Skip to content

Elias Squirrel

Biography:

Elias Squirrel was born free, the son of Benjamin and Airy (Collins) Squirrell, in April of 1845.

The last name of this family is variously recorded as Squire, Squarl, Squirel, Squirrell and Squarrell. In antebellum Maryland, 80% of African Americans were illiterate, as well as 20% of the white population.

Mr. Squirrel married Ms. Ellen Elder in the summer of 1874. They had at least eight children, although may have had more. He worked as a day laborer on the farms surrounding Westminster, Maryland. By 1910, they had moved into the city and were living on Union Street. They then moved to Charles Street, where he lived until his death in May of 1924.

Throughout his life he was a prominent and active member of the Union Memorial Baptist Church.

Unfortunately, his obituary in the Carroll County Times is unreadable and does not appear at all in the American Sentinel.

Mr. Elias Squirrel is buried in an unmarked grave in Ellsworth Cemetery near Westminster, Maryland.

Maryland State Archives