Meet the Ancestors
The stories of the people who shaped St. Anne’s Parish and Annapolis.
Meet the Ancestors is a historical research project that seeks to present the lives of those buried in St. Anne's Cemetery with honesty and context, including difficult aspects of our shared history.
Meet the Ancestors: John Shaw
Meet John Shaw, the Scottish-born cabinetmaker whose craftsmanship helped shape Annapolis and Maryland's State House and who worshiped at St. Anne's.
Meet the Ancestors: Richard Randall
Richard Randall was the fifth son of John Randall (builder of many of the fine houses in Annapolis). He became a physician in 1818 and became one of the founders of the American Colonization Society, which established a settlement in Liberia.
Meet the Ancestors: John Kilty, Jr. (1756-1811)
A Revolutionary soldier, brigadier general, civic leader, and presidential appointee—John Kilty Jr. helped shape both Annapolis and the young United States.
Meet the Ancestors: William Kilty (1757-1821)
A Revolutionary War surgeon. A prisoner of war. A French-trained lawyer. A federal judge. William Kilty’s life was anything but ordinary. Discover how he helped shape a young nation.
Meet the Ancestors: Judge William Hallam Tuck (1808-1884)
Judge William Hallam Tuck (1808-1884)
His tombstone lists him as the Speaker of the House of Delegates, member of the Constitutional Convention of 1850, judge of the Circuit Court and of the Court of Appeals of Maryland.
Meet the Ancestors: Peter Hagner
St. Anne’s Cemetery, Meet the Ancestors series continues with Peter Hagner. Learn about his life and his connection to St. Anne’s.
Meet the Ancestors: Eugene Burchanel
Eugene Burchenal (1840-1881) was a Union Army private during the Civil War and became the first Head Lightkeeper of the Thomas Point Shoal lighthouse in 1875.
Meet the Ancestors: Alexander Randall
Alexander Randall graduated from St. John’s College in 1822 and studied law for two years under Addison Ridout. After his father’s death in 1830, he became Collector of the Port of Annapolis.
Meet the Ancestor: John Randall
John Randall was a man of many talents, serving over his long life as architect, Continental Army soldier and officer, 3-term mayor of Annapolis, and Collector of the Port of Annapolis.
Meet the Ancestors: Abraham Claude
Abraham (or Abram) Claude was about 16 years old when he arrived in Annapolis from Switzerland. He is known for making the clock known as the Annapolis Regulator.
Meet the Ancestor: John Day Scott
Meet the Ancestor John Day Scott, who was born in Stepney Parish in Somerset County and fought in the Revolutionary War.
Meet the Ancestors: Anne Catherine Hoof Green
Meet the Ancestors: Anne Catherine Hoof Green.
Meet the Ancestors: Jeremiah Townley Chase
Jeremiah Townley Chase (1748-1828)
Jeremiah’s parents died when he was 9 at which time he was adopted by his uncle, Rev. Thomas Chase, who raised him with his own son, Samuel Chase.
Meet the Ancestors:Stephen Bordley
Stephen Bordley was the eldest son of Thomas Bordley (ca. 1683-1726). He was born on March 30, 1710, in Annapolis.
Meet the Ancestors: Charles Wallace
Charles Wallace was born in Annapolis in 1727, and he, along with his sister Mary Wallace, symbolizes the entrepreneurial spirit of many Americans before and after the Revolutionary War.
Meet the Ancestor: Elizabeth Bordley
Elizabeth Bordley’s land bequest in 1789 creates St. Anne’s Cemetery in 1790.