My 9X-great grandfather, Dr. Thomas Gerrard, about whom I have written elsewhere, was a troublemaker. However, his five daughters continued the family tradition, marrying into some other trouble-making families. Three of the leaders of the Protestant Rebellion of 1689 were sons-in-law of Thomas Gerrard. Some historians have described the events of 1689 as a continuation of Fendall's Rebellion (1660) in which Thomas Gerrard and his son-in-law Robert Slye played key roles. And there is some suggestion that Gerrard's dislike of the Calverts influenced the actions of his sons-in-law.
First, let me acknowledge that there is some controversy among genealogists about how many daughters Thomas Gerrard actually had. I am only dealing here with the five daughters that seem pretty well proven: Susannah, Frances, Temperance, Elizabeth, and Mary, all of whom survived their father's death in 1673. The first four were born in England and emigrated with their parents to Maryland about 1650. Mary was born in St. Mary's County MD. All were the daughters of Gerrard's first wife, Susannah Snow.
Susannah Gerrard
Thomas and Susannah's eldest daughter, Susannah, was born at New Hall, Lancashire, England in 1635, and as noted above, came to the Maryland colony with her parents about 1650. She married first Robert Slye about 1654, when her father deeded her 1000 acres of land called Bushwood in St. Mary's County MD as her marriage dower. (See map below.)
Slye's public career was extensive. He served in the Assembly, was a Justice of the Provincial Court, and member of the Provincial Council.
He also joined his father-in-law in supporting Fendall's Rebellion and as a result, temporarily lost his offices.
At his death in 1670, Slye owned 2500 acres of land, and a number of servants and slaves. Robert and Susannah Slye had two sons: Gerrard and Robert, and two daughters: Elizabeth and Frances.
After Robert Slye's death, his widow married John Coode in 1674, and that is where her trouble-making days really got started. Coode, born in Cornwall, England, an Oxford graduate and former Anglican priest who was "turned out" of the ministry, was "an ambitious and disgruntled Protestant in a colony ruled by Catholics." (I wonder if Susanna was attracted to that "bad boy" vibe?) His marriage to the wealthy widow Slye improved his social status considerably leading to his appointment as a captain of the militia, and as a Justice, and to election to the Assembly. (See John Barth's The Sotweed Factor for a fictional depiction of Coode.)
In 1681, Coode was arrested for participation in attempted rebellion (the first of four in which he ultimately took part). A letter from Philip Calvert describes Susannah's reaction, suggesting that she was not in good mental state.
And the next day after, Mrs. Coode did Hector my Lord at a rate I never heard from a Woman before; by which you may conclude she was not run mad with the fright of her Husband's being pull'd out of his Bed, as we were told her son Slye falsly reports at London.
Three or four days after I saw her at St. Maries, and then I did suspect she would not continue long in her wits, knowing she had been mad awhile upon the death of her eldest son, and had heard she sometimes fell into like Fits since.
Susannah and John Coode had two sons: John and William (ca. 1679). Susannah died shortly after the incident described above and her husband remarried.
 |
| State House at St. Mary's City |
Catholics had paid the local Indian tribes to come and kill all the Protestants. Coode's army attacked the State House at St. Mary's City, defeating the proprieterial army led by Col. Henry Darnall (my 7X-great grandfather). Coode set up a Puritan government and outlawed Catholicism, serving briefly as governor until his brother-in-law, Nehemiah Blackistone, (my 8X-great grandfather) took his place. (Yes, I've got great-grandfathers all over this rebellion! See my blog about 8X-great grandfather Captain Richard Smith, who fought on the other side, for more detail.)
Coode participated in the new government for a while but couldn't seem to give up his hankering for rebellion, joining in several more uprisings against the colonial government, demonstrating why one biographer called him "always unable to work co-operatively for any appreciable length of time under any government. “ At one point, Coode was put on trial for blasphemy and sentenced to be bored through his tongue with a red hot poker. However, his brother-in-law, Nehemiah Blackistone--governor at the time--pardoned him and saved him from this fate. Coode died in 1709.
Frances Gerrard
Frances Gerrard holds the record among the sisters for the most marriages--five. Her holdings from her five husbands, all neighbors in Westmoreland County VA, made her probably the richest woman along the Potomac River. She most likely met her husbands from her father's estate in Virginia. Colton's Point on the map below is the location of Gerrard's St. Mary's County estate. Note also Bushwood Wharf, another Gerrard property.
She married first Thomas Speke about 1650, shortly after her arrival in Maryland, which puts Frances's probable birth in the mid 1630's. Speke served as a soldier in Maryland in the 1640's along with William Hardwick, below, but later was one of the founders of Westmoreland County VA where he patented Nomini Plantation. Thomas died there in 1660, leaving a son Thomas Jr. who was not yet 21 years of age and naming his wife Frances in his will and his father-in-law Thomas Gerrard. Frances and her various husbands continued to live at Nomini.
Frances married secondly about 1661 Col. Valentine Peyton, a graduate of Trinity College, who was trained in the Royal Army. He died at the Nomini estate in Westmoreland County VA in 1665 at about the age of 36. His 1662 will names his stepson Thomas Speke and his wife Frances as well as his father-in-law, Thomas Gerrard and brother-in-law Robert Slye. Frances and Valentine had a son Gerrard Peyton.
Frances married thirdly Captain John Appleton, who died in Westmoreland County VA in 1676. He was a witness to the will of Col. Washington, below.
Shortly after Captain Appleton's death, Frances married fourthly Col. John Washington (the grandfather of President George) as his third wife. In 1665, he was the attorney for the widowed Frances Peyton. He died in Westmoreland County VA in 1677.
Frances married fifthly William Hardwick, who was one of the appraisers of Captain Appleton's estate. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1678. William was a justice and a colonel in the Westmoreland County militia, who also played a role in the Protestant Revolution in Maryland. William died in Westmoreland County VA in 1694.
Frances Gerrard Speke Peyton Appleton Washington Hardwick died in Westmoreland County VA in 1696.
Temperance Gerrard
Perhaps true to her name, Temperance Gerrard lived a fairly quiet life with her husbands and children, mostly avoiding the political controversies that seemed to swirl around her sisters.
Temperance Gerrard married in 1669 to Daniel Hutt, as his second wife. Thomas Gerrard gave Temperance 300 acres of land in St. Mary’s County as a dowry. Hutt was a sailing master and London merchant who operated trans-Atlantic ships, including the Mayflower (not THE Mayflower of Pilgrim fame). Although he was not a Maryland resident at the time, Hutt was present with Thomas Gerrard and Robert Slye at the planning sessions for Fendall’s Rebellion. He owned 1500 acres in Westmoreland County. In the 1660’s he was a Justice in Westmoreland County along with his future brother-in-law, John Washington. Daniel died in 1674 leaving a will that named his two minor children, Gerrard and Anne, and his brother-in-law, Captain John Appleton.
Temperance Gerrard married secondly John Crabbe, a Westmoreland County merchant, in 1675. Temperance and John had a son Osman, named after his uncle Osman Crabbe.
Temperance Gerrard married thirdly Benjamin Blancheflower in 1692. He died about 1702. Temperance and Benjamin had a daughter Ann. Blancheflower's will in 1701 left his entire estate to his wife Temperance.
Temperance Gerrard Hutt Crabbe Blancheflower died in Westmoreland County VA in 1711 leaving a will which named her sons Gerrard Hutt and Osman Crabbe.
Elizabeth Gerrard (My 8X-great grandmother)
 |
| Blackistone House at Longworth Point |
Elizabeth Gerrard married in 1669 Nehemiah Blackistone (my 8X-great grandfather). Thomas Gerrard gave his daughter 300 acres of land at Longworth Point (Now Colton's Point, see map above) as a dowry.
Nehemiah Blackistone was the son of John Blackistone, a member of Parliament and mayor of Newcastle and one of the judges who pronounced the sentence of death on King Charles I in 1649. Nehemiah emigrated to Maryland about 1668 with his uncle George Blackistone.
No doubt the Blackistones suffered from the persecution endured by Commonwealth leaders after the restoration of Charles II in 1660, particularly given the regicide in the family. Writer John Milton (Paradise Lost) was arrested and imprisoned during this period because of his anti-monarchist views. Decamping to the colonies probably looked like a great opportunity.
Nehemiah Blackistone was one of the attorneys of the Provincial Court in Maryland and was clerk of the King's custom for the Wicomico and Potomac Rivers. In his 1670 will, his brother-in-law, Robert Slye, named Nehemiah as the overseer of his estate.
Blackistone played a leading role in the rebellion organized by his brother-in-law John Coode, marshalling a troop of militia and serving as Chief Justice and Speaker of the Assembly. He acted as Governor of the colony in 1691.
He died in St. Mary's County in 1693, still serving as a member of the Provincial Council. Elizabeth and Nehemiah Blackistone had children: John, Susanna, Rebecca, and Mary. John Blackistone, my 7X-great grandfather, married his step-sister, Anne Guibert. Rebecca Blackistone married her cousin Gerrard Newton.
Elizabeth Gerrard married secondly Ralph Rhymer about 1696. There were no children from this marriage.
Elizabeth Gerrard married thirdly Joshua Guibert (also my 8X-great grandfather with his first wife, Elizabeth Barber). He died in 1713 in St. Mary's County MD. Elizabeth had no children with Joshua Guibert, but Joshua's daughter Ann is my 7X-great grandmother through her marriage to her stepbrother John Blackistone.
Elizabeth Gerrard Blackistone Rhymer Guibert died in St. Mary's County MD in 1716 leaving a will which named her son John Blackistone and daughters Mary Mason, Susanna Attaway, Rebecca Walters and her daughter-in-law Ann Guibert Blackistone. She left the Longworth Point property to her son John Blackistone.
Mary Gerrard (Also my 8X-great grandmother)
Mary Gerrard, born in St. Mary's County in the mid-1650's, married Kenelm Cheseldyne there in 1675 as his second wife.
Kenelm Cheseldyne, born in Lincolnshire, England, the son of Rev. Kenelm Cheseldyne, emigrated to Maryland about 1669. He was a practicing lawyer, member of the Provincial Assembly, one of the Chief Justices of St. Mary's County, and the Attorney General of Maryland until 1681 when his association with John Coode led to the loss of his office.
He was also one of the founders of King William's School in Annapolis, the predecessor of St. John's College and the third oldest college in America after Harvard and the College of William and Mary.
Kenelm Cheseldyne and Mary Gerrard had four children: Kenelm (my 7X-great grandfather) and daughters Mary, Susannah, and Dryden Cheseldyne. Kenelm Cheseldyne II married Mary Brown, the widow of William Phippard.
Kenelm Cheseldyne died in 1708 leaving a will which name his son Kenelm, and daughters Mary Hay, Susannah Greenfield and Dryden Cheseldyne. His brother-in-law and fellow rebel John Coode witnessed the will. He is buried in St. Anne's Churchyard in Annapolis MD.
Mary Gerrard Cheseldyne apparently died before her husband as she is not named in his will.
The Gerrard sisters were a tight-knit group marrying within the same families and mostly sharing a tendancy toward rebellion. I can only imagine that family gatherings must have been quite contentious affairs, filled as they were with powerful and opinionated people.
No comments:
Post a Comment