What started as a folder stuffed full of what I thought was random family artifacts and news clippings quickly turned into one of the most interesting projects I've worked on. It took me awhile to sort through it all, catalog it and figure out a rough family tree but definitely worth the effort. The Dulany / Carter / Brookes family has a rich history in America.
I've traced the family back to their 1703 arrival in America. This family has a long line of lawyers, prominent politicians, war veterans, land owners, and even a Commodore for the US Navy.
Let's start with Bladen Tasker Dulany Sr. His grandfather, Benjamin was friends with George Washington. He gifted George with a warhorse by the name of Blueskin which is depicted in paintings as one of his two mounts for the Revolutionary War. Benjamin must have been someone special, because the first President of the United States walked his bride-to-be down the aisle at his wedding. Bladen's father was a prominent politician.
Equally ambitious as his father and grandfather, Bladen Sr., rose through the ranks to become a Commodore in the US Navy. He must have impressed the standing President when he rode to his home and asked to join the military. There is a section of papers called the Bladen Dulany Papers in the Naval Historical Foundation Collection in the Library of Congress.
On the way to their honeymoon in 1891, Robert Love Dulany (Bladen Jr's son) and his new bride were involved in a terrible train accident when one engine rear-ended another in the Pennsylvania fog. They were written about in the local newspapers for their 16 week hospital stay and celebrated when they both recovered.
Now that I've given some very high level background on the family, I'll break down the family tree and artifacts I've acquired. I included just a sampling in this post.
Key Family Members
Bladen Tasker Dulany Sr
Bladen Tasker Dulany Jr (son)
Robert Love Dulany (grandson)
Shirley Carter Dulany (great grandaughter)
William Brockenbrough Newton Brookes (Shirley's husband)
Robert Love Dulany Brookes (2nd great grandson)
Nathan Carter (Robert Love Dulany's uncle by marriage to Ann Randolph Carter)
Commodore's Will - What does a US Navy Commodore's will look like? I have the Commodore's original executed will. He wrote it on 17 Nov 1856 and died just one month later on 26 Dec 1856. The document is very fragile but it's in really good condition for being 168 years old.
Family Portrait - I also have a montage of the Dulany men. Bladen Sr, Bladen Jr. Robert Love, and Robert Love Brookes. It's an interesting series of portraits.
1930's Hunting Portrait - I believe this to be William Brookes. I have a personnel file for him from Republic Steel Corporation and it lists many many accomplishes including Individual Outdoor Champion for District of Columbia in 1912 and 1913.
Original Western Union Telegraph - from Robert Dulany to his new mother-in-law after a terrible train accident left the newlyweds in the hospital for 16 weeks.
Nathan Carter, Civil War Prisoner - A letter from Nathan(iel) Carter to his mother. He writes in November 1869 from Mexico that he misses her and hopes to see her again before she goes 'home'. He talks about feeling deserted by his friends and, one particular girl named Sally, who kept his spirits up when he was in a Civil War (Camp Chase). He writes about his brother, his sisters, and other family. He also writes about his regrets and how angry he is at the state of Virginia for participating in the post war Reconstruction era. This one is sad to me because it appears as though he never made his way back home. My research led me to an excerpt from the family bible that says he disappeared in Mexico.
Original Wedding Invitations - For both Ann Randolph Carter and Shirley Carter Dulany.
Original Poems - written by Bladen Jr for the local paper and to his sweetheart.
Family letters - A dozen or so letters the family wrote to each other or to others. Dated from the mid-1800's to around 1910.
Are you a direct descendent who would like these artifacts for your collection? Please reach out to me and let's get these precious family artifacts back to the family to which they belong.
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