CHARLES E. FENWICK COLLECTION

This collection includes material relating to Mr. Fenwick’s many community service efforts, subject files of Saint Mary’s County history and culture, family name files covering primarily Saint Mary’s county family names, with special emphasis on Fenwick, Medley, Spalding, and Greenwell, numerous photographs of Saint Mary’s County locales, buildings, and people, and some personal papers of Mr. Fenwick and his immediate family. There are also many miscellaneous artifacts of a documentary nature, including some land and tax records. [1995.001+ The subject files and family names files are substantially entered in Past Perfect and most of the photographs and artifacts are completely described. Other photos are in alphabetical order by the name Mr. Fenwick assigned.]

DENT FAMILY COLLECTION This collection includes more than 500 letters and several dozen business communications and records, as well as diaries, a few photographs, news clippings, and awards given to Lettie Dent Gough during her years as superintendent of Saint Mary’s county schools, memorabilia of various family members, and memorabilia of the tercentenary of Saint Mary’s county, in which Miss Dent played an active role. A substantial portion of the letters was to and from John F. Dent and his daughter Fannie, and Fannie’s correspondence with her husband, Joseph, when he was in Georgia and she was back in the county. After John F. Dent’s death, Joseph and Fannie bought Burlington and she lived here full time and farmed. The correspondence ceases in 1919. [1991.001+ There are series records for this collection, but folder level processing is not complete.] Another member of the Dent family for whom we have material is Walter Levy Dent. He was a justice of the peace for many years. There are 376 items, including legal forms, handwritten directions to constables James Alvey and Demetrius Coode, statements from litigants, store accounts submitted for collection, paperwork associated with cases of assault, etc. This collection is completely described. [1986.001+] We have received many boxes of material on semi-permanent loan from the Blackistone family who intermarried with the Dents. Some of the material has been microfilmed by the Maryland State Archives, but the family retained the originals that now reside with the Society. The collection is partially described. [2004.008+]