourish these, when those are parsed away." Pope's Homer,II. 6, 180.

"Descendants of William Elder Research

Group by Selena Du Lac, Chairman

At the Elder Reunion in MD this past summer I volunteered to bethe chairman of

the "Descendants of William Elder" research

group and now that summer has ended and the Holidays are over Iam ready to persue

this.

We hope to publish our own book on the descendants of WilliamElder and have it available by our next family reunion in

approximately 2 years. (2014 KY)

You're invited to join our research group which is workingtogether on the

Descendants of William Elder.

To coordinate this work, we created a shared genealogy databasethat can be accessed by

any of us, at any time, through the Internet.

All of us can easily view this database, print professionalreports, etc., using new

genealogy software that supports

"collaboration."

It also has a built-in research manager we use to organize anddocument our research so we don't duplicate our efforts.

Here's how you access our group database:

1) Download Ancestral Quest free athttp://www.ancquest.com/viewer.htm.

2) When AQ is installed, go to the Collaborate menu and chooseSign Up to get

a free collaboration account.

3) E-mail me your collaboration User ID and e-mail address fromstep 2. I don't need

to know your password. Our file is private and secure, so I haveto authorize anyone

new. That's why I need your info in step 3. I

also have full control over who is allowed to edit the file. Wewant to make sure that

changes are carefully researched and

documented.

Once you've installed AQ, go to the Collaborate menu and choosethe Open Published File option to open our file.

Browse through it, and then check out our current tasks in theResearch Manager. Let

me know which tasks you think are missing, or which are mostinterested in. Also, please

tell me if you see anything missing or

incorrect.

Until Ancestral Quest is registered, it runs in "viewer mode,"which lets you view latest database, preview reports, etc. If youdecide

to help edit the database or print reports, you

might need to register AQ so you'll have the full functionality.For this reason, I'm asking

Incline Software to offer you a discount,

which you will see at the bottom of this

message.

Feel free to send me the names of other Elder descendants whomight want to join

this project. I hope to work together with

you in this group effort! Should you prefer another method ofsubmitting your

information you may e-mail me at

[emailprotected] or call me at 928-453-1824 and we willdiscuss other

methods. Thanks, Selena Du Lac

WHAT IS IN A SURNAME? By J.W. Elder, President Emeritus

What is in a surname a little or a great deal? It all depends onone‟s perspective. I am of

the persuasion that I do not accept at face

value everything that is written, said or some seen. Our surname“Elder” falls with that

category. There are many variations:

“The origin of the Elder name is as Victor Elder‟s webpageexplains the connection as follows:

“In 1160, Malcolm IV called upon the Clan Macduff to help himwithstand an attempt

on his throne. Duncan Macduff, Chief of

the Macduff Clan, sent his son Shaw. At the end of the war, Shawwas rewarded with his

own noble rank and lands and was known as

Macintosh. This much we know – supposedly, Shaw MacduffMacintosh had

several sons, the oldest of whom was known

as „The Eldar‟ (original spelling) and his descendants adopt4edthis as their surname,

to distinguish their line from the rest of the

clan. The Elder name is very common in

Scotland and has always been associated with the Clan Macintosh(MacKintosh) so

the tale certainly seems plausible …

MacKintosh or McIntosh means “son of the chief or importantperson” and Elder is

simply the Anglicized or English form of the

Gaelic name.”

J.W. Elder and Edwin Grieve standing at the Scottish border withEngland.” (photo by Michael Grieve))

The Border region of England and Scotland produced some of themost illustrious family

names the world has ever known, names

such as Armstrong, Nixon, Graham, Bell, Carson, Elder, Hume,Irving, Ogle,

Rutherford, and so on and included in this

group is the surname Elder.

Professional analysts have researched the history of lowlandScotland and northern England, including many privatecollections

of genealogical records, the Inquisition, the

Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, the Ragman Rolls, The Hearth Rolls,the Doomsday

Book, parish cartularies, baptismal, and tax

rolls and revealed that the first record of the name Elder wasfound in Edinburghshire

where they were seated from very ancient

times, some say well before the Norman

Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066A.D.

Different spellings of the name were found in the archives, eachalternate linked to the

root source of the surname. Your name, Elder, occurred in manyreferences, from

time to time the surname was spelled Elder,

Elders, Eldar, MacNoravalch, and these

changes in spelling frequently occurred, even between father andson.

Scribes and church officials recorded the name from its sound,sometimes changing the spelling on each occasion of the same

person‟s birth, death or marriage.

Those of us that descend from William Elder, 1707-1776 ofMaryland, or familiar

with Mary Louise Donnelly „s book and Mount Saint Mary‟sarchives, reports a

quote from William Elder where he says his

father came from Lancaster County, England. I have been toLancaster and

Lancaster County and find little or no

evidence that there was or is an “Elder” presence there.

During one of my business trips in the early 1990‟s, at Lloydsof London, London,

England, I decided to take a week and travel

to Northumberland England, which is at the Scottish border tolook for my Elder/Ogle

connections. One of my contacts at Lloyds

quickly said “Elder” you will not find him in England, for“Elder” is a Scottish name.

I used as home base “Elder Cottage” in Morpeth England, which issouth or Berwick. The proprietor of Elder Cottage,

Margaret Cook, looked through the

“William Elder Ancestors and Descendants”

book and she said the Elders are Scottish. She went on to tellme the photos of my dad

and others in the book looked just like the

Elders she knew in Berwick.

They were her neighbors and they were agri-business people, Bothshe and her husband were sure that the original Elder sailedfrom

the common port near Lancaster County but

originally the origin of the sailing occurred

in Edinburgh or Berwick. Berwick has been controlled by Scotlandmore years than by

England.

As I was heading north from London as I checked the phone bookin various towns, I saw practically no “Elders” but when I got

to Morpeth I found some and in Berwick

quite a lot. In Edinburgh, there were

numerous pages, and at Inverness, mostly Elder. The introductionstates that

MacIntosh/Elder came from the area just

south of Inverness. They certainly are there still.

I recall the first trip to Scotland where I stayed one night inEdinburgh. The next

morning when I walked the streets, I was amazed how much thepeople looked like

my family. There were buildings named

after a John Elder, Elder Circle, Elder Lane,

Eldersville, etc.

In the large churches, numerous Elder surnames on plaques ofpeople who died in

various wars.

During my second trip to Northumberland Scotland in 1994, I metEdwin Grieve who turned out to be not only a great help in

locating various Elder sites, but turned out to

be a great friend and traveling companion.

The following year, when we met, he had located a photo ofattendees at a meeting of Engineers at Berwick 1963 and he saidthat

this was the first time in history that an

Elder, Ogle, and a Grieve were in the same picture. I coveredthe names up quickly and

I was able to identify the Elder and Ogle on

the first try. I send this photo to other

Elder/Ogle cousins and they were able to do the same.

Everything that I have read and seen tells me that the originalElder was a Scottish

Highlander from the area south of Inverness and our line movedsouth in time and were

present in the Edinburgh Scotland area in

1603.

I have heard my family say in pride, “Well, who does he think heis, he is no Elder.” Or she is no “real Elder” only an Elder by

marriage. When we get too prideful, never

forget the Roman Wall was built to keep our

people out. We were the barbarians. The Roman Wall crosses thefar south end of

Northumberland.

On a tour in Northumberland once, I was talking with the driver,and I said, “If you ask a Scotsman why the Wall was built and

he will say

to separate Scotland

from

England.

Ask an Englishman

and he will

say to keep the Scots

out.” The

driver said

he had another

theory and I asked, “How so.” The driver

said to keep the Elders out from raping our women and stealingour cattle.

Northumberland

.

EDWIN GRIEVE April 29, 1930 February 25 2010

I Remember My Friend

By J. W. Elder Greensboro, NC

Former Headmaster, teacher, writer, historian, producer andwriter of best-selling four-

part “Edwin‟s Kingdom” videos, major writer and contributor tothe NORTHUMBRIAN

Magazine, Ambassador of Northumberland. He is survived by son,Michael; daughter-

in-law Marie; brother, Joseph; and granddaughter, DevonRose.

Edwin Grieve, my friend, passed away from this earthly worldover two years ago. It is

hard to believe that it has been that long. Edwin Grieve was themost remarkable person

I have ever met. I do not say that lightly. After having servedfour years in the U. S.

Navy, and over 45 years in the insurance claims business,traveling over most of the

world, I met some very interesting people.

I met Edwin Grieve in 1993. I had been to Northumberland Englandonce previously

trying to trace my ancestors with some luck but knew I could dobetter. I had asked a

guide to find me an historian and someone who knew somethingabout the Ogles and

Elders. So at an appointed time and day, I met Edwin Grieve. Wepicked him up at High

Church Street in Morpeth England. He took us directly to one ofthe main churches

where the Ogles worshiped, lived, and are buried. We went tomany other important

locations. Even though I had studied my family line for years,it was clear that he knew

more than I did. Not only that, but he knew private details,folklore, and sayings that are

not readily recorded.

I was invited back and Opal and I returned the following year.We spent five days

traveling throughout Northumberland. He made arrangements for usto be entertained by

the Mayor of Morpeth, entertained at Ogle and Bothal Castles,which were family home

castles, visit many manor houses, churches, various homes, etc.We were introduced to

many fine and friendly people. I commented to Opal that southernhospitality must have

begun in Northumberland.

It became apparent that Edwin loved to teach not only thehistory of Northumberland but

more about the people who as he called “really lived”. He and/orhis students had

produced papers about Ogles over the years and my desireswere”right down his alley”.

He was most generous with his time and money. He seemed to bethe happiest when he

could share or help someone whether he knew them or not withoutpraise or reward. He

always introduced me to his friends as if I were a prince comehome. He introduced me

to many Elder- Ogle surnamed people and also that I was madeaware of every place,

street, burn, circle, building, etc. with those names which hewere pointed out. I

remember once we were walking the streets of Morpeth and I wascarrying an umbrella.

We stopped to talk to one of his friends and the friend asked“Do you think it is going to

rain?” I said, “No, I carry the umbrella to beat the women offof Edwin.” He said,

“Quite right they love him, they even worship him.”

Edwin was not very religious, even though he did not attendchurch regularly; he had

goodness about him that I have seen in few people on thisearth.

I made about twelve trips to Northumberland England and eventhough Edwin and I

visited sights more than once, he had a way about him that yousaw something new or

different.

In the spirit of teaching and sharing, he would ask “when areyou going to bring the

Ogles and Elders over here to see all these things.” So as theysay the rest is history. He

made arrangements to meet with his contacts at Kirkley Hall. Wehad various meetings

to work out the details of our sights to visit, lodging, meals,cost, etc. Edwin was always

in attendance giving his advice and support. All of this led toa 2005 Ogle Reunion in

Northumberland England. Seventy-five of our cousins arrived fromall over the U.S. and

also from Canada and New Zealand for a week of unbelievable andunforgettable

experiences.

Ogle Castle (picture from Wikipedia)

The group ranged from one year to 82 years of age. Edwin wasalways in the lead,

pointing out special or not readily apparent points of interest.Ever since I had known

Edwin, it seems as though something special or unusual wouldhappen. Our group had

just left Eglingham Hall and we were walking onto the churchgrounds of Saint Maurice.

A young couple was leaving the church and the lady asked “Whoare all these people”

and Edwin proudly said “They are the Ogles from America.” Sheexclaimed “I‟m an

Ogle, too.” The couple had come from Dallas TX. They had notknown of our group or

gathering. Everyone was elated and we continued with our newlyfound cousins

worshiping in the church while sitting in the Ogle pews.

Without Edwin Grieve, there would have been no reunion in 2005and also a follow-up in

2008. During our daily tours, Edwin was constantly giving hiscommentary as we rode

or walked an area. He wanted us to experience everything to thefullest which included

sitting on the latrine at the Roman fort or walking on top ofthe Roman Wall.

One of the comments made by our cousins at the Reunion inNorthumberland 2005 was

“The Reunion has reminded me of the importance of family and themeaning of

connecting with others. How sad it would be not to know who youare or where you

came from. But with each new discovery of the Ogle history, ithas built for me a firm

foundation for not only my life, but for my children andgrandchildren and the

generations to follow. The tremendous work that others have putinto discovering the

hidden treasures of the Ogle history has been a real blessing tome. I pray that we all

come away with a sense of awe and humility for the experienceand privilege.”

After a very satisfying and successful week, on banquet night, Ihad the privilege of

presenting a plaque to Edwin that read as follows:

EDWIN GRIEVE

Writer –Historian – Ogle Family Advocate

With heartfelt gratitude for your invaluable assistance inthe

Planning and scheduling of the Ogle family Reunionoriginating

At Kirkley Hall during July 10-16, 2005, which includedin-depth

Tours of and personal briefings by the gracious owners of

Numerous Ogle-related castles, estates and landmarks

Throughout Northumberland, England

Your selfless contributions to the great success of the Ogle

Family Reunion are especially appreciated by theseventy-five

Americans, plus a few individuals from other countries, who

participated in the Reunion and are proud descendants of

The ancient and honored Ogle lineage of Northumberland.

J. W. Elder

Ogle Family Reunion Coordinator

Dues are Due!

By Tim Gallagher

Dues for the year 2012 are now due. Unless you paid for morethan one

year, at the reunion and a few did, Please remit your 2012 duesas soon as

possible. Regular dues are $25.00 per year. The Charter dues of$50.00 was

a onetime fee for 2010 and 2011. All members now pay just the$25.00

annual dues but charter members remain charter members. If youhave never

joined the association this is you opportunity to do so. If youwould like to

double check on your dues status please call Tim at 301-831-3994Please mail checks to The William Elder of Maryland DescendantsAssociation, Inc. P. O. Box 202 Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727-0202 Youcan make check to WEOMDA Or you can pay online at our website usingPayPal.

P . O . B ox 2 0 2

E m mi t s b ur g , M a r y l a n d

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PL EAS E R EM EM B ER WE N E ED A N EWSL E TT ER ED ITO R! !