Kessler Farm Location: Jefferson Township, Frederick County, Md)
Make a post or read other posts (Family History Blog)
Update – Kessler Farms – Jefferson, Maryland
February 24, 2019, Punta Gorda, Florida
I am providing an update to the information presented later in this blog. Rather than change my original post from August 25, 2018, I have left it as originally written, since it presents my excitement and enthusiasm from my first visit to Jefferson, Maryland and the Kessler farms.
But there is new information and a significant error, so this Update section should be read carefully to understand my mistake and better understand what I now believe to be the truth.
New Information. After posting the information below about my first visit to the Jefferson farms, I received an e-mail from Robert ‘Bob” Galey. Here is what he communicated:
I read your info on your visit to Jefferson MD to see your ancestor’s farms. I live on a farm owned by Andrew Kessler north of Jefferson and have the records that show the chain of ownership. Our farm was deeded to Andrew Kessler from the estate of Thomas Lamar who was married to Lorretta Kessler the daughter of Thomas Lamar. If you give me your email, I’ll send you the info that I have.
After considerable back and forth with Bob, Patty and I arranged to visit Bob and his wife Jean at the farm that belonged to Andrew Kessler, Jr. The farm address is 4939 Broadrun Road, Jefferson, Md. 21755. We visited, talked, and took numerous photos, many of which are included below. The farm, now named Catoctin Creek Farm, was owned by Andrew Jr. from 1866 until his death in 1897.
The house and barn built by Andrew Jr. are still there. The house has been updated and expanded, but the original structure constitutes the core of the present house. The barn is also the original structure, with an extension on one end to provide a shelter to protect farm vehicles.
Photos are presented next, but please keep reading as the revelation of this property raised a number of questions in terms of what farms were owned by whom.
Error Made on Initial Visit in August. So here is my Mea culpa … I made a significant mistake. I was using a map dated 1858 to identify the location of the Kessler farms in Jefferson, Maryland. On this map, included below, there is the farm at the intersection of Landers & Sigler Roads, labeled Andrew Kessler Jr. There are two other farms north of this location, on labeled A. Kessler and the other labeled I. Kessler. I made an assumption that has turned out to be incorrect. I assumed that the A. Kessler farm belonged to Andrew Jr’s younger brother Absalom and that the I. Kessler farm belonged to his older brother, Israel ‘Jerry’ Kessler. I assumed that the farm at the Landers/Sigler Road location was the original homestead, cleared by Johann and his sons John and Andreas. But I was wrong.
Original Kessler Homestead and other Kessler Farms. My mistake was revealed when I looked at an expanded version of the 1858 map and when I compared this map to a map rendered 15 years later in 1873. Those two maps are included below. Things to note:
- I failed to notice on the 1858 map the A. P. Kessler farm at the top right of the map. This changed my calculation.
- I now believe that the farm labeled A. Kessler on the 1858 map is the original homestead. This is corroborated by the fact that in 1804 Nancy Waskey Kessler deeded a number of acres to Andrew Kessler and, if you notice in the pinkish area of the map, there are two Waskey farms, which would make the land that Andrew acquired adjacent to the farm on the 1858 map indicated as that of A. Kessler.
- By 1858 Andrew Sr. was 88 years old. His son, Andrew Jr. was 41 years old and had likely purchased the Landers/Sigler Road farm for his family.
Comparing 1858 and 1873 Maps. A comparison of the two maps provide a number of interesting revelations. Andrew Sr. was alive in 1858, but he died in 1860.
- When Andrew Sr. died, what likely happened to the original homestead? It likely passed to the oldest living son. Since Andrew’s oldest son, Samuel, had died in 1830, this would have been Israel ‘Jerry’ Kessler. Note that on the 1858 map above, the I. Kessler and A. Kessler farms were adjacent, but on the 1873 map below, there is only the name I. Kessler where before the names were I. Kessler and A. Kessler. This suggests that Jerry combined his own farm and the original homestead.
- Absalom P. Kessler’s farm is shown in the same location on both maps.
- On the 1858 map the farm at Landers/Sigler Road is labeled A. Kessler Jr, but on the 1873 map it is just labeled A. Kessler.
- There is another farm labeled A. Kessler, located in the top left of the map. This is the farm we visited in December 2018, currently named Catoctin Creek Farm, which Andrew inherited from his wife’s father, Thomas Lamar. It is likely that Andrew was operating both farms at this time.
Visit to Kessler Farms – Jefferson, Maryland
August 25, 2018 Glenn Dale, Maryland
Yesterday, Friday, August 24, 2018, Patty and I traveled to Maryland to attend the small 25th wedding anniversary celebration for her father and step-mother. We booked an earlier flight and Patty offered that we could use the extra time during the day to pursue some of my genealogical efforts by visiting Frederick, Maryland and either going to the Courthouse and looking for old records or visiting the locations where the Kessler family worked and lived.
Part 1 – Why Search for the Family Farms?
On the two Kessler family blogs I mentioned that it was my brother, Ed Kessler, who was the family genealogy fanatic. Ed was into so many different hobbies and pursuits, and one of them was investigating the family history. Unfortunately, he began his efforts long before the Internet became available and matured during the 1990s. He wrote letters and called various other family members who were doing genealogical research. I have scanned all of his letters and correspondence and would be happy to share them with anyone who is interested.
The other unfortunate, an intensely painful event was that Ed had health issues and passed in 2009 at the age of 62. How tragic this was for me, and for our entire family. He had done solid genealogical work, had developed theories, and made hand-written family tree charts which at the time, were amazing, given the limited resources he had for doing such work.
Ed and I traveled to Frederick, Maryland in 1990. We walked around town a bit, and then went to the Courthouse and spent a couple of hours looking through real estate and other records in an effort to find more information about the family. We had limited success. I found a map from the 1880s showing three Kessler farms located along an unnamed road, and Ed found an article in old newspaper clippings about Andrew Kessler Jr.’s death. I regretted later that I did not make a copy of the map that I found, but thanks to the Internet, that subsequently became unimportant.
At the time of Ed’s death in 2009, progress on the Kessler side of the family history effort had been halted for some time. Afterwards, however, I resolved to continue his efforts and have done so over the past nine years. I am certain he would be pleased with the extraordinary progress that has been made thus far. More importantly, I know for certain that he would have been as giddy and thrilled as I am to have gone on this one-day excursion to re-connect with our Kessler ancestors.
Part 2 – Frederick, Maryland: Downtown
After obtaining our rental car at BWI Airport, Patty and I headed to Frederick, Maryland. We arrived in the downtown area at about 11:15 am and parked in a garage across from the Courthouse, a modern building located close to historic downtown. We walked two blocks and turned right on Patrick Street, entering the historic heart of the City. We walked several blocks and selected a coffee and sandwich shop, where we had lunch.
In this area, which includes Market and Church Streets, the City has placed a number of history boards for visitors. One located at the corner of Patrick and Market Streets explains that in 1862 General Robert E. Lee and his confederate troops passed that location on their way to western Maryland in his campaign to create fear in the northern states. One year later, Union General Meade’s Army of the Potomac passed in front of this location on its way to Gettysburg, site of the famous battle that occurred on July 4, 1863. It was easy to imagine these giant armies passing the very spot we were standing more than 150 years before.
As the sign noted, Frederick was heavily occupied during the War. One resident observed how the Town was inundated with wounded and dead from both sides throughout the War.
One block away, traveling north on Market Street, at the intersection of Market and Church streets is the location of two important events from a family history perspective. On the SW corner if the intersection is Kemp Hall. In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, the Maryland Legislature met on the second and third floors of this building to discuss whether the state should succeed from the Union. As a border state, there were sympathizers on both sides. The meeting was held in Frederick because Baltimore had been occupied by Union troops and it was viewed as an unfavorable environment for open debate given the topic of discussion.
Andrew Kessler Jr., grandson of Andreas Kesler, was the elected Maryland Legislature representative from Frederick County at that time and participated in the meetings. As a farmer and slave owner, he was in favor of succession.
As is well documented, President Lincoln suspended the Habeas Corpus clause of the U.S. Constitution protected citizens from unlawful search and seizure, because Maryland was located north of Washington, D.C. and if it succeeded from the union, the nations’ capitol would be isolated from the north. He ordered all Maryland Legislators who supported succession to be arrested. Andrew Kessler Jr. was among them. He was detained for months until he and the other legislators agreed to swear loyalty to the union, and then he was released.
On the exterior wall of Kemp Hall is a plaque listing the names of those who were arrested. A photo is included.
The second reason that this intersection is important is because Andrew Kessler Jr. died on the sidewalk directly across the street from Kemp Hall, outside of a candy stored named Smith’s Temple of Fancy. The site is now occupied by a modern building, but this is location where Andrew passed. Family legend has it that Andrew had turned control of his farms and finances over to his sons and unbeknownst to him, they had spent his extensive cash savings and had extensively mortgaged the farms. Andrew was summoned to Frederick and informed of the circumstances and after leaving the bank, had a heart attack on a nearby sidewalk.
Part 3 – Frederick Maryland: Mt. Olivet Cemetery
From downtown, we drove a short distance to Mt. Olivet Cemetery, the largest in Frederick. We did not expect that it would be so large. It would be impossible to simply wander the graveyard and locate specific graves.
Along the outer wall for what seemed like miles, are Civil War soldier tombstones. Seeing so many makes us realize how many young men died during that war.
Patty went into the Cemetery Office and obtained a gravesite map and a list of the Kessler family members that are recorded in the automated system. It did not take long to realize that the list was incomplete as I had the names of several family members who are buried there, but their names were not included. After visiting some of the gravesites on the list, and observing nearby headstones where all engraving had been eroded by time, I could understand why many older graves are not listed in the Cemetery records.
We visited several graves including William Andrew Kessler, my great-grandfather, Thomas Andrew Kessler, Blanche Kessler, and Alberta G. Kessler Castle. We then departed Mt. Olivet and drove six miles to Jefferson Township.
Part 4 – Jefferson Township, Frederick County, Maryland: Kessler Farms
As we approached Jefferson along Rt. 340, we took the Landers Road exit. This name was exactly the name we were looking for because this road coincided with the location of the Kessler family farms from the 1880s map that we were using to locate the farms.
Coming from Frederick, if you make a right turn onto Landers Road, Jefferson Turnpike is only a few hundred yards. This is the main thoroughfare of the small town. We went in this direction at first. After consulting our map, we realized we had to turn around and go back down Landers Road, cross over Rt. 340, and continue to the Kessler farms.
The landmark that we were looking for was the location, shortly after crossing a small stream, where Landers Road ended and split into two roads, both named Sigler Road. Andrew Kessler’s farm, as denoted on the 1880s map, was located on the point between the two Sigler Road legs. At first we continued along the left branch of the road. I was pretty excited because I realized that we had found the location of the land where in 1751 Johann Kessler settled with his wife, two sons, and daughter. At that time, the land was certainly forested, and Johann and his children likely spent many months clearing the land and building a place to live. But they succeeded and for the next 150 years, Johann and his descendants owned and farmed the land, expanded their holdings over time, and became prosperous farmers.
We turned around after traveling along the well-traveled left leg of Sigler Road and returned to the right leg, a dirt road. It was along this road where the Kessler residence was located. Also, as indicated on the map and documented in historical records, Andrew Kessler Sr. donated land near the intersection of the two Sigler Road legs for a public school, which is indicated as existing on the 1880s map, not far from the Kessler residence.
At this location now is the current residence and associated farm out-buildings. These buildings are old, but they are not enough to date to the 1880s, and more likely date to the 1950s, or thereabouts. The residents were not home, or I would have knocked on the door and informed them about the history of their farm.
I cannot tell you how thrilled it was to be standing at the location where our family members lived and worked for a century and a half after arriving from Germany. It was one of the most thrilling moments of my life. I know that if Ed was alive, he too would be as thrilled and excited. It was really the culmination of all his efforts many years ago.
One of our fears before going to Jefferson was that the area we would have encountered large housing developments or apartments and not be able to discern the old farm locations. At the photos illustrate, that was not the case. However, traveling along the dirt road depicted above, there are three fairly contemporary homes located to the right and another one under construction. So it might only be a matter of time before development overtakes this beautiful farming region.
Part 5 – Other Kessler Farms Along Landers Road
As we returned to Jefferson we first traveled down a hill on Landers Road and came up to a crest. This is the likely location of Absalom Kessler’s farm as depicted on the 1880s map. Absalom was Andrew Jr.’s brother. His home likely sat at the top of this hill, overlooking extensive farmland. Continuing on Landers Road there is a small road on the right that is likely to one leading to another farm that is indicated as I Kessler on the 1880s map, likely the farm of Israel “Jerry” Kessler, another of Andrew’s brother.
It is worth remembering that all of our Kessler ancestors who worked the farm traveled up and down Landers road over those 150 years, starting in 1751, including Johann and his wife, Andreas until the time he left for western Pennsylvania in 1796, his children including Andrew Sr., and his children, including Andrew Jr., plus all of his brothers and sisters.
Part 6 – Jefferson United Methodist Church:
Graves of Andrew Kessler Jr. and Other Kessler Family
After returning from the farms to Jefferson Pike, and stopping first for an ice cream, we turned left on Jefferson and made an immediate right into Jefferson United Methodist Church. This is the Church attended by Kessler family members for many years and the local graveyard where many family members are buried, including Andrew Kessler Jr., Andrew’s son, John Franklin Kessler, his wife, Lauretta ‘Laura’, and his daughter and son-in-law, Isabella and John Figgins.
As can be seen in the included photo, these headstones, which are 120 years old or older, are cracked and worn and likely to deteriorate rapidly given their poor condition.
Coincidentally, Pastor William Carpenter was changing the sign board in front of the Church, and I engaged him in conversation. I mentioned that I was concerned about the deteriorating condition of the headstones, and he mentioned that the Church has a graveyard committee. I indicated that I would be willing to pay to have to headstone conditions improved and Pastor William gave me his card. I intend to work closely with him and his committee to see what can be done to substantially improve the family headstones in this cemetery.
Part 7 – Closing Comments
As noted earlier, this was a special day for me. I appreciate it that my wife, Patty, agreed to go with me and help me locate the old farms. This felt like the culmination of many years of extensive effort researching my paternal family. I still have much to do in researching the family history. I have developed a detailed history of the Frederick line, but may need to revise it based on this trip.
Also I am working on a more ambitious effort to document the western Pennsylvania and southwestern Virginia lines that descended from Andreas after he left Jefferson and headed to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. I don’t know how many years I have left to do this work, but I will press forward in order to record and describe the likely events that unfolded over the past centuries.
I wish my brother Ed had been able to be there in Jefferson Township with me. But I know he is smiling down and giving us a wink and an “attaboy” for locating the family farms.