William Welling Memorial at Clifton this Saturday

By Darleen Sanford
Posted: September 12, 2008

River Hill’s Claret Hall does not take its name from great literature, but from local Clarksville history. The Dorsey/Ridgely/Welling family history begins with the 1702 Land Grant to the Honorable John Dorsey which became known as White Wine and Claret. The huge tract of land ran from near present day Linden-Linthicum Church along Trotter Road and Hall Shop Road, crossing Rt. 32 and ending with the Swann property on Rt. 108 near Highland.

Some time later it came into the possession of Charles Ridgely who lived on the east half of White Wine and Claret while his tenants William and Elizabeth Welling lived in a log cabin on the west half of the property. The cabin’s old stone chimney can still be found in the woods down by the Middle Patuxent River.

William Welling purchased an estimated 918 acres from Charles Ridgely in 1800 for $10 per acre and named his portion Clifton. Clarksville seems to have been high priced real estate even then. The stone house, still standing, was built for the eldest son, William Welling and wife Catherine Winchester in 1835.

Additional family names associated with the Wellings include Warfield, Nichols, Iglehart, Linn, Watkins, Young, Gaither, Smallwood, Parlette, Campbell, Morris, Crawford, Pindell, Forsythe and others. Many progeny of William and Elizabeth have left their mark or are still active residents of this area. Clifton passed out of the hands of the Welling family with the death of Truman. C. Welling in 1921.

Henry, a popular given name in the family, comes from Maj. Henry Welling. He had no children, but seems to have been highly regarded in the family. Most named a son for him. Henry and wife, Sarah Ridgely Welling, are buried at Clifton in the family plot known to have been used from 1806 to 1896. In more recent years, Bill Welling worked to have the burial site re-dedicated and initiated annual memorial gatherings in 1981.

The cemetery is located off Trotter Road on the grounds of Pointers Run Elementary School. All Welling family members and others interested in local history are invited to attend a memorial service Saturday, Sept. 13 at 2:30 p.m. A memorial marker for William (Bill) Welling will be dedicated. There will be also be a covered dish meal at the home of Jim Welling after the service. If you plan to come for the meal, call Ann Parlette at 410-531-2317 today.

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