Francis Valdenar (b. circa 1797 - d. 1884)
MSA SC 5496-036844
Property Owner, Montgomery County, Maryland
Biography:
Francis Valdenar was born in Maryland circa 1797, the son of Margaret Valdenar. Valdenar had two sisters named Ann and Martha. Francis Valdenar worked as a farmer and tobacco inspector in Montgomery County, Maryland. Valdenar married Elizabeth Culver (b.1794), daughter of William Henry Culver, March 28, 1821. The Valdenars' lived in the Berry's District of Montgomery County, MD and together they had one daughter Mary Virginia Harding. Valdenar became one of the larger land owners in Montgomery County. July 26,1823, Francis Valdenar purchases from David C. Parker, part of the tract of land called Chevy Chase, which was a part of the tract on which his mother Margaret lived at the time. Valdenar then purchased two tracts of land in Montgomery County, from Henry Culver, called Culvers Chance and The Addition to Culvers Chance in 1826. The following year he purchased more land that was a part of Culvers Chance and Addition to Culvers Chance from Josias A. Beall. Francis Valdenar then purchased a part of a tract of land in the Colesville area known as Westover. Westover was originally part of a tract called "Two Farms", which was the property of Evan Thomas, who inherited it from his father Samuel Thomas. Evan Thomas built a house on the property, but sold it to William H. Culver in 1816. William Culver willed Westover to be divided amongst his two sons, John and Romulus. John Culver lived in Kentucky and decided to sell his portion of Westover to Francis Valdenar in 1824. In June of 1831, Valdenar purchased the second tract of land that was a part of Westover from Romulus Culver. Westover was a 154 acre tract of land.
Over the next thirty years Valdenar was able to purchase numerous parcels of land. Valdenar purchased more land that was a part of Culvers Chance and Addition to Culvers Chance from Ann Middleton December 20, 1831. Valdenar owned approximately 540 acres of land in the Colesville area. On August 3, 1833, Francis Valdenar purchased a grist mill, that would come to be known as Kemp Mill in later years, and all of the surrounding land that came with it from Benjamin and Margaret Dyer of Prince William County, VA. After the purchase there were a few disputes over the property and its boundaries. Valdenar was forced to pay John Brewer and Noble Dean money for land that surrounded the Grist Mill, which was sold to him by the Dyers. In later years Valdenar would sell the mill to Jacob Kemp. In 1833 Valdenar also purchased land from Michael Connelly for $1148.64. Francis Valdenar then purchased land in 1836, from his brother in law Henry Culver who lived in Prince George's County. Valdenar continues to purchase additional pieces to Culver's Chance and the Addition to Culvers Chance from 1840-1868.
Francis Valdenar was the trustee of Rebecca Culver who is described in records as a lunatic. Valdenar's wife Elizabeth was the sister of Rebecca Culver, who owned members of the Edmonson family, six of whom would have made the attempted escape on the Pearl in Washington, DC. In 1837, Valdenar manumitted Elizabeth Edmonson, one of the eldest siblings, for the sum of $450. He also manumitted three other Edmonson daughters over a period of time, but there were still about 10 other Edmonson's who were still enslaved. When the six Edmonson siblings made their failed escape on the Pearl, Valdenar decided to sell them to Joseph Bruin when they were placed back in his possession. In addition to handling the slave affairs of Culver, Francis Valdenar also acted as trustee for his daughter Mary's slave population. Valdenar had slaves of his own which were valued at $6000. The earliest mention of slaves belonging to Francis Valdenar is in 1822 when he purchased from James Valdenar, a slave woman named Peggy and two mulatto boys named Samuel and William (both boys were apprentices).
Francis Valdenar like all Montgomery County residents had an assessment done on his property which included slaves. In 1855, Valdenar listed the following male slaves in his assessment: Lewis, John , and Charles (valued at $75 each) Perry, George, Hanson, and William (valued at $250 each), Thomas, Rezin, Uriah, Sam, John, and Daniel (valued at $400 each). The females listed in the 1855 assessment were: Infant, Elizabeth, Hannah, and Ann (valued at $50 each), Martha, Sophia, June, Miranda, and Lucinda (valued at $200 each), Charlotte, Cynthia, Eliza, Charlotte, Caroline (valued at $300 each), Harriet, and Maria (valued at $100 each). By 1859, Valdenar was a Delegate at the Montgomery County slaveholders meeting. During the Civil War some of Valdenar's male slaves were drafted into the Union Army. Thomas Jones was drafted into the Union Army in May of 1864, months before the abolition of slavery in Maryland, November 1st of that same year. Valdenar's slave Uriah Perry enlisted into Company D, 23rd regiment in Washington, DC on February 23, 1864. Uriah was to serve a term of three years and was ranked as a private. Perry was killed in action 64 miles from Petersburg, VA, July 30, 1864 and died at the age of 33. Francis Valdenar claimed 32 slaves in the 1867 Slave Statistics, including Uriah Perry who was deceased. Other slaves mentioned in the Slave Statistics were the Budd, Jones, Ricks, Jackson, Perry, Bazil and Shorter families.
Valdenar was a lay delegate at St. Mark's Church in Prince
George's County and was likely a member of that church. Following the Civil
War, Valdenar and his wife Elizabeth donated land for the Federal Methodist
Episcopal Church. In 1868 Francis Valdenar was appointed commissioner,
along with Wm. W. Hall, to run and mark the boundery line between Montgomery
and Prince George's County. Valdenar fell on hard financial times and was
forced to mortgage his estate, Westover, to settle his debts. Unable to
make payments on the property, Valdenar's home Westover was sold at public
auction. Francis Valdenar died in 1884 at the age of 87.
Return to Francis Valdenar's Introductory Page
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