Dead men tell no tales...but deeds sure do!

The Maryland State Archives has a convenient digital image retrieval system for deeds going back to the beginning of colonial times.  It's free to use, all you have to do is register using an email account and you're ready to go.  A correspondent pointed me to an interesting deed that confirms some assumptions I've made in previous posts about Scaggs ancestors from Maryland.

I've always assumed that the pioneer Richard Scaggs who was the first to settle in Maryland in the 1600s had a son Richard who married Grace and had a son John Scaggs born in 1721. This 1829 deed from Lemuel and James Scaggs to their brother-in-law Christopher Lynch confirms that assumption:
"...one hundred acres of land, more or less, all of which will more fully appear by reference to a deed of bargain and sale bearing date on or about the twenty-ninth day of May, seventeen-hundred and nine, recorded among the case record of Kent County aforesaid and which was executed by a certain Gilbert Falconer the sole and lawful attorney in that behalf of a certain John Falconer to a certain Richard Scaggs, the father of Richard Scaggs the ancestor of the bargainers to these presents."
Until this deed was found, we were uncertain whether the Richard Scaggs who bought this land from John Falconer (through power of attorney to his brother Gilbert Falconer) was the pioneer Richard Scaggs, his son, or some other unknown Richard.  Now we can be confident in the following part of the Scaggs family tree:

1 Richard Scaggs (the founding colonist)
+ unknown
     2 Richard Scaggs (c1685-1725)
     + Grace
          3 William Scaggs (1708-1742) family described in 1742 will and 1766 lease
          + Ann (?-1739)
               4 Richard Scaggs (1737-1814)
               + unknown
                    5  Richard Scaggs (1779-1816)
                    +  Rachel Mitchell
                        6  James Scaggs (1808-1880)
                        +  Rosetta Dwyer
                        6  Lemuel Scaggs (1810-1872)
                        +  Mary
                        6  Anna Malvina Scaggs (1815-?)
                        +  Christopher Lynch
                        6  Elizabeth Scaggs

Next, we should look for the Virginia deeds for early Skaggs in the New River Valley, especially deeds where a Skaggs was the grantor, e.g. Zachariah (heir-at-law to John Scaggs).  Some others to look for in Virginia would be any James Skaggs / Rachel or their Longhunter children.  Also, land transfers by James Scaggs / Susanna when they were moving out of Virginia to Tennessee.  Finding a Virginia deed that explained the Skaggs relationships in Virginia would be a major breakthrough in documenting who was related to whom.

5 comments:

  1. What an amazing find....however, does this deed suggest that Richard Scaggs ( the founding colonist) was alive in 1709 ? Also, concerning James Scaggs the father of the Longhunters, what would be you best guess as to how he is connected to the colonist Richard Scaggs ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Richard Scaggs the founding colonist was the grantee on that 1709 deed, so he was very much alive.

      I'm beginning to think like this:

      1 Richard Scaggs (the founding colonist)
      2 Richard Scaggs
      + Grace
      2 Aaron Scaggs
      + Susanna Hyatt
      2 James Skaggs (father of longhunters)
      + Rachel

      We know James is not likely an eldest son of Richard or Aaron since he didn't inherit either estate, William inherited Richard's estate and Charles inherited Aaron's. So James was either the youngest son of Old Richard or a son of an unknown Skaggs.

      Delete
  2. This is pretty amazing and makes sense too....especially since Old Richard lived past 1709. Then James Scaggs (father of LongHunters) appears to have been the Uncle of John Scaggs (1721-1779), father of Old Peter whom both lived/owned property on the Branch of Meadow creek. And I think they both died with in a few years of each other as well. Seems to have been a close Uncle/Nephew relationship in addition to James immediate family. Is current DNA analysis supporting the above scenario ?
    Also, who are Thomas Skegg I (died 1651)and Thomas Skegg II (died 1670) and how do they connect to Richard Scaggs the colonist ? I have seen this information from Colonial Virginia Register . Any thoughts ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Remember, the James and Old Richard relationships are speculation at this point, however we are using our evidence to narrow the possibilities and come up with reasonable theories. Current DNA evidence supports the descendants of the Longhunters, Old Richard and Aaron Scaggs as from the same Y-haplogroup and the descendants of Richard Scaggs / Susanna Hyatt from a completely different haplogroup.

      Could you post the source of the Thomas Skegg I and Thomas Skegg II information? I'm not familiar with that, but I believe a Thomas immigrated to Virginia in the 1640s and I thought he may have been the pioneer for the Richard / Susanna Hyatt family.

      Delete
  3. My mistake....the names are Thomas Stegg I and Thomas Stegg II. The source is a red hard copy book called the ( Colonial Virginia Register) found in the Christiansburg Public Library in Christiansburg, Virginia.

    * pg. 22) Auditor General: ( From about 1705 there was a Sinecure Auditor General of the colonies in England, and those who held office in Virginia though practically Auditor General, were in name deputies). Thomas Stegg 1664-1670

    * pg. 35) Thomas Stegg I ; Born in England / Perished 1651-52 in shipwreck.

    * pg. 39) Thomas Stegg II ; Born in Virginia / Died in Virginia 1670

    * pg. 51) Thomas Stegg 1642-43 : The House of Burgesses, speakers

    * pg. 63) Thomas Stegg, Speaker : Assembled March 2, 1642-43

    * Do you think the above are connected to the founding Colonist Richard Skegs from 1658 Virginia Land Patents and Grants ?

    ReplyDelete

Most Popular Posts