Holbrook line: John Whitaker 1660-1713

John may or may not be the immigrant ancestor in this line, because there is some discussion in the world of the internet as to whether he was or was not the son of Aaron Whitaker.  I tend to think "not proven" so we will start with John. 

It's not clear where John was born but it was probably somewhere in Warwickshire or Lancashire, England, although even that it's clear.  The first that is known of John is that he was a servant of Thomas Taylor's in Baltimore County.  Thomas had land surveyed in 1694, so if he served a typical four year period as an indentured servant, he would have been there at least by 1690,and possibly sooner. 

He was married by 1687, when the first of his 9 children were born.  His first wife's name was Catherine, and she was the mother of his children.  She may have died at or shortly after the birth of his last son, Isaac, in 1704.  When he died in 1713, his wife's name was Mary.  We don't know any more at present about either Catherine or Mary.  (It's so frustrating to me when we don't know about the women!!!) 

John eventually owned several parcels of land in Anne Arundel County, and presumably lived there.  There is what appears to me to be speculation (only) that the family was Quaker.  Certainly some of John's grandchildren were Quaker, but I've found nothing that makes me think that these Whitaker's were of that faith.  The children were all baptized at St. George's Parish.  If all the land that John owned was cultivated, then he probably had slaves but there is nothing in his will to indicate that.  We have to keep it in mind as a possibility, however. 

When he died, he left Whitaker's Ridge, 250 acres, to sons John and Charles, the rights to enlargement to sons Peter and Abraham, 150 acres of Whitaker's Ridge to son Isaac and unborn child, and names his wife and daughters Elizabeth, Hannah, and Sarah.  His estate excluding land was valued at just under 100 pounds.   (It doesn't appear that the unborn child survived.) 

That's what is known of ancestor John Whitaker.  I'd love to know more of his story, especially more about his occupation, presumed to be farming, and his religion.  I'd like to know if he had slaves or if he used indentured servants, or how he farmed that many acres.  And of course, I'd love to know who his parents were, and where his origins were in England. 

Our line of descent is:

John Whitaker-Catherine
Elizabeth Whitaker-Daniel Scott
Martha Scott-Daniel McComas
Martha McComas-Robert Amos
Robert Amos-Elizabeth Amos (yes, cousins)
Martha Amos-Peter Black
Elizabeth Black-Isaac Hetrick
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook family: Daniel McComas Sr.

I love a good story about my ancestors.  However, when there are three conflicting stories about the same event in the same person's life, it gets a bit confusing.  Which of the three are true, if any, or closest to the truth?  How do we decide?  Where can proof be found? 

Sources seem to agree that Daniel was born February 23, 1662 in Shettleston, Glasgow, Scotland and and died in 1699 in Harford County, Maryland, or what became Harford County . However,  I haven't seen any documentation for the birth date, and it is possible that he was a bit older than that.  The birth date would be helpful in determining which of the stories about why he came to America might be true, or partially true, or completely false. 

Here are the choices: 

1)  He was from Scotland but had been in Ireland for a few years before arriving in Maryland by 1687.  This would possibly indicate that he was a "covenanter", or Presbyterian, but that doesn't conform with his later life when he was part of the established religion in Maryland. 

2)  He was the Captain of the Guard at Edinburgh Castle and escaped from Scotland with a price on his head.  This story doesn't indicate why he needed to escape, but there were all kinds of rebellions and uprisings going on in the 1680-1685 time period, so it's possible he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.  However, I don't know of any evidence showing there was a price on his head.

3) He was involved in the Battle of Worchester and was sent to the colonies as a punishment, as a prisoner captured by the English.  For this to be so, he would have had to have been much older than the given birthdate, as the Battle of Worchester took place in 1651.  That would mean that Daniel would likely have been born in or before 1635. 

Which story do you like? 

We do know that he arrived in Maryland about 1685 and was in what became Harford County but was then Baltimore County by 1687.  In 1687 he worked out a plan to purchase 98 acres of land on the south side of the Severn River in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  He married Elizabeth Hubbart or Elizabeth McGill in 1687, likely in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. I have so far not been able to trace either Daniel or Elizabeth back further than their appearance in Maryland. 

The couple had at least 7 children, William, Daniel, Alexander, Elinor, John, Ann, and James. When Daniel died (an early death, just 37 years old), five of the children were bound out (placed in the care of others).  Apparently Ann and James were either kept at home or they had died young. (Note: I do not have documentation for any of these births so it is possible that Ann and James were not of this family. There were a lot of McComas's in the area and children may have been attributed to the wrong parents.)  Late in life, the couple moved from Anne Arundel County to near Joppa in what became Harford County, and the McComas name was common there. 

Besides farming, Daniel was also a tailor.  His inventory showed a value of 22 pounds, 9 shillings, and four pence, which was not a lot of money but did not include his land, which was left to Elizabeth. 

That's what I know of Daniel McComas at this point.  How did a man from Scotland end up in the Holbrook line?  Here's our line of descent.

Daniel McComas-Elizabeth MacGill
Daniel McComas-Martha Scott
Martha McComas-Robert Amos
Martha Amos-Peter Black
Elizabeth Black-Isaac Hetrick
Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren-Holbrook
Gladys/Lois/Ray/Howard Holbrook
Their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren