Maryland 1743

Clouds breaking up after a rainy morning in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Before 1743: My fifth great grandfather, Arnold Livers, age 74, has married Helena (Eleanora) following the death of his third wife, Mary Ann Drane, in 1742.

Arnold had first married in England when he was very young. It is said that two sons were born of that marriage, but there is little known of Arnold's first wife nor their children. Soon after the Catholic King James II was deposed in 1688/89, Arnold is said to have fled England, landing in Maryland with only his uniform, buckles & buttons (which are still preserved by his family), leaving his two children by his first wife behind. These sons were reportedly brought to America by his 1st American wife, Hellen Gordon, who went to Flanders to get them as Arnold was afraid to go himself.

He would marry three times in Maryland, first to Hellen Gordon, followed by Mary Ann Drane, and lastly to Helena. He had ten children by the three American marriages.

In 1728, Arnold had obtained part of a tract of land called Back Lands from John Digges.
It was located to the east of the Blue Ridge Mountains and north of what today is Thurmont. This tract extended north to Mount St. Mary's near Emmitsburg.He divided his part into tracts called Slate Ridge Farm, Ogle's Good Will, Lubberland, Duke's Woods, Arnold's Chance and Arnold's Delight. Arnold Livers sold Slate Ridge Farm to William Carmack, who in turn sold it to Conrad Mathews in 1743.

In 1742, William Elder had married Arnold's daughter, Jacoba Clementina Livers. On 24 Aug 1743, William Elder purchased from his father-in-law, Arnold Livers, a section of "Ogle's Good Will". William and Jacoba built their home on this land. The house was built of logs and the parlor-chapel was equal in size to the rest of the house. Here the Catholics of the area gathered for Mass as often as the presence of a priest permitted. Tradition states that a conch shell was used to summon local Catholics to mass on these occasions.

1743: A son, William, is born to William Luckett and Charity Middleton in Frederick County, Maryland.

(William Luckett is my second cousin 6 times removed. Our common ancestors are Samuel Luckett & Elizabeth Hussey.)

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