Talbot County MD Archives Biographies.....John NEWMAN, 1640 - unk ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/md/mdfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Jack Walter jwwalt@attglobal.net April 24, 2012, 12:01 pm Source: unpublished Author: Jack Walter NEWNAM of Talbot County 1660- 1720 Jack Walter 02 Feb 2012 John Newnam(1), an indentured servant of Edward Lloyd, is the likely progenitor of the present day NEWNAM's of MD's Eastern Shore, Delawaare, North Carolina and the midwest. Birth, marriage, and death records were not recorded during this period (with exception of a few in the Friends Meetinghouse Records) so the family history has to be reconstructed from surviving Provincial Court, the few Probate records, and Land Records that survive. NEWNAM is a somewhat unusual name and has been spelled NEWMAN, NEWNHAM, NUNAM, etc. in a number of records. The first permanent Newnam settler on the Maryland's Eastern Shore was the following John(1) Newnam, (Note: In a Land Records is a referece to a prior John Newnam, ""hath been absent many years, its reported he dyed in a voyage to England and no heirs appear to claim the Land". 1662 This dayMr. Edward Lloyd and his servant, John "Newman", claiming his freedom, his said master having served Fower years next January being in the year one thousand six hundred sixty three.Talbot Co. Court Proc. 1662-1674, p. 363. The Court granted his freedom- the proceeding was a formality to establish legal record of indentured servants right to a land grant. John Newnam's birth date is uncertain. He would have had to say he was at least 20 years old in 1658 to be eligible for a 4 year indenture under Maryland's "Conditions of Plantation" but there was no way to verify age and it was to his advantage to claim 20 if he was strong and healthy enough to pass for 20, as younger indentured servants had to serve 7 years. From ages John gave in Court depositions in 1708, 1715, 1711, and 1714 his birth would have been 1642, 1644, 1645, and 1646, respectively. (John's arithmetic was probably not very good as he had no formal education, as indicated by his signing of land records with a crude cross.) John(1) was due 200 acres of land (50 acres each for himself, a first wife, his second wife, and presumeably one child) under the Conditions of Plantation. He was granted a Warrant for this acreage, called Newnam's Lott , "at the head of the Wye (now St. Michael's River) in the Woods" on 16 Jul 1665. Talbot County Rent Rolls, 1665, p.266. John Newnam and "Joan, his wife" promptly sold 150 acres of this land on 14 Aug 1665 to John Newell. Probably the fate of being set loose with only an axe and provisions for a year to clear 200 acres with no roof over his head was a daunting one- he may have stayed on as a paid employ of Edward Lloyd to save for the future. Edward Lloyd had 1400 workers, 2/3 of whom were indentured whites or paid, freedmen. The matter of John Newnam's wives is confused by a mistake in a 1666 Disclamer of rights to Newnam's Lott after its sale in MD Land Records, in which John Newnam disclaims any future rights to Newnam's Lott on behalf of himself, "his first wife Joan, and his second wife Francis Richeson".This was obviously a clerical error, as John Newnam and "Joan, his wife" are the signatures to his many land conveyences 1665 to 1700, and there is no other refernce to Francis Richeson. Presumeably she died and he remarried during his indenture. John(1) Newnam seems to have become a rather successful land speculator as well as tobacco planter during his life in Talbot County, having bought and sold numerous acreages 1665 to 1700 (see Addendum 1 below). I've found no record of John(1) Newnam's death, or any probate record but he was still alive in Jul 1705 according to an apprentiss record for a grandson (Addendum 2). Fred Henderson Newnam of NC has confused a second John(2) Newnham (Newnam) whose wife was Mary with our original John Newnam, in his unpublished document, because he did not access original deed conveyence records which showed John Newnam and Joan, his wife, as owners of most of the Talbot County properties which Fred attributed to John(2) and Mary. John(2) and Mary first appear in conveyences of Bedworth 200 acres(16 Aug 1687), Good Chance and Newnam's Thicket(29 May 1688), and Bobb's Hill 100 acres(19 Aug 1688), all patented after 1680, and as Quaker marriage witnesses in 1692 (see below). For this reason and a "John" Newnam deponent's age given as "about 40" in 1698 indicating birth in1658 I believe this to be our first John's son , born to he and first wife Francis Richeson. (See Addendum i below) The Fred Newnam manuscript also claimed, without sources, that John(2) married Mary "Bull" in Talbot Co., in 1664. I 've found no record of such a marriage or the BULL surname in Maryland provincial records. Fred did some Newnham/Newnam research in England and there is a John Newnham/Mary Bull marriage recorded in the "Marriage Index for England and Wales" but the date was 1769. Fred also says his ancestor, Daniel Newnham b. abt 1675 Talbot Co.,d. 1743 Queen Anne's Co., was son of John(2) and Mary. I 've found no documentation of Daniel's birth year or the father/son relationship. If John(2) was born 1658 and son of the first John Newnam, he was probably too young to be Daniel's father and our original John was likely the father. John(2) Newnam died Feb 1718, in Talbot County.Talbot Inventories 1718, Vol 1, p.131. The Inventory of Jno Newnam's Estate late of Talbot County Dec'd taken Feb 11, anno 1718. Total Value 12 pounds 12 shillings, 0 pence. The administration of his estate was made in favor of his widow, Mary. Talbot County Administations-Liber 2,folio 481, year 1720. John(3) Newnam, Jr., presumeably son of John(1) and Joan, died Talbot County, 1704. Margaret, his widow, approved his Inventory. I forgot to copy the source and could not find reference to his Inventory. Fred Newnam gives 1665 as his birth (undocumented). According to 20 Jul 1705 Talbot Provincial Court Record, John(1), Sr. and Margaret apprenticed John(3), Jr.'s son, John(4), Jr. to her father, Robert Noble, to learn the Cooper's trade. Thus, John(3), Jr.'s wife's maiden name was Noble. (See Addendum 2, below) John(3) Jr.'s widow, Margaret, remarried to John Skinner of Queen Anne's County by 1709, as indicated in their suits against her father for not complying with terms of her son, John(4) Jr.'s apprentice agreement. (Queen Anne's Co. Judgement Records QEJU ET No.B, 19 and QEJU B. 189, 1709 and 1712, resp.). See Addendum 2. Fred Newnam gives as children of John(3) Newnam, Jr., John Newnam III (John (4), Jr. above), Daniel Newnam b. Talbot Co., and Edward Newnam, b. 1686 Talbot Co.- all unsourced. I've found no supporting evidence- Edward's birth may be from age given as a Deponent in DE. The relationship of all 3 to John (3), Jr. may be from a Will or Probate record for John(3) which I did not find. John(1) and John(2) and their wives were at least "casual" Quakers, as they are found as witnesses to several Quaker weddings in Records of Third Haven Meeting House and mentioed a couple of times in Minutes of Third Haven Meeting House in Easton. No Newnam births or marriages are recorded in Records of Third Haven Meetinghouse but this may be because they attended the earlier and nearer Miles River location of Betty's Cove Meetinghouse. Just where John(1) Newnam came from is unknown. He may have come directly from England as Fred Newnam believed. Busnessmen and ship's Captains commonly recruited young men and boys to indenture themselves in return for transportation and the promise of a Land Warrant in the Colonies, and then "sold" the indentured servant to plantation owners when they arrived in America. Some plantation owners recruited servants directly in Englaand or other Colonies. Edward Lloyd was a wealthy Puritan who was driven out of Virginia by the Anglican Church, and apparently "escaped" with most of his assets to Annapolis and Talbot County. John(1) Newnam was a Quaker and Quakers were also persecuted by the Anglican Church in Virginia and there are records of Newnam's in James City County VA prior to 1660 so it is possible he came from there. Note: Edward Lloyd I was by far the wealthiest man in Talbot County- his Inventory at death was 42,000 pounds Sterling far exceeding his wealthiest peers 3,000 to 10,000. He owned several plantations totalling several thousand acres in Talbot Co. and employed some 1400 workers, 2/3 of whom were indentured servants and freedmen- the rest slaves. This is best I can do with what I've found and obviously leaves unanswered questions which may never be answered. There are a few more records I'd like to look up but driving 2 1/2 hours to Maryland and paging thru microfilms of often faded records written in old English handwriting is getting to be an arduous task for this old guy. The original Talbot County Land Record images,recently posted on the Internet by MD State Archives have been a godsend. Addendum 1: Newnam Land Records and Quaker Records Newnam Land Records(Talbot Co.) 1660-1750 Sources: 1. Land Office Talbot County Rent Rolls 1658-1726, L. Keddie abstracts (The Rent Rolls record surveys of lands for potential purchasers of land held by others, prior to the conveyence of a deed. Conveyence does not take place until all conditions of the transfer are met and responsibility for payment of the Rent to the Lord Proprietor is assumed by purchaser- the process could take several years though in most cases it was completed fairly quickly. The purchaser's wife's name was not entered in this record. 2. I obtained these records from Talbot County Court Records(Land Records 1662- 1832), original pages are posted on the Maryland State Archives Website. These are the original copies of land conveyence deeds, from seller to buyer, and generally contain the signatures (or his, her mark) of the seller and his wife, as well as their names in the body of the contract, as the wife had legal right to the property if her husband died. The buyer's name appears throughout but his signature does not. 9 Jul 1665 Newnam, John, "Newnams Lott, 200a., surveyed for John Newnam, at head of Wye in Woods" 16 Jul 1665 Warrent for Newnam's Lott grantedd to john Newnam 14 Aug 1665 Newnam, John and Joan, his wife convey "Newnams Lott" to John Newell 20 Nov 1667 Newnam, John, "Newnams Fortune" 100a., surveyed for John Newnam, in branch of Tred Avon Creek, adjoining land of Andrew Skinner called Shipshead Point who purchased it from Wm. Smith and Smith from John Newnam- "hath been absent many years, its reported he dyed in a voyage to England and no heirs appear to claim the Land". 20 Jul 1668 Newnam, John and Joan his wife convey "Newnams Fortune" to William Smith 17Jan 1670 Newman, John, "Hammersley", 100 a. from Richard Carter, west side Emersons Creek 15 Jul 1671 Newnam, John, "Batchelours Branch", 100 a. from Francis Marling, south side of St. Micaels River 15 Aug 1671 Newnam, John, and Joane his wife to Richard Parvis, Bill of Sale 17 Jun 1673 Newnam, John, "Bantry"300a., from F. Tarsell, north side east br. St. michaels River, adjoining Ashby 28 Aug 1675 Newnam, John, "Newnams Field",50a., surveyed for John Newnam, adjoins Ashby 16 Mar 1676 Newman, John, conveys "Grossely" 50a,.to Thos. Galpin 22 Feb 1679 Newnam, John, "Coventry" 300 a. surveyed for John Newnam, west side north Br. of Kings Creek 16 Mar 1679 Newnam, John, and Jone his wife convey "Bantry" 300a. to Andrew Orem 16 May 1679 Newnam, John, "Newnam" 50a. surveyed for John Newnam 16 Aug 1679 Nunam, "John I" and "Jane? ", his wife conveys "Nunam" to Obadiah Judkin (names in the original are somewhat confusing- the clerk wrote "I John" and "Jane" in the body of the deed and signed it "John I Nunam"- John added a very large "J" as his mark, there was no Jane or Jone signature) 18 Jan 1680 Nunam, John, and wife Jone convey "Coventry"300a., to Dennis Hopkins 16 Jun 1681 Newnam, John,"Bedworth" 200a. surveyed for John Newnam 1681 Newnam, John, patented "Newnam's Range", east side of Miles River (from Tavern in the Town, I did not find this one)) 1683 Newnam, John, and Jacob Abraham patent "Jacob and John's Pasture 340 a.at head of Miles River (from Tavern in the Town)??? 28 Oct 1683 Newnam, John, "Newingham" 100 a. surveyed for John Newnam, west side of Bolingbroke Creek(John Newnam knows nothing of this land nor considering such to be surveyed for him there was another John Newnam who he presumes might taken up this land and that man is dead without heirs) 15 Jul 1687 Newnam, John, "Jacob and John's Pasture" surveyed for John Newnam 16 Aug 1687 Newnam, John, and Mary his wife convey "Bedworth" 200a. on Woodenhawk Br. to J. Davis 29 May 1688 Newnam, John, and Mary his wife convey "Good Chance" and "Newnam's Thicket" North side east branch of St. Michaels River to Richard Carter, lease back dwelling house 19 Aug 1688 Newnam, John, and Mary his wife convey "Bobb's Hill" 100a. on Woodenhawk Branch 17 Jan 1693 Newnam, John, conveys "Newnam's Addition" 50 a. north side east branch St. Michaels River to Sarah Bartlett 1695 Newnam, John, patented "Newnam's Folly", adjoining "Jacob and John's Pasture" (from Tavern on the Town) 1698 Deposition of Newman, John of Talbot Co.,, planter, age 40. (Talbot Provincial Court, folio 403) 21 Sept 1699 Newnam, John, and Joane his wife convey "Jacob and John's Pasture" 170a, on Mill Branch to Richard Carter 18 Nov 1700 Nunam, John, and Joan his wife,convey "Newnam's Folly" 50a., to Mark Williams (John appears to have learned to write his own name on this one) 9 May 1716 Newnam, John, "Benjamin's Lott", eastern br. of St. Michaels River surveyed for John Newnam 30 Mar 1732 Newnam, Daniel, and Rachel his wife of Queen Annes County, convey "Benjamins Lott" to Robert Goldsborough Newnam's in Third Haven (Tred Avon) Friends (Quaker) Meetinghouse Records Records of the Third Haven Friends Meeting House, established at Easton about 1668, show that the first John Newnam (or Newnam's) in Talbot were at least "casual", maybe not devout Quakers. Their names appear among the "Wittnesses" listed for several Quaker weddings from 1680 to 1711 but no Newnam births, marriages , or deaths are recorded in these Third Haven Meeting House Records. It's possible the Newnam's normally attended the Betty's Cove Meeting House (1660-1693), which was located closer to the Lloyd's Wye House plantation where John Newnam was granted his freedom and his own lands. There seem to be no surviving records from the Betty's Cove Meeting House. Note: All marriage records are from search of Third Haven Meeting Records, 1665-1941 on FHL microfilm 13145, items 1-3, which recorded births, marriages, and deaths. "Minutes of Third Haven Monthly Meetings" were kept in a separate book. 8 Apr 1680, p. 8- marriage of William Dixon. Wittness: John NEWMAN 6 Jun 1682, p.11- marriage of Peter Wilson at Betty's Cove. Wittness: J(ia)ne NEWNAM 6 Dec 1682, p.11- marriage of Wm. Johnson at Kings Creek. Wittness: John NEWNAM, John NEWNAM, Jr., Joan NEWNAM (there were 54 wittnesses at this wedding, most weddings had but 12 to 20) 3/6/1683, page 8- "John NUNAM condemned his outrunnings". Ref: Quaker Minutes of Eastern Shore, F. Edward Wright 1934, Minutes of Third Haven Monthly Meetings. 6/10/1684 marriage of Wm. Baily. Wittness: Joan NEWMAN 10 Feb 1688 - marriage of (illegible). Wittness: John NEWMAN 18 May 1691, page 28- marriage of (illegible) Wittness: Jo~(Jonathon?) NEWNAM 22 Sept 1692, page 32- marriage of Obadiah Judkin. Wittness; Jo~(Jonathon?) NUNAM, Mary NUNAM 20/10/1692, page 52- marriage of Kenellam Skillington. Wittness: Mary NEWNHAM, John NEWNHAM 27/6/1696, page 17- 'Informed of John NUNAM's disorderly practices and that he has contrary to the good order of truth taken a wife by a priest and not above ten days after the burial of his last wife". Ref: Quaker Minutes of Eastern Shore, F. Edward Wright 1934, Minutes of Third Haven Monthly Meetings. 8 Jul 1699, page 64- marriage of Wm. Berry. Wittness: John NEWNHAM, Joan NEWNHAM 10 Jul 1709, page 84- marriage of Niel Grace. Wittness: John NEWNAM 10/8/1711, page 94- marriage of John Barry. Wittness: Jone New--m I found no more NEWNAM wittnesses to Quaker marriage records thereafter. Addendum 2: 20 Jul 1705 Robert Noble of Talbot Co., planter, to Margaret and John Newnam, Sr. Grandfather to John Newnam, Jr., son of Margaret and John Newnam, takes John Newnam, Jr. as apprentiss and servant until age 21, to learn cooper and carpenter trade, in exchange for his shelter, food, clothing.( Margaret was therefore daughter of Robert Noble). Also note that in this case and the following Court Records the son of John, Sr. is designated "John Newnam" and John and Margaret Newnam's son is designated "John Newnam, Jr.", whereas Margaret's husband was recorded as John Newnam, Jr. in his 1704 Inventory. March 1709 At March Court 1709 Margaret Skinner complained against Robert Noble for "hard useage of her son, John Newnam, and not performing his part of an indenture. QAJU ET No.B :19 ( From "Colonial Families of Eastern Shore, Md., Vol. 4, pp.254,255) and Queen Anne's Co. Judgement Records. June 1712 At June Court 1712 John Skinner and his wife( Margaret) set forth that John Newnam, Jr. about 5 years ago was bound to Robert Noble to learn trade of cooper and carpenter but Robert Noble keeps him to common Plant. labor. Robert Noble fined 100 pounds of tobacco. QAJU ET No. B: 189 , ibid. above. The 1709 and 1712 records indicate that John Newnam(son of John Newnam, Sr.)died between 1704-1708 and his widow, Margaret, married John Skinner by 1709. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mdfiles/ File size: 18.1 Kb This file is located at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/md/talbot/bios/newman-j.txt