Chesapeake Storyteller

12/23/2024

A WW2 Veteran who was lost but now has been found. The latest discovery during the probing phase to rescue Union Asbury Cemetery - the largest African American burial site in lower Somerset County, is Lester S. Ward. I've found dozens of identifying markers over the past several months, but finding a veteran s grave is important . If anyone would like to donate to help with the expenses that I'm covering myself, cash app $arliepaden, or email [email protected] to do so by card. Merry Christmas. Joe Paden

12/21/2024

Arlie and Alex clip of Amazing Grace. Join us at 6pm at Old St. Peters for HIS-STORY OF CHRISTMAS

12/21/2024

At Old St. Peter's Church, Arlie is standing at a pulpit where sermons have been given from for centuries. Joshua Thomas has preached from this pulpit as well. Come join us this evening for my storytelling show, HIS-STORY OF CHRISTMAS. It's free, donation accepted but not necessary. Arlie and Alex will be doing 2 songs as well. Joe Paden

12/18/2024

Another emotional day working at Union Asbury Cemetery... As I've posted recently, I'm now excavating the interments that do not have stones, which include the graves that have collapsed, & the hundreds that have vaults with no marker. VERY tedious work. I'll be posting my findings in the near future, along with a map of the first sections, & I'll be asking for photos of the people in those sections so I can tell their stories a little better - which is, & has been the ultimate objective since I began rescuing UAC in 2017, & telling the stories are my objective with every grave I rescue. I'm a historical researcher & storyteller, not a groundskeeper.

Today I probed at UAC, had 13 possible, dug very carefully, scraping off 1/2" at a time to not destroy the name plates - if they were there. After digging down 6"-8" on all of the 13, there were 4 name plates. Since I began probing back in May I now have close to 40 people that were once lost & now are found.

So... 4 out of 13 isn't really a good day because I've been getting a 50-60% recovery rate. So I'm taking a walk around, pouting to myself about why I started the project lol, & I look down & see the stone for Fonnie Stevenson (shown top left), but everything was covered with pine needles - EXCEPT - for the words "Jesus Cares."

So I decided to do one more, & saw the little infant sized vault (top left) & after 45 minutes I found the name plate for "Fronz Yoban Dirkson" born 1948, died 1949. Another emotional breakdown lol.

Anyhow, this is an odd name for a Black person so I went & researched it right away. Nothing as of yet, but there was a Georgia Dirkson who lived in Crisfield, she was adopted & lived on Jersey Island as a child, certainly a seafood worker. The bottom right pic is an excerpt of a 1930 census showing her living with a Mr. & Mrs. Elisha Whealton (but I'll get into more on that after I ID "Baby Fronz."

SO... Georgia Dirkson had/has(?) a son named Howard Dirkson who graduated from Crisfield High in 1970, & in 1975 was serving in the Navy on the Destroyer USS Shenandoa. There's a man named George Dirkson on FB, & I sent him a friend request, we have mutual friends but if anyone could contact him I'd really appreciate it.

I want to find out who "Baby Fronz" is, & if he was Howard's older brother, maybe he can give me some info. If not, I'll keep doing what I do & I WILL find out the story of Baby Fronz. Why am I so confident? Because Jesus Cares!!!

Also, a TREMENDOUS thank you goes out to Theresa Douglas-abdullah, Florence Nelson Horsey, Jallisa Worthy, Shelly Laird & Nick Brewer for your donations. I can't even begin to express how much appreciated - & NEEDED - your contributions have been.

While I'm going to keep going on rescuing the stories of UAC regardless, if anyone would like to donate too, it would certainly make my Christmas a little more merry. Yes it's my choice to commit to this project knowing I'm doing it at my own expense, but I started it & I'm going to finish it.

If anyone feels so inclined, you can donate via cash app by sending to $arliepaden (put in memo UAC so I can give you credit), or by card by emailing: [email protected]. My daughter handles the internet payments, & if you're in Crisfield & want to donate cash, just send a msg. Trust me, even $5, $10 would be a tremendous help, & if you want to give more God Bless you. I've put $1000s & 1000s of my own $ into this this project, & have sacrificed greatly, but it's worth it because Jesus Cares.

But the ultimate purpose for this post is to ID "Baby Fronz," & the my prime person of interest right now is Howard E. Dirkson, son of Mrs. Georgia L. Dirkson.

Deidre Potter Harris, can you post to your page? (I tried to post last week but it didn't let me[?]).

OH... if ANYONE wants to put flowers for Christmas, or just see the graves of their family members who're buried at UAC, but you're not sure where they're buried, please msg me & I'll try to help. There are over 750 graves down there, & while I don't have the location of EVERY grave memorized, I know where most are. AND... while it's still rough & overgrown in much of the cemetery, there are no thorn bushes & it's just tall grass, & I'll be glad to cut a path if anyone wants to visit a buried family member. And I'll be delighted to do it because those who were once lost are now being found, & I want the families to know where their family members have been laid to rest.

Thanks for reading, & if you can make it, come out to my storytelling show this Sat at 6pm at Ole St. Peter's Church in Hopewell., MD, where I'll be telling the HIS-STORY OF CHRISTMAS. It's going to be very good. Why? Because Jesus Cares.😁

Please like & share.
Joe Paden

12/12/2024

Revolutionary War was active & deadly, in 1780 there was a mandatory draft, & Hance Lawson & David Tyler were among them. Joshua Thomas was a little boy, but he would become close to both David & Hance. Come to my upcoming show, HIS-STORY OF CHRISTMAS on Sat. Dec 21 for the rest of the story. Please like & share. Thank you. Joe Paden

12/10/2024

I've been working on rescuing Union Asbury Cemetery since 2017. My Mother, daughter & son had been searching & rescuing our own family's graves/cemeteries for many years before that, & I had done some community volunteer events to get some help to clean up my family's burial sites before that as well. In Dec of 2017 a little lady knocked on my door, asked if I was the man who saved cemeteries, I said I was & she asked me if I could find her parents' graves, which were buried at Union Asbury. I told her that I mainly did my own family's, unless when I was hired by a landowner or group to do so. However, I told her that I'd look.

I went down there the next day, & I couldn't see no more than 5' in any direction because of briar bushes & dense brush, but I could see headstones - & on the ground, the fallen pine needles had raised & lowered areas - exactly how it looks when there are vault lids underneath. But the were hundreds of them & I thought no way there were that many graves. Then I saw a homemade headstone, then a casket above ground & I could go on, but it was heartbreaking.

I went to get my mom, but she didn't want to come because I had promised her that I wouldn't take on any cemetery projects until we had all of our own family's done. I convinced her to just come & look. My kids were with us, so they started probing & every few seconds or so we'd each yell. "found one" or "found another." Mom went off on her own, & after about 45min or so we all meet back up to the entrance & she asks me where did I want to start.

From 2017-2022 the only cemetery we worked on was Union Asbury. She never even brought up doing any of our own family's graves again. She passed in 2022.

My kids are gone to college, so it's just me. and even though we've cleared 90% of the almost 4 acres of the cemetery, & have counted up to 757 graves, when I was told in 2017 that there may be a few hundred there. The find-a-grave website had 27 memorials for Union Asbury in 2017, now it has over 400 - & I haven't done neither memorial on the page.

So a lot has been accomplished, but my family & I never did cemetery rescue just to save the graves, but we did it so the stories wouldn't be lost. AND, to this, I felt like the job at Union Asbury wasn't done.

Earlier this year I lost 2 people that I loved very deeply, & as I did after my mother's death, I began spending a lot of time at Union, trying to get area's mapped out, so when the stories of these people are written, we'll be able to know where they are. So... as I was mapping I pulled back some grass on a vault lid to see if there was one of them funeral home name plates under the grass, but it wasn't. I didn't think anything, went to go to the next one & the sun shined on something metal sticking out of the dirt. It was the top corner of the funeral home tag.

It took me about 3 hours to get it out of the dirt because they're really fragile, but I got it. I've tried metal detectors many, many times before but there's just too much in the ground, so I start probing & since June of this year I've found dozens of name plates, that have been sinking down, getting covered by roots & dirt, & many have descended into the clay section.

And one of the name tags that I found was of Michael Douglass, 1963-1971. I didn't know who it was, but I get emotional finding any names that were lost, but children break me down like a baby.

So I get it up, & when I leave the cemetery that day I see a good friend of mine named Terry White. He's a black guy & was born in the 1960s so I thought maybe he may know who Michael is. He said that his girlfriend, Frieda, had a brother who died young. Terry called her & sure enough, it was Frieda's brother. Michael passed suddenly from brain trauma, she said she doesn't remember him but she has his picture in her living room at her home, which is shown in the pic.

I'll be sharing more of Michael's story, & those of the 100s of people who were once lost, but are now being found.

After the first of the year I'm going to be sharing lists of names of people who are buried at Union Asbury, & I'd like to get pics of them if possible. I'm going to try to publish all of these in a book, or a website or whatever I can afford - which isn't much lol.

I use to ask for donations but every time I do I get many who contact me saying they want to help, but when I go to get it there's an excuse & then they look the other way, etc. If anyone would like to help, I could certainly use it, I've worked over 600 hours there just this year alone. But I'm going to do it regardless - until their stories are told. If anyone wants to, you can send donations via cash app to: $Arliepaden, in the memo put UAC, & I'll put your name down as a donor.

Details of Picture:
1: The vault of Michael Douglass after the growth was cleared.
2: The depth where Michael's nametag was buried.
3. Photo of Michael with his 2 sisters.
4. A post I erected to mount Michael's to.

Thanks for reading.
Joe Paden

12/08/2024

Hance Lawson, Joshua Thomas & John Tyler are going to be 3 of my primary characters during my upcoming storytelling show being held at St. Peters Church in Hopewell, MD on Saturday, December 21 at 6pm.

Even though I'll be taking about the history of all the churches that have been and are in the area, as well as the Anglican and Quaker denominations that were followed by the early Colonists, the rapid and wide spread growth of Methodism in Somerset is best described as miraculous.

And, Lawson, Thomas and Tyler were among the leaders of the first 3 generations of Methodism in the area. Hance was one of the original trustees of St. Peter's ((Miles Meeting House), beginning in 1780, Joshua Thomas dedicated his life to Jesus Christ at St. Peters, and even preached from the same pulpit that's in St. Peters today.

Thomas lived with David Tyler on Tangier and Smith Islands during his youth, and Thomas became known as the Parson of the Islands, and later, David Tyler's grandson, John Tyler became a preacher at Rhode's Point, which was previously called Rogues Point, and even John himself would've been considered a "rogue" before becoming a pastor himself.

This is going to be a REALLY good show and you don't want to miss it.

NOTE: SPACE IS LIMITED so you must pay for your spot to reserve it. The primary reason I do pre-event sales is because I've had so many say they were coming and don't, after I've told others that the event was sold out.

So, if you're in Crisfield you can pay by cash, email me at [email protected]. If you want to pay online, email my daughter at [email protected]. You can pay via card or with cash app.

Please share and thank you for reading.
Joe Paden

12/05/2024

Fishermen from Galilee... Rugged seafaring men, little education, thick accent, not what anyone would've expected to be the first of those who would spread the Message that Transformed the World. WHAT HAPPENED?

The parallels in the above story are many with what happened in America during the latter part of the 18th Century. Religious services were held at Jamestown in 1607, but the Chesapeake Bay - & especially Somerset County - was a sinful area throughout the 1600s & 1700s. For example, for decades during this time period, over 1/3 of the court cases held in Somerset were sexually related, & theft, kidnapping (shanghaiing), assaults, murders & other serious offenses were committed as frequently as anywhere in the Colonies.

Before the Revolutionary War, all birth & marriage records were held by the official Colonial Church, but there's one story that sums up what the locals thought about "religion," & this is when a missionary visited the area, he asked a local if he'd ever heard of Jesus Christ. The local replied that he did not, but if the missionary wanted to leave his name that the local would tell this Jesus that the missionary man was looking for him if he ever came through.

But during the Revolutionary War something happened. Something drastic, & so profound that it exceeds logic - at least in accordance with the history that I've studied. Many of the hardened, salty mariners - within a matter of just a few years - became devout workers of spreading the same message that was told by Peter, John & other seafaring apostles long before them.
This ain't religion, or a "belief," this is undeniable, irrefutable history. And this is the story I'm going to be telling on Sat. Dec. 21 at historic St. Peters. If you8 haven't reserved your spot, reply to this email NOW, because you don't want to miss it.

Joe Paden

11/18/2024

08/20/2024

A skipjack in the forefront. A bugeye back left, the heavily raked (angled) mast were prominent feature of Somerset boat builders. There are more than 2 dozen masts rising up in the background. Another bugeye, possibly a schooner at center left, & a several masts rising far right. This was Crisfield Harbor, picture taken in 1917 when more sailing vessels were registered in Crisfield than anywhere in America. Newspapers back then said it had the most in the world but I doubt they counted every port on the planet. Nevertheless, most in the US is impressive, & I have confirmed this myself. The bottom pic was taken in 2019. I looked at the top pic while lining myself up so I could get it from the same exact spot with the exact same angle. In the forefront of the bottom piece is the Edna Lockwood, the bugeye owned by the Chesa… Further up the dock, & to the left is a dead rise workboat, that I think is the Patty Ann, & behind it is a Smith Island ferryboat, I believe to be the Capt. Jason. Top photo was enhanced & colorized by my mother, Linda Paden, who passed in 2022.
Joe Paden

08/18/2024

All around the Bay we can find breathtaking views, but there is more to see here because this scene is also a way to tell a story. And, there are actually many stories that can be told here. There are stories of those who’ve lived many many years ago, & what they would’ve been thinking when looking at scenes just like this. They had the same hopes, wants & needs just as we do, & they loved their children & wanted the best for them as we do today. But when they looked at scenes like this, with the majestic colors dancing in their splendor, they would’ve been considering the realities of a world that was so much different than what we know today .

On Sat. Sept. 14th, at 6pm, in Downtown Crisfield, I’ll be telling stories of the 3 races of people who would’ve looked at these views, when the Chesapeake Story was just beginning, & people who laid the foundations of what the Chesapeake Story, & the American Story, would become. You can get more info here: Story of the Beginning of America

At this show I’m going to do something a little different, I’m going to present the story from the perspectives of 10 different people, 4 from the Native race, 3 from European & 3 African. These people are, the King of the Powtan, the King of the Piscataway & the King of the Pocomoke. And since I’ll be telling the story in Crisfield, which is the land of the Pocomoke people, I’ll be focusing more on them & I'll be telling what two Pocomoke Kings would’ve thought when they were reigning. I have the names, & records on, 2 Pocomoke Kings, one is named & called, Onecrew, & a another who came later named Wassounge, who is referred to as “Daniel.” Using the records from the times that each one of these ruled I’m going to do my best to tell the Chesapeake Story from what would’ve been their perspective, & what they would’ve been thinking when looking at views just like the one in the pic.

For those of European Descent, I'll be using Obedience Robins, Edmund Scarburgh & Stephen Horsey. Robins was an early official at Jamestown, early settler of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, & had close, personal connection to Scarburgh & Horsey.

The 3 people I’m using of African Descent are Anthony Johnson, his son John Johnson & Anthony Casor. Anthony was born in Africa, captured by a rival group & sold into slavery. He was brought to Jamestown in 1621, sold as an indentured servant, then became a plantation owner, & a slave owner as well. John Casor was the fist slave in America.

Every one of these people are connected, & Onecrew, & Anthony Johnson both had relations & encounters with Scarburgh & we know that Anthony & John Johnson knew Horsey well. Horsey was headright for Robbins. Scarbugh was bitter enemies with Robins, Horsey & Onecrew, but Scarburgh had likely passed before Wassounge became ruler of the Pocomoke, so that’s person in the story that Scarburgh wasn’t enemies with lol.

Anyhow, all of these people would’ve looked at the same breathtaking views, & even though each would’ve had a different perspective, they were all major characters in the same story, & this is the Chesapeake Story.

Contact me today to reserve your spot. It’s $10/person until 9/13, & $15 per person the day of the show, & the show is going to be very good.

Please like & share. Thank you.
Joe Paden

08/11/2024

NOTE: DATE ON THE PIC IS WRONG!!! IT'S SAT THE 14TH. The race to colonize the New World began a century before Jamestown in 1607 & Capt. Hudson went up the the bay of the South River (Delaware) in 1609. The Powhatan (southern VA), had grown into an empire by conquering & putting the rival groups into submission. By the time Jamestown was established the Powhatan Empire even extended across the Bay to include the Accomack & Occohannock People.

On VA's mainland. the Powhatan fought against the English, with Capt. Newport being an early leader, but on the Shore, when Capt. Smith's expedition made contact in 1608 the Natives were friendly. The peaceful nature of the indigenous people on the Shore ceased at the Pocomoke, who were a different group, & they were extremely hostile to the Europeans.

Some of the places where Smith encountered Native groups are shown by the red/yellow stars on the map. To the north of the Bay were the Susquehannock, & they were extremely militant. They would paddle a fleet of canoe as far down as the Potomac River to attack the Piscataway, which was approx. 100 mile journey one-way.

Capt. Henry Hudson sailed up into the area of the Susquehanna & encountered other tribes. This turned into a precarious situation since Hudson was under the dutch funded East India company, & Jamestown was being financed by England.

All of these characters - from the Natives to the Europeans, gives us historical episodes of drama, betrayal, espionage, warfare & many other fascinating stories, & this is only the beginning of the story that I'll be telling at my upcoming show, Story of the Beginning of America.

Reserve your spots today, this will be one of my best shows yet! I know I say this all the time, but my regulars always tell me, "Joe, this was the best show yet" lol.

Please like & share.
Joe Paden

08/02/2024

There are still some spots available for tomorrow's special show, Stories of the People We've Lost in & on the Bay. I'll be telling about the history, the culture & everything that has formed the mindset of those who follow the water, & I'll be basing my stories around those who left port & never made it alive. Admission is $10, we'll be at Gordon's Confectionary at 803 W. Main St. in Crisfield, MD. Please like, share & I hope to see you there. Thank you. Joe Paden

07/26/2024

Two tragic deaths of watermen hit Somerset County, MD hard this week. Tab Bridelle is another name that I have to I have to add to the Drowning/Lost at Sea list of the Tangier & Pocomoke Sound. I've been working on the list since 2017. It's now over 300 names, & I pray it will be a long time before I have to add another. I'm doing a special show next Sat @ 10am that I've titled; Stories of the People We've Lost in & on the Bay. I'll not only be remembering a lot of those who've been lost, I'll be telling about what makes them keep going in spite of the hazards, & this is their love for the sea. I'm putting a lot into this show because it deserves my best effort. If you haven't got you tickets yet, please contact me.
Thank you. Joe Paden

p.s. I want to thank Matt Riggin of Independent Crab Company, Inc., Carine Ruinet, Everett Landon of Experience Smith Island LLC, Lynn Evans & Jerry Smith for their recent contributions. Much appreciated & much needed. If anyone would like to contribute to my research efforts please click the link below... https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tell-the-chesapeake-story

07/22/2024

Many of us have ancestors who came to America within decades after America's first settlement. By the time Plymouth was founded there were Colonists on the Eastern Shore of VA. Scottish & Irish were being driven of their lands, then the English Civil War erupted, & people from Ireland, Scotland & England began flooding into America. And, those that sailed over in the first half of the 1600s would've been in ships like this, many faced extreme weather conditions like the one shown here & some didn't make it.

At 10am on Sat. Aug. 3 at Gordons Confectionary in Crisfield, I'll be telling these stories. From the earliest settlement to the Oyster Wars to the Watermen who passed doing what they loved. This is going to be a special show. The link is below. Please like & share.
Thank you. Joe Paden

Aug 3rd event link: Stories of the People We've Lost in & on the Bay

If you'd like to help with enabling me to continue the research that I do or just want to express your appreciation for what I've already done, you can donate to the cause by clicking below. Even $1 will help. Thank you
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tell-the-chesapeake-story

07/20/2024

DEADRISES CRAB-SCRAPING... This is one of the 1st pics I posted when I began historical storytelling back in 2016. I've met a lot of incredible people & have been able to discover, preserve & share a lot of the history of the Bay. I launched this endeavor in hopes that the area I live, lower Somerset County, would recognize the extraordinary economic untapped potential for historical/cultural/heritage tourism. Everywhere I go around the Bay says we're sitting on a goldmine, but I feel like a failure in my attempts to raise awareness of this fact. All I can do is keep going. Yesterday I worked an abandoned Black Cemetery & added names to the Chesapeake Bay drowning list, & I have the same coming up today. But to be honest I might not even still be doing history if my back would allow me to lift, stand &/or even sit for any period of time. Though I don't know, I never have been the quitting type, but right now history is really the only thing I've got.

And this past year has been a rough one, I was expecting to marry a woman but that ended when I heard her in the shower, & she wasn't alone. I was going to blast her when it happened but it's too sick to even get into it. Well, not only did this break my heart, it resulted in me having to live out of my car, then my transmission died, now I'm on a bike & I'm not going to get into where I'm living at now but I'm keeping on keeping on.

And, fyi, I have a storytelling coming up on Sat. Aug 3rd at 10am at 's Confectionary in Crisfield. Here's the link: Stories of the People We've Lost in & on the Bay

I've resumed the sale on the 3 ebooks & 3 full-length historical videos, & Asbury Church Records & History for only $30 See titles below.
-Maryland, My Maryland; The Confederate Story of the Free State, 179pgs (2015) ebook [typically $10]

-A Candle In The Dark; The Story of How Christianity Shaped Lower Somerset County, Maryland, 35pgs (2018) ebook [Typically $5]

The 'SOUNDS'of the Bay; The Epic Story of the People Who Settled on the Pocomoke & Tangier Sounds, 114pgs (2020) ebook [Typically $10]

Through The Years with Asbury & Her People 1810-1996
-Transcribed from original records by Linda Laird Sterling, being sold with her written permission, 380pgs, ebook [Typically $30]

HISTORICAL VIDEOS
The Story of Colonial Somerset; 2hrs & 4min [Typically $10]

The Story of Piracy on Pocomoke & Tangier Sounds; 95min [Typically $10]

The Story of Oyster Wars on the Chesapeake Bay; 1hr & 55min [Typically $10]

And lastly, if anyone wants to help me sustain my research, preservation & promotion efforts, & help me get back on track, you can donate by clicking the link below. $5, $10 or any amount will help so much.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tell-the-chesapeake-story

Thank you - Joe Paden

07/15/2024

MD's 1st PEOPLE TO DIE ON THE WATERS OF THE BAY WERE PIRATES!!! It was April of 1635, the Calvert's had established a settlement at St. Mary's but William Claibourne (bottom right), had settled Kent Island a few years prior & refused to pay Calvert tribute. There was some back & forth, but on the date listed above there was a battle on the Pocomoke Sound & things turned deadly. Those who died fighting for Claiborne were: Ratcliff Warren, John Bellson & William Dawson. There was one death on the MD side, William Ashmore.

To hear more this story, & many others about those who've been lost on the water, come join us Confectionery in Crisfield on Sat Aug 3rd for my special storytelling show, Stories of the People We've Lost in & on the Bay. Tickets are $10, msg to get yours. Space is limited.

I'm also working on compiling a list of ALL who've been lost on the Bay from drowning, lost at sea, killed, accident &/or natural causes. If you would like to help support this project to preserve our heritage please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/produce-a-list-of-those-drowned-lost-on-the-chesapeake

Please like & share
Joe Paden

07/14/2024

Top pic is a show I gave last night for a get -together at a historic home in Crisfield, & bottom was a few weeks ago at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels. I do talks for any venue & size crowd & I have stories on just about every part of history. I research fanatically & even mx in a lot of humorous anecdotes & everyone seems to really love what I do. Msg to get info. Please like & share.Thanks all.
Joe Paden