Established in the late 1870s by African American Veterans of the Civil War, the historic Ellsworth Cemetery is the final resting place for many prominent Black residents of Carroll County. Over the years, the cemetery has fallen in and out of repair, with various agencies taking care of the maintenance of the grounds. Subject occasionally to vandalism and/or neglect, about 100 headstones mark gravesites.
Since 2013, members of a local Knights of Columbus chapter volunteer to maintain the grounds, along with help from local businesses and Scouting organizations. Now, The Community Foundation of Carroll County owns the cemetery and administers a Field of Interest Fund to restore and maintain the grounds. In addition, a grant in 2020 from the State of Maryland is providing funding for the continued mapping of the cemetery as well as restoration of the memorials.
Ellsworth Cemetery was created on December 21, 1876, when six African American Union Army Veterans filed Maryland Articles of Incorporation to provide a burial place “for the Colored residents of Westminster, Maryland”. Reuben Walker, David Ireland, William Massey, William Adams, Lewis Dorsey and Samuel Bowens, the incorporators, all participated in the bloody Civil War Campaigns of 1863, 1864, and 1865. They recognized Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, a friend of Abraham Lincoln who was the first Union Officer to die in the Civil War. The ground on which the Ellsworth Cemetery stands was sold to the group by the Estate of Elias Yingling for the sum of one dollar on June 11th, 1894.
The cemetery was located just outside the city limits of Westminster, possibly due to regulations or customs prohibiting the burial of African Americans within the city. The Westminster Cemetery, the main cemetery for the town, had covenants that prohibited the burial of African Americans, although some enslaved people are buried with their enslavers.
Racially restrictive covenants were common in cemeteries across the United States. One estimate is that as late as 1953, 90% of cemeteries had such regulations and covenants. In 1969, a federal court struck down these restrictions as being in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (Terry v. Elmwood Cemetery).
While we believe five of the six men who established the cemetery are buried there, research is on- going to provide documentation. Mr. David Ireland is likely buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
We have records of approximately 170 burials from 1876 to 1950 when the cemetery was active and closely associated with the Union Street Methodist Church.
Interments slowed significantly during this time. Most of the approximately 30 burials from this period were of close family members of people already interred. For example, Elmer and Harvene Charms Myers are buried next to her brother and sister-in-law, Jesse and Edna Mae Bruce Charms.
We have no records of any interments during these years. The cemetery had fallen into disrepair and was generally considered to be “full.” As early as 1940 and again in 1963, reports of cleanup and restorations efforts appeared in the local press. In the 1990s, the Union Memorial Church maintained the cemetery, with assistance from local Scouting organizations and the State Police.
In the late 1990s, members of Branch 7014 of the NAACP were recruited and organized by Mr. George Murphy to care for Ellsworth. Mr. Murphy worked at Liberty High School and was a cemetery restorationist. He was passionate about the Veterans buried in this small, nearly forgotten cemetery.
The Ellsworth Cemetery Company was re-established as a non-profit to administer and maintain the cemetery. That instantiation of the company has since been disbanded.
In 2001, the cemetery became active once again. Relatives of those who had passed away decades before were buried at Ellsworth. Mr. George Murphy continued to maintain the cemetery and advocate for Ellsworth.
In 2013, a fund was established under the Community Foundation for Carroll County to support the repair and maintenance of Ellsworth. At this same time, members of the local Knights of Columbus council began work to maintain the cemetery. After many years, Mr. Murphy was unable to continue the physical labor of mowing and clearing the cemetery.
In early 2020, the Community Foundation was awarded a $65,000 grant from the State of Maryland for the restoration of the Ellsworth Cemetery. Those funds are administered through the Maryland Historical Trust.
Ellsworth Cemetery is active again, with recent burials serving the local community. Plots that are not already owned are administered through the Foundation, and funds from plot sales will be used for the maintenance of Ellsworth.
Mrs. Alice Hammond Simpson may have been born as early as 1826, although more likely was born in the mid 1840s. Her birth place is variously recorded as Howard County, South Carolina, Georgia and New Jersey. She was reportedly enslaved by both the Gaither and Crapster families. She married Mr. Henry Simpson as the Civil
Mrs. Matilda Dorsey Lightner/Lytle was born about 1820 in Maryland. She was likely enslaved by Mr. Elias Yingling (1812-1887). She was first married to a man named Dorsey, although we have yet to discover his first name. Their son, Charles W. Dorsey, served in Company F of the 4th US Colored Infantry, dying in service.
Mrs. Sophia (McPharlon) Lytle was born about 1840 in Maryland. She was likely enslaved, although her enslavers have not been found. She may have been married earlier in her life, to Mr. Elias McFarland, or that may have been her maiden name. Ms. Sophia married Mr. Stephen Lytle in the winter of 1883. She was
Mr. Samuel Thompson is buried at Ellsworth cemetery, with his wife and their daughter. He was born in Maryland, at the turn of the century. Mr. Thompson was likely enslaved, although his enslaver has yet to be found. He married Ms. Jane Woodyard who was free as early as 1830. She lived nearby him in
Mrs. Harriet Summers is buried in Ellsworth Cemetery near Westminster, Maryland. Mrs. Summers was born in 1823 in Maryland. She was likely enslaved as a child and young woman. She was possibly enslaved by Mr. George Patterson, as he claimed a woman named “Harriet” about her age in the 1864 Slave Schedules. In 1870, she
Mr. Harrison C. Smith was born on March 28, 1866. His father, Mr. Ephraim Smith, had recently returned for service in the US Army during the Civil War. His mother, Mrs. Louisa (Jones) Smith, would die before his first birthday. He lived with his father and older sister in Westminster, Maryland. In 1876, his father
As with any major undertaking, funding will be required for professional work to be done. Some headstones need professional restoration. We anticipate the need for additional funding to cover these expenses. Additionally, a fund has been established to provide for the perpetual care of the cemetery when the current volunteers are unable to continue performing ongoing maintenance.
To learn more about the restoration, volunteer at the cemetery, or get information about burials.
