John and Mary Boyd
Of the families settled at
New Scotland, Prince George's County, Maryland,
none were more interesting
or contributed more to the revolutionary history
of the State than the Boyd
family, of whom John Boyde was the early
progenitor. Settling
first in Anne Arundel County where, on February 26,
1683, he received the first
warrant for land, he soon removed to Prince
George's County, and settled
on his estate Amptill Grange, a tract of nearly
a thousand acres granted to
him by Charles, third Lord Baltimore, September
16, 1703. This land
was included in the original boundaries of Calvert
County, in that part afterwards
included in Prince George's. John Boyd was a
prominent man in his day,
and while not having held public office, was called
upon to discharge duties involving
grave responsibility, as per following:
Council of Maryland. Maryland Archives, vol. 23, folios 327-328)
"At a Court held for Prince
Georges County before his Majesties Justices and
Commissioners of the County
aforesaid the 24th day of November, 1697, the
Grand Jury made the following
report:
"We the Jurors for the body
of Prince Georges County, having had it in charge
from the Worshipfull Court
to inquire and make report to this Court what
measures would most conduce
to his Majesties Honor and Service and the
Interest & Safety of this
Province to be now taken in relation to the forte
at New Scotland and the defence
and security of this Province and the good
people thereof upon the frontier
Plantations against any Incursions of
Indians, et cetera."
The jury felt it to be necessary
to the interest and safety of the Province
that the Garrison at the falls
of the Potomac be maintained and the same
number of Rangers be kept
out on guard at the fort and also on the frontier.
The jury also recommended
that a fort be built on the hill above the new
fort, etc.
The jury consisted of twenty-four
prominent gentlemen of Prince George's
County among whom were JOHN
BOYD, Edward Dawson, Francis Frisby,
John Sprigg, Archibald
Edmondston and Tomas Keniston.
John Boyd's will, dated October
5, 1704, was proved July 9, 1705, and is
recorded in Liber 3, folio
635, Annapolis Wills. In this he is called John
Boyd of Prince George's County.
The provisions of the will are as follows:
"To wife Mary Boyd the
home plantation called Amphill Grange, In Prince
George's County, during her
natural life.
"To eldest son Charles Boyd
150 acres of land part of 'Amphill Grange'
failing heirs of his body
to son John Boyd, second son. Also to John Boyd,
Second son, 100 acres part
of 'Amphill Grange',--failing heirs of his body
the land to go to the next
heir of the Testator.
"To third son Abraham Boyd
100 acres part of 'Amphill Grange',--failing heirs
of his body the land to go
to the next heir of the Testator.
"To fourth son Isaac Boyd
100 acres part of 'Amphill Grange',--reversion to
next heir of the Testator.
"To dau. Mary Boyd Bateman
wife of Ishmaell Bateman 100 acres part of 'Amphill
Grange'.
"To dau. Martha Boyd 100
acres part of 'Amphill Grange'. In the event of her
death two sons John and Abraham
Boyd to act as executors. Wife Mary Boyd
Executrix."
In the will of Mary, wife of
John Boyd, proved in the year 1722, it is shown
that their daughter Martha
married Thomas Wells. The high social status of
the family is proven by the
intermarriages of the sons and daughter of John
Boyd. Of these John
Boyd married Elinor FitzRedmond, niece of Charles
Carroll, first of the Carrolls
of Carrollton in Maryland, the marriage being
recorded in All Hallows Parish
Register, Anne Arundel County, page 72, dated
March 28, 1706. The
proof of the relationship is to be found in his will,
dated December 1, 1718, proved
July 28, 1720 (Annapolis Wills, Liber 16,
folio 176) .....
The following is also on interest in this connection:
(Provincial Court Records.
Liber P.L. No. 6, flio 426, June 10, 1730)
"This indenture made the tenth
day of June anno domini one thousand seven
hundred and thirty between
Margaret Macnemarra of the City of Annapolis, in
Anne Arundel County, Relict
of Thomas Macnemarra, Esq., of the said place,
deceased, of the first part,
JOHN BOYD, of Queen Anne's Town in Prince
George's County and ELINOR
his wife of the second part ....."
John Boyd, husband of Elinor
FitzRedmond, who had inherited the part of
Amphill Grange from his father,
was in the year 1743 granted by Lord
Baltimore an estate known
as Castle Plains, adjoining the land called "The
Forest of Needwood", now in
Frederick County, close to Washington County
border.
The death of John Boyd, the
second, is proven in a deed dated January 30,
1756, Prince George's County,
Maryland, in which Benjamin Boyd, of Prince
George's County, "for natural
love and affection" gives to his son, Thomas
Boyd, a tract of land containing
100 acres being part of Amphill Grange and
that part whereon John Boyd
"my father deceased" dwelt.
The children of John and Elinor
Boyd are proven by the record of their births
in Queen Anne's Parish Register,
Prince George's County, on page 302.
Benjamin Boyd, born January
13, 1706; John Boyd born September 25, 1709;
Abraham Boyd born June 5,
1713; William Boyd born April 19, 1716; Elinor Boyd
born June 12, 1720.
All of these sons married--Benjamin to Elizabeth Harwood
on October 30, 1733; John
to Susanna Baldwin May 8, 1735; William Boyd to
Charity Talbott; of Elinor
Boyd there is no further record.
The descendants of Benjamin
Boyd and Elizabeth Harwood have become prominent
in public affairs in various
parts of the country. Thomas Boyd married
Charity Duckett and Miss Lansdale.
He was Lieutenant and Adjutant in the
Maryland Line and a charter
member of the Maryland Society of the Cincinnati.
His son, Thomas Duckett Boyd,
removed to Albemarle County, Virginia, and
married Mary Magruder of the
Maryland family, and have many descendants.
William Boyd and Charity Talbott,
his wife, lived in Washington County, at
the time of his death.
His estate of Castle Plains adjoining Needwood Forest
being located in that part
of Maryland. Among other children, William Boyd
had sons, William Boyd, Jr.,
and Walter Boyd, to whom on September 25, 1782,
a power of attorney was sent
by "Captain Benj. Price, Captain of the
Maryland Line, now serving
in the State of South Carolina, to be my true and
lawful attorneys for me and
in my name and my use to ask, demand, sue for and
recover and receive for me
from all persons whatsoever due in the State
aforesaid. (Signed) Benjamin
Price."
The Boyds who descended from
John Boyd the first, of Prince George's County
became very numerous in the
third and fourth generations. They occupied
lands in the home country
and in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Montgomery,
Frederick, Washington, and
perhaps other counties in Maryland. They settled
in the south and west and
did great credit to their Maryland blood by
achieving honorable careers
in the higher walks of life. They were patriotic
during the American Revolution,
serving as officers and privates in the
armies that fought in that
momentous struggle, counting it not too great a
sacrificewer Battalion of
Prince George's County in 1778 appear the names of
Abraham Boyd, lieutenatnt-colonel
and Thomas Boyd, Ensign (MS. Revolutionary
Muster Rolls of Prince George's
County in 1778).
These men were brothers, sons
of Benjamin Boyd, and nephews of William Boyd
of Washington County .....
The following is from Revolutionary
Muster Rolls of Maryland, volume 18 of
the Maryland Archives:
Benjamin Boyd, sergeant, May,
1778, and November, 1780 (p. 86). Benjamin
Boyd, private in active service
in 1780-81-83 (p. 431). Thomas Boyd, private
in the 5th Regiment (Southern
Maryland boys) January 1, 1781 (p. 364). Thomas
Boyd, lieutenant January 1,
1781; also January 1, 1783
From "Side-Lights on Maryland
History, with Sketches of Early Maryland
Families", by Hester Dorsey
Richardson (originally published in 1903. This
book was reprinted in 1967
by Tidewater Publishers, Cambridge, Maryland).
Vol. 2, pp.267-276: