Ellsworth Cemetery

Mr. William C. Thomas Bixler was born in the mid 1800s, likely in March of 1854, in Carroll County, Maryland. He may have been enslaved by the white Bixler family.

The first record we have for Mr. Bixler is the 1900 Census. He's working as a hostler, taking care of the horses at a local hotel. His wife, Hannah Dorm, had been previously married and her four surviving children are living with them. Another five children of hers had died before 1900. He was illiterate, which was common since schools for African American children didn't exist in antebellum Maryland.

In 1910, the children have all moved out and Philip Dorm, his brother-in-law, had joined them. The two men worked various jobs on the local farms. Mr. Bixler was enumerated as Thomas, and he seems to have used both William and Thomas at various times.

Sadly, Hannah passed away in 1917. The 1920 Census finds Philip and William still rooming together, and working as day laborers.

Mr. William C. Thomas Bixler died in the summer of 1926. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Ellsworth Cemetery in Westminster, Maryland.

Mr. Upton Morgan is buried in an unmarked grave in Ellsworth Cemetery in Westminster, Maryland.

Born in 1842, he was likely enslaved although we do not have records yet of his enslavement. The first official record we find for him is the 1870 Census, where he is living with his wife (Harriet Hewitt) and three children. The couple would go on to have at least nine (9) children, five (5) of whom were still living as of 1900.

Mr. Morgan was an accomplished musician, known for being a "songster," organizing a Fife and Drum Corps, and performing with the Golden Leaf Glee, Banjo and Guitar club. Mr. Morgan also managed the amateur baseball club in town.

He worked as a coachman for many years, and later -- with the advent of the automobile -- as a driver. In March of 1920, he was admitted to the Crownsville Hospital where he died the next month of bronchial asthma.

We are excited to debut our Book of Ellsworth on Saturday! A 400+ page repository of information about the people who are buried at Ellsworth Cemetery.

Is your family connected?? Stop by and find out!

Carroll County will hold its district level History Day competition and History Expo in partnership with the Historical Society of Carroll County and Celebrating America on Saturday, February 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Winters Mill High School. The competition portion includes middle and high school student projects related to this year’s theme, Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History, to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. https://bit.ly/3M6yH8p

Looking forward to seeing everyone at History Day!

We are debuting a collection of photos and information about the 380 people we know are buried at Ellsworth.

Carroll County will hold its district level History Day competition and History Expo in partnership with the Historical Society of Carroll County and Celebrating America on Saturday, February 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Winters Mill High School. The competition portion includes middle and high school student projects related to this year’s theme, Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History, to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. https://bit.ly/3M6yH8p

We know very little about Mrs. Eliza Jones. An elderly woman, guessed to be in her 80s, she died in Westminster in the summer of 1916. She was possibly married.

Her father is listed on her death certificate as Thomas Jones. Her mother's maiden name is simply "Parker."

She is buried in an unmarked grave in Ellsworth Cemetery in Westminster, Maryland.