Holbrook line: John Merryman 1678-1749

I don't have enough information to write a blog post about this ancestor, so this will be more like a placeholder, for now.  John Merryman is one of our early Maryland ancestors, he owned land, he married and had children, and that's about most of what I know about him.  There are other things we can speculate about.

John Merryman was the son of Charles and Mry Haile Merryman.  He was born in either Lancaster County, Virginia, where his parents married, or Baltimore County, Maryland, where they moved about the time of his birth.  We don't know why his parents moved but perhaps it was for religious freedom.  Also, this was about the time of Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia and perhaps they felt safer there.

John married Matha Bowen, daughter of Jonas and Martha Henchman Bowen, on December 30, 1702.  He already owned land on the north side of the Patapsco River, because he is taxed there starting in 1699.  He was left two parcels of land by his father, and acquired more as he matured.  The location of the land and the number of parcels he owned, plus the history of the other families I've reviewed for these posts, makes me speculate that he was a slave-owner.  He likely grew tobacco as at least one of his crops, and that depleted soils rapidly so that farms had to be kept in rotation.  This land was more or less directly east of what is now Fort McHenry in what is now Baltimore.

John and Martha had at least eight children.  Three sons are named in his will, and five daughters are mentioned but not named.  It is possible, even probable, that there were other children that didn't live to adulthood. We believe he was Anglican, as some of the family record's are at St Paul's Parish.  He wrote his will in 1746 and died July 17, 1749. 

That is what I know about John.  He is not a man who has been thoroughly researched, but surely there is more to be found about him.  I looked diligently for an inventory for John, but either it is misfiled or is lost.  I would love to know what his estate was worth, and more particularly, I'd like to settle the question of whether he owned slaves, and how many there were. This family was early and important in the area so there should be more information to be found.  If you know where and what it is, please contact me!

The line of descent is

John Merryman-Martha Bowen
Martha Merryman-Alexis Lemmon
Alexis Lemmon-Rachel Stansbury
Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Alexis Lemmon 1718-1786

We know more about the end of Alexis Lemmon than we do about his beginnings.  The birth date I've used above is speculative, apparently based on his age when he is first spotted in Maryland.  The family tradition is that he was the son of John and Elizabeth Smith Lemmon, who were from "northern Ireland".  I've not found a record that would substantiate this, nor have I found a record of John Lemmon's death, but I've only skimmed the surface in looking for that particular information.

The first we know of Alexis is that he had land, called simply, "Lemon's," 100 acres on July 2, 1741.  He acquired more land gradually, called, Lemon's enlargement, Battle Array, and Lemmon's Lot, totaling about 325 acres.  Adding new land would fit the typical profile of a tobacco farmer, which was the main crop during the first part of the 18th century.  Gradually, though, wheat and corn took over as the main crops in the area.

Alexis married Martha, probably Merryman, in December of 1739.  It's thought that Martha was the mother of all eight of their children, but she died in 1776 and Alexis married Rachel Cottrell Jones the following year.  Some of Alexis and Martha's children served in the Revolutionary War, so talk abound the table must have been lively.  We don't know much of Alexis's political beliefs, although he took the oath of allegiance to the province of Maryland in 1778.  In 1768, he had signed a Joppa petition, asking that the county seat be moved from Joppa to Baltimore.  He doesn't, however, seem to have been a radical patriot at all. 

The subject of this post, Alexis (also seen as Electius) would have been of the right age to serve during the French and Indian War but I've not found any record that he did so.  Still, his neighbors very well may have served, and he would have heard stories to tell his children and his children's children.

Alexis died on or before May 30, 1786, probably on his farm in Baltimore County.  His inventory reveals that he was a slaveholder, "owning" six slaves at the time of his death.  They ranged in age from 33 to 2 months old, and were called Sugar, Harvey, Abraham, Henry, Peter, and Temperance.  The total value of these "Negroes", as listed in the inventory, was 270 pounds, out of a total estate of about 440 pounds.  The inventory included farm animals, crops, tools and implements, as well as perhaps more household goods than poor people would have had, and old books and spectacles.

I haven't yet found church records for Alexis, but there were several parishes in Baltimore County and not all the records survived.  I'd like to know his religion.  I'd also like to know whether he served in any kind of militia, in any conflict, and whether he served in public office.  Google has a lot of books about Baltimore County listed that are not on line, so a trip to the Allen County Public Library is in order.

The line of descent is

Alexis Lemmon-Martha Merryman
Alexis Lemmon-Rachel Stansbury
Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
May Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook lines: Jonas Bowen, Immigrant

I'm going to play it conservative here and say that the Jonas Bowen I am writing about is an ancestor in the Holbrook line.  That much I am relatively (sorry for the pun) certain abouot.  I also have seen information that I think says that Jonas is also an Allen ancestor, but that is confusing.  In order for these to be one and the same man, he would have had to have been born about 1605 and lived to be about 94 years of age.  It's possible, but not probable and definitely not proven, in my opinion.  However, he definitely lived in the same area as some of our Allen ancestors, the Corbins and the Wilkinsons.

So we'll still to the apparent facts.  Jonas was most likely born in England or Wales, possibly close to the border between the two since the name may have originally been "ap Owen".  I have seen various names suggested as being Jonas's father, (John, Nathaniel, Obadiah) but nothing has been proven.  We don't know for sure when Jonas appeared in the colonies, or where.  However, we do know that he was in Baltimore County, Maryland by 1676 when he was on a tax list.  This probably indicates he had actually arrived some time earlier, in order to accumulate the property he was taxed on (I haven't yet seen the mentioned tax list, so can't comment further than that).

Jonas was married to Martha Henchman, daughter of Nathaniel Henchman and possibly Ann.  Jonas may have been married earlier, as mentioned above, and he was at least a few years older than Martha, it's believed.  (Martha's birth date is given as about 1649).  Jonas and Martha had several children together, including Jonas, Benjamin, Martha, John, and Onner (Honor), and possibly Elizabeth. 

In "Settlers of Maryland 1679-1783", Peter Coldham Wilson lists four parcels of land owned by Jonas, dating from 1679 to 1695 and totalling 300 acres, all in Baltimore County, and evidently located on the Patapsco River.  Of course, he may have sold some parcels as he bought others.  He is also known to have had land surveyed in 1673, which indicates that perhaps he lived there even prior to that date, since surveys may not have been requested as soon as the land was occupied.   

Jonas may have served in the militia during the 1675-76 troubles with the native Americans, and I saw a mention that he may have been a constable at one time.  I'm still looking for more information regarding both of those statements.

Jonas wrote his will March 26, 1699 and was dead by April 13 of that same year, when his will was probated.  I have a copy of his will but it's difficult to read.  It does have at least 12 "Items" on it, so there was property to dispose of.  Some of the children were still underage.  His wife Martha died in 1704.

I'd love to know so much more about Jonas.  When and where was he born? Did he have a first wife?  Who was she?  What religion was he?  Did he have an occupation other than farming?  Did he raise tobacco, and if so, did he have indentured servants, or slaves? What is the connection, if any, that makes him an Allen ancestor? 

The line of descent is:

Jonas Bowen-Martha Henchman
Martha Bowen-John Merryman
Martha Merryman-Alexis Lemmon
Alexis Lemmon-Rachel Stansbury
Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Nicholas Haile, Immigrant

I don't know if I've ever written about an ancestor who had so many purported fathers.  I'd love to agree with the family historians who say his father was George Haile, that George was the immigrant, and that Nicholas was in fact born in 1628 in Elizabeth City, Virginia.  George arrived in Virginia in 1620 on the "Supply" and was a drummer.  Or maybe his father was also Nicholas, and maybe our Nicholas didn't arrive at Elizabeth City until 1645.  Possibly, just possibly, his father was Thomas Haile, with no speculation at all as to how Nicholas arrived in Virginia, or when.  So take your pick, I guess.  If I were working on a hunch, and putting out money to research one or another, I'd start with George,but that is certainly not saying George has been proven.  George needs to be proved or disproved.  Even if he is not Nicholas's father, he may provide a clue, as someone else in that family may be the father. 

So what we know of Nicholas starts in Elizabeth City, Virginia.  He has records in both Lancaster and York counties,starting from May 1654, including land on the Corrotoman River. Nicholas was able to purchase several large parcels of land and also was granted head rights in May of 1666 and again in 1669, meaning he earned land because he paid for the passage of several people from England to Virginia.  Some of these people would likely have also become his indentured servants, for they were expected to repay whomever paid for their passage.  The dates that he acquired new land indicate that his main crop may have been tobacco, because that crop depleted soils quickly and new land was always needed. 

I have seen one reference that he was a burgess, but this honor belongs to Nicholas Hill, who doesn't seem to have any connection to this family  Our Nicholas owned enough land to be respectable,(and probably also owned slaves) but he doesn't seem to have had a high enough social status to be chosen as burgess.

Nicholas married Mary, who was evidently not the daughter of Raleigh Travers, although many trees have her listed as his daughter.  They had at least three children together, George, Mary and Nicholas, who were all listed in his will.  Nicholas died September 8, 1669 and Mary, his widow, died in 1672.  (It has been suggested that Mary's maiden name was Pollard, but I don't know if there is any documentation to support that idea.  The Hailes did have transactions with the Pollard family, but that isn't conclusive proof.)

If Nicholas was born in 1628, he lived a short life.  Virginia at that time was not an easy place to live.  It was hard work to clear land, supervise plantings, help with early crops, and take care of the livestock.  In addition, there was the threat of native uprisings, and diseases (unspecified fevers, malaria, tuberculosis, for starters) were a huge problem. But Nicholas lived long enough to give his children a good start in life, and to help the colony get better established.  Hats off to Nicholas Haile!

The line of descent is

Nicholas Haile-Mary possibly Pollard
Mary Haile-Charles Merryman
John Merryman-Maartha Bowen
Martha Merryman-Alexis Lemmon
Alexis Lemmon-Rachel Stansbury
Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Nathaniel Henchman, Immigrant

When I started gathering information for this post, all I had was an approximate death date and location, and the name of a daughter.  I don't have a lot more information than that now, but it an hour or so of internet searching (also checking a couple of reference books I own), I have more than I started with. 

The first thing I learned is that most of the trees showing Nathaniel Henchman born in 1640 in Massachusetts and married in 1693 in Massachusetts, then dying in 1695 in Maryland are not correct.  There obviously was a Nathaniel Henchman born in 1640 etc but he is not the one we are still learning about.  Our Nathaniel was in Maryland in 1665, according to both Robert W. Barnes and Gust Skordas. . I have only found the references at this tme and haven't seen the actual books that they wrote, but believe me, this will be high on my list for my next library trip. 

What I found, that is new to me and apparently to most of those who have posted trees for Nathaniel Henchman, is that he was listed in the taxpayer records of 1692 in Baltimore County, Md.  He was listed on both the north and the south side of the Patapsco Hundred, and is denoted by the number one, meaning he was the only taxable person there.  This is not absolute proof of his family status, but it likely indicates that there were no other men over the age of 16 living with him. He apparently lived near his son in law, Jonas Bowen   Also exciting to me is that the constable on the North side was Nicholas Corbin, who is probably the Nicholas Corbin who is a brick wall on our Allen side. 

I was unknowingly either on or very near this land of our ancestors in 1993, when I was in Baltimore on a business trip, because the Patapsco River runs right through Baltimore.  Of course, even had I known, I wouldn't have been able to get the feel of the place even by standing on the actual property, but it still would have been a thrill to do so  The Patapsco River estuary now forms Baltimore Harbor, and in 1665 the settlers likely would not have been very far upriver from there. 

Unfortunately, this is all I know of Nathaniel until we come to his will.  I found a copy of it, too, and it would be very readable is I knew how to decipher the old handwriting.  It was written in October of 1694 and proved in June of 1695.  He left his land and plantation to his grandson, Benjamin Bowen, (will says son of Benjamin but it is believed by others that this was an error and should be son of Jonas Bowen; internal indications of will are that Jonas Bowen, mentioned later, is correct) and other bequests also.  There is mention of his wife, who may be either Mary or Margaret, but we don't know if she was the mother of his daughter.

As far as is known, the only child of Nathaniel Henchman and his wife was Martha, although it is possible that a study of land records would show other children also.  Martha is believed to have been born about 1661, which would mean Nathaniel was born probably 1640 or earlier.  We don't know where Martha was born, either, so that is another of many mysteries still to be solved about this family. 

This is as much as I know of Nathaniel, but it is so much more than I knew when I started this that I am indeed thankful to have learned this much.  The search will continue, and I'm hopeful, because there are apparently so many cousins out there, that someone will contact me with more information. 

The line of descent is:

Nathaniel Henchman-possibly Mary or Margaret
Martha Henchman-Jonas Bowen
Martha Bowen-John Merryman
Martha Merryman-Alexis Lemmon
Alexis Lemmon-Rachel Stansbury
Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis E Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants