After two months of planning I was finally here :)   I navigated the rental car along the last leg of the trip entering Baltimore from the south via Route 395 and was rewarded with a wonderful panoramic view of the city.  As I passed CAMDEN STATION I decided to take advantage of Sunday evening's light traffic, and explore the city for a while before checking into the hotel. Making my way through the city I happened upon a number of areas of interest, such as OLD OTTERBEIN CHURCH at Conway and Sharp;  the general vicinity of the old CENTRE MARKET (aka MARSH MARKET SPACE), near the corner of Pratt and Market Place;  ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH, now called Zion Church of the City of Baltimore, at City Hall Plaza;  and the OLD DEFENDERS' MONUMENT on Calvert, dedicated to those who defended the city of Baltimore during the land and sea battles of September 1814. By the time I completed the full circle of my tour I was back to CAMDEN YARDS, this time approaching from the north and enjoying the beauty of the ball park, its design interacting so well with the architecture of the city.

Working with a two and a half day schedule I had originally planned to spend two days in Baltimore and half a day in Annapolis. Based on suggestions from other onliners I soon realized that it would be better to concentrate my time in Baltimore. Armed with a list of questions I hoped to answer I budgeted my time to include visits to GREEN MOUNT CEMETERY, ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH, ENOCH PRATT FREE LIBRARY, and the MARYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

First thing Monday morning I drove to GREEN MOUNT CEMETERY located less than ten minutes northeast of the Washington Monument. Situated on Greenmount Avenue, the cemetery is bounded on the south by Hoffman Street, on the north by North Avenue, and on the east by Ensor Street. A massive Gothic archway forms the entrance to the cemetery. Be sure to mail all genealogical queries well in advance of your visit to the cemetery, as a notice in the office indicates genealogical requests are only accepted by mail. Keep in mind that as with many cemeteries, the office is closed on Sunday, and so cemetery personnel will not be available if you have difficulty locating a grave or if you have other questions.

The death certificate for my gr-gr-grandmother, MARGARET KERNER CAREY, indicated she was buried at Green Mount Cemetery in 1875. Requesting information from the cemetery records in 1996 revealed that the place of Margaret's interment was actually part of the KAYLOR family plot, and that several generations of family members were laid to rest there. This was one of the main reasons I had looked forward to visiting Baltimore - the opportunity to visit the Kaylor family gravesite. Using a cemetery map I located the Kaylor family plot. A large vertical monument marks the graves of George and Margaret Kaylor. Although difficult to read, I was excited to see that I could just make out Margaret's birth date on the stone: August 2 (or 9?) 1780. This information may prove helpful if I am ever to track down her maiden name in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the birth date for George was not legible. This disappointment was short lived, however, as the visit to the Maryland Historical Society details below. A complete listing of those interred in the Kaylor family plot can be found on the George & Margaret Kaylor page.

Visit the Green Mount Cemetery page to learn more about its history and view photographs taken during this visit..

I spent the rest of the day at the PRATT LIBRARY at 400 Cathedral Street, located between Mulberry and Franklin. As was mentioned in a number of mail list postings, parking is at a premium in the city. Fortunately many of the hotels are within walking distance of the library and other historic locations.

The Pratt PERIODICAL DEPARTMENT is organized for easy access to the materials, and in most instances the researcher can help themselves. The staff was personable and helpful. Visiting on a week day there was no difficulty in finding an available reader/printer. The Pratt website provides information regarding available Genealogical Resources as well as a list of their Special Microform Collections. The site includes an article written by Eva Slezak, entitled "The Name is the Game, but Not always the Same: Baltimore City Directories, 1796-1964". It is an interesting guide to the city directories, and includes a listing of the directories by year published and name of publisher.

Concentrating on the city directories, I started with the 1796 directory available on microfiche through 1860. Subsequent years are recorded on microfilm. The microfiche is easier to use than microfilm as it not as time consuming to operate. This is a big help when tracking four major surnames, later on several minor surnames, and also trying to check for spelling variations as well!  As the Slezak article indicates, directories were not published every year. The first entry for George Kaylor appears in the 1802 directory with him living in Fell's Point:  "Kaylor, Geo, baker, 19 Fleet st. F. point". George appears in most of the directories until his death in 1856. I was not as lucky with some of the others I am searching. Augustus Keehne seems to appear haphazardly, as is the case with George's adult sons, John and William. Not until George's retirement does his eldest son, John, begin to appear with any consistency. There is a listing of Kaylor entries in the city directories, 1796-1860, on the "Kaylor in Maryland" portion of this web site.

City directories are a wonderful resource for genealogists. In addition to the person's name, occupation, and address, the directories include listings of street names and locations. Later directories include advertisements and other city information, such as history, location of market areas, lists of community leaders, etc. I wish that I had had more time to simply browse through the microfiche and enjoy the advertisements. They can provide some insight into the life and times of our ancestors.

Directories can help pinpoint an ancestor in different ways. The city directories during the late 1850s, early 1860s have a number of THOMAS CAREY listings. I copied the pages realizing that for the time being I did not know if they were the Thomas J. Carey for whom I am searching. Later when I was reviewing the copies for the 1858-59 directory I noticed the KERNER page had a MARGARET KERNER living at 42 Columbia. Hoping to find some connections I used addresses to compare with other surname listings. The following CAREY page for the same year lists: "Carey, Thomas, carp. 42 Columbia". I had found my gr-gr-grandfather by way of his mother-in-law, Margaret Kerner! Learning his occupation, carpenter, was a big find for me, and might be helpful in distinguishing him from other Thomas Carey listings. Also regarding addresses, Tim Ruckle of the Baltimore mail list pointed out that the numbering sequence of the city streets was changed in 1887. The city directory for that year lists both the new and the old address for each entry. It also provides a list of all streets in the city with detailed numbering of the old and new. This is an important fact to keep in mind if one is to know where people lived prior to 1887.

Addresses provided in the directories are also important for getting an idea of where families lived in relation to one another. Checking for KERNER listings, I traced a JOHN F. KERNER, tobacconist. The name has no significance for me at this point. However, by locating his various addresses, it puts him and his family within a few doors of the KAYLOR family during the early 1830s. The Margaret Kerner that I refer to above, was actually MARGARET KAYLOR KERNER, who married WILLIAM C. KERNER in 1830. Since there are few Kerner entries during the 1820s and 1830s, John F. Kerner may later prove to be a link.

Be sure to visit the MARYLAND ROOM while you are at the Pratt. I wish I would have had more time to spend there. You can visit the Pratt web site and learn more about materials available in the MARYLAND ROOM. I spent most my time using the Vertical Files, a fancy name for the folders stored in the filing cabinets. Kitty Crowley of the Baltimore mail list first made me aware of the valuable nature of material stored in the file cabinets, both at the Pratt and the Maryland Historical Society.

Prior to my visit to the church on Tuesday I was a little confused about addresses. The city directories that I searched on Monday had listed a Zion Lutheran church on Gay Street. I was looking for an address at the corner of Lexington and Holliday, part of City Hall Plaza. What I did not realize was that the church itself faces Gay Street. It was actually the parish hall that I had driven by on Sunday evening, which is located at Lexington and Holliday. The parish hall is part of a major improvement to the church which was completed in 1912. For more information about Zion Lutheran visit Churches of Baltimore. This page looks at the history of several other churches and includes a listing of churches which appeared in the 1819 and 1845 city directories.

Later in the morning I walked to the MARYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 201 West Monument Street. The society was founded in 1844 and shares its facility, which includes a museum and research library, with the Maryland Genealogical Society.

Be sure to visit the MHS web site to help prepare for your visit. The Library of Maryland History web page details the vast array of resources available to researchers. There is a visitor's fee of $4.00 (1999) when you enter the facility. After signing in you are assigned a small locker for stowing items not directly related to research. The facility provides a list of specific rules designed to protect its historical resources. Bring a few sharpened pencils, as pens are not allowed in the library.

It is difficult to know where to start regarding the materials that are available. I had already decided in advance to concentrate on the file cabinets detailed on the Genealogy Resources web page. This section includes the DIELMAN-HAYWARD FILE, FILING CASE A, and the VERTICAL FILE, along with another half dozen indexes and files. The Dielman-Hayward file cabinets contain a wealth of information collected over a period of years by two gentlemen, Dielman and Hayward. As I searched the drawer for Kaylor I came across an index card with the following handwritten information:

The biographical information contained in these files, some dating back to the early 19th century, was usually handwritten or typed, and include marriage and death notices from Maryland newspapers as well as tombstone inscriptions. Some have actual newspaper clippings. Information since 1987 has been computerized. I cannot overstate the value of these files and appreciate the fact that Dielman and Hayward devoted so much time to creating these files.

I did not have as much success with Filing Case A, which is a collection of private genealogical research, primarily unpublished notes that have been submitted to the library to assist others researching the same family lines. The information is stored in gray boxes and is sorted alphabetically by surname. It is a great idea. I did not think to ask the library personnel if anyone can submit notes to the collection. I will try to follow up on that later.

The Vertical Files offer a variety of resource material taken from newspapers and other sources. After using the files I better understood why Kitty Crowley had recommended them as a great tool. These standard size file cabinets contain a wealth of information on all subjects relating to Maryland. I concentrated on the files which referred to the MARKETS of Baltimore, such as the Lexington Market, Centre Market, or Fell's Point Market.

An 1856 obituary notice for George Kaylor listed his address as 84 Market Space. I could not find any such location on current or historical maps for Baltimore. At first I thought it might be the part of the Fell's Point Market. Celeste Connor, another Baltimore mail list participant, referred me to a contemporary street called Market Place, located near the wharf area and Pratt Street, between West Falls Avenue and Gay Street. As time went by I focused more on this area, near what is now Point Discovery (1999). Documents for the 1852 court proceeding between George Kaylor and George Buck, found through the Maryland State Archives, verified this location in a description of George Kaylor's property. Articles found in the Vertical Files at the MHS provided more information about Centre/ Center Market Space (aka Marsh Market Space). A separate page is devoted to the Markets of Baltimore.

Speaking of maps.....I spent time at the Pratt and the MHS looking for good historical maps with mixed results. The Fells Point Preservation Society sent me a lot of information about the area including a xerox copy of an 1800 map entitled "Robt. L. Eney's Plan of the Town and Environs of Fell's Point". Unfortunately the map is no longer available for purchase. Another early map that I would like to find a full size copy of is "Warner & Hanna's Plan of the City and Environs of Baltimore", dated 1801.   At the MHS I found several Ward maps, but the best find was a 1895 map which actually lists "Center Market" running north-south between Baltimore and Pratt streets, in the general vicinity of Market Place and Point Discovery.

My visit to the Maryland Historical Society would be incomplete without mention of Barbara Games. While walking to the Maryland Historical Society on Tuesday I managed to twist my ankle. Initially it was not a problem but as the afternoon wore on the ankle began to swell and I was limping from the pain. I was hoping to locate a pharmacy nearby so that I could buy an ace bandage when Barbara Games in the MHS Gift Shop came to my aid. After realizing my problem she offered to drive me to the hotel as soon as she closed the Gift Shop. A very kind security guard provided a bag of ice to help my ankle while I waited and assisted me out to Barbara's car. For a someone new to the city, traveling alone, their help was greatly appreciated. I really want to commend both of them. I only wish I had gotten the name of the security guard. THANK YOU!

This field trip to Baltimore provided some new information to help me further chart the KAYLOR, KERNER, CAREY, and KEEHNE family lines. As with any visit of this type, there just wasn't enough time. But I knew that before I even left home. My goal was to familiarize myself with the resources available and to collect as much data as possible during my time there. I barely scratched the surface of materials available through the MHS and the Pratt. This summary cannot reflect all of the information covered, but I hope that it will help others planning to visit. Due to my mishap I was not able to visit Fell's Point or Fort McHenry, which I hope to do "next" time. Although I was able to solve a few puzzles, one of the key questions that continues to remain unanswered is Margaret Kaylor's maiden name. Learning her birth date in Pennsylvania is a step in that direction.

I continue to be interested in the history of nineteenth century Baltimore, especially what it was like to live during those times. I hope that further research will help me track descendants of George & Margaret Kaylor, and for William Kerner & Margaret Kaylor. Letters from the late 1800s indicate that Kerner descendants were still living in Baltimore at that time. I continue to seek information about any and all relatives of Thomas J. Carey, aware that there may very well be a Norfolk & Portsmouth, VA connection. And last but not least, I hope to find some links to the relatives of Augustus Kuehne/Keehne both in Baltimore and in Nordhausen, Germany. I have been able to learn more about Augustus Keehne and Sophia Kaylor after they moved to St.Louis around 1862. Some of that is detailed in last year's Field Trip to St.Louis.

Although this visit was about genealogical research, what I enjoyed most of all was the opportunity to see the city of Baltimore - to visit Green Mount Cemetery and Zion Lutheran Church; to see some of the historic sites of the city, including the Old Defender's Monument, all the more significant for me after learning that George Kaylor had fought in the Battle of North Point as a Balto Yaeger; and to meet or speak with some very nice people, from Lois Wright and the staff at the Pratt Periodical Department, to Olga Hutchins and Helen Simmons Carey, to Barbara Games and the kind guard at the Maryland Historical Society.