1733 Maryland

June 3, 1733- William Hayden dies at the age of 58 in St. Mary's County, Maryland.

(William Hayden is my 6th great grandfather.)

1733- George, William and Ignatius Hardy listed as taxables in the Upper Piscataway Hundred.

(These Hardy brothers are my 5th great grand uncles. Our common ancestors are William and Elizabeth Hardy.)
 
1733- William Elder and his wife Ann Wheeler are living at Slate Ridge Farm, property owned by Arnold Livers. After Ann's death in 1739, William would go on to marry Arnold's daughter Jacoba in 1742.
 
Jacoba's brother Arnold was a Jesuit Priest. He had traveled to Watten, Holland to study for the priesthood. He entered the Society of Jesus on September 7, 1724 and was ordained. In 1733 he was assigned to the missions of Maryland. He returned to Maryland in 1734 and served at St. Thomas Manor, Newtown, and St. Inigoes, where he died August 16, 1767.

(Arnold Livers is my 5th great grandfather. William Elder is my fifth grand uncle.)

Quaker Offense of "Disorderly Walking"

The phrase "disorderly walking" dates back to some of the earliest Quakers writing of the late 1600's. The concept is that a true member of the Society of Friends walks a path throughout their lives whose proper bounds are prescribed by the Discipline. If they follow this path they remain a member in good standing. The phrase "disorderly walking" implies straying from the path required by Discipline and places the member in imminent danger of disownment.
An epistle from a general meeting in June 1676 discusses the principle of collective discipline and the responsibility of each meeting to admonish its own members:

"God hath taught us to deny the Customs, Fashions, & Words of the World, which are evil, & to bear a Testimony against it...to stir up the pure mind in one another, that the Principles of the blessed Truth, be allways Stood in..."

It goes on to state the duty of each meeting to admonish its members for "disorderly walking," and lists these offences:

not to keep the form of sound words
or use or wear needless Attire
or to oppress or defraud any man in his dealings
Not endeavor to bring up Children in the fear of the Lord

The phrase "disorderly walking" was sometimes used to conceal the real nature of the offense to protect confidentiality, or deflect outside criticisms. Event violent offenses could be cloaked in this way.

Quaker Ancestors Group

1734 Maryland

1734- William Elder, a Catholic, emigrates from St. Mary's County, Maryland, to Frederick County, Maryland. He is the first white man to settle in the Emmitsburg district. William and his wife Ann first settle near Payne's Hill, between what later would become Mount St. Mary's and Thurmont. He is soon joined by his friend Arnold Livers.
He gives the name "St. Mary's Mount" to a portion of Carrick's Knob. He locates at the foot of Blue Ridge Mountains, the home of Indians and wild beasts.
He calls his place "Pleasant Level." While building his house, He reserves one room to serve as a chapel for religious services. This room is equal in size to all the rest of his house.

(Arnold Livers is my fifth great grandfather. William Elder is my fifth great grand uncle. Our common ancestor is Elizabeth Finch.)

1734- Benjamin Stimton, planter, Prince George County, 23rd Sept., 1734; 11th Nov,1734,
To wife [unnamed] and child, [unnamed], entire personal estate, divided equally.
To son Benjamin and heirs, 50 Acre dwelling plantation, "Solomon Purchase." Should any of children die during minority, survivors to divide portion of deceased.

Test: Solomon Stimton, Peter Hoggins, Thomas Elder
(Benjamin Stimton is my fifth great grand uncle. Our common ancestors are Solomon Stimton and Elizabeth Finch. He is William Elder's half-brother.)

December 10, 1734- John Drury marries Susannah Hayden in St. Mary's, Maryland.

(John Drury is my fifth great grandfather.)

Charles County Land Records, 1733-1743; Book O#2, Page 76. Recorded Dec 11, 1734.

I, Sarah Roby of Charles County, widow, for the natural love I have for my son, Peter Roby of Charles County, planter, I have given him 1 feather bed and furniture, 1 wooden cupboard, 1 wooden table, 1 iron pot, and all other my personal estate which is now in my possession. Signed Nov 30, 1734 - Sarah (H her mark) Roby. Witnesses - Henry Hawkins, Samuel Hawkins

(Sarah Roby (nee Luckett) is my sixth great grandmother.)

1734- Thomas Luckett dies in Charles County, Maryland.
Thomas Luckett died intestate, and in accordance with the customs of the times, letters of administration were issued to his widow Sarah Luckett. On August 14, 1734, William Middleton and William Hagan exhibited bond in court. His brothers, Ignatius Luckett and Thomas Hussey Luckett, as the kinsmen, certified on December 3, 1734, to the inventory appraised at L104/5/9, by James Middleton. By 1737 his widow had married William Semmes. ("The Lucketts of Portobacco" by Harry Wright Newman, 1938.)

(Thomas Luckett is my third cousin 7 times removed. Our common ancestors are John Hussey and Mary Wroth. Sarah Roby is his second cousin once removed.)

1734- Elizabeth Mockbee Nicholls dies in Prince George's County, Maryland.

(Elizabeth Mockbee Nicholls is my 6th great grandmother.)

Practices of the Quakers During the Colonial Period

A couple desiring to marry had to declare their intentions before a regular weekly Meeting of their local society. Appointed overseers would then conduct an investigation of the character of each. If nothing derogatory was found, the wedding was approved.

A check was kept by the local society with respect to the wedding date and the birth of the first child. A premature baby was examined by three women from three Meetings, often resulting in society records being annotated with an "F/B" meaning "relations before marriage and an illegitimate child, or "F/M" meaning the same, but that marriage had followed. Both situations must be condemned by the involved parties if they wished to remain with the society.

Persons who died were frequently returned to a former residence for burial. Some societies condemned headstones as a sign of vanity and often removed those already in place. Often burial places were left unmarked so that Indians would not know how many had died.

Meetings of the societies were held in the daytime and attendance was checked, carefully. First-day meetings were required attendance and midweek meetings were optional; but the member was judged on his spirituality by his attendance pattern.

A "certificate of clearance" was required to marry or to move into another local society. It would not be given if there were outstanding debts.

 Prior to 1753—and unofficially for some time afterward—they followed an unusual practice of numbering the months of the year. It was forbidden to refer to the usual names given for months such as January, February, etc., because those names were of pagan derivation. The numbering system began with March and so they would use, for instance, "1 mo. 25, 1703," meaning March 25, 1703.

 Their belief in non-violence, of course, precluded their serving in any military capacity and may explain why so few of the Potts Quakers served in the Revolutionary War.

Public acknowledgement was required for all sorts of misdeeds. This usually meant condemning their own actions by confession at a local Meeting. Meeting minutes were made of all known misdeeds, confessed

or not!

St. Andrew's Church, Maryland

The Colonial Pikes in Maryland were Roman Catholics, but they attended St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Leonardtown, Maryland , because it was nearby.

St. Andrew's is considered to be among the most unusual of Maryland colonial churches by virtue of its twin west towers embellished by brick quoin, the inset portico, the two convex tapering columns, the palladian or venetian window, the fluted ionic interior columns the two-level gallery, and the reredos. For more on the history of St. Andrew's, click here.

The Religious Society of Friends - Quaker Meetings

"A Friend's meeting, however silent, is at the very lowest a witness that worship is something other and deeper than words, and that it is to the unseen and eternal things that we desire to give the first place in our lives. And when the meeting...is awake and looking upwards, there is much more in it than this. In the united stillness of a truly 'gathered' meeting, there is a power known only by experience, and mysterious even when most familiar." Caroline Stephen, (1908).

The Religious Society of Friends relies heavily upon spiritual searching by individual members, individual congregations and meetings (regional assemblies). Most groups of Quakers meet for regular worship. In some traditions, this is called meeting for worship and in others it is known as a Friends Church service.

The Quaker Meeting in Colonial times was unprogrammed.

During an unprogrammed meeting for worship, Friends gather together in "expectant waiting" for divine leadings. The unprogrammed meeting is based in silence; it is usually held with others, and those who feel "moved to speak" can minister for as long as they feel is right. Typically, messages, testimonies, ministry, or other speech are not prepared as a "speech". Speakers are expected to discern the source of their inspiration — whether divine or self. There is usually space to reflect between spoken contributions, there should be no spirit of debate.

The meetings normally last for one hour. There is no leader in such a service, worship is generally deemed to start as soon as the first participant is seated, the others entering the room in silence.  Quakers who worship in this tradition believe that each person is equal before God and is capable of knowing "the light" directly. The Meeting for Worship ends when one person (usually predetermined) shakes the hand of another person present. All the members of the assembly then shake hands with their neighbors, after which one member usually rises and extends greetings and makes announcements.
 
A local congregation in the unprogrammed tradition is called a meeting, or a monthly meeting (e.g., Smalltown Meeting or Smalltown Monthly Meeting). The reference to "monthly" is because the meeting meets monthly to conduct the business of the meeting. Most "monthly meetings" meet for worship at least once a week; some meetings have several worship meetings during the week.


Friends treat all functions of the church as a form of worship, including business, marriage, and memorial services, in addition to regular meeting for worship.

John Worland Information

I received an email from Keith Worland of Missouri with the following information on ancestor John Worland:

During the 1600s, a set of laws were introduced and were referred to as the Penal Laws. These laws made it illegal for catholics to hold a position in Parliament, own land, or practice their religion. Punishments for practicing an illegal religion included torture, prison time, and death. This caused many of the Catholics to flee england(along with other regions and people who just wanted to leave). A lot can be learned by looking at where people fled too. Although many of Richard Worland kids fled to New Zealand, one man fled to America. John(1) fled to what is now just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, one of the original settlements. Lord Baltimore's territory quickly became a place for Catholics to flee from religion persecution from around the world. To help bring more people to Lord Baltimore territory, Lord Baltimore gave away 50 acres, to new settlers. One of the questions that "One Mans Family" raises is: why did John(1) wait so long to claim his land(about 5 years)? Although there is no proof, it is possible that John(1) paid for his trip to America by becoming an indentured servant. The average indentured servant served ether 5, 7, or 10 years. This would account for the fact the John(1) did not clam his land for the first five years he was in the country. John(1) claimed his free land on December 10 1672. John(1) had one son named John(2) born 1639. John(1) would eventuality own two plantations by the time he died on February 13 1701. It is believed he is buried on his first plantation. John(1) left behind one son John(2), who married a woman named Mary. John(2) and Mary would inherit John(1)'s two plantations along with opening an additional plantation. Mary would die on October 12 1711, and John(2) died on October 12 1754. They had one son John(3) who was born in 1720 and married 3 women. The first women is unknown but they had four children together: John(4), Charles,Anastasia, and Eleanor. John(3) would then marry a woman named Rebecca. John(3) and Rebecca would have four children: Henry, Mary, William, and James. Finally John(3) would marry a women named Mary Brady(born 1737) on June 11 1774. John and Mary would have five children together: Thomas, Walter, Barnaby, Lucy, and Rebecca. Upon hitting hard times, John(3) and Mary Brady along with John(3), inlaws and 60 other people left Maryland to Kentucky where he would farm tobacco. One of the great mysteries of John(3) is why after moving to Kentucky, why did he move back to Maryland where he would die? There are even a few records that would suggest John(3) lived in Kansas before moving back to Maryland. John(3) died February 18 1790 and Mary Brady died November 13 1754.

Thank you, Keith.


(I will add to this that "One Man's Family" states: "Although John entered the colony in 1662, he strangely did not prove his right to a land grant until December 14, 1670, when a warrant for two hundred acres was issued to him......In this period the proprietor granted fifty acres for each adult brought into the colony and twenty-five acres for each child under sixteen, but there is no indication of how John was entitled to two hundred."