Hopewell Methodist Church Cemetery

Port Deposit, Cecil Co., MD

Partial Transcription
NAME BIRTH DEATH INSCRIPTION/NOTES/SHARES STONE
The graves stones of James & Virginia Touchstone along with five of their eleven children
TOUCHSTONE, James 11 Oct 1821 14 Dec 1872 With wife Virginia / James was a blacksmith by trade, served as 1st Lt. & Quartermaster of the 6th Regiment of MD Infantry during the Civil War & later for two terms as a member of the Maryland Legislature.
TOUCHSTONE, Virginia Ann 11 Nov 1828 20 Dec 1905 Nee: OWENS / Husband James
TOUCHSTONE, Claude 17 Nov 1867 30 Apr 1868 Son of James & Virginia / Minnie
TOUCHSTONE, Minnie 02 Dec 1865 11 Sep 1868 Daughter of James & Virginia / Claude
TOUCHSTONE, Hazlett Owens 22 Aug 1850 12 Apr 1878 Died when struck by a log that broke loose from a pile awaiting shipment in Port Deposit / Son of James & Virginia / Amelia & Ella
TOUCHSTONE, Amelia Caroline 13 Jul 1853 05 Mar 1857 Daughter of James & Virginia / Ella & Hazlett
TOUCHSTONE, Ella Virginia 03 Jan 1855 08 Mar 1857 Daughter of James & Virginia / Amelia & Hazlett

Amelia & Ella died as the result of a sad set of circumstances that occurred during the harsh winter of 1857. The Susquehanna River, prior to the construction of the Conowingo Dam, was frequently plagued by ice gorges that jammed piles of ice and caused flood waters to intrude into the streets of Port Deposit. In fact, for this reason the home built by James Touchstone in Port Deposit allowed flood waters to flow through a first floor designed only for storage; the living quarters were situated on the second and third floors. When an ice gorge in early March of 1857 caused the streets to be severely flooded, Amelia Caroline happened to be sick with the measles. Apparently there was anxiety that flood waters might reach the living quarters on the upper floors, so the children were rowed to higher ground. The exposure from this ordeal caused the deaths of little Amelia Caroline on March 5, 1857 and little Ella Virginia on March 8, 1857. The next child born to James and Virginia was named Ella Caroline in memory of the two little sisters who died before her birth.

Made available to The USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project by: David H. Jones (david@davidhjones.net)

This page was last updated August 28, 2004

For inquiries about MD cemeteries, burials or to submit a transcription to this Project, contact
the MD Tombstone Transcription Project Manager: Kathi Jones-Hudson mdcemmy@yahoo.com


Cecil Co. Tombstone Page
MD Tombstone Transcription Project
State Projects
Cecil Co. MDGenWeb Archives

USGenWeb NOTICE: All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations.
In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities, when written permission is obtained from the contributor, so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit.
Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.

Copyright © USGenWeb Tombstone Project and Kathi Jones-Hudson, 1997-2010