Greenridge at Fairland, Maryland

Conley Family Pages by CCHall
Greenridge

When Thomas Conley first came to America he lived in what is now downtown Washington, D.C. where he probably met his future wife whose family owned land there. Soon he bought the farm we now know as "Greenridge" in Montgomery County, Maryland, where he raised his family and established himself as a prominent member of the community. The family is buried at St. Mark's Cemetery just a quarter of a mile to the northeast. As of 2016 the home place remained in the Conley family although the original buildings had disappeared over time and the main house was rebuilt by Gen. Edgar Thomas Conley after a fire. The property is located at the southwest corner of Old Columbia Pike and East Randolph Road. Dr. Charles Henry Conley (later of "Guilford," Frederick County) grew up here.

Greenridge, the Conley family home originally bought by
Thomas Young Conley in the 1830s. This house replaced
the original building that burned around 1901.
This picture is apparently from about 1920.

The deed records of Montgomery County, Maryland show that in February, 1835 Thomas Connelly (note spelling) bought the farm now known as "Greenridge" from Samuel Perry (Deed Book BS 7-70).

Census of 1870
As copied from microfilm at the National Archives:
     Thomas Y. Conley age 60  male, white, parents foreign
     Helen M. Conley  age 55  female, white
     Chas. W. Conley      31  male, white
     Martha E. Conley     29  female, white
     Helen M. Conley       1  female, white
also listed at the same house and family are:
     Ward Parker          13  male, white  b. VA
     Matilda Barker       45  female, black, domestic servant,
                                              b. MD, can't write
     ?___ Brown           43  female, mulatto, domestic servant,
                                 can't read or write, b. MD
     F___ Brown           11  female, black,  all family b. MD
     George Brown         55  male, black, farm laborer, can't
r/w
     M___ Brown            9  male, black
     Florence Brown        5  female, black
     John Brown            2  male, black
On this census Thomas Y. Conley is shown as having a farm worth
$80000 and estate worth $7000.  The record shows the figures in
such a way that it is difficult to know if there is supposed to
be a decimal point somewhere.

Conley, Edgar Thomas born at Greenridge 12 Apr 1874

Greenridge as it looks today. Kathy Conley, daughter of Pat and Betty Conley is the current descendant of Thomas Young Conley to live in the house. Pat is the son of the third Edgar Thomas Conley to live at Greenridge. The first Edgar was killed in the Civil War and had no issue.

Kathy is standing by the old clock and the wonderful umbrella stand; yes, it is an artillery shell.

Aerial view from Montgomery County online data

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