#52 Ancestors 2019: Week One First American Ancestor, Richard Scrivener

Since the prompt this week is "First," I decided to write about my first American ancestor in the Scrivener Family.

The Scriveners have lived in Anne Arundel County MD since the early 1700's and a great many of us still live here. The earliest Scrivener ancestor I can document in America is Richard Scrivener, my 6X great-grandfather, who appears in the Register of St. James Parish, Lothian, in the southernmost part of Anne Arundel County, right at the border with Calvert County.

"Richard Scrivener and Mary Burck, aged 23 years & 5 months.  Born Richard Scrivener April ye 2nd 1686, Baptized September ye 1st 1709.  Married September ye 1st 1709." 

The next entry is for John Scrivener, presumably Richard's younger brother:
 "John ye son of Richard Scrivener and Mary his Wife, Aged 22 years born September 1687, Baptized September ye 1st 1709."  So, it looks like Richard and John, the sons of Richard and Mary Scrivener, were both baptized on the day of Richard's marriage to Mary Burck.


It is probable that Richard and John were both born in England, although I have not been able find records of them there.  They may be related to Richard Scrivener who settled in Queen Anne's County MD on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay, but I have not found the connection if there is one. They may also be related to Benjamin Scrivener, who settled in the same area of Anne Arundel County as Richard and John, but I have not found that connection either.  Scrivener is not a common name and I am almost certain that these people are related, but that connection lies somewhere in England waiting to be discovered.

John Scrivener married Elizabeth Gott in St. James Parish in 1713.  They had a son: Benjamin Scrivener.

The Scriveners were likely baptized and married by the Reverend Henry Hall, who was the rector of St. James from 1699 to 1722.  Richard and John were likely tobacco farmers living in extremely modest circumstances.  One writer noted that "most early settlers lived with so few worldly goods that today we would call the life 'camping out.'"

Richard Scrivener and Mary Burck have three sons shown in the records of St. James Parish:
*John Scrivener, born  1709 (my 5X great-grandfather)
*Richard Scrivener born 1710
*William Scrivener born September 1713

Mary Scrivener witnessed the will of John Preston of Anne Arundel County in August 1719, but after that I have found no further record of her. I do not know what, if any, connection she may have to John Preston or why she was a witness to his will.  Richard Scrivener Sr. appears in various estate records in Anne Arundel County in 1720, 1737, 1741 and 1753.  He is deposed in 1751 giving his age as 70 and indicating that he is a Quaker.  I have not found any records of his death, but he likely died after 1753 in Anne Arundel County MD.

John Scrivener, the son of Richard Scrivener and Mary Burck, and my 5X great-grandfather,  married Mary Lewin, the daughter of Richard Lewin and Mary Childs, and the granddaughter of Henry Childs, about 1732 in Anne Arundel County MD.  (It took me quite a while to figure out Mary's family name.  I finally found Mary Scrivener in the estate records of her father and was able to make the connection. See, it does pay to read ALL the testamentary papers!)

Richard Scrivener Jr. married a daughter of James and Sophia Macklanan about 1730 and had a daughter, Mary Scrivener and sons, Richard and Samuel.

William Scrivener married Elizabeth Clark, the daughter of John Clark and Catherine Evans. They had one child, John Scrivener.