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Clarence Dorsey

Biography:

Mr. Clarence Dorsey was only 13 years old when he drowned in the summer of 1913. Born near the turn of the century, in late March 1899, Clarence was the son of Mr. Andrew Dorsey and Mrs. Lucinda (Grey) Dorsey.
 
His mother died in 1906 and his father died shortly afterwards in 1908. Mr. Clarence Dorsey was adopted (perhaps informally) by Mr. Baylus Boyer. In 1910, Mr. Boyer claimed Clarence and his sister as his nephew and niece in the census.
 
Summer has always been a time for summer jobs and for swimming. In that hot July of 1913, young Clarence was working as a cook, supporting the building of the state road near Finksburg. He and another boy went down to the Patapsco River. Unfortunately, the speed of the current and the depth of the river overcame him and Clarence drowned. His companion, 13-year-old Dick Frisby, managed to survive.
 
The article about the drowning found in the Democratic Advocate misnames him as “John Dorsey,” while the American Sentinel uses the name, “Clarence,” that is on his death certificate.
 
Mr. Clarence Dorsey is buried in an unmarked grave in Ellsworth Cemetery, near Westminster, Maryland.

American Sentinel, 25 July 1913

The Democratic Advocate, 25 Jul 1913

Maryland State Archives