There is evidence in the early historical records of Maryland that a John Stegg lived on Kent Island on the Eastern Shore in 1642 when Kent County was formed. At this point in time there would have been less than 300 heads of household in the entire Maryland colony. Past researchers noted that no John Stegg was found in early Virginia immigration records such as Cavaliers and Pioneers or the Virginia Historical Index, yet there he was in 1642 as you can see below the fold.
March 15, 1642/3 (p. 126 verbatim): In the record of the same Court; "The Court orders that the sheriff of Elisabeth City shall attach so much of the estate of Sir Edmund Plowden, Knt., for the use of Mr. John Stegg, as will be sufficient to pay said Stegg what is due from Sir Edmund Plowden to William Parry, for the rent of his housing; which is assigned to said Stegg, until satisfaction is made in full."
- The footnotes indicate that "no John Stegg for this period listed in the Virginia Historical Index, or in Cavaliers and Pioneers, but one of this name was apparently a resident of Kent Island in 1642 (Archives of Maryland, I, 169)."
- William Parry owned at this time land in Upper Norfolk (Nansemond) as well as in Elizabeth City County (Cavaliers and Pioneers). He is also listed in 1642 as an inhabitant of Kent Island (Archives of Maryland, I, 168).
The references to Kent Island in Maryland and Elizabeth City and Upper Norfolk Counties in Virginia indicate there was frequent back-and-forth (likely by ship) between Virginia and Maryland by a few settlers in the early days of both colonies.
In Maryland, the Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland for September 1642 provides a list of those attending the Assembly in person or by proxy. Several delegates from newly formed Kent County were suspended from amercement (paying a fine) until they received notice that their presence was required in person or by proxy. Among these delegates not required to attend was the John Stegg mentioned by the Virginia Council and General Court above.
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| Maryland 1642 |
Earlier in 1642, in the Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland for July-August 1642 John Stagg was listed as taxable for 28 pounds of tobacco in St. George's Hundred in St. Mary's County, the original Maryland county that Kent County was severed from in 1642.
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| Kent Island, Maryland |
It is currently unknown whether this John Stegg (Stagg) was related to the Scaggs family of southern Maryland or the Scaggs family of the Eastern Shore. Who was John Stegg of Kent County?
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