Savage Cemetery Company

06/15/2026

Our June 2026 Showcase Feature: William Short
William M. Short was born in October 1870 in Maryland to John T. Short and Mary H. Weaver. He worked at the Cotton Mill as a spinner and eventually became an overseer. In 1894, he married Miranda C. Waskey and they had two children: Lillian Augusta and Lawrence E. Lawrence. Lawrence was the youngest and lived for eight months. Miranda died nine years later in 1906. In 1908, William married Miranda’s sister, Ida May Waskey. Their first child, Dorthy, died at birth. They had two more children: Eunice Mae and William Howard. There was a “spirited” debate about the woman’s suffrage movement at the Kingsbury Hall in 1915. William represented the affirmative argument. In 1940, William was involved in a fatal car accident. On Washington Boulevard and Guilford Road, a man crossing the street was hit by two cars. The second car was operated by William. Other family names in this line are Waskey, Redmiles, Harding, Banks, Blakemore, Brumage, and Hudson. William died on 1 February 1941 and is buried in the Savage Cemetery.
Information submitted by Savage Cemetery Company/Ken Farnsworth. (Photo from “A Pictorial History of Howard County” by Joetta M. Cramm)

06/12/2026

Thanks to all who stopped by our tent at Savage Fest. It was a great day.

06/04/2026

Savage Fest is almost upon us! Stop by the Savage Cemetery tent to see our new T-shirts and printed Showcase booklets. Look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

05/24/2026

We are so happy to announce the completion of our multi-phase fencing project. Big thanks go out to so many folks who helped clear the property lines, tree and stump removal, grading the grounds, installation, raking, and seeding and more. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the last phase in person, here are a couple of pictures. Again, thanks to all who physically helped and those who contributed. We couldn’t have done it without you.

05/15/2026

Our May 2026 Showcase Feature: Keithen Walters:

Keithen Maxwell Walters was born on 7 November 1916 in Arco, VA to Santford Russell Walters and Maude S. Hackley. By the time he was three years old, the family moved to Savage, MD for work at the Cotton Mill. Keithen married Beulah May Wines around 1936 and they had six children: Robert D., Beulah Yvonne, Frances Ann, Linda L., Sanford Russell, and Edward. He was working in the Cotton Mill as a weaver before he joined the military. He enlisted in the Navy on 13 August 1943 in Baltimore and found himself stationed at the Explosive Investigations Lab, Naval Powder Factory in Indian Head, MD on 10 November 1943. His rank was F1c (Fleet 1st Class) as he transferred back and forth from Indian Head to Stump Neck labs through 1944-45. On 22 December 1945, Keithen boarded his first ship, U.S.S. Weiss as F2c (Fleet 2nd Class). By June, he earned his final military rank of MM3 (Machine Mate 3rd Class). On 7 December 1946, Keithen was transferred to the U.S.S. Burdo and then to the U.S.S. Kleinsmith by 27 March 1947. He was discharged on 15 June 1947 after almost four years of military service. Back to work as a civilian again, he became a guard at a house of corrections. Other family names in this line are Hackley, Shipe, Riley, Grimes, Simpson, Atkins, Dorsey, and Tipton. Keithen died on 9 November 1964 and is buried in the Savage Cemetery.

Information submitted by Savage Cemetery Company/Ken Farnsworth
(Photo from Savage Historical Society Calendar)

04/18/2026

Beautiful day for our 2026 Spring Cleanup. Thanks to all the volunteers who came out to prepare the Cemetery for the mowing season. The grounds are ready for the installation of the remaining fence along the north and east side of the Cemetery next week. We also started construction of a dirt bin in the back corner. This will contain excess dirt for ground maintenance purposes. Again, thanks to our volunteers and to all those who send donations. We appreciate your support in maintaining and improving upon the historic Savage Cemetery.

04/17/2026

Spring Cleanup Day tomorrow, 18 April from 9am to 1pm. Hope to see you at the historic Savage Cemetery.

Send a message to learn more

04/15/2026

Our April 2026 Showcase Feature: Julius Whitehead

Julius S. Whitehead was born on 21 November 1886 in Maryland to Richard Albert Whitehead and Minnie Robinson. He married Clara Lucinda Waskey on 23 December 1906 and they had seven children: Clara Mae, Charles William, Erwin Theodore, Dora L., Albert L. and Laurence Herbert. Clara was pregnant with twins when Dora was born. The second child was stillborn. Julius was employed at the B&O railroad before finding work in the cotton mill. He is listed as a laborer but eventually became an oiler. Other names in this family line are Burner, Stevens, Wilson, Meister, Haren, Merson, Haggerty, Yerby, Roberts, Arnold, and Wells. On 18 January 1940, Julius entered the Maryland Tuberculosis Sanatorium. He was there over two years before succumbing to congestive heart failure. He died on 4 December 1942 and is buried in the Savage Cemetery.

Information submitted by Savage Cemetery Company/Ken Farnsworth.

03/25/2026

Mark your calendars for the 2026 Spring Cleanup Day at the Savage Cemetery on Saturday, 18 April from 9am-1pm. We will be preparing the north and east sides for the final leg of the fence installation. Hope you can join us. If not but still want to help, please send donations to: Savage Cemetery Company, PO Box 610, Savage, MD 20763. As always, thank you for supporting our local community historic cemetery.

03/15/2026

Our March 2026 Showcase Feature: Charles Heishman

Charles Lorenza Heishman was born on 22 July 1908 in Madison, VA. to James Monroe Heishman and Ada Laura Litten. He started his working life as a telephone lineman while living in Chillum, MD. On 5 July 1933, Charles married Elma Virginia Lilley in Fairfax, VA. She was born on 9 December 1912 in Savage, MD to William Henry Lilley and Laura Virginia Adreon. Charles and Elma had three children: Charles Monroe, Glenda E., and Carole Ann. Tragically, Glenda only lived from 1937 to 1938. The family was living in Savage by the 1940’s as Charles was working at the D.C. Naval Yard. In 1941, he would be elected the president of the Savage Fire Department. The last record of his working life has Charles training a racehorse. Elma had worked as a salesgirl in her life but eventually became a beautician. Other families in this line are: Litten, Adreon, Lambden, Hamilton, Watts, Warner, Haynes, Cline, Cole, Patterson, DeVore, & Lawrence. Charles died in 1960. Elma lived until 27 Nov 1997. They are both buried with their daughter, Glenda, in the Savage Cemetery.

Information submitted by Savage Cemetery Company/Ken Farnsworth. (Photos from Findagrave.com & Heishman Family)