Tag Archives: charles county maryland

Two Benjamin Maddoxes on Revolutionary War muster rolls in Charles County, Maryland

30 Thursday Dec 2021

Posted by in Revolutionary War

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A fresh look at Revolutionary War enrollment records in Charles County, Maryland, in 1776-1777 begs the question of whether there were two Benjamin Maddoxes of similar age in the same county at the time. Benjamin Maddoxes appear in two separate companies, highlighted below. If they’re distinguishable, it could open new genealogical pathways down the line – and maybe help us document the father of our ancestor Benjamin Maddox (1776-1855).

But it’s possible that the two Benjamins are the same man. If one of the units was part of the all-volunteer Continental Army, then the same Benjamin Maddox could have appeared on the volunteer unit’s roll as well as the roll for his obligatory militia service.

Captain Francis Mastin’s militia company, Charles County, Maryland, enlisted on 19 March 1776:

  • Noah Maddocks (enlisted on 27 July 1776)
  • Samuell Maddox (enlisted on 27 July 1776)
  • William Maddox
  • Ignatious Maddox [enrolled on 8 August 1776; died in January 1777 in illness according to his will, possibly after fighting in the January 1777 Battle of Princeton.]
  • In 1776 this company included Maddox relative Humphrey Posey (misspelled “Dossy” on later records) as a Corporal. By 1781 Posey was promoted to Ensign. Benjamin Maddox (I)’s daughter Mary was the wife of Humphrey Posey.  Benjamin Maddox (II), brother-in-law, was the executor of Humphrey Posey’s will in 1784.

Captain Francis Mastin’s militia company, 26th Battalion, Charles County, Maryland, enrolled in 1777 (originally a voluntary unit in 1776, this would now include compulsory enrollees):

  • Saml. Madox (enlisted on 27 July 1776)
  • Rhody Maddox
  • George Maddox
  • Benj. Maddox
  • James Maddox
  • Jno. Maddox
  • Leonard Maddox
  • Noah Maddox (enlisted on 27 July 1776)
  • In addition to these Maddoxes, numerous related families were enrolled in Mastin’s company, including Poseys, Lucketts, Woodwards, and Speakes. Humphrey Posey may be misspelled as “Nehmp: Posey” on later records. Samuel Luckett was a Lieutenant.

Captain Walter Hanson’s militia company, 12th Battalion, Charles County, Maryland, enrolled in 1777:

  • Benjamin Maddox
  • Cornelius Maddox
  • In addition to these Maddoxes, a few Luckitts were enrolled in Captain Hanson’s company.

Captain Robert Sinnett’s militia company, 26th Battalion, Charles County, Maryland, enrolled in 1777:

  • Thos. Maddox

Captain Jno. Hanson’s militia company, 12th Battalion, Charles County, Maryland, enrolled in 1777:

  • Henry Maddocke
  • Notley Maddocke (a later report of Musters of Maryland Troops, Vol. 3, indicates Notley Maddox died of wounds on 16 September 1778 while in the Third Regiment)

Captain John Thomas’s militia company, 12th Battalion, Charles County, Maryland, enrolled in 1777:

  • Nathan Maddox

Return of the drafts from Charles County who were drafted the 11th and 12th June, 1781:

  • Allison Maddox (son of Ignatius Maddox; buried in Maddox Cemetery in Woodbridge, Va.)

These lists are not perfect and are not all-inclusive. For example, we know based on separate records that our relative Walter Maddox served in the company of a Captain John Courts Jones, part of the Princess Ann Battalion mustered in Somerset County (according to the National Archives, John Courts Jones of Charles County, Md., was a planter who began the Revolution as a second lieutenant in the 1st Maryland Battalion of the Flying Camp and ended the war as a captain, serving as aide-de-camp to Maj. Gen. William Smallwood from 1779 to 1783). The regiment was mostly recruited from the western counties of Maryland. Walter enlisted on 9 March 1777 and was killed in action at Monmouth on 28 June 1778.

Another Maddox, Thomas Maddux Jr., served as a Second Lieutenant in Captain John Jones’ company, part of the Princess Ann Battalion, mustered in Somerset County.

Source: The Maryland Militia in the Revolutionary War, Heritage Books, 2006, pp. 100; 112; 158-164.

Edward Maddox’s story published in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy

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We’re happy to announce that we’ve published the story of Edward Maddox (d. 1694) in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 7, Number 4. The article explains in detail the life of Edward — a planter, justice of the peace, wilderness doctor and sometime bounty hunter in the Maryland and Virginia colonies. The article corrects numerous misinterpretations of the records of his life, unites his previously disconnected records from England, Virginia and Maryland, offers historical context for his decisions, and supplies the best evidence yet for his descendants.

Edward Maddox MVG TOC

We’re indebted to Barbara Vines Little for her extraordinary effort as editor of the magazine. Her attention to detail guaranteed the accuracy of our article.

Deciphering some Colonial script

21 Saturday Apr 2018

Posted by in Developing stories, Edward Maddox

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In 1684-1685, our 8th-great grandfather Cornelius Maddox sued our 9th-great grandfather Edward Maddox for one thousand pounds of tobacco in a series of court appearances in Charles County, Maryland (Charles Co., Md. Circuit Court, Liber L, pp. 15; 69; 106-7).  Cornelius is described as a merchant and Edward is described as “chyrurgion” (surgeon) and doctor.  We’ve obtained a full copy of the two-page court document, which we had hoped would provide more evidence that Cornelius was the son of Edward.  Instead, we’re having trouble deciphering a few letters of Colonial-era script that might offer clues to the duo’s identities.

Cornelius Maddox merchant of what 1684

The above excerpt from the second paragraph of the 2-page court record clearly says, “Maddock Merchant of…” what?  The next word seems to begin with the letters a and p, but then becomes a hot mess.  Is it “apples”?  Is it “a plea”?  Is it shorthand for something entirely different?

 

Revisiting the Benjamin problem

18 Sunday Feb 2018

Posted by in Abbeville, Gaines Family, Sources and links

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Update: We’ve significantly modified our assessment of our various Benjamins since we originally posted this. Please take a look at our updated assessment. Please do not rely on the information below.

For over a decade, we have assessed that the Benjamin Maddox called “junior” in Abbeville County and Laurens County, South Carolina, in 1800-1810, is identifiable with our known 3rd-great grandfather, Benjamin Maddox (1776-1855), who died in Crawford County, Illinois.  We have based this assessment on our 3rd-great grandfather’s claim of South Carolina origins in the 1850 census, the presence of a child of our 2nd-great grandfather Joseph’s age in the 1810 census living with Benjamin Mattocks in Laurens County, SC, and the persistence of peripheral family names in census and land records in South Carolina, Kentucky and Illinois (especially the Gaines, Long and Ford families).

But perhaps five – and maybe more – Benjamin Maddoxes appear in Abbeville County and Laurens County, South Carolina, in the years 1790-1811, and distinguishing them has been difficult due to a lack of corroborative records.  Most of the records for the area were destroyed in fires in the 19th century.

A closer look at existing records raises a number of questions about the identities of the known Benjamin Maddoxes appearing in records in Abbeville County and Laurens County in the years 1790-1811.  The following evaluation, including peripheral names in census and land records, offers a clearer differentiation of the Benjamins.  See this document for color-coded names.

Benjamin #1 – “senior”

This Benjamin Maddox (ca. 1735-after 1810) is likely identifiable with the Benjamin Maddox “senior” of Charles County, Maryland, that we have called Benjamin Maddox (II).  After moving from Charles County, MD, to Abbeville, SC, this Benjamin Maddox appears to have remained in Abbeville (and did not live in Laurens County, SC).

1790: The federal census of Abbeville County, SC, p. 468, lists Benjamin Maddox with 2 adult males, 7 males, and 3 females.  He was living near Ignatius Posey, Walter Maddox, Thomas Donaldson, William Stone and John Night.

1800: The federal census of Abbeville County, SC, p. 19, lists Benjamin Maddox and a woman aged 26-45 years of age, with 1 male less than 10 years old and 1 female less than 10 years old.  As in 1790, he was living near William Stone and John Night, as well as James Gaines and John Grey.

1810: The federal census of Abbeville County, SC, lists Benjamin Matox “senior” greater than 45 years old, with a woman older than 45 years, 1 male 26-45 years old, and 1 female less than 10 years old. He was living next to Elizabeth Matox and Janet Maddox, as well as Joseph Rutlege, Thomas Norwood, Benjamin Posey, Susannah Gaines, Richard Stone, William Ware, Henry Gains, and Peter Youngblood.

Questions:

Why was Benjamin #1 called “senior” in Charles County, Maryland, in Humphrey Posey’s 1784 will?  All proposed sons of Benjamin #1 would have been in their teens at the time.  Was there another Benjamin Maddox in Charles County – perhaps a brother or cousin?  Would this open another ancestral avenue for us?

Benjamin #2 – “junior”

The below Benjamin Maddox is traditionally considered the son of the above Benjamin Maddox.  The below Benjamin Maddox shows up for the first time in 1800 living near Benjamin Maddox #1 in Abbeville, SC, but he moves to Laurens County, SC, in 1808 and remains in Laurens County thereafter.  For decades we have identified him as Benjamin Maddox (III), our 3rd-great grandfather who died in Crawford County, Illinois, in 1855; however, the final record describing him as “dec’d” (deceased) in 1811 requires us to question our assessment.  Other researchers have identified this Benjamin Maddox with a Benjamin Maddox who was born in Maryland in 1770 and died in Atlanta in 1864, but this assessment also requires a new look, given the 1811 record of his death in SC.

1785: The Turkey Creek Baptist Church was established and the original meeting house was erected on Richard “Dicky” Maddox’s land.  Among the members were Martha Ware, Nicholas Ware, Caty Gaines, Henry Gaines, Molly Gaines, Susannah Gaines, Barbara Long, Elizabeth Long, Nicholas Long, Michael Magee, Benjamin Neighbours, and Rev. Joseph Redding (Source: South Carolina Baptists, 1670-1805, Leah Townsend, University of South Carolina, 1926, pp.182-192).

1800: The federal census of Abbeville County, SC, p. 22, lists Benjamin Maddox “junior,” including 1 male 45 years or older, 1 male 26-45 years old, 1 male 16-26 years old, 1 male 10-16 years old, 1 female 45 years or older, 1 female 26-45 years old, 1 female 10-16 years old, and 1 slave.  He was living near John Reid Long, William Calhoun, John Calhoun and the Samples.

1805: Thomas Maddox died in Abbeville County, SC.  Thomas’ widow Cloe sold his estate.  Benjamin Maddox “junior” purchased items.  Other purchasers were Thomas Donaldson, Edmund Gaines, Chandler Maddox, Lanty Maddox, and Losson Maddox.

1808: On 9 April, Benjamin Maddox “junior” purchased 165 acres in Laurens District, next to Samuel Neighbors, John South, Thomas Williamson.  The land was along Greenville Road.  William Maddox witnessed the purchase.

1808: On 5 September, Benjamin Maddox “in Abbeville” sold 100 acres in Laurens District on the north side of the Saluda River to Cornelius Cook. The land was next to land owned by Daniel Cook, Cornelius Cook, and Samuel Nabors.  William Williamson witnessed the sale.  (Source: Deed Book J, p. 263)

1810: The federal census of Laurens County, SC, lists Benjamin Mattocks, 26-45 years old, with 3 males less than 10 years old, 1 female 26-45 years old, 1 female 26-45 years old, and 1 female less than 10 years old.  He was living near Daniel Cook, Cornelius Cook, John Grey and John Calhoun.

1810: On 9 November, the estate of John Maddox was sold.  John’s widow Elizabeth was a buyer, along with Benjamin Maddox “junior,” Lawson Maddox, Augustus Maddox and Chandler Maddox.

1811: On 5 January, Samuel Nabors sold 345 acres on the Saluda River in Laurens County, SC, to Thomas Williamson.  The land was next to Benjamin Maddox, John Meres(?), and Cornelius Cook. (Source: Deed Book J, p. 210)

1811: On 29 January, Benjamin Maddox sold 165 acres along the Saluda River in Laurens County, SC, to Patrick Sperrin.  The land abutted land owned by Solomon Niblets, Thomas Williamson, and Samuel Nabors.  William Maddox witnessed.  Elizabeth Maddox released her dower rights (meaning that Elizabeth was his wife). (Source: Deed Book J, p. 194)

1811: Benjamin Maddox was a legatee of Thomas and Janet Donaldson.  Other legatees were James Donaldson, William Donaldson, Thomas Donaldson, and Reuben Donaldson (Source: Joyce Smelley Odom, “Maddox Family,” The Heritage of Abbeville, South Carolina, Don Mill, Inc., 1995, p. 106).

1811: In August, Benjamin Maddox “dec’d” is noted on a land transfer from Patrick Sperin to Arnold.  The land was next to Solomon Niblet and Thomas Williamson.  (Source: Deed Book J, p. 251)

Questions:

Are we certain that “dec’d” is verbatim on the original August 1811 record?  Could it instead be a note describing Benjamin’s departure from the area?

What happened to Elizabeth Maddox after 1811 if she was widowed?

Is there really no estate administration for the Benjamin Maddox who died in 1811?  Nothing?

Who were the 45+ years old people listed with this Benjamin “junior” on the 1800 census?  Could the older man in the house be another “senior” Benjamin who we haven’t previously considered?

Benjamin #3

Benjamin Maddox #3 (1776-1855) is our 3rd-great grandfather.  We have long maintained that he is the direct descendant of Benjamin Maddox #1.  Benjamin Maddox #3 is proven to be the father of Joseph Maddox, our 2nd-great grandfather, in estate records.  We have normally called him Benjamin Maddox (III).  This Benjamin Maddox #3 could easily be the continuation of Benjamin #2 if Benjamin #2 weren’t reportedly “dec’d” after 1811. 

1776: Benjamin Maddox was born in South Carolina, according to the 1850 censuses of Crawford County, Illinois.

1800: Joseph Maddox was born in South Carolina, according to the 1850 and 1860 federal censuses of Crawford County, Illinois.  His parents were Benjamin and Charlotte Maddox (Source: All of Benjamin’s children are listed in a petition by Hannah Maddox et al, 27 February 1865, Crawford County Court Records, File Box 53, Case 34).

1810: The federal census of Laurens County, SC, lists Benjamin Mattocks, 26-45 years old, with 3 males less than 10 years old, 1 female 26-45 years old, 1 female 26-45 years old, and 1 female less than 10 years old.  Joseph Maddox, the son of Benjamin Maddox, was 10 years old in 1810 and would fit into this census record; however, this Benjamin is identifiable with Benjamin #2, who reportedly died by 1811.  The family was living near Daniel Cook, Cornelius Cook, John Grey and John Calhoun.

1823: Benjamin Maddox purchased 55 acres in Christian County, Kentucky, along the Stone River from Temple West (Source: August 1823, Christian Co, KY, Deed Book P, p. 147).  Benjamin’s son Joseph owned land nearby (Source: March 1837, Christian Co., KY, Deed Book [letter?], pp. 299-300).  A preponderance of the same families that had neighbored Benjamin in South Carolina can be found alongside Benjamin’s name in early Christian County deed books (P&Q), including the Long, Ford, Knight/Night, McKee/Magee, Ware and Grey families.

1837: By 1837, Benjamin and his wife Charlotte moved to Crawford County, Illinois, where they lived near the Ford and Gaines families.  On 25 July 1837 they purchased 40 acres of land for $150 from Washington Brashears in the Montgomery area at “Township Number Six North Range Number Eleven West.”

1855: Benjamin Maddox died in Crawford County, Illinois, and was buried in the Maddox Cemetery near Heathville.

1895: Joseph Maddox’s son John Napoleon Maddox (1872 – 1945) married Frances Gaines (1878 – 1908) in Crawford County, IL.  Frances Gaines was the 2nd-great grandchild of Stephen Gaines (1752-1837), who lived in Laurens County, SC.

Questions:

How was Benjamin #3 born in SC if we maintain that his father was in Charles County, MD, until 1790?  Should we take his 1850 census record literally?

Benjamin #4

This Benjamin Maddox #4 (1770-1864) could easily be the continuation of Benjamin #2 if Benjamin #2 weren’t reportedly “dec’d” after 1811.  This Benjamin was born in Maryland, lived in South Carolina, and died in Georgia.  Other researchers claim that Benjamin Maddox #4 is the same as Benjamin Maddox #2 and the son of Benjamin Maddox #1.

1770: Benjamin Maddox is born in South Carolina, according to the 1860 federal census of Atlanta, Georgia.

1828: On 26 November, the Abbeville Court of the Ordinary heard a complaint regarding the estate of Mary Donaldson by General Edmund Ware against many parties, including “Benjamin Maddox and Elizabeth his wife” who were residing “without the state.”

1840: On the federal census of Atlanta, Elbert County, Georgia, Benjamin Maddox was listed as 70-90 years old, living with a similarly aged woman and many children.  He was living near William Calhoun, Eli Donaldson, and William Donaldson.

1860: On the federal census of Atlanta, Georgia, Benjamin Maddox was listed as 90 years old, born in Maryland.  He was living with a dentist named Posey Maddox, 55 years old, born in SC.  Researchers claim Posey was this Benjamin’s son.

1864: Benjamin Maddox was buried at Fulton Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia, born in 1770.  (Source: findagrave listing)

Questions:

Can we find a record of Benjamin #4’s wife’s name in Georgia?

If Benjamin #4 is not the same as Benjamin #2, then who are Benjamin #4’s parents in Abbeville?

Benjamin #5

This Benjamin Maddox (1801-after 1880), the son of William Maddox (1776-1857), was born in Abbeville, SC, and ended up in Fayette County, Alabama, along with other members of the Maddox family from Abbeville.

1830: Before 1830 in Abbeville, SC, Benjamin Maddox married a Riley.  (Source: Joyce Smelley Odom, “Maddox Family,” The Heritage of Abbeville, South Carolina, Don Mill, Inc., 1995, p. 106.)

1831: After 1831, Benjamin Maddox was named as a son of William Maddox, formerly of Abbeville, SC, in William’s Tuscaloosa, Alabama, estate papers.  (Source: Joyce Smelley Odom, “Maddox Family,” The Heritage of Abbeville, South Carolina, Don Mill, Inc., 1995, p. 106.)

1850: On the federal census of Fayette County, Alabama, Benjamin Mattax is listed as born in 1801, married to Nancy.  Joyce Smelley Odom claims this is Nancy Williamson, daughter of Thomas Williamson.

1850: On the federal census of Fayette County, Alabama, Lawsin Matocks age 66 and born in SC, William Matocks age 31 and born in SC, and John Matocks age 38 and born in SC, were listed separately with their families on page 29.  (Lawsin is assumed by some researchers to be the brother of Benjamin Maddox (III))

1880: On the federal census of Fayette County, Alabama, Benjamin Madox is listed as born in 1801, married to Nancy.  He was born in SC and his father was born in Maryland.  Nancy was born in SC.

Questions:

Lawsin Matocks’ 1784 birth in SC seems to demonstrate that some Maddoxes arrived in Abbeville, SC, before 1790 – the year we’ve long assessed to be the SC arrival year of Benjamin Maddox (II).

Could Benjamin Maddox #5 have been called “junior” in any of the 1801-1811 records in Laurens County and Abbeville County, SC?

Edward the puritan?

03 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by in Edward Maddox, Religious leanings

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Our ninth great grandfather, Dr. Edward Maddox, emigrated from England to the American Colonies sometime between 1656 and 1668.  We wonder at his motivations to leave England, and the resolve it must have taken to settle in the harsh wilderness along the Potomac River.  He was among the very first Englishmen to live in the area.  Court records document Edward’s rough frontier medicine, land speculation, wolf hunts and conflict with the Native Americans.

In his early adulthood in England, Edward would have endured the 1642-1651 English Civil War, during which 6 percent – or 300,000 – of his countrymen died.  It was a fight between “roundheads” and “cavaliers” – parliamentarians and royalists.  The parliamentarians won in 1651.  It was England’s experiment with republicanism, and for a decade it functioned roughly as intended, with Oliver Cromwell’s cronies keeping order over a rowdy parliament until 1659.

But beneath Cromwell’s anti-monarchism there was a darker religious fervor… against Catholics.  The English establishment could not stand the implications of a Catholic king – the economic upheaval it would risk – and rumors of English kings’ Papal alliances were truly incendiary.

To be certain, everything in Edward’s records indicates he was a fervent anti-Catholic.  We see him in Stafford County, Virginia, in the late 1680s befriending the notorious Parson Waugh, whose claim to infamy was his 1681 incitement of an anti-Catholic riot in Virginia.  Waugh falsely claimed that Maryland Catholics were crossing the Potomac River with Seneca Indians to murder Virginians in their sleep. Waugh and Edward Maddox’s other friend George Mason (grandfather of the Founding Father) would be punished for the subterfuge.

But where Edward’s Colonial records reveal his strong anti-Catholic sentiments, the records do not reveal any strong favor for the king.  Instead, his departure from England around 1660 – as the parliamentarians lost power and King Charles II restored the monarchy – could mean just the opposite.  If Edward left England at the time of Charles’ crowning in 1660, it could mean he was fleeing the royalists’ wrath, or rejecting the king’s rumored Papism in favor of more puritanical Protestantism in America like many others did.  He would have been among friends in Maryland, where he resided until 1684 –  a year before King Charles II’s death.

Edward’s later life also raises some questions about his competing allegiances to god and king.  Although Edward rose in social prominence in Maryland and Virginia through the 1680s by marrying into the prominent Stone and Mason families, he did not attain a public position as a Justice of the Peace in Stafford County, Virginia, until 1691.  His very late Justice appointment – when he was probably 80, and just after the king’s death – may indicate that Edward had been a political outsider during the king’s reign, but that he was finally brought into the fold after allegiances changed.

Just a theory.

A 300-year-old picture of life in the Colonies

15 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by in Luckett Family, Maps

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We’ve previously documented the location of our 8th great-grandfather Cornelius Maddox‘s land called Tatshall in Charles County, Maryland.   A court record from 1684 describes Tatshall as “adjoining to the land called Moores Ditch [aka Moore’s Lodge] at the exterior bound thereof.”

Until a chance encounter today with Charles County historian Anita Barbour Gordon, we did not understand the significance of the Moore’s Lodge location.  From Anita’s description, Moore’s Lodge was the original seat of the Charles County government (1674-1727), and it was thoroughly excavated in 2008 after a century of searches for the exact location.  The results of the archaeological excavation can be seen here.

Important to us, James Maddox (first son of Cornelius Maddox) is featured in the archaeological team’s conclusions.  He bought the original courthouse and jail in 1731.  He salvaged the building materials and then flipped the property to Thomas Hussey’s grandson, John Hanson.

More important than a description of a land transaction is a precise illustration of historically significant buildings that one of our ancestors owned nearly 300 years ago.  The illustration also features a stock for punishing criminals and a grove of peach trees.  It gives a good understanding of the family’s lifestyle at the time.  The Washington Post wrote in 2008 that the drawing of the courthouse is “one of the most famous depictions of a 17th-century building in Maryland.”

mooreslodge-01

James Maddox owned the above-illustrated Moore’s Lodge courthouse in 1731 and might have operated the ordinary (inn) at that time.  His father Cornelius had owned the nearby Tatshall land tract. (Illustration: Maryland Archives)

 

The watery graves of Christ Church, Port Tobacco, Maryland

15 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by in Maps, Religious leanings

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Kayakers on Port Tobacco Creek, in Charles County, Maryland, recently found a pair of very old coffins floating downstream.  It seems the coffins – which contained a mother and her child – surfaced after a major rainstorm further damaged the now-submerged Christ Church cemetery that used to lie on the bank of the creek.

The Christ Church parish formed before 1692 and has met in at least three churches.  The first of these was located just northwest of the once-thriving town of Port Tobacco, along the creek.  Following the destruction of the first, the congregation rebuilt its church on the Port Tobacco town square, and later moved to LaPlata as Port Tobacco withered economically.  But the original Christ Church cemetery interments (now underwater) were never moved from the site northwest of Port Tobacco.

One Maddox researcher believes that our Cornelius Maddox (1651-1705) and Benjamin Maddox (I) (1690-1773) were buried in the original Christ Church cemetery, but has provided no evidence.  We tend to believe the assertion, since Christ Church would have been the closest Anglican church to Cornelius’ and Benjamin’s lands and would be the logical place for burial.  But nobody has been able to produce a list of interments.

During a visit to the Port Tobacco Courthouse today, local historian Anita Barbour Gordon relayed her father’s account of hunting ducks while perching atop semi-submerged gravestones in the Christ Church cemetery.  Those stones are now fully submerged, and nothing remains of the place.

christ-church-sign

A sign near the current Port Tobacco Courthouse points toward the location of the second Christ Church location.  The original (Old Old Christ Church) location is in the opposite direction.

jlb-collection_port-tobacco-1895_photo-by-samuel-c-worsley

An 1895 photo shows Christ Church as it stood in Port Tobacco in the 19th century.  This stone church replaced the 17th-century original, which had stood to the northwest across Port Tobacco Creek.

The Inns of Port Tobacco

15 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by in Brawner Family

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Three sons of our 8th great-grandfather Cornelius Maddox (1651-1705) – James, Edward and Walter – ran one of the inns in historic Port Tobacco, Maryland, before the Revolutionary War.  Numerous court records describe them as innkeepers in the town – once a thriving port, but now mostly overlooked by historians.  Port Tobacco had more than one inn, though, and we’ve never been able to pin the brothers to one specific inn.

I had the good luck of bumping into local Port Tobacco historians Anita Gordon and Sheila Smith at the historic Port Tobacco Courthouse today.  Sheila is a walking Charles County encyclopedia.  Anita and her father are responsible for the only collection of sketches of Port Tobacco’s buildings and layout (called “Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland, Prior to 1895”), and she’s now in the process of collecting the history of Port Tobacco’s inns.  Anita is trying to understand how many there were before the Revolution, and who ran them.  I was glad to add the Maddox brothers’ names.

We’re eager to know which of the inns that Jim, Edward and Walter might have run, and what dramas might have unfolded there (Port Tobacco attracted Declaration of Independence signers and other luminaries).  We’ve always assumed they ran the St. Charles Inn (a.k.a. Brawner Inn, a.k.a. Chandler Inn), which was closely affiliated with the Brawner family, since the Maddoxes and the Brawners were intermarried at the time.  But there were at least three inns in Port Tobacco at the time  and none of the inns is specifically mentioned in the Maddox records.

barbourmapsmall

A map of Port Tobacco from the sketches in James Barbour and Anita Gordon’s book.  The St. Charles Inn is at the upper left.

Locating Edward Maddox’s early Maryland properties

29 Friday Apr 2016

Posted by in Edward Maddox, Maps

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Dr. Edward Maddox owned numerous tracts in the Maryland Colony in the mid-1600s, mostly along tributaries of the Potomac River in Charles County and modern Prince George County.  A recent survey conducted by the Broad Creek Historic District provides estimates of the locations of Edward’s Stone Hill, Lyon’s Hole and possible Athey’s Hopewell tracts.  See the map below.  The Vainall tract, which is used as a reference in some of Edward’s deeds, was centered on 38.756851, -76.985385.

Edward Maddox land locations 1696

Deeds/sources of Edward’s tracts:

Lyons Hole: Charles County Circuit Court Liber R, Page 144: 31 Dec 1690; Indenture from Daniell Smith of St. Mary’s County, carpenter, to Henry Goodridge; for 6,000# tobacco; a tract called Lyons Hole; bounded by Richard Fowkes’ Vaineall; containing 100 acres; formerly granted to Edward Maddocks by patent; /s/ Daniell Smith (mark); wit. John Wilder, Cleborne Lomax; ack. by Elizabeth Smith, wife of Daniel. [Note: Edward is untitled in this transaction (normally he’s called “apothecary”), and it’s possible that this Edward Maddocks is the younger Edward.]

Doges Neck: Charles County Circuit Court Liber H, Page 132: 5 Sep 1678; Indenture from Edward Maddock, apothecary, to John Reddick; for 30,000# tobacco; a parcel of land called Doges Neck; on the south side of the Piscataway River to the mouth of Chingamuxon Creek; laid out for 200 acres; /s/ Edward Maddock; wit. Rando. Brandt, Geo. Godfrey; acknowledged by Margery wife of Edward Maddock.

Cheshire: Charles County Circuit Court Liber I, Page 125: 5 Jun 1681; Indenture from Edward Maddock, apothecary, and Margery his wife, relict of Matthew Stone, to William Chandler, Gent.; a tract called Cheshires being part of Poynton Manor; inherited by Margery from the will of William Stone; containing 500 acres; for 40,000# of tobacco; /s/ Edward Maddock, Margery Maddock; wit. Tho. Hussy, John Richards.

Greene’s Purchase: Charles County 1671-1674, Vol. 60, Pg. 532-534: “Luke Greene acknowledged the ensueinge Conveyance unto Edward Maddock for two hundred acres of Land called Greenes Purchase in open Court Vizt…”

Stone Hill: Charles County Circuit Court Liber F, Page 22: 29 Oct 1674; Indenture from Henry Aspenall, planter, to Edward Maddocke, apothecary; for 20,000# of tobacco and 300 acres of Stone Hill; a tract called Doegs Neck on the south side of Piscataway River, bound by Chingamuxon Creek; laid out for 450 acres; also a parcel on the east side of the said neck by the sd creek containing 200 acres by patent granted Walter Hall 26 Apr 1658; Isl Henry Aspenall; wit. Richard Edelen, Stephen Murry

Athey’s Hopewell: Charles County Circuit Court Liber F, Page 180: 12 Apr 1676; Indenture from Edward Maddock, apothecary, to Philip Carey; for 3,000# tobacco; a parcel called Athey’s Hopewell; containing 100 acres; /s/ Ed. Maddock; wit. Philip Lines, Luke Greene

Maddock’s Folly: Charles County Circuit Court Liber F, Page 200: 8 Aug 1676; Indenture from Edward Maddock, apothecary, to Philip Lines; for 8,000# tobacco; a parcel called Maddock’s Folly; on the east side of Piscataway River; containing 350 acres; /s/ Edward Maddock; wit. Henry Bonner, Joshua Guibert, John Hamilton

Nanjemoy: Charles Co., MD, Land Record L #1, folio 142: 17 February 1684, Edward Maddock and wife Margery of Stafford Co., VA, conveyed 500 acres called “Nanjemoy” in Charles co. to Gerard Fowke.

 

Maddox land patents in Colonial-era Charles County, Maryland

04 Friday Mar 2016

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Numerous Maddox and Maddox-associated tracts are described in the Charles County Circuit Court Land Survey, Subdivision, and Condominium Plats, including a few we haven’t seen before.

The following tract was owned by Cornelius Maddox and we’ve never seen the original description:

Totsall, 60 Acres; Patent Record CB 3, p. 163; Date: 1682; Developer/Owner: Ashford, Michael. http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=4123

The first three of the following tracts were owned by Benjamin Maddox (I) and Benjamin Maddox (II), and the rest are associated with their sons:

Horne Faire, 150 Acres; Patent Record 17, p. 522; Date: 1674; Developer/Owner: Nevill, William.  http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=2055

Horn Fair Addition, 30 Acres; Patent Record BC and GS 2, p. 182; Date: 1755; Developer/Owner: Maddox, Benjamin. http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=2058

Poseys Chance, 100 Acres; Patent Record LG B, p. 73; Date: 1739; Developer/Owner: Posey, John. http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=3260

Posey, 450 Acres; Patent Record AB and H, p. 170; Date: 1651; Developer/Owner: Posey, Francis Burlane, John. http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=3258

Batchelors Hope, 184 Acres; Patent Record C 3, p. 166; Date: 1695; Developer/Owner: Smallwood, James. http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=372

Blue Plains, 680 Acres; Patent Record BT and BY 3, p. 565; Date: 1747; Developer/Owner: Maddox, Edward. http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=497

Maddoxs Trouble, 236 Acres; Patent Record EI 2, p. 666; Date: 1738; Developer/Owner: Maddox or Maddux, John. http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=2540

The following tracts were wholly or partially owned by Edward Maddox:

Mannor of Poynton, 5000 Acres; Patent Record AB and H, p. 425; Date:  1658; Developer/Owner: Stone, William. http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=2582

Doags Neck, The, 450 Acres; Patent Record AB and H, p. 437; Date: 1658; Developer/Owner: Hall, Walter. http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=1170

Hopewell, 80 Acres; Patent; Patent Record CB 2, p. 44; Date: 1680; Developer/Owner: Athea, George. http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unit.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=S&series=1587&unit=2043