Richard Ackworth ( -c.1676)
Per The Early Settler of Maryland by Gust Skordas, Richard Ackworth arrived in Maryland in 1662.
He married Anne Manlove ca 1663 in Somerset County, MD. He died ca 1676 in Somerset County, MD.
Their son Richard was born on 15 May 1664 in Manoakin, Somerset, MD and died there in 1728. He married Sarah Hardy in Somerset, MD on 6 Dec 1683. Sarah was born 29 Oct 1668 and died before 1728.
A planter, the elder Richard’s Will was written 18 January 1675, and in it he names his sons Richard, Thomas, and Henry, as well as his wife Anne. He mentions that Anne is with child. Richard also mentions “daughters,” but no specific name reference is given for them.
No record for birth or origin for Richard has been discovered, but in Old Somerset on The Eastern Shore of Maryland by Clayton Torrence, an approximate date of birth is given as ca 1634. The citation “DT, 206” is given for this birth record (Circuit Court for Somerset County, “Judicials”).
Generations of the Ackworth family thereafter named many sons Richard, including one who fought in the Revolutionary War. Corporal Richard Ackworth (1735-1798) served in the Somerset Militia, under Captain Henry Gale.
Ninian Beall (1625-1717)
Ninian Beall (pronounced Bell) was born in 1625 at Largo, in East Scotland between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay. It is said that he grew to be seven feet tall and had red hair.
Largo is in the lowlands but is near the Lomond Hills which rise to 1500 feet. Fishing villages of great antiquity dot the eastern coast, indicating that fishing was one of the occupations of Ninian's time. In addition to fishing, there was also agriculture, mining, weaving, glass blowing and ship building. An adequate judicial system has evolved, and children were required to attend school.
In 1650, Oliver Cromwell invaded Scotland and defeated the Royalist Scots at Dunbar. More than 3,000 Scotsmen were slaughtered on the field and 10,000 prisoners were taken. The wounded among these were released, but 5,000 were sent into virtual slavery in Northumbria, and the rest were shipped off to America and the West Indies. Among these was Ninian Beall who held a commission as a cornetist in the Scottish-English Army under Leslie raised to resist Cromwell and fought and was made prisoner in the battle of Dunbar, September 3, 1650. He was sentenced to five years of servitude and, after a short stay in Ireland, was packed into the hold of a prison ship with 149 other Scotsmen and sent to Barbados, West Indies, West Indies.
About 1652, he was transferred, still a prisoner, to the Province of Maryland where he served five years with Richard Hall of Calvert County.
Catholics had come to Maryland to avoid persecution. However, the ships Ark and Dove brought both Catholics and Protestants, and religious conflict was strong in ensuing years. Soon the Puritans seized control and there was a brief civil war. In 1657, the proprietorship was briefly restored to Lord Baltimore. After England's Glorious Revolution of 1688, the government of the colony passed to the Crown, and the Church of England was made the established church. In 1699, as a member of the Assembly, Ninian Beall signed the petition to King William III for the establishment of the Church of England in Maryland, although Ninian was a Presbyterian Elder.
Maryland became a royal province in 1691. The proprietorship was restored in 1715, but Maryland remained virtually the same as a royal province. Ninian Beall was freed from his obligations as indentured servant during the proprietorship of Lord Baltimore. But after the colony became a royal province, he continued to rise and was appointed Chief Military Officer of Calvert County. He rose from indentured servant to Member of the House of Burgesses, and Commander in Chief of Provincial Forces of Maryland. He was one of the most influential men in the settling of the District of Columbia and its surrounding area, and the protection of the colonists from the Indians.
As Ninian Beall was responsible for about 200 immigrants coming to the country, when Prince Georges County was created out of Calvert County, over 7,000 acres of his property were found to be in the new county. On part of this acreage, the District of Columbia is now located, an on another part the famed "Dumbarton Oaks." His first tract of land was called "Rock of Dumbarton." This grant was received from Lord Baltimore and was for seven hundred and ninety-five acres.
A bronze plaque has been installed on a large oval rock, symbolic of the "Rock of Dumbarton," in front of St. John's Episcopal church in Georgetown, 3240 O Street N.W., with the following inscription:
"Colonel Ninian Beall, born Scotland, 1625, died Maryland 1717, patentee of the Rock of Dumbarton; Member of the House of Burgesses; Commander in Chief of the Provincial Forces of Maryland. In grateful recognition of his services "upon all Incursions and Disturbances of Neighboring Indians" the Maryland Assembly of 1699 passed an "Act of Gratitude." This memorial erected by the Society of Colonial Wars in the District of Columbia, 1910.
Colonel Ninian Beall died at the age of 92 at Fife's Largo, named for the place of his birth in Scotland. This was the home mentioned in his will (1717) and was in Prince Georges County near Upper Marlboro. It is believed that he is buried at Bacon Hall, another of his homes in Prince Georges County.
Easter (unknown), wife of Humphrey Beckett (c.1650-c.1713)
Easter's birth and parentage are not known due to limited records from the period.
She was married twice – 1st Humphrey Beckett Sr. who came from Hampstead, England as a Newgate Prisoner to Barbadoes on July 29, 1675 and then likely to Maryland thereafter. He died between June 1706 and June 1707. She then almost immediately married 2nd Hugh Abrahams who at his death left his full estate to her including Plantation and its 60 acres called Essenton in his 1712 dated will. During this period in Maryland history, women had little rights or independent income so remarrying became necessary.
1. Humphrey Beckett Jr. born 1675 and living 1753. His known wives were Dorcas Brown in 1712 and a widow Mrs. Mary Lewis in 1721 but may have married previously.
2 John Beckett born about 1680 living 1733. His known wives are married Mary Nichols in 1723 and married Ann Drane in 1724 but likely married prior to Mary. They had a son Richard who would later become a confirmed Patriot in the Revolution in Virginia.
3 Elizabeth Beckett born ca 1682 m. a Becraft per stepfathers will but a marriage record in 1715 using her maiden name to Brock Mockby.
4 Mary Beckett born ca 1684 m. John Rodrey in 1706
Her Husband Humphrey arrived in Barbadoes in 1675 but the emigration into Maryland has not been found. Neither has one been found for Easter Beckett (variously spelled as Hester, Esther, etc.) so she may have arrived under a maiden name, was born here already or the record has not survived. She was married to Humphrey Beckett by about 1675-1680 if she was mother of Humphrey Beckett Jr. who was born in 1675. She is confirmed as residing in Maryland at least by June 1707 when she witnessed a deed as Easter Abrahams. She was deceased by 1715 when her son John sold the the land given to her by Hugh in the 1712. It was unusual in this period for a woman to own land in her own right but her 2nd husband did give her full rights during her lifetime which she appears to have outlived him by 2 years. In the will it stated the land would pass to John Beckett upon her demise.
Ebenezer Blakiston/Blackiston (1650-1709)
Ebenezer Blakiston was likely born in New Castle County England as one of the youngest of 9 children of George Blakiston and Barbara Lawson who were from Durham County. His family had lived in the county of Durham for hundreds of years. However, his family sided against the king and his uncle John was one of the Judges that signed the death Warrant of King Charles I in 1649 so when his son King Charles II returned to the throne in 1660, the Blakiston family were persecuted, and lands confiscated despite their being prominent and royally descended from King Edward III of England. The town of Newcastle voted to give George 500 lbs. as he did many good services for this town (such as being the Mercer, Councilor, Alderman and Sheriff). George’s brother Judge John Blakiston was made Mayor of Newcastle in 1645. John unfortunately died in 1650 leaving George 200 lbs. and naming Ebenezer’s eldest siblings except him since he was likely born shortly after the will was made.
After years of persecution George and his family left for America between May 1668 and May 1669. Ebenezer was barely 20 when they fled England having suffered persecution from King Charles II for over 10 years. George and family landed in St. Mary's County, but he died shortly after arrival in September 1669 and son John administered his estate. John had received 800 acres of land on Jan 4, 1670, for the transportation of parents and siblings as he administered on his father’s estate. Ebenezer paid his own passage and received 50 acres but likely came with his parents and his cousin Nehemiah Blakiston, son of Judge John Blakiston. Nehemiah who became prominent in his own right - becoming Attorney General of Maryland the Blakiston’s Island bore his name from 1669 to 1962 when it was changed to Clement’s Island.
Ebenezer married twice - first to Elizabeth James about 1672 and appears to only have had one daughter:
1. Anna/Hannah – she married her cousin John Blakiston Jr. (1669-1733) (whom her father had raised upon after John Sr.’s death in 1679 when Jr was but 10 years old).
First wife Elizabeth died young since by 1678 he married 2nd to Rose Tucker and had two sons - both of whom would serve in the Maryland Legislature and become prominent in their own right. The 2nd marriage was tumultuous and eventually she pursued divorce in 1681. Her brother-in-law William Fitzhugh Esq. of the House of Burgesses of Virginia described the marriage as violent to Kenelm Chelsedine, Attorney General for Maryland in a letter to him requesting the grant of divorce. Rose eventually fled to her family in Virginia and by 1697 she had married Edward Bathhurst but her divorce from Ebenezer may not have been granted. Her two sons by Ebenezer stayed with their father in Maryland.
2. William Blackiston (c1679-1737) m1 Ann Park, dau of Robert Park and Mary Hatcheson and m2 Ann Moore dau of John Moore and Elizabeth Dowland. He served in the Maryland Legislature Lower House from 1722-1724 and farmed 100 acres by the time of his will in 1737.
3. Ebenezer Blackiston Jr. (c1681-1746) m Sarah Joyce dau of Thomas and Sarah Joce. He became a Captain then Major, and a Gaol "Jail" Keeper and Justice and Coroner of Kent County MD holding many of the same positions his father held and for much longer.
Ebenezer did well for himself in Maryland and he was appointed Sheriff of Cecil County and then a Justice in 1691. He served as Militia Captain in 1689, In 1697, Ebenezer said he was 47 years old and was commissioned a Captain of a Foot Company in Worton and South Sassafras Hundred (Kent County). He was a significant landowner in Maryland. In 1681 he had 500 acres in Cecil Co and another 150 acres by 1682 in same county. Then in 1684 he bought 400 acres in Baltimore County - 200 acres called Ebenezer's Park and 200 acres called Ebenezer's Lot. He eventually moved to St. Paul's Parish in Kent County where he died and was buried October 25, 1709. His family Coat of Arms adorns the church walls at St. Paul's.
John Board (1706-1787)
The birth date for John Board, 13 October 1706, is recorded in the church records for St.Margaret’s Anglican Church, Westminster Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. John was the son of Francis and Ann Mead Board and the grandson of Francis and Anna Mead of Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Jemima was the granddaughter of Joseph and Jane Long Peake, and the great granddaughter of George and Mary Peake of Calvert County and Thomas and Jane Long of Baltimore County. Although her parents cannot be positively identified, it is believed that her father was a John Henderson who died in Baltimore County in 1720.
John Board married Jemima Henderson on 13 January 1733 in St. Paul’s Parish. John would have been 26 years old at the time of marriage. In subsequent years, the births of several of the children of John and Jemima were recorded in St. Paul’s register.
John appears in tax lists for Lunenburg County, Virginia, in 1750 and 1752 in the area settled by a Nicholas Haile. Therefore, by 1750 at least, John had apparently acquired land, cleared it, built a home, and transported his family to that area of Virginia. This is the area that later became Bedford County.
To this day, there is a Board Mountain in Bedford County, north of the Staunton, or Roanoke, River, near the town of Goodview. On maps, Route 653 appears to go over the mountain.
John Board Senior died in Bedford County, Virginia, before 24 September 1787, when his will was recorded. The will names wife Jemima, sons Stephen, Absalom, James, and William, and daughter Mary Hix.
(Excerpted from The Board Family Chronicle).
Edwad Browne V (1631-1678)
Edward Browne V was born in 1631 in County Kent and was baptized in London in 1632. At the urging of his relative, William Piper, Edward Browne decided to immigrate to the Maryland Colony in 1655. Upon his arrival, Edward settled at Kent Island, Maryland, at the mouth of the Chester River.
Edward Browne married Sarah Williams (the daughter of Morgan and Amy Williams) on 28 October 1668 at St. Paul's Parish, Kent County, Maryland. Edward and Sarah Browne had three sons: Morgan Brown I (11 October 1669), Edward Brown VI (1678), and Thomas Brown.
Edward Browne's father-in-law, Morgan Williams, was a constable in Kent County, Maryland. Edward Browne served as constable of the Upper Hundred of Kent County, Maryland, from 1669 to 1670. Edward Browne obtained a land grant and settled at Eastern Neck, Kent County, where lived out the remainder of his life. He had also obtained a grant of land on Lankford's Bay, four miles upstream from the mouth of the Chester River, but he never developed it due to the hostility of the local Indians.
Edward Browne died in 1678 in Kent County, Maryland. An inventory of his estate was made on 29 June 1678.
Samuel Chew (1630-1676)
Samuel Chew and his wife Anne Ayers are documented as receiving a land grant and warrant for 400 acres found in the MD Land Office. Col Samuel Chew served in the General Assembly, and he was Colonel in the Militia in 1635. The Chew Manor House, Maidstone, is located in the extreme northern part of Calvert County, It is still well preserved. Maidstone was the seat of the Chew family for many generations. Chief Justice Samuel Chew of Delaware was born there, as well as his son, Benjamin Chew, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania after the Revolutionary War. Maidstone had been a part of Anne Arundel County territory during the Colonial era. It was finally allotted to Calvert after a land dispute in 1823. Special tours of Maidstone may still be arranged upon request
St. Leger Codd (1680-b.1730)
St. Leger Codd was born 1680 at Kent, Northumberland County, Virginia and died before April 3 1730 at Wharton's Creek, Maryland. He was married on October 8, 1700 at Kent Maryland to Mary Hanson who was born on December 16, 1680 at Kimbolten, Kent County Maryland and died in 1732 at Kent Maryland. He was left land in Cecil County Maryland by his father, St. Leger Codd. He was a Vestryman of St. Paul's Parish, Kent County MD April 21, 1712; Justice of Kent County; Captain of Militia, member of the Lower House of the Maryland Assembly from Cecil County, 1712-22 and Justice of the Provincial Court, 1722-30.
Child: Ann St. Leger Codd, born 1716 in Maryland and died 1787 in New Jersey. She married James Stout.
Nicholas Day (1635-1704)
Nicholas Day was born circa 1635 in London, England and was transported to Maryland in 1658 as an indentured servant to Richard Owens. He was granted 50 acres of land in Anne Arundel County and lived there until he purchased 150 acres of land in 1695 from Thomas Bevin in Baltimore County known as “William the Conqueror”. He married Sarah in 1686 and had two sons (Nicholas, Edward) and three daughters (Elizabeth McComas, Sarah Greer, and Dinah Merica). He died in 1704 and gave most of his land to his son Nicholas, who lived on and farmed the land the rest of his life. Sarah Day died in 1736 in Baltimore County.
Nicholas was a tobacco planter and made several other land purchases before his death using his tobacco crop to make the purchases.
As the original owner of “William the Conqueror”, he and his sons built the first house on the property that became part of the Kingsville Inn and was registered as a historic property by the Maryland Historical Trust in 1968 as the Day-Deans-King House. Today the house is used as a funeral home in Kingsville, Maryland.
Nicholas Day’s great grandson, Nicholas Day, served in the American Revolution in Baltimore County under LT Edward Oldham.
Mareen Duvall (1630-1694)
Mareen Duvall was born around 1630 in Laval, a town in Upper Brittany located in Northwestern France about 40 miles east of Rennes.
The French government’s oppression of Huguenots most likely led to Mareen Duvall’s emigration from France to Maryland. He came to the Province of Maryland in the 1650s and on January 22, 1659 Mareen Duvall’s first land patent, called Laval, was granted to him. The exact text reads as follows: “Do hereby grant unto the said Marin Duvall a Parcell of Land called Lavall lying on the West side if the Chesapeake Bay, and on the West side of…South river, and on the Westermost branch of said river near the head respecting the land of John Freeman toward the north Beginning at a marked oak by a branch.”
This proof for his Breton heritage is supported by the fact that Mareen Duvall titled the first land patented to him “Laval.” This naming of tracts of land after ancestral estates or native parishes was practiced by early Maryland settlers. The colony officially assigned a distinctive name to each tract of land with the Patentee choosing the distinctive name under which it was enrolled. Although the system was officially discontinued after the American Revolution, many of these names have survived to present day. Even into the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, deeds often mentioned the various names of the original land grants including that of “Laval.”
On December 16, 1664, Mareen Duvall received his second land grant called “Middle Plantation” for 600 acres. This land was located in the political division of South River Hundred. By assignment, Duvall received 250 acres from John Ewen, 50 acres from Thomas Parsons, and by assignment of a warrant, 300 acres from Andrew Skinner. Mareen Duvall built a house on the property and was described “as luxurious and courtly as any of the manors of the English gentry.” The plantation is identified by a historical marker.
In 1683, the Maryland General Assembly appointed Mareen Duvall “Commissioners for the Advancement of Trade.” As such, Mareen was responsible for “buying and purchasing of the aforesaid Towne Lands Parts and places of now owners and possessors of the same as for the surveying and laying out of the said Ports Townes & places aforesaid & making & staking out the several Lotts to be laid out in the said Townes.
Within 35 years, Mareen Duvall became a prominent landholder and merchant. His land holdings included not only property in Maryland but also property in Charleston, South Carolina where one of his descendants, Stephen Duvall, was a Captain in the South Carolina Navy during the American Revolution and died in British captivity. Duvall had purchased sizeable tracts of land, including Catton, later known as Belair. Rising in status to a successful planter and merchant, by the time of his death, Mareen Duvall had acquired, by assignment and purchases, nearly 3,000 acres of land and an estate worth in excess of £1,400. He died in 1694 and his third and final wife, Mary Stanton, administered his substantial estate.
Mareen’s will was probated in about the time of the removal of the Capitol from St. Mary's to Annapolis. He left his third wife Mary a vast estate. His heirs, in order mentioned in his will were: his wife, MARY, who inherited a life interest in "Middle Plantation" with the remainder at the death of his stepmother; daughter ELIZABETH, who received £150 and 375 acres called "Bowdel’s Choice" in Calvert County; son BENJAMIN, who received £150 and 200 acres, which was one-half of "Howerton’s Range"; son MAREEN "the younger", who received £150 and 300 acres called "The Plains" in Calvert County; daughter MARY who received £150 and 320 acres called "Morley’s Grove" and 370 acres called "Morley’s Lott"; daughter JOHANNA, who received £150 and 311 acres called "Larkins Choice" and 200 acres called "Duvall’s Range", both located in Anne Arundel Co.; son JOHN who received 5 shillings, all wearing apparel and a silver tobacco box. John was appointed co-executor with his brother, Lewis, and his brother-in-law Robert Tyler; son SAMUEL, who received 5 shillings; son MAREEN "the elder", who received 5 shillings; and daughter SUSANNA, who received a silver tankard.
One can easily reconstruct the family of Mareen Duvall. The older children, who had already made their way, received little in the way of money or land. These were the children of his first wife: JOHN, LEWIS, SAMUEL, SUSANNA and MAREEN “the elder”. It is also know he had a daughter named ELEANOR, who received nothing in the will, perhaps she was also from the first wife. To explain naming two sons MAREEN in the will, it was common in those times to have sons with the same name, born of different wives, who were many years apart in age, probably to ensure passage of the name. Hence MAREEN “the elder,” born about 1662, and MAREEN “the younger,” born about 1680. MAREEN "the younger,” along with his full siblings ELIZABETH, BENJAMIN, MARY and JOHANNA, inherited land and money in their father Mareen’s will. They were obviously children of his second wife.
Mareen’s widow, Mary, married second Colonel Henry Ridgely Sr., as his third wife. She was later to become the wife of Rev. Mr. Henderson, the commissary of the Church of England. One of Mareen’s wives was closely allied to John Larkin, a neighbor and enduring friend of Mareen. Of his children, MAREEN "the Elder,” also called "Marius", by his mother-in-law, married Frances Stockett, daughter of Thomas Stockett. He was ancestor of John Pearce Duvall who was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate for a number of years. Capt. JOHN Duvall, who held a large estate, married Elizabeth Jones, daughter of William Jones, Sr. Of Anne Arundel County. SAMUEL Duvall married Elizabeth Clark, in 1687; SUSANNA married Robert Tyler and was the ancestress of Brigadier General Bradley T. Johnson, CSA; LEWIS Duvall married Martha Ridgley, only daughter of the Honorable Robert Ridgely, of St. Inigoes, in 1699.
Other notable descendants include U.S. Presidents John Tyler, Harry S. Truman and Barack Obama, American Vice-President Dick Cheney, U.S. Associate Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Duvall, Confederate Brigadier General Bradley Tyler Johnson, Wallis Simpson (for whom Edward VIII gave up the throne), actor Robert Duvall, and billionaire Warren Buffett.
Thomas Gerard (1608-1673)
Dr. Thomas Gerard immigrated over to Maryland Colony, St. Clement’s Manor in 1638 with 5 men servants. [The Early Settlers of Maryland by Gust Skordas, Records of Land Patents, in the Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland, 1633-1680, Liber 1, Folio 43]. His sister Anne and brother Richard were aboard the Ark and Dove along with Maryland’s first colonists in 1634. Dr. Thomas Gerrard political positions include: member of the Provincial Assembly (St. Mary’s Co. 1638/9, special writ 1641, 1641/2, 1642/4) and Upper House, the Provincial Council (1643-1649, 1651-1660), and justice of the Provincial Court (1643-1649, 1650-1651-1660). He supported Fendall’s Rebellion in 1659/60.
Thomas Gerard was born on 10 Dec 1608 in Lincolnshire, England. He died on 16 Oct 1673 in Westmoreland, Colony and Dominion of Virginia. He married (1) Susannah Snow, daughter of John Snow, about 1629 in Staffordshire, England and his wife Edith. In John Snowe’s Will, it states “Thomas Gerrard my Sonne in Law and Susanna his wife my daughter…” She was born on 16 Apr 1609 in Staffordshire, England. She died in 1666 in St Mary's, Province of Maryland. He married (2) Rose Tucker.
Thomas Gerard and Susannah Snow had the following children:
i. Temperance Gerard was born in 1637 in Lancashire, England. She died on 04 Feb 1712 in Westmoreland, Colony and Dominion of Virginia. She married (1) Benjamin Blanchflower. She married (2) Daniel Hutt. She married (3) John Crabb in Aug 1675 in Westmoreland, Colony and Dominion of Virginia. He was born in 1636 in Somerset, Province of Maryland. He died in 1691 in Westmoreland, Colony and Dominion of Virginia.
ii. Mary Gerard was born in 1645 in England. She died in 1708 in Province of Maryland. She married Kenelm Cheseldyne in 1677 in Province of Maryland. He was born in 1640 in England. He died after 06 Dec 1708 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland.
iii. Thomas Gerard. He died in 1686. He married Ann (-?-). She died about 1703.
iv. Elizabeth Gerard. She died in 1716. She married (1) Nehemiah Blackiston, son of John Blackiston, in 1669. He died in Dec 1693. She married (2) Ralph Rymer. She married (3) Joshua Guibert in 1709. He died in 1713.
v. Justinian Gerard. He died in 1688. He married Sarah (-?-).
vi. John Gerard He married Elizabeth (-?-).
vii. Susannah Gerard. She married (1) Robert Slye. He was born about 1628. He died in 1670. She married (2) John Codde. He was born about 1648 in Penryn, Cornwall, England. He died in 1709.
viii. Frances Gerard. She married (1) Thomas Speke. She married (2) Valentine Peyton. She married (3) John Appleton. She married (4) John Washington. He was born in 1633 in Tring, Hertfordshire, England. He died in 1677 in Colony and Dominion of Virginia. She married (5) John Hardwick.
Nicholas Greenberry (1627-1697)
Nicholas Greenberry was the 4th Royal Governor of Maryland, and Commander of the Military Forces of Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties. Greenberry was born in England in 1627. He married to Anne (-?-) in England about 1670.
Greenberry arrived at Patuxent, in the Maryland Colony, aboard the sailing ship Constant Friendship in 1674. On 9 July 1674 with his wife and two children, and on July 29, 1674 was granted a warrant for 350 acres of land located in "Providence" (now Annapolis).
In 1686, he became a gentleman justice of Anne Arundel County. He rose to prominence during the transfer of the proprietary government to King William and Queen Mary and was appointed captain of foot in the Anne Arundel County Militia about 1686, and was promoted to Major in 1690. He then quickly received a commission of Colonel in about 1682, and was appointed Commander of the Military Forces of Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties.
In September 1693, Greenberry was appointed by Sir Edmund Andros, Governor of Virginia, as President of the Council, Acting Governor of Maryland, and Keeper of the Great Seal of Maryland. Greenberry served in this capacity until he was replaced in 1694.
Nicholas Greenberry died at the age of 70 on 17 December 1697 at "Whitehall". His tombstone reads: "Here lieth interred, the body of Colonel Nicholas Greenberry, Esq., who departed this life the 17th day of December, 1697, Aetatis suae 70."
His wife Anne died 27 April 1698 at the age of 50. Both are buried in St. Anne's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland.
Nicholas and Anne and four children:
Charles, born 9 February 1672 in England, who married Rachel Stimpson, daughter of John Stimpson. Charles died in 1713 in Anne Arundel County.
Katherine, born about 1674 in England, who married 1) Henry Ridgely, son of Henry Ridgely, and 2) John Howard.
Anne, born about 1676 in Anne Arundel County, who married John Hamond.
Elizabeth, born 23 September 1678 in Anne Arundel County, who married Robert Goldsborough.
Francis Heydon (1629-1694)
Francis Heydon emigrated from England to the Colonies circa 1650, first being located in Westmoreland County, Virginia, as evidenced by land records. In 1665, Francis transported persons and took title to additional acreage. By 1669, he is found in Charles County, Maryland when he was assigned warrants for 300 acres on the East side of Portobacco fresh about 4 miles from the said fresh and called “Partnership”. Francis received more land when he transported his wife and children to St. Mary’s County.
Francis married Thomasine Butler (died c 1701 St. Mary’s Co, Maryland), and had three children:
Penelope, born before 1671, married Thomas Allman
Mary, born before 1671, died before Nov 1734, married (1) John Reeder, and probably (2) Thomas Scott
William, born 1674, died testate 1734, St. Mary’s Co, MD, married (1) X X, (2) Elizabeth Clement
Francis was in partnership or transacted business with locals in Southern Maryland, including John Alward, Benjamin Rozer, John Wilson, and Richard Sheppey.
In 1671, Francis Heydon was one of the jury of 12 men who signed a report as to property of Simon Overzee, a merchant who had moved from Virginia to Maryland. In 1677, he successfully petitioned on behalf of his wife, that since her brother, Thomas Butler of Charles Co, MD, had died intestate, that she become the administrator.
It is interesting to note that Thomasine (Butler) Hayden, wife of Francis, was named by two men in their wills:
In 1671, John Wilson left his feather bed to Thomasine and 2 cows each to Francis’ daughters Penelope and Mary;
In 1688, John Tonge gifted Francis’ wife Thomasine two cows, and Francis’ daughter Penelope was appointed Executrix and gifted all of his estate and 200 acres land called Boddell’s and 500 acres in St. Clement’s Manor, in consideration of the debt owed to Thomasine.
Francis Heydon was instrumental in forming the early Catholic parish in St. Mary’s County. In “Catholic Families of Southern Maryland: Records of Catholic Residents of St Mary’s”, introduction by Brother Thomas W. Spalding, Spalding College, Louisville, Kentucky, Spalding writes about the religious beginnings:
“The unsung heroes are the plain people. And so it was with the Catholics of St. Mary’s County, mostly farmers whose roots in America reached back to almost the beginning of their state. Such immigrant ancestors as John Cissell, Cuthbert Fenwick, Richard Gardiner, John Greenwell, Francis Hayden, Thomas Howard, John Jarboe, Thomas Jenkins, Thomas Mattingly, John Medley, Peter Mills, Thomas Spalding, and Robert Thompson were all there before the “Glorious Revolution” brought an end to the Catholic phase of the colony.”
Francis died in St Mary’s County, Maryland in 1694. His will was witnessed by John Bla. Carbury, John Morris and Tho Newton. He named his wife and children.
Grandchildren of Francis, including Henry and Basil, served during the American Revolution.
In 1785, his grandchild, Basil Hayden, led a contingent of over one hundred Catholic parishioners from twenty-five Catholic families along the Wilderness Road, through the Cumberland Gap to settle on some land near Bardstown, Kentucky. The area in Nelson County later became the location for many future famous bourbon brands, including Jim Beam, heaven Hill, Willett, Barton/1792. It is now referred to as the “Bourbon Capital of the World”. In fact, Jim Beam owns a whiskey brand called “Basil Hayden” after Francis Heydon’s grandson. Basil Hayden donated the land for the first Catholic church west of the Alleghenies and the first Catholic church in what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Thomas Linthicum (1640-1701)
The Linthicum name was likely originally spelled Linscombe, which has its roots in Wales. The meaning is a place at which a rushing stream (lin) throws-off a spray (comb). It is probable that the Linscombe’s moved into England from Wales, intermarried, and had the spelling of the name changed at some point. Documents show that in England, members of the family lived in Derby, Buckingham, and Berks; before Thomas Linthicum’s move to Maryland. Therefore, Thomas Sr. arrived in America as an Englishman of Welsh extraction. Thomas Linthicum Sr. came to the Maryland Colony upon the ship of Captain Edward Selby in 1658 at the age of 18. Records show that he was married to Jane Spurlock, and that they were originally members of the Quaker congregation at West River. However, the Linthicum family eventually left the Quakers in favor of the British Episcopal faith, and later records show the family as members of the All Hallows Parish in South River. Thomas Sr. and Jane had four children:
i. Hezekia Linthicum was born about 1667 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. He died before 29 Dec 1721 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. He married Milcah Francis, daughter of Thomas Francis and Ruth (-?-), on 05 Oct 1697 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. She was born on 14 Nov 1666. She died on 22 Dec 1721.
ii. Mary Linthicum was born about 1670 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. She died in 1724 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. She married Richard Snowden Jr, son of Richard Snowden and Deborah Abbott, about 1686 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. He was born about 1666 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. He died in 1724 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland.
iii. Jane Linthicum was born about 1672 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. She married Thomas Rutland on 13 Jan 1695.
iv. Thomas Linthicum, Jr was born on 31 Oct 1674 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. He died on 29 May 1741 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. He married Deborah Wayman, daughter of Leonard Wayman and Dorcas Abbott, on 22 Jun 1698 in Anne Arundel, Province of Maryland. She was born about 1675
From these children of Thomas Linthicum Sr. and Jane, there are numerous intermarriages with other prominent Maryland family names such as: Hopkins, Howard, Mayo, Shipley, Higgins, Harrington, and Dorsey. The family name is well preserved in Ann Arundel County through the naming of the areas known as Linthicum, and Linthicum Heights, MD. The Linthicum family has owned property throughout Ann Arundel County since the 1650’s, and one of the most historically significant is the homestead of one of Thomas Sr’s descendants at Twin Oaks in Linthicum Heights. This property is on the National Register of Historic Places and was the residence of U.S. Congressman John C. Linthicum, who sponsored the legislation which established “The Star-Spangled Banner” as our National Anthem.
Thomas Linthicum Sr. died on November 12, 1701 and is buried with his wife Jane (d. 1715) at the All Hallows Parish, now called All Hallows Parish, South River.
Alexander Magruder (1610-1677)
Alexander Magruder was born in Scotland in 1610 to Alexander McGruder, and Lady Margaret (Campbell) Drummond. Lady Margaret was the daughter of Nicholas Campbell, 1st Laird of Keithick, and married Andrew Drummond, Laird of Ballycose” after her first husband’s death around 1617.
Magruder is a derivative of the name MacGregor, and Alexander is considered the first “immigrant ancestor” of the MacGregor clan. The American Clan Gregor Society, recognized by the Scottish Chief of Clan Gregor as his official American representative organization, was founded by descendants of Alexander Magruder in 1909. The MacGregors were outlawed by King James in 1603, a period known as the Proscription, wherein any person was legally allowed to assassinate anyone with the name MacGregor. Thus, many persons changed their surnames to avoid political assassination. The current Clan Gregor has over 100 “sept names” due to the Proscription, which was ended by King Charles II after the Restoration.
We don’t know much about Alexander’s life in Scotland. In 1622, at age 12, he was fined for hunting without a license in Cargill. It is theorized that after his mother’s remarriage, Alexander served as a factor on the Drummond estates under the aegis of William Drummond, Viscount Strathallan.
It is also unclear exactly why and when Alexander arrived in Maryland. One theory is that he was transported as a prisoner of war to be an indentured servant. He may have served in the King Charles II’s Scottish army, perhaps having been captured in action and subsequently transported to America as a prisoner of war after the Battle of Preston in 1648.
Some researchers claim he was captured at the Battle of Worcester in September 1651, but the timing is nearly impossible. Magruder’s first definite appearance in Maryland records was in June 1652, when he purchased 500 acres on the north side of the Patuxent River in Calvert Co. (now Prince George’s). “As wealth or backing was needed to finance land transactions in Maryland, [he may have had] a patron,” who “bound out” (or paid to release him from) his indenture. T.G. Magruder suggested that such patron may have been the aforementioned William Drummond, Viscount Strathallan.
Alexander Magruder was a wealthy landowner at the time of his death: his inventories totaled about 49,000 pounds, a very healthy sum in that time period. Specifically, at his death, Magruder owned at least 1700 acres in Calvert County, and some 1350 in St. Mary’s County. A named overseer in his will, proven January 25, 1677, was Ninian “Beale”, who is also a qualifying ancestor for the Order of the First Families of Maryland (as Ninian Beall, 1652).
He died at one of his properties, called Anchovie Hills. The site is slightly southeast of current-day Magruder’s Ferry and Croom Rd., Brandywine, near current-day Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s County. It is now a wildlife preserve and headstone has been located, but the marker pictured to the right was erected by the ACGS in 1952 at St. John’s College in Annapolis.
For more information, as well as references for the information herein, please take a look at Alexander Magruder’s WikiTree profile, at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Magruder-21.
Richard Marsham (1638-1713)
Richard Marsham, son of Thomas Marsham of London, was born in England about 1638 and came to Maryland as an indentured servant of Captain John Horne circa 1658 as proven by Horne’s 1659 demand for a warrant of 500 acres of land for transporting himself and three servants, Richard Marsham, John Edmondson, and John Squire the previous year.
Richard Marsham was twice married. The identity of his first wife is hotly contested. Early accounts said that she was Katherine Brent, daughter of Giles Brent and Mary Kittamaguund, his Piscataway wife. That view has been dismissed by most, and few if any lineage societies currently admit descendants of Richard and Katherine using Giles Brent as an ancestor.
Another theory is that she was Katherine Fisher who was an indentured servant of Robert Brooke.
Richard and Katherine had two children:
1. Sarah (b circa 1664) who married Basil Waring, William Barton, and James Haddock
2. Katherine (b circa 1666) who married Baker Brooke Jr and Samuel Queen.
Richard Marsham married secondly (circa 1694) Anne Calvert, daughter of Governor Leonard Calvert. This was Anne’s third marriage. She was previously married to Baker Brooke (abt 1664), son of Robert Brooke, and secondly to Henry Brent (abt 1680).
Richard Marsham died on May 7, 1713 in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
William Sparks (c.1640-1709)
William Sparks, Sr., was born around 1640 in Fareham, Hampshire, England. He arrived in the Maryland Colony in 1662 with a group of settlers led by Thomas Skillington. He eventually purchased land on the Miles River in the southern part of now Queen Anne’s County. He bought many land tracts in Kent, Talbot, and Queen Anne’s counties throughout his lifetime to cultivate tobacco. At one time, he owned nearly 1,000 acres on Island Creek, a tributary of Southeast Creek, which is a tributary of Chester River.
William and his wife Mary (surname unknown), born ca 1650s, are known to have at least five children:
William Sparks, Jr., born ca 1674, married first Margaret Hamilton ( - bef 1729) and second Ann (surname unknown) ( - 15 Jan 1730/31). We know he had at least seven children:
John Sparks, born ca 1705. He married Rachel (surname unknown) ca. 1728. We know he had at least five children.
Willam Sample Sparks, born ca 1710. He married Mary Corman on 24 August 1732. We know he had at least three children.
Benjamin Sparks, born ca 1715. He married Mary Bailey on 18 May 1738. We know he had at least seven children.
James Sparks, born ca 1715. He first married first Elizabeth Barkhurst on 9 February 1737, and second to Juliana (surname unknown) ca 1763. We know he had at least five children.
Sarah Sparks, born ca 1725. She married John Moore on 25 June 1746.
Abigail Sparks, born ca 1725. She married Henry Tippins on 18 May 1737.
Absalom Sparks, born ca 1725. He married first Elizabeth Brown on 17 November 1748, and second to Ruth (surname unknown) around 1765. We know he had at least seven children.
Ann Sparks, born ca 1735.
2. George Sparks, born ca 1678. He married Mary (surname unknown) before 1709.
3. John Sparks, born ca 1680. He married before 1704 Cornelia Curtis. He died on 19 April 1737 and Cornelia died on 22 December 1737. We know of at least ten children he had:
William Sparks (ca 1705 – 15 Jan 1730/31)
George Sparks (ca 1705 - )
John Sparks, Jr. (ca 1705 - )
Millington Sparks ( ca 1715 - )
Sarah Sparks (ca 1715 - )
Mary Sparks (ca 1715 - )
Rachel Sparks (ca 1715 - )
Caleb Sparks (ca 1720 - )
Cornelia Sparks (ca 1720 - )
Absalom Sparks (ca 1725 - )
4. Joseph Sparks, born ca 1689. He married Mary (surname unknown) and died in 1749. We know of at least twelve children he had:
Solomon Sparks (ca 1727 - )
Jospeh Sparks (ca 1730 - )
Merum Sparks (ca 1730 - )
Charles Sparks (ca 1731 - )
George Sparks (ca 1733 - )
Jonas Sparks (ca 1734 - )
Ann Sparks (ca 1735 - )
Jonathan Sparks (ca 1735 - )
Rebecca Sparks (ca 1735 - )
William Sparks (ca 27 Apr 1738 - ) and married Martha Moore
Mary Sparks (ca 1740 - )
Sarah Sparks (ca 1747 - )
William Sparks, Sr. was a member of the Anglican Church and was elected as a warden of St. Paul’s Parish.
On 2 December 1696, both William Sparks, Sr. and his son, William Sparks, Jr., signed a letter addressed to the King of England, William III. In the previous February, there was an assassination plot to restore King James II to the throne. However, the plot was betrayed, most of the conspirators were arrested, and eight of them were put to death. The signers professed their loyalty to King William and promised to “Stand by & Assist Each other to the Utmost of our power in the Support and Defence of yor mats Governmt against the late King James and all his Adherents...” William Sparks’s name appears among the 29 “Civill Officers & Magistrates” of Kent County who signed the letter, and the names of both William Sparks, Sr., and his son, William Sparks, Jr., were included among the 62 “Military Officers of Kent County.”
William Sparks, Sr., executed his will on 21 June 1709, and it was probated on 24 October 1709. William provided in his will for his wife Mary and named her one of his executors. Two years after William’s death, Mary was remarried to Thomas Trickey, a witness for William’s will. No records to date have mentioned Mary after 1711.
John Wheeler (c.1630-c.1694)
At the age of 18, John Wheeler was recruited as an indentured servant by William Mitchell to accompany his family to Maryland. He traveled on The Thomas and John which set sail for Maryland 25 March 1650 and arrived in St. Mary’s City, in the colony of Maryland on 7 May 1650. After arriving, Mitchell’s servants boarded at Thomas Hatton’s.
In 1654, four years after his arrival in Maryland, and after his indenture ended, John Wheeler married his wife, Mary, and in the same year their first child was born.
On 16 November 1658, John Wheeler was granted a parcel of land on the NE Branch of the Nanjemoy River, in Charles County, containing 350 acres.
Over his lifetime he patented the following tracts of land in Charles County:
· 1658 – 350 acres, “Cole”
· 1659 – 450 acres, “Whetland”
· 1663 – 600 acres, “Planters Delight”
· 1662 – 500 acres, “Wheelers Purchase”
· 1662 – 400 acres, “Wheelers Chance”
· 1668 – 200 acres, “Wheelers Rest”
· 1668 – 35 acres, “Wheelers Adventure”
· 1668 – 65 acres, “Stoke Hill”
· 1670 – 300 acres, “Wales”
· 1672 – 130 acres, “Wheelers Addition”
· 1687 – 76 acres, “Wheelers Adventure”
· 1688 – 187 acres, “Major’s Choice”
Like the gentlemen planters of that day, he maintained a staff of white indentured servants upon his plantation and actively served his community. John Wheeler, rose from an Ensign to Acting Commander of all the Proprietary Militia in Charles County from 1660 until the time of the Protestant Revolution of 1689.
John Wheeler signed his Last Will and Testament 11 November 1693. By 8 January 1694 he had died as the will was brought forth for probate. In his Will he left the following:
To my son, Thomas, 200 acres of land where he now lives and 130 acres adjoining, called ‘Wheelers Rest.’
To my son, Ignatius, ‘Planters Delight,’ 600 acres after one year after my death and after the demise of my beloved wife, Mary Wheeler.
To my son Francis, a parcel called ‘Majors Choice,’ 187 acres, together with ‘Middletons Lott’ of 96 acres.
To my grandson, James Wheeler, son of my son James Wheeler, 200 acres of ‘Wheelers Purchase.’
To my grandson, John Wheeler, son of my son James Wheeler, 200 acres of ‘Wheelers Purchase.’
To my granddaughter, Anne Wheeler, daughter of my son James Wheeler, 100 acres of land, being the remainder of the 500 acres called ‘Wheelers Purchase.’ Also 165 acres called ‘Wheelers Delight’ and if Anne should die without heirs, then to fall to Richard Wheeler, son of my son Thomas Wheeler.
Children of John and Mary Wheeler:
i. John Wheeler, born 1654; died 1675.
ii. James Wheeler, born 16 December 1656; died 11 February 1684. He married (first) Elizabeth Theobald; married (second) Katherine Haddock. (Children John Wheeler, James Wheeler, Elizabeth Wheeler).
iii. Marie Wheeler, born 22 March, 1658; died 6 May 1708. She married Robert M. Middleton. (Children John Middleton, Ann Middleton, James Middleton, Thomas Middleton, Robert Middleton, Sarah Middleton, Elizabeth Middleton, William Middleton).
iv. Thomas Wheeler, born 18 March 1660; died 1736.
v. Winifred Wheeler, born 13 March 1663; died 1746. She married John Speake. (Children James Speake, John Speake, Thomas Speake, Richard Speake, Jane Speake).
vi. Ignatius Wheeler, born 14 May 1665; died 3 August 1699. He married Henrietta Frances Slye. (Children Isaac Wheeler, Luke Wheeler, Ignatius Wheeler).
viii. Francis Wheeler, born 1670; died 1735. He married Winnifred Green.