Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

Henry Worrell (b. 1835 - d. 1918)
MSA SC 3520-4965
USCT Soldier, Kent County, Maryland

Biography:

Note: These are excerpts from the biographies on Henry Worrell's life. Two extensive biographies written by Washington College students are accessible on this page. Please consult the attached essays for a more complete and descriptive case study.

    Henry E. Worrell was born in January of 1835 in Lynches Station, Kent County, Maryland.1 At the time of his birth, he had an older brother named Thomas, but the family would soon grow to include younger sisters Jane, Emily, and Alice, as well as younger brothers Alfred and Louis.2 His parents were Richard Worrell, a free African American man and Ellen Worrell, a slave owned by Catharine H. Wroth.3 Catharine was the wife of Doctor Peregrine Wroth, a graduate of Washington College who studied medicine with Dr. Edward Worrell. It can be presumed that the two were friends, with Peregrine even naming his son, Edward Worrell Wroth, after him.4

    Henry lived as a slave, or servant, to Catharine H. Wroth until January 1855, when he, along with his mother and brother Thomas, were freed according the Wroth’s last will and testament.5 While this is so, he did not receive a slave certificate to carry with him until September 16, 1858.6 These dates mark a new chapter in Henry’s life where he becomes a free man. Not soon after in 1859, he was married by Reverend George Stokes to Sophia Brown.7 There is no record of this union because it commenced during “slave days,” but the recall of the reverend’s name and the testimony of Annie Barrett provided proof to the pension bureau.8

    On September 26, 1863, Henry enlisted in Company D of the 7th United States Colored Infantry in Kent County.9 Prior to enlistment, he had been working as a farmer.10 Henry would serve in the United States Army for two years, ten months, and 25 days.11 His commanding officers included Captain Thomas McCarty, Lieutenants Mack and Burmark, and 1st Sergeant William Hudson.12 In August of 1864, while preparing defensive fortifications at Petersburg, Henry suffered an injury to his back and hip.13 He was mustered out of the army on October 13, 1866 at Indianola, Texas.14

    A little more than a decade later, in 1879, Henry turned from farmer to sailor because of rheumatism pain as a result of his wartime injury.15 In 1882, Henry is listed as one of the representatives for the Charles Sumner Post #25 of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.). In 1910, the Census records the couple as servants in a private home. He and Sophia also hosted a boarder in their home at 94 West Queen Street—a 41 year old steam boat chambermaid named Elizabeth Johnson.16 Henry died of Bright Disease (a type of kidney disease) on December 16, 1918, in Chestertown, MD.17 He was buried in Chestertown on December 18, 1918.18 His and Sophia’s graves can be found in Jane’s Cemetery on Quaker Neck Road in Chestertown.

For extended biographies written and shared by Washington College students enrolled in the course "Chestertown's America" HIST 394, Spring 2013, taught by Adam Goodheart, please follow these links:

    "Henry Worrell - The Boy Born into Slavery who Fought for the Liberty of All" by Emily Lovett

    "A Biography of Henry Worrell: His Experiences as a Veteran and a Man of Color" by Christina Ulrey

Endnotes:

1. U. S. Census Bureau (1900). Twelfth Census of the United States: Kent County, Maryland, 4th District. Retrieved from Ancestry.com. Note: Verification of Worrell’s month of birth.
     
     SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) [MSA SC 4126] Henry Worrell. Box 29. Folder 565. Pages 6, 37.

2. "Maryland, Probate Estate and Guardianship Files, 1796-1940," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XXFN-BZX : accessed 06 May 2013), Catherine H Wroth, 18 Jan 1855. Note: States Ellen is a slave and Richard is free.

3. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS (Death Record, Counties) Kent County. Dates: 1910-1951. [S1179]. Henry Worrell. December 16, 1918. Certificate Number 50980.

4. Hanson, George A. Old Kent: The Eastern Shore of Maryland. 1876. Clearfield Company Inc,; Baltimore, Maryland. 1990. 201.

5. KENT COUNTY REGISTER OF WILLS (Wills) 1851-1872. Catharine H. Wroth. Liber JF 1. Folio 32-33. Film Reel: CR 52-1. MSA CM671-15.

6. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) [MSA SC 4126] Henry Worrell. Box 29. Folder 565. Pages 33, 35.

7. Ibid., 74.

8. Ibid., 73.

9. United States. NARA. U.S. Colored Military Troops Service Records, 1861-1865. Retrieved from Ancestry.com. p. 1323.

10. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) Henry Worrell, 56.

11. Ibid., 39.

12. Ibid., 67, 68.

13. Ibid., 52.

14. United States. NARA. U.S. Colored Military Troops Service Records, 1861-1865. Retrieved from Ancestry.com. p. 1343.

15. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) Henry Worrell, 55.

16. U. S. Census Bureau (1910). Thirteenth Census of the United States: Chestertown, Kent County, Maryland, 4th District. Retrieved from Ancestry.com.

17. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS (Death Record, Counties) Kent County. Dates: 1910-1951. [S1179]. Henry Worrell. December 16, 1918. Certificate Number 50980.

18. Ibid.
Researched and Written by Emily Lovett and Christina Ulrey, 2013.

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