Holbrook line: Charles Merryman 1655-1724

I've written before about John Merryman, father of Charles Merryman, who came to Virginia as a young man about 1638, and I've written about John Merryman, son of Charles Merryman, who owned property and lived in Maryland.  I've not written about Charles, though, and of course he is part of the Holbrook line, too.  Fortunately for me, I've not had to do a lot of research about Charles because the website Colonial Settlers of Maryland and Virginia has a quite thorough document about his life.  There of course are still questions that aren't answered, but we know more about Charles than we know about some of our other early Maryland ancestors.

Charles was the son of John and Audrey Heynes Merryman, and was born about 1655 in Lancaster County, Virginia.   This is a small county at the mouth of the Rappahanock River, where John Merryman and his other children lived their lives out.  Charles, however, was different.  We don't know for sure when Charles moved to Baltimore County, Maryland, nor do we know why.  However, he owned land there by 1682 and it is likely that he moved at about the same time.  His first tract, East Humphreys,  was about 300 acres in the northern part of the Patapsco Hundred.  He also owned 210 acres north of the Patapsco Rive210 acres called "Merryman's Lot", 120 acres called "Merryman's Addition, 246 acres called "Merryman's Beginning, and 200 acres called "Merryman's Pasture".  If this was all his land, and none of it belonged to his son Charles Jr., then this would follow the typical pattern of needing more land to grow tobacco, as the good soil necessary to grow tobacco was depleted.  We do know that he called himself a planter, and that tobacco was a form of currency for the family, as for most "planters" of the time.

I've found no reference to the Merryman family participating in Bacon's Rebellion in 1675-76, so probably they stayed on the right side of the law during that time.  It would have been a tense time, whether or not they participated and whatever side they took, as the rebellion involved a good number of native Americans as well as colonial rebels.  

Charles married Mary Haile, daughter of Nicholas and Mary Haile, probably before 1680 when their oldest son was born, and probably in Virginia rather than Maryland.  If the family moved to Baltimore about 1682, they likely had a toddler and an infant son with them as they began their new life in Maryland. Charles may have felt that he had little choice but to leave Virginia, as he was involved in a dispute which he lost, and his land in Virginia was ordered to be seized as security. 

Charles was apprenticed to a wheelwright, and we don't know whether he carried on that craft after he arrived in Baltimore County.  Perhaps he had saved enough money to make the original purchase in Maryland, and that was his chance to "make good".  Charles served on at least one grand jury, and was also captain of the militia in Baltimore County in 1696.  While it doesn't sound like he was really prominent in the county, he was known and respected enough to hold the military appointment.Both John the father and John the son seem to have been Anglican, and our Charles is reported to have been buried at Old Saint Pauls Cemetery, so he also must have practiced that faith. 

Charles and Mary had at least three sons, and possibly a daughter who, again possibly, may have been the daughter of a second wife.  Two sons were left just one shilling in his will, likely because they already had received land from their father.  Mary is thought to have died in 1709, which is why many think he married again, to another Mary, who was mentioned in the will.  Charles died December 23, 1724 and it took until 1726 to finalize the estate.   

I've not found records of slaves in his records, but they may not have been recorded.  It's difficult to think that someone with that much land, cultivating tobacco, would not have been a slave holder but we don't know for sure.  Let's just say it's possible.  

Charles is another in our Maryland line, one who led an interesting life and who lived perhaps a little more "on the edge" than some of our other ancestors.  But he raised a family and contributed to the building of Maryland, and for that, we honor him.

The line of descent is:

Charles Merryman-Mary Haile

John Merryman-Martha Bowen

Martha Merryman-Alexis Lemmon

Alexis Lemmon-Rachel Stansberry

Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick

Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black

Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants