Believe in Being There
Black History
First Black Churches
Jarena Lee (1783-1849) was the first female preacher of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. She left her Philadelphia home in 1824 to visit Baltimore then travel and preach throughout the the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her autobiography, The Life and Religious Experience of Jarena Lee, contains many references to people and places in Caroline and other Mid-Shore Counties, including many of the earliest Black Churches.
First Black Women
Meet Six Strong Black Women who were “First Ever”: Jarena Lee, Lucretia Kennard Daniels, Dr. Enolia P. McMillan, Gloria Richardson Dandridge, Edythe M. Jolley, Addie Clash Travers.
News went back to Caroline that I was shot and killed
“You know the feelings of the white people here in Delaware.
Are you ready to die?”
I said, None of these things move me.
I never was so inspired to speak since the day I was born.
And news went back to Caroline,
that I was shot and killed.
#blackhistorymatters
War Heroes
Haunted by the Heroes of 1776
Caroline County sent six regimental, militia, and staff colonels to war against British imperial troops during 1776-1783:
Col. Peter Adams
Col. Matthew Driver
Col. Philip Feddiman
Col. Benson Stainton
Col. William Richardson
Col. William Whiteley
We know where they fought. But we know nearly nothing about the civilian life and final resting place of most of them – Adams, Feddiman, Driver, and Stainton.
The tombs of Richardson and Whiteley are in forgotten places. The rest are lost.
A Veteran’s Day salute to Cpl Wm. H. Carney, 38th US Colored Troops
Union Church is located a few miles northwest of Greensboro, MD. A grave marker still stands a few yards from the church door. The name on the stone is faded but still legible:
CORPL
Wm. H. Carney
Co I
38 U.S. C.I.
#blackhistorymatters
Caroline’s other Colonel is not as Cool
Caroline County has her Revolutionary War hero – Colonel Richardson – with schools named after him and plaques to honor him.
His Caroline County neighbor, Colonel Peter Adams, commanded the Maryland 2nd Regiment in the war’s final battle at Yorktown in 1781. Remember?
Courageous Women
First Black Churches
Jarena Lee (1783-1849) was the first female preacher of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. She left her Philadelphia home in 1824 to visit Baltimore then travel and preach throughout the the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her autobiography, The Life and Religious Experience of Jarena Lee, contains many references to people and places in Caroline and other Mid-Shore Counties, including many of the earliest Black Churches.
First Black Women
Meet Six Strong Black Women who were “First Ever”: Jarena Lee, Lucretia Kennard Daniels, Dr. Enolia P. McMillan, Gloria Richardson Dandridge, Edythe M. Jolley, Addie Clash Travers.
Murdered! Sallie Dean, Age 13
The murder of a Harmony schoolgirl in 1895 still shocks and fascinates
county residents and true crime enthusiasts.
Everyday Citizens
Century Farm Heritage
The Maryland Century Farm Program was established in 1994 to recognize farms that have been in the same family for 100 years or more. See them in the historic landscape with our Century Farm Heritage Map. Turn on layers for historic maps of Caroline County in 1875 and 1897, and USGS Topographic maps of the Mid-Shore region from 1880 through 1940 and later.
Family Names Search – A Map to Show the Way
This article shows you how to use the Choptank River Heritage Family Search Map to find names of persons who owned farms and businesses in Caroline County in the 1890s.
The black blacksmith with a bellowy laugh
In West Denton … there were two blacksmith Shops serving the farmers and residents of the area. One was operated by a Negro named Walter Moore … I doubt if any kingdom ever fell because Walter’s nails came loose.
#blackhistorymatters