Biography:

(ink on paper): Notes by Wm Halsey Wood Jr. grandson / of Alexander Hemsley. (printed on paper): W. HALSEY WOOD / AGENCY MANAGER [struck through] (ink on paper): Alexander Hemsley / Buried in St. James / the Less / Cemetary [sic] / in Phila / over / about 1834 - 1903 / graduated from the Episcopal Academy in / Phila - Pa/ Member of the 1st City Troup [sic] of Phila at / the time of the / battle of Gettysburgh. [sic] / Inventor and manufacturer of / photographic supplies. / Married Emily Cox of Phila. / Father of Elizabeth Hemsley and / Florence Hemsley (wood) / grandfather of Emily Hemsley Wood (Burrows) / William Halsey Wood Jr. and Alexander / Hemsley Wood. The Hemsleys all settled on the / eastern shore of Maryland at the time of over [recto] (ink on paper): Cromwell. For generations they lived in / Hemsley (Helmsley Castle) Yorkshire, / England. Built in the 900s - my / mother and I have both visited the / town of Helmsley. The Public Library / in Easton Maryland has all kinds / of information about the family / dating from the 1600s. Near Easton / there are still two of the original / plantations. One is called Hemsleys / fortune (100 acres) and the other Cloverfield / plantation - Both have historic metal / markers in front of them, documenting / the names and dates. I have two / copies of a book called The Helmsleys / of Maryland - a geneological sketch by / Frederic Emory. I am going to give one / to the Library of Congress. One of the first / settlers was "William Hemsley, Chirurgeon (Surgeon) / who came to this country in 1658" His land was / acquired by a grant from Lord Baltimore.