Historical Information

Founding of the Society

In a letter dated 2 February 1927 to prospective members, Dr. Wirt Adams Duvall of Baltimore, MD stated that:

"A number of descendants of Mareen Duvall, the first of the name to establish a home in the Province of Maryland, met by appointment on the ninth day of December, last, to consider the advisability of forming a Society among the descendants for the purpose of perpetuating his memory, as well as the names and deeds of worthy descendants.

"To accomplish this, a temporary organization of the descendants present was effected, and it was determined that such a Society should be formed, and that invitations should be sent to representative descendants in different localities asking them to meet at a time and place for the purpose of forming a permanent organization, electing officers, declaring its objects, and purposes, and adopting a suitable name, and rules for its government.

"The Committee in charge decided to call a meeting of descendants, to be held in Baltimore, MD, on the twenty-second day of February at 2:30 o'clock, in the afternoon for the transaction of the business in view. The meeting took place at the appointed time with 39 persons attending. Dr. Wirt Adams Duvall was elected the first president along with other officers and members of the Council.

The dinner was attended by 35 of the 39 now members of the Society. Toasts were drunk to the President of the United States; the First President of the United States, George Washington, to France, and to our progenitor, Mareen Duvall the Immigrant. Mr. Richard Mareen Duvall gave a brief and instructive outline of the life of Mareen Duvall.

It was moved and seconded that Society members would convene during the month of July at Holy Trinity Church at Collington in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  

Significant Events

24 Jul 1927 – Seventy-five members of the Society of Mareen Duvall Descendants met at Holy Trinity Church near Collington in Prince George’s County, Maryland, for the first gathering of the family. Descendants came from ten States to attend the gathering, which was followed by a picnic. During the afternoon, addresses were made by members on the history of the Duvall family.

28 Sep 1930 – The Memorial Baptistry to Mareen Duvall, the Emigrant, was dedicated at Holy Trinity Parish Church in Bowie, Maryland. A Litany Book was also presented by the Society during the service.

09 Nov 1941 – A Bronze Tablet, in memory of our ancestor Mareen Duvall, was dedicated at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church at Leeland, Prince George’s County, Maryland, by the rector, Mr. Shrewsbury. St. Barnabas Church was built on land given by John and Elizabeth Duvall in 1708. The tablet was unveiled by William Hugh Bagby, Jr., grandson of then President, Dr. W. A. Duvall.

1941 – 1947 – Period of Inactivity during World War II

12 Oct 1947 – Reunion of the Society of Mareen Duvall Descendants was held at St. James Church of Herry Creek, Tracy’s Landing in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. A luncheon offered by the Ladies Guild of the Parish in Clagget Memorial Hall followed services at the church. The business meeting, ordered 13 July 1947, for the purpose of finishing the interrupted business of the November 1941 meeting, to elect officers and transact other business was conducted in the afternoon.

23 Sep 1956 – The 300^th Anniversary of the Settlement of Mareen Duvall, who became a prominent merchant-planter near South River in Anne Arundel County, was commemorated by the Society at its annual meeting in the Great Hall of St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. The highlight of the celebration was the unveiling of a marble plaque to the memory of Mareen Duvall at Holy Trinity Church in Bowie, Maryland.

03 Oct 1959 – Following the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Mareen Duvall Descendants, held at the Maryland Inn in Annapolis, Maryland, a Commemorative Road Sign was dedicated and placed at Middle Plantation in Davidsonville, Maryland.

15 Oct 1966 – The Society’s 40th Annual Meeting was held at the Holiday Inn in Bowie, Maryland. To highlight the 40th Anniversary of the Society, a Commemorative marker was placed on the Old Duvall Bridge in the Patuxent Wildlife Center.

18 Oct 1969 – The 42nd Annual Meeting and Luncheon was held at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church at Collington, and at the Gabriel Duval High School at Glendale. The new American flag purchased by the Society was proudly used for the first time. A note of appreciation was read from Mr. Daniel F. Chase, Principal of Gabriel Duval Senior High School, for the portrait of Judge Gabriel Duvall, which was unveiled at the meeting.

15 Oct 1977 – Duvall Society Celebrates 50 Years – Society members returned to Holy Trinity Church, reuniting at the site of the final resting place of past generations. Holy Trinity, built on the site of an earlier church which had been financed in part by the widow of Mareen Duvall, is where many of the family worshipped and are buried. Following the business meeting and luncheon, members traveled to Annapolis and toured the newly restored Paca House. On this date, the Society had over 200 members in 31 states.

05 Oct 1980 – Hall of Fame Honored Gabriel Duvall. The contributions of Justice Duvall were recognized by the Prince George’s County Hall of Fame during the installation ceremony in the County Administration Building. A formal portrait of Gabriel Duvall was unveiled. The portrait was hung in the County Courthouse along with the pictures and plaques of other Hall of Fame honorees.

8 Oct 1983 – The Annual Meeting and Luncheon was held at London Town Publick House and Gardens at Edgewater, Maryland. Tours of the house and surrounding gardens followed the luncheon. The Publick House, ca. 1744-50, is the only remaining structure on the site of what was once a thriving seaport town of 100 acres on the shores of the South River near Annapolis. The house, perched on a high knoll overlooking the river, was once a fine inn which provided a stopping place and ferry service for travelers making the journey between Williamsburg and Philadelphia. Many famous historical figures, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Francis Scott Key noted making the crossing here. The inn also served occasionally as a court house and meeting place. Today it stands as the sole survivor of a vanished town.

19 Sep 1987 – The 60th Annual Meeting, held at Holy Trinity Church in Bowie, coincided with the Prince George’s County Bicentennial Program. Members attending were guests of the Bicentennial Committee for a buffet luncheon. The afternoon program took place at “Marietta,” which included the re-interment of Justice Gabriel Duvall (1752-1844), a distinguished public servant for more than sixty years, and the dedication of a Memorial Plaque at Judge Duvall’s Law Office by the Prince George’s County Historical Society.

15 Oct 1988 – The Society’s 61st Annual Meeting and Luncheon was held at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church (built in 1851) in Lothian, Maryland. After the luncheon, there was a Grand Parade to the Field of Honor where the Maryland Jousting Association sponsored a demonstration of the Official State Sport. The earliest tournament in Maryland was in 1680.

6 Oct 1990 – The 63rd Annual Meeting was held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The luncheon speaker, Mr. Daniel D. Hartzler, was a Civil War historian and author of Marylanders in the Confederacy. After lunch, the attendees toured the Gettysburg Battlefield. The award winning Confederate Color Guard from the Harry W. Gilmore Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans participated in the memorial program. Wreaths were placed at memorials to Duvalls who took part in Maryland Confederate Units at Culp’s Hill, and to Robert Edward Duvall of the Union Army in the East Cavalry Field.

18 Oct 1998 – Root Cellar Restored at Mariettta – Society members and guests were invited to the Grand Opening. The ruins of the root cellar and harness room at Marietta had been restored. Standing next to Justice Duvall’s old Law Office, and shaded by a giant pecan tree said to be a present from Thomas Jefferson, the ribbon cutting ceremony was celebrated by a Country Harvest Festival. Hot spiced cider and harvest goodies were served. The demonstration included old-time techniques for storing apples, white and sweet potatoes, and turnips from autumn harvest for winter food needs for the family.

15 Sep 2001 – Society 75th Anniversary Meeting held at The Cliffside Inn in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. Ranger Kyle McGrogan – “The Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park.” Members toured the Harper’s Ferry Historic District. Ninety-three members attended the “Society’s Diamond Jubilee” weekend.

19 Oct 2002 – The 76^th Annual Meeting was held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church (established in 1824) in Forest, Virginia. Members enjoyed the afternoon touring Thomas Jefferson’s “Poplar Forest” residence, the National D-Day Memorial, and “Rothsay.” One hundred and five members from 13 states attended.

18 Oct 2003 – The 77th Anniversary of the Society’s founding, attended by 125 Duvalls who traveled from 14 states and Washington, DC, brought our members back to the land where both Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Duvall and our ancestor Mareen Duvall the Emigrant once lived. Following the Society’s Annual Meeting, held at Holy Trinity Church, the group drove to “Marietta” and toured Judge Duvall’s law office, the house and grounds. A new portrait of Gabriel Duvall was presented by the Society to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and is hung at “Marietta.” A teak garden bench was presented by the Society in memory of the Gabriel Duvall Family. The burial service and re-interment ceremony for the remains of Jane Gibbon Duvall (1757-1834), wife of Gabriel Duvall, followed in the Gabriel Duvall Family Memorial Garden at “Marietta.”

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