Savage Cemetery Company

10/15/2026

Our October 2026 Showcase Feature: Joseph Rooney

Joseph Earl Rooney was born on 18 September 1905 in Savage, Maryland to James Albert Rooney Sr. and Margaret Ann Wheeler. His work life began as a twister at the cotton mill. Joseph married Bernice Roberta Curry around 1926 and they had four children: Dorothy Roberta, Leneda G., Maurice Earl, and Ronald R. By 1950, he left the cotton mill to work as a bartender in a tavern. Other names in this line are Wheeler, Dove, Curry, Boswell, Baker, McHenry, Hearn, Haddock, Eichhorn, Ramberg, and Pennington. Joseph died on 5 August 1979 and is buried in the Savage Cemetery.
Information submitted by Savage Cemetery Company/ Ken Farnsworth (Photo from Ancestry.com and findagrave.com)

10/11/2026

Even with the beautiful weather on Saturday, we had just a couple of volunteers to help prepare the Cemetery for the winter season. Thanks to Mason and Tommy for helping Ronnie and Jerry build the dirt bin to contain excess dirt. Also, thanks to Ken Bell who helped tackle some dangerous yucca plants that were causing monuments to lean and who also helped our genealogist Ken in picking up debris from the entire Cemetery.
Savage Cemetery looks great and is all ready for the winter months. This wouldn’t be the case without volunteers for cleanup days and of course our many generous donors. We are grateful to all.
Next Event: Wreaths Across America on Saturday, 19 December at noon.

10/04/2026

Next weekend is the 2026 Fall Cleanup Day at the historic Savage Cemetery. Please join us on Saturday, 10 October from 9am to 1pm as we prepare the Cemetery for the winter season. Thank you in advance for your support.

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09/15/2026

Our September 2026 Showcase Feature: Mary Ann Wheatley
Mary was born on 28 January 1885 to John Wesley Wheatley Jr. and Hannah Matilida Martin. She had five siblings; Margret Elizabeth, Richard John, Elsie Belle, Joseph Stanley, and Luther Wilson. Mary began working at the cotton mill at the age of 14. She worked continually through to the 1950’s and is noted to be one of the longest employed people at the mill. She never married and lived with her parents until they passed. Mary was a member of the American Star Council, No. 13, Daughters of America and served as their Financial Secretary and Warden. Other names in this line are Burgess, Martin, Sullivan, Sargent, Cooley, Harrell, Williams, Courtney, Curtis, Buch, Hamann, Bowser, Cook, and Perkins. Mary died on 13 January 1961 and is buried in the Savage Cemetery as well as her parents, Margret, Elsie, and Luther. Note: She does not have a headstone.
Information submitted by Savage Cemetery Company/ Ken Farnsworth

09/14/2026

Mark your calendars for Saturday, 10 October from 9am -1pm for the 2026 Fall Cleanup Day at Savage Cemetery. Hope you can join us. 🍂🪾🪏

08/15/2026

Our August 2026 Showcase Feature: Francis DeCheubel
Francis Robert DeCheubel was born on 28 May 1933 in Simpsonville, Maryland to Hugo Joseph DeCheubel and Sarah Marcella James. He joined the United States Army right after high school and served during the Korean War. Francis married Thelma Leverna Jenkins around 1959 and they had three children: Vicky Lynn, Michael Darr, and Linda. He enjoyed crabbing and gardening. Francis was a member of the Moose Lodge and the Hope Baptist Church in Laurel. After 20 years, he was able to retire from General Electric as a warehouse handler. Other names in this family line are James, Jenkins, Vacek, Beahm, Horn, Goetz, Widner, Clark, Beaver, Dworkowski, Pocock, Wassif, Neubauer, Linder, Marsh, and Sacks. Frances died on 9 November 2005 and is buried in the Savage Cemetery.
Information submitted by Savage Cemetery Company/ Ken Farnsworth (Photos from Ancestry)

07/15/2026

Our July 2026 Showcase Feature: Frank Shipley
Francis “Frank” Earl Shipley Sr was born on 4 November 1849 in Howard County, Maryland to William Shipley and Mary Davidge Haslup. He was educated in public schools and learned a trade as a carpenter. He eventually became a contractor and built many homes in Howard County, including that of Senator Gorman. Francis married Georgianna Duvall in 1871. Unfortunately, she would pass away a year later at the age of 22. Five years later, on 13 June 1877, Francis married Mary Augusta McKnew and they had six children: Mary Frances, Georgie May, William Thompson, Lester I., Avis, and Frank Earl. In his obituary, it was written that Francis was “one of the best-known citizens of Howard County.” He served a term as sheriff, was the county treasurer for six years, was the registration officer for five years, an election supervisor for a number of years, and was a Customs Service Inspector for 18 years having been stationed in Baltimore, Buffalo, and New Orleans. Further, as a lifelong Democrat, he was a journal clerk in the State Senate for several sessions of the Legislature. Other names in this family line are Haslup, Duvall, Hammersbough, Swann, Packman, Mollman, Lilley, Hazell, Plogger, Fowler, Nichols, Eastman, Smith, Myers, West, and Greenwood. Francis died at home in Savage on 8 February 1917 and is buried in the Savage Cemetery.
Information submitted by Savage Cemetery Company/Ken Farnsworth and Baltimore Sun Obituary. (Photo from findagrave.com)

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!