Julia Calvert Stuart: Her Family

The Calverts and Stiers of Riversdale:

Julia Calvert (b. 31 Jan 1814 - d. 8 Jun 1888) was born on her parents estate "Riversdale" in Prince Georges County Maryland. She was the second youngest daughter of George Calvert , a descendant of the Lords Baltimore; and Rosalie Stier Calvert, a Belgian aristocrat who came to America with her parents to flee the French Revolution. The young Rosalie Stier was actively courted by George Calvert, an ardent and persistent suitor. They married on June 11, 1799.

   

Julia's birthplace, Riversdale, is still standing and has recently been restored after having been near-derelict from the 1950's-1980s. Construction on Riversdale was started by Baron Stier in 1801 and finished by his daughter and son in law in 1807.

Her mother died when Julia was only eight years old, and she was subsequently raised by her eldest married sister, Caroline Maria Calvert, wife of Thomas Willing Morris. Julia married Dr. Richard Henry Stuart at "Riversdale" on May 7, 1833 . George Calvert was extremely picky about whom his children married and generally did not get along with his sons-in-law. Dr. Richard Stuart was the exception, and George Calvert reportedly heartily approved of him. When George Calvert died, a share of his wealth passed to Dr. Stuart, held in trust for his wife, including a part interest in Washington's National Hotel.

The Calverts had nine children, only five of whom survived to adulthood. As was all too common in this era, several died in childhood from epidemics: Marie Louise #1 (1804-1809), Henry Joseph Albert (1811-1820), Marie Louise #2 (1812-1813) and Amelia Isabella (1817-1820)

Both of her surviving older sisters, Caroline and Rosalie died quite young, Caroline at age 42 and Rosalie at age 39. By the time of the Civil War, Julia Calvert Stuart had only two surviving siblings, both brothers and both Northern sympathizers. Like many other families, the Calverts were divided in loyalties during the Civil War, with the daughters and/or their descendants supporting the South and the sons supporting the North.

The Calvert children who survived to adulthood were:

  • Caroline Maria Calvert, (b. 15 Jun 1800 - d. 25 Nov 1842) The eldest child, she married Thomas Willing Morris. She died young, in 1842.
  • George Henry Calvert , (b. 2 Jan 1803 - d. 24 May 1889) Married Elizabeth Stewart (no direct relation to our Stuarts). Was a liberal social reformer and published author of some considerable reknown. Despite being the eldest, he had little interest in farming or finance, preferring to concentrate on the arts. He moved to Rhode Island where he became mayor of Newport and his younger brother Charles managed his share of the inheritance for him.
  • Rosalie Eugenia Calvert (b. 19 Oct 1806 - d. 6 May 1845), married 11 November 1830 to Charles Henry Carter of Shirley Plantation (1802-1892)
  • Charles Benedict Calvert (b. 23 Aug 1808 - d. 31 Aug 1906), married 14 June 1866 to Eleanor Makubin. Inherited Riversdale upon his father's death. He was a prominent agriculturalist and donated land for an agricultural college which later became the University of Maryland. He was also deeply involved in expanding the railroad network in Maryland. He served one term in Congress from 1861-63, representing Prince Georges County, having run as the Unionist candidate in the 1860 elections and lived to be 98 years old.
  • Julia Calvert (b. 31 Jan 1814, d. 8 Jun 1888), wife of Dr. Richard Henry Stuart, builder of Cleydael.


    • Rosalie Stier Calvert and
    her eldest daughter Caroline.
    Painted by Thomas Sully

    Stier Ancestry:

    Julia Calvert Stuart's mother, Rosalie Eugenia Stier, was the daughter of a wealthy Belgian aristocrat, Baron Henri Joseph Stier (1743-1821) and his wife Marie Louise Peeters. The Stiers came to America in 1793 to escape the French Revolution. With them came their three children, Charles Jean Stier, Isabelle Marie Stier and Rosalie Eugenia Steir. The family initially settled in Philadelphia, then in Annapolis, (where they lived in the William Paca House) and lastly to the area around the new Federal City, where Baron Stier bought land in what is now Riverdale, Maryland. His son Charles and his wife lived in Alexandria where he had business interests as a merchant.

    Baron Stier was a direct descendent of artist Peter Paul Rubens and a noted art collector. The family brought their collection of Rubens, Antony Van Dyck and David Teniers paintings to this country for safe keeping. This collection was at Riversdale in its entirety from 1802 to 1816 and was probably the most important private art collection in America at the time at a time when there were not yet any real art galleries, public or private, in this country. (Johns Hopkins University hosted a lecture on the significance of the Stier-Peeters collection in 1999.)

    The Stier-Peeters collection was sent back to Baron Stiers after his return home to Belgium. As leading patrons of the arts they also befriended many leading American artists in the era of the early Republic, who vied for the honor of cataloguing the collection. Rosalie supervised this and handled the shipping of the collection back to her father.

    When Baron Stier and the rest of the family returned to Belgium in 1816, he placed Rosalie in charge of his American holdings. Somewhat unusual for women in that era, she managed her own investments and was a shrewd financier who ended up one of the richest women in America, as well as bearing nine children, five of whom lived to adulthood.

    Her letters to her sister in Belgium were found a couple of years ago by descendants, and were translated from the original French and published by Johns Hopkins Press as Mistress of Riversdale (Margaret Caldecott, ed.) They provide an unique and instructive insight into the manners, mores, fashions and economic developments of the era. They also describe daily plantation life, which was not as leisured as some might believe. For example, Mrs. Calvert wove cloth and made clothing for all the slaves at Riversdale. The book also gives a wonderfully entertaining insight into Washington political gossip of the early 19th century. (Mrs. Calvert was an ardent Federalist and her comments about Jefferson, whom she disdainfully called "Tommy Jeff" sound like a modern-day Republican talking about Clinton!) She also gives a historically important first-hand account of the Battle of Bladensburg which happened on their land. It is an absolute must-read for students of the early Republic.

    Her father's country home was the medieval Cleydael Castle, on the outskirts of Antwerp. Rosalie longed for a visit home to Belgium to see her family and her beloved Cleydael but was never able to make the journey. She became ill and died at the young age of 42, the very year she'd hoped to make the trip. Her daughter Julia made the pilgrimage instead, as a young teen, staying with her uncle and aunt. When her husband later bought "Neck Quarter" plantation, its name was changed to Cleydael in honor of Rosalie Eugenia Calvert.

    Baron Stier was an extremely wealthy man and was probably the Henri Stiers-De Coninck who is referenced online as having owned the historic Antwerp townhouse "De Siechel", (Sickle, or reaping hook), built c. 1560, which is now the headquarters for a club of American expatriates living in Belgium. 


    George Calvert

    Calvert Ancestry:
    Mrs. Stuart's father, George Calvert (b. 2 Feb 1768 - d. 28 Jan 1838) was born on his father's extensive estate, "Mount Airy", in what is still a fairly rural part of Prince Georges County. George Calvert, was a son of Benedict Swingate Calvert (1725-1790) and his wife Elizabeth Calvert, who was also his cousin and the daughter of Captain Charles Calvert, Governor of Maryland. The couple married in on April 21, 1748.

    Benedict Swingate Calvert (b. ca. 1724 - d. 9 Jan 1788) was born in England, the illegitimate but acknowledged son of Charles Calvert, the fifth Lord Baltimore, (and only Lord Baltimore to visit the colonies) who sent him over from England was a young man of 10 or 12 and provided him with substantial lands and income. Stories vary as to who his mother may have been, with the most likely possibility being the Countess of Walsingham, Melusina de Schulenberg, an illegitimate daughter of King George I and Ermengarde Melusina de Schulenberg, duchess of Kendal.

    His father, the fifth Lord Baltimore was reportedly disappointed in his legitimate heir, Frederick Calvert, who became the sixth and last Lord Baltimore and this may have been why he took a particular interest in sponsoring his natural son. Benedict Calvert's landholdings totalled over 4000 acres, most of it prime tobacco land. Despite being illegitimate, Benedict Swingate Calvert's social position was good enough for his daughter Eleanor (b. 1754 - d. 28 Sep 1811) to have married John Parke ("Jackie") Custis, George Washington's stepson. General Washington was a guest at the wedding and tradition says he gave the Calvert family the boxwoods that grace Mt. Airy to this day.. Mt. Airy is presently contained with the Rosaryville State Park.

    Benedict and Elizabeth Calvert had ten children1, not all of whom survived to adulthood. Although George was the youngest, much of the Calvert land passed to him. The eldest daughter, Elizabeth Calvert, married a Charles Stuart, who may have been some relation to Dr. Richard Henry Stuart. When Benedict Calvert first came to Annapolis as a boy, he boarded with a Dr. George Steuart in Annapolis who might also have been a relation. So, it is possible there were other Stuart connections through which young Julia might have met Dr. Richard Stuart, as well as his uncle Dr. David Stuart having married her aunt, Eleanor Calvert Custis Stuart.

    Through his sister's first marriage to John Parke Custis, George Calvert was uncle to Martha Washington's four grandchildren who, through their marriages and inheritances, built some of the finest historic houses in America. Martha Custis (m. Thomas Peter, first mayor of Georgetown, built Tudor place), Eleanor "Nellie" Custis (m. Lawrence Lewis, built Woodlawn Plantation), and George Washington Parke Custis (m. Maria Fitzhugh, built Arlington House, father of Mrs. Robert E. Lee). The fourth Grandchild, Elizabeth "Betsey" Parke Custis Law, (m. Thomas Law, divorced 1811) was noted in her era for being rather advanced and modern, and a bit of a firebrand. In her letters home to Belgium, Rosalie Stier Calvert frequently bemoans Betsey's behavior, and also describes Nellis Custis Lewis asher favorite niece.

    Julia Calvert Stuart was close to her Custis cousins and was a bridesmaid in the 1831 wedding, at Arlington House, of her cousin Mary Anne Randolph Custis to a young army officer, Robert E. Lee.  Julia Calvert Stuart was the first cousin of Mrs Lee's father, although she was in Mrs. Lee's age group. Ironically, Julia Calvert Stuart's husband Dr. Richard Stuart was to Robert E. Lee's beloved birthplace. Julia Calvert Stuart's portrait by noted artist Thomas Sully, hangs in the bedchamber at Stratford Hall Plantation where General Lee was born.

     

    Footnotes:
    1. Children of Benedict Swingate and Elizabeth Calvert: Elizabeth (m. Charles Stewart), Phillip, Leonard, John (d. aft 1788), Cecil, William, Ariana, Robert, Rebecca (b. 15 Dec 1749), Eleanor (q.v.), Charles (b: 3 OCT 1756 - d. 1777), Edward Henry (b: 7 Nov 1766 - d. 12 Jul 1846), m. 1 Mar 1796 to Elizabeth Biscoe; and George.

     

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