Plat of proposed subdivision of Dumbarton Farm, never executed, 1906

The papers in the Rieman family collection span over 150 years, and document the genealogical history of the Rieman Family in Baltimore. The materials consist of legal papers, wills, land deeds, real estate records, plats and blueprints, and records of the genealogical research conducted by various Rieman family members during the twentieth century. The collection has been organized alphabetically by subject, paying attention to general themes followed by the collection’s creators, Mr. and Mrs. J. Rieman McIntosh (now Mrs. Joseph [Elizabeth] Bryan III).

The bulk of the material relates to the genealogical interests of the Rieman family. In addition to several genealogical charts of both the Rieman and Lowe pedigrees, there are the correspondence of Charles E. Rieman and J. Rieman McIntosh with various agencies and people as they searched for information on their family history. The genealogical research is also evidenced in the collection of originals and copies of Rieman family wills, which represent their efforts to investigate family property holdings and relationships. In particular, there is an original copy of Henry Rieman’s 1865 will, complete with the original wax seal and various additions and proofs of land ownership attached. The wills provide valuable information about the nineteenth-century procedures for probate and the workings of the Baltimore Orphan’s Court.

The collection contains several particularly interesting items. The Iowa Land Warrants of Henry Rieman (1786 – 1865) were awarded to him and his heirs by the United States’ government in payment of Henry’s service in the War of 1812. Henry’s grandson, Charles Rieman (d. 1954), also saved a safe-conduct warrant that the U.S. granted to him at age 18, when he traveled to the Iowa properties. Furthermore, the Family Papers contains original stock certificates belonging to Joseph Henry Rieman (1822 – 1897), which demonstrate the expanding capitalist interests of the Riemans, as well as the growing importance of the U.S. stock market. Joseph Henry’s papers also contain plans for the addition of a hydraulic elevator to Dumbarton Farm in the early 1890s, cutting-edge technology for the time, demonstrating the Riemans’ wealth and social status in Baltimore County.

J. Rieman McIntosh (1905 – 1988) was also heavily involved in the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club, a fox-hunting association in Baltimore County. The papers relating to this Club have been removed from the Rieman Family Collection to form the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club Collection, as the processor deemed that they did not match the intellectual needs of a family history collection.

Also of particular note in the oversized material series, is the scrapbook Ocean Gems, which Annie Lowe Rieman received from her father, Peter Perlee Lowe. It contains pressed sea weed and other plants. The Family Papers series also includes several ledgers recording the expenses of Henry Rieman, Joseph Henry Rieman, Charles Rieman, and J. Rieman McIntosh. One ledger also contains scale drawings of the Rieman’s Baltimore properties. The Land Deeds folder contains items that record the real estate transactions of the Riemans. They are important for noting the historical progression of ownership of prominent Baltimore sites, and also record the developments and ground rent values of the properties. In addition to this business history, the Dumbarton House papers include several late-nineteenth century plats and landscape plans of Dumbarton House, which record the development of one of Baltimore County’s historic treasures. The collection of these plats and other maps demonstrates the concern that Mr. J. Rieman McIntosh had for preserving his family’s history. The provenance of the Rieman Family Collection has determined its scope; it reflects specifically on the genealogical interest and family pride of the Rieman family.