Pleasant View and the Gemeny Family Seat
John Gemeny II lived in the town of Kinsale in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Kinsale is located in Westmoreland County on the shore of the Potomac River near Carmalchurch. Until recently, there was an area referred to by locals as “Gemley Corner” (Gemeny Corner).
John “The Sea Captain”
John II was the son of John Gemeny and Naomi Tewksbury, married July 24, 1790 in Salem, Massachusetts. The elder John was employed as a Ship’s Master or Captain by the late 1790s. In August 1797 he was listed as “Master, The James, a Brig of 147 89/95 tonns belonging to Mark and John Prager, Merchants of Philadelphia.”
The family moved from Salem to the Philadelphia area around 1797 — perhaps seeking warmer climates, a more cosmopolitan environment, or a long-term arrangement with the Pragers. Several letters from John to Naomi, addressed to her in Philadelphia, survive in the possession of various family members. It was in Philadelphia that John acquired a Pennsylvania Tall Clock (Grandfather’s Clock) that remains in the family.
The Cupboard Legend
Family legend holds that John II was meant to go to sea with his father. He was hidden by his mother in a cupboard on the day that his father sailed on a voyage and was never heard from again. Thus every Gemeny descends from John Gemeny II.
Pleasant View
John II moved to Alexandria, Virginia in the early 1800s, where he was part owner of a Grocery Store/Tavern on Lee Street. He married Matilda Figg in Alexandria on June 23, 1816.
John and Matilda ultimately settled in Kinsale, where he operated a small Grocery Store. They built their house, named Pleasant View, on a small hill with a view across the Potomac River. It was said that “on a clear day, one could see Piney Point, on the Maryland side.”
The house was described as a very inviting home approached by a long carriage drive lined on either side by locust trees, standing on a slight eminence commanding a fine view of the surrounding country. It had all the comforts of city life inside, and all the enjoyments of country life outside.
John and Matilda had nine children there; eight survived to adulthood and produced descendants.
The General Harrison Quilt
John’s mother, Naomi, settled in Baltimore where she is believed to have operated a rooming house. The family made frequent trips by steamer along the Chesapeake Bay between Kinsale and Baltimore.
During the early-to-mid 1800s in Baltimore, a unique quilting style developed now known as the “Baltimore Album Quilt” — characterized by bright floral patterns and ornate detail. Many Baltimore Album Quilts were stories or political statements expressed through the quilters’ art.
The General Harrison Quilt was given to John and Matilda Gemeny with their initials (the style of the “G” resembles a “C”) to commemorate their wedding. While not entirely representative of the Baltimore Album style, it contains elements of it in several blocks. This blending may result from transitioning into or out of the era, or from squares purchased in Baltimore and assembled elsewhere — perhaps in Kinsale.
The quilt has been part of the family heritage for over 150 years.