Figure of the Week

Alexander Gaddess (c.1767-1815) was the son of Alexander Gaddess (died 1785), both of whom resided at Palace Green on the border of Wide Water and modern Aquia Harbour subdivision.  The surname sometimes appears in the early records as “Gaddis” but a branch of the family that moved to Baltimore, Maryland used the “Gaddess” spelling.  The elder Alexander was shipped to the colonies as a result of his involvement in a failed political uprising in Scotland.  The Gaddess family was long involved with freestone quarrying and stonework in Stafford and Baltimore.  Alexander Gaddess married Catherine Kendall (born c.1770) and resided at Palace Green.