“Poplar Hill”, or alternatively “His Lordship’s Kindness” is the name of a large tract of land owned by the Darnall family in the 18th century.
It is located in Prince George’s County located near the Woodyard, east of present-day Clinton, MD. Henry Darnall in the early 1700s owned “The Woodyard”, the dwelling house on the tract of land called “Darnall’s Choice.”
Succession of Land
Col. Henry Darnall received 7,000 acres in 1703 for his service and marriage to Lord Baltimore (Charles Calvert). He left the land to his son, Henry Darnall (II) who experienced financial difficulties. Much of the original 7,000 acres returned to the Calverts. Henry Darnall (II) deeds 300 acres of “Poplar Hill” to his son, Henry Darnall (III), who in turn experiences both political and financial troubles for being a “closet” Catholic when being a Catholic, as well as being accused of embezzling money. He mortgages the land to the Carroll family and flees the colonies. Robert Darnall, his son, is able to purchase the house back in 1773, having married Sarah Fishwick, a wealthy widow in Dorchester County.
Robert Darnall dies childless in 1803 and he bequeaths the land to his nephew, Robert Sewall, who has family ties to St. Mary’s County, Maryland and financial ties to the District of Columbia.
Robert Sewall dies in in 1820, and the bulk of his Prince George’s Property, including “Poplar Hill” is bequeathed to his son, Robert Darnall Sewall.
Robert Darnall Sewall dies in 1853, childless, and bequeaths the estate to his nieces, the children of Henry Daingerfield, who had political and financial ties to Virginia.
Inventories of Enslaved People
The inventories of both father Robert Sewall (1821/2: TT 4 353-360 & TT 5 25-27) and son Robert D Sewall (1853: JH 1 699-703) contained the names and ages of the people enslaved by the Sewall family on their large estates, who not only cleaned and maintained the large Georgian House, but also worked the mills and tended the orchards and fields on the large tract of land. It is their labor that brought the Sewall family wealth.
The purpose of this page is to use the inventories from both estates, along with other records (e.g., probate and census records) to identify family groups enslaved by the Sewall family. Use the buttons below to explore connections identified for the families.
Recent Blog Posts related to the enslaved of Poplar Hill
Dinah Brown & Lawrence Wood
After the Civil War ended, Dinah Brown married Lawrence Wood. Dinah was the daughter of Charles Brown and Susan Wood. She was named for the grandmother of Susan, who had been enslaved by Robert Darnall. [See Fishwick v. Sewall, and the post on Dinah’s Descendants] Dinah and her descendants were enslaved by the Robert Darnall…
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Basil Medley, USCT
Lewis and Beck Medley, enslaved by Carroll family in St. Mary’s County escaped slavery by leaving with the British during the War of 1812. In the post [Lewis and Beck Medley | the British came], I speculated that because the Carroll family were neighbors to the Sewall family and both the Carrolls and the Sewall…
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Thomas Clarke (b. ca 1783) & Charity (b. ca 1790)
This post is one in a series in an attempt to identify members of the Clarke family groups among the people enslaved by Robert D Sewall at “Poplar Hill” in Prince George’s County Thomas Clarke, age 70, is listed in the 1853 Robert D Sewall inventory with Charity, age 63. [JH 2:699]. Having lived at…
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Dinah and her Daughters
In a previous post, we explored the children of Susan Wood, who married Charles Brown, both of whom were listed in the 1853 Inventory of Robert Darnall Sewall. One of Susan’s children was named Dinah. She was likely named after Susan Wood’s grandmother, Dina. Dina in 1821 Dina, age 66, is listed in the 1821…
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Eliza Wood
Eliza Wood is the daughter of John Wood; both are listed in the 1853 Inventory of Robert Darnall Sewall [JH 2:699]. Eliza’s Children In the 1853 Inventory, Eliza is 38 years old and listed with six children. Her children are about two years apart. She is not listed with a partner, unlike other family groups.…
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John Wood
John Wood is listed in the 1853 Inventory of Robert Darnall Sewall’s estate [JH 2:699] as a 55 year old man who was appraised at $400. In her book, The Price for a Pound of Flesh, Berry talks about the stages of an enslaved person’s life. For John Wood, age 55, he would have been…
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Lewis and Beck Medley | the British came
Cedar Point sits at the mouth of the Patuxent River as it empties into the Chesapeake Bay in St. Mary’s County. Its location was useful for the British during the colonial period as they established customs official there to collect taxes from the passing ships laden with tobacco. In the 18th century, the land was…
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Abraham Clarke (ca. 1815-1891)
Group 1: Polly & her children This post is one in a series in an attempt to identify members of the Clarke family groups among the people enslaved by Robert D Sewall at “Poplar Hill” in Prince George’s County Manumission In 1852, Robert D. Sewall wrote his will, devising his property to his nieces and…
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George Brown | Escape
This post speculates about the possible relationship between George Brown who escaped Robert D Sewall’s captivity and Fanny Brown, whom Robert D Sewall sold in 1842.
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Henrietta Clarke
This post is one in a series in an attempt to identify members of the Clarke family groups among the people enslaved by Robert D Sewall at “Poplar Hill” in Prince George’s County. 1842 Bill of Sale In April 1862, Congress emancipated people enslaved within the District the Columbia. In May 1862, William J Stone,…
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