FW: Mary Foy/Ella Foy O'Gorman
by Christi Calvert Brogan
In searching through my old emails, it appears that this one never made the
list... Thought you all might be interested. Thanks Ken!
Christi
Visit our homepage: http://christi.is.dreaming.org
Visit our genealogy pages: http://genealogy.webhop.org
***QUARANTINED***GENEALOGY FEVER***INCURABLE***
-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Bearden [mailto:kbearden@wko.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 2:43 PM
To: CALVERT-L(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: {not a subscriber} Mary Foy/Ella Foy O'Gorman
I am new to the list and have enjoyed browsing the Calvert list archives. In
regards to the Ella Foy O'Gorman book I have information I believe will be
of interest to list subscribers. I am very fortunate to have many letters
and other materials that belonged to my g grandfather, Wm Mansfield Calvert
(1834 - 1911) of Caldwell County, KY. His grandfather, Spencer Calvert and
family came to Caldwell County from Spartanburg, SC around 1812. The
material I am posting are included in Wm Calvert's papers.
In Jan of 1907 this notice appeared the Princeton (KY) Twice A Week
Leader:
" Who Are They? The following "want ad" appeared in the Courier-Journal of
Sunday relative to the descendants of Spencer Calvert: "Wanted, the address
of descendants of Spencer Calvert, one of earliest Kentucky pioneers, said
to have build 23 courthouses. Write to Miss Mary E. Foy, Garvanza Station,
Los Angeles, Cal."
Note: I do not believe that Spencer Calvert built any court houses. One
letter I have says that one of his sons built two courthouses. Perhaps Mrs.
Foy had information that read 2 (or) 3 and she mistook it for 23.
William Calvert kept two letters that Mary E. Foy wrote to him, they are as
follows:
Garvanza Sta,
Los Angeles, Cal.
Feb. 14, 1907
My dear Mr. Calvert-
I thank you for your answer to the card inserted in the Courier Journal.
Your address was given me by a relative. Still I fear I misdirected, after
all, a letter explaining that I am working purely in the interest of the
family genealogy. There is no fortune - no secret purpose. Growing older and
observing many changes among our people I have realized that children having
the richest heritage, that of good blood, may in one generation lose the
proofs of their most precious traditions.
I have always accepted the tradition of descent from the 1st Lord
Baltimore but when I set out to prove it there were no proofs in my family.
They were lost with the generation before my father's. Undaunted, I thought
I'd see if I could pick up the threads among Calverts of some collateral
line. In So. Carolina is a branch of Calverts, I call the "Spartanburg
Calverts." A cousin of my father's thought there was some connection with
Mrs. Mahala steading, a grand daughter of Raleigh Calvert. She wrote me her
grandfather Raleigh had three brothers. Spencer, Vall & Christopher and she
thought one sister who married a Leatherwood. She told me Spencer had
move(d) to Ky - I advertized and have found the spencer Calvert branch & to
be connected with the So. Carolina Calverts. I would like to establish a
relationship if such exists between the Christopher Calvert branch to which
I belong and these other two.
My great grand father Christopher lived near Lexington, Ky. He died
about 1817. Then his family moved to Burlington, Ky. Mrs. Steady says all
she ever heard said of Christopher was "and Christopher died".
Mr. Wilson Calvert wrote me that his grand father Spencer died about
1840. Well, if the other brothers lived so much longer than Christopher I
suppose his family was almost forgotten. I have heard from one of my
father's cousins that she heard the old folks speak of uncles & cousins in
Ky. They may have been of your family but I have nothing tangible yet. Have
you ever heard of any cousins of your father named Calvert or any uncles of
your father? Tell me all you can recall of any talk about his relatives on
the Calvert side.
I shall not write a longer letter now - as I am only just getting into
this subject.
From which of the sons of Spencer Calvert are you descended? Can you
tell me anything about the lawyer who made the search for your family in
1875. I thought he might have among the papers of his report data, useful
for me. I would like to find that Wm Calvert, lawyer.
I was very interested by Mr. Wilson Calvert's letter. He told me the
father of Spencer Calvert was Kirkland Calvert. That Spencer was
disinherited because he had been a revolutionary soldier etc. I thought I
could find that will perhaps in Virginia if I could be told where to look.
My father died in 1901. He was Samuel Calvert Foy and came to California in
1852. I shall greatly appreciate anything you write me.
Very cordially yours,
Mary E. Foy