John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore)
John Carroll (January 8, 1735 – December 3, 1815) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the first bishop and archbishop in the United States. He served as the ordinary of the first diocese and later Archdiocese of Baltimore, in Maryland, which at first encompassed all of the United States and later after division as the eastern half of the new nation. Carroll is also known as the founder of Georgetown University, and of St. John the Evangelist Parish of Rock Creek (now Forest Glen), the first secular parish in the country. Early life and education John Carroll was born on January 8, 1735, in Upper Marlborough, Maryland (as it was then spelled), to Daniel Carroll I and Eleanor (Darnall) Carroll at the large plantation which Eleanor had inherited from her family. He was of Irish ancestry. He spent his early years at the family home, sited on thousands of acres near Marlborough Town, the county seat of Prince George's County in the Province of Maryland. (Several remnant surrounding acres are now associated with the house museum known as "Darnall's Chance", listed on the National Register of Historic Places and part of the system of the