#52 Ancestors 2024 Week 32 Free Space: Dr. Luke Barber, Immigrant Ancestor

My 9x-great grandfather, Dr. Luke Barber, the immigrant ancestor of the Barber family in Maryland, made a name for himself not only as a physician but also as a public servant in the early Maryland colony. 

 The son of John Barber and Ann Edwards, Luke Barber was born 28 February 1615 at Wickham Hall in Yorkshire England. In 1641, the 26-year-old Luke married Elizabeth Young. They had six children together: Elizabeth (1642), Mary (1645), Luke (1648) Edward (1650), Thomas (1661), Ann (1664). The older four children were born in Yorkshire, the younger two in St. Mary's County. 

Oliver Cromwell 

Dr. Barber served in the household of Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England after the execution of King Charles I in 1649.  He probably served as a physician or surgeon in Cromwell's army. 

Dr. Barber and his family came to Maryland in 1654 aboard the ship Golden Fortune. Possibly because of his connection with Cromwell and his support for the proprietary government, Lord Baltimore granted him 1000 acres of land near the Wicomico River in St. Mary's County, which Dr. Barber called Chaptico Manor, Chaptico being an Algonquin word meaning big-broad-river-it-is. His home he called Micham (or Wickham) Hall. 

The town of Chaptico was later designated as one of four ports of entry for the Maryland colony and
continued as a shipping point until the Wicomico River silted up in the 18th century. The map on the right shows the location of Dr. Barber's manor. It is quite likely that Dr. Barber knew and worked with another of my 9X-great grandfathers, Thomas Gerrard, who lived near him at St. Clements Manor and was also a surgeon and a member of the Provincial Council, although he was in Maryland earlier than Dr. Barber. I have written about him and his role in Fendall's Rebellion here: Dr. Thomas Gerrard. 

By 1655, Dr. Barber was commissioned by Maryland's Governor to act as a peacemaker in the battle between the Puritans and the Royalists at Providence (now Annapolis).  So, his diplomatic skills must have been very well known. He was appointed a member of the Privy Council in 1656 and later appointed to the Upper House of the Assembly, a Justice of the Court, and as Deputy Governor in 1657, appointed by Governor Josias Fendall, who had travelled to Maryland aboard the Golden Fortune along with Dr. Barber. 

In 1660, Governor Fendall, with support from Thomas Gerrard, attempted to overthrow Lord Baltimore's proprietary government of Maryland, and there was a bloodless rebellion against Lord Baltimore in England, instigated by Oliver Cromwell. It was called Fendall's Rebellion.  Given Dr. Barber's connections to both Fendall and Cromwell, it is possible that Dr. Barber also supported the rebellion, although he was no longer serving in the Assembly at the time. The attempted revolution failed, probably thanks to the fall of the Cromwell government at about the same time. While Barber's position on the Rebellion is not entirely clear, he was not reappointed to the Council after that, suggesting he was out of favor with the government. 

Jonathan Yates Barber

Dr. Barber made his will in 1664, leaving property to five of his six children; his daughter Ann was probably born after he made this will. In it, he left his son Edward (my 8x-great grandfather) part of Chaptico Manor called Lukeland, later Luckland, which stayed in the Barber family for a number of generations. My 3x-great grandfather, Jonathan Yates Barber, was born there in 1807. 

At the time of his death in 1674 at age 59, Dr. Barber owned about 2000 acres of land in St. Mary's and Charles counties.  His inventory showed a large library of books in English, French and Latin. His estate was administered by his son-in-law Joshua Guibert, married to his daughter, Elizabeth. 

His wife Elizabeth married after Dr. Barber's death to John Bloomfield. She died in St. Mary's County. 

Edward Barber, my 8x-great grandfather, married Cibbil Groome about 1670 and had three childen with her, including my 7X great grandfather, Luke Barber. 

Dr. Barber's son Luke carried on the medical profession as did a number of other of his descendants.