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THE STORY AS I KNOW IT

Elizabeth Maxwell was born about 1700 in London England. Her fathers first name is unknown but her mother's name was Elizabeth Defoe, sister to Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe.

The lovely book of pencil sketches of historic sites Backroading Through Cecil County, Maryland by Nancy C. Sawin and Ester R. Perkins has a sketch of the Blue Ball Tavern circa 1700 with ……"Andrew Job, an early owner, had a son who married the niece of Daniel Defoe. "

In the April 1933 issue of the General Magazine and Historical chronicle, an article Survival of Penn's Original Forest by Edward e. Wildman there is a long story of how Elizabeth came to America. At age 18 she had become engaged but her mother did not approve. Elizabeth became despondent and when she hear of a ship about to sail for America she boarded without saying anything to anyone. She came looking for someone to pay her passage money and take her as a servant for the required seven years of a bond. She looked for a Quaker to hold her bond because she had heard that Quakers were kind and good men to work for. She went to the home of Andrew Job Jr. and at the end of the seven years married one of the five Job sons. Finally at that time she wrote home. Her uncle Daniel Defoe wrote back that her mother had died some years before perhaps from anxiety over the whereabouts of her daughter. He sent to Elizabeth Job her mothers furniture urging her to take care of it because if came from their Flemish ancestors. One of the chairs was given to the Historical Society of Delaware.

This basic history was also in the Cecil County History, page 527.  The specific piece was written by a person who knew her grandchildren and had seen letters sent from Daniel DeFoe to Elizabeth Maxwell Job..

Elizabeth married Thomas Vernon Job, a son of Andrew Job Jr. on Aug. 28, 1725 at the New Garden Monthly Meeting in Calvert, Maryland, a brick Quaker meeting house.

According to a Job Family History in the family files of the Delaware County Historical Society
:Elizabeth & Thomas V. Job had the following children:
1 Archibald born 1726 married Margaret Rees, said to have a striking resemblance to Daniel Defoe.
2. Daniel married Mary Brown
3. Sidwell
4. Hays
5..Wilson
6. Margaret married Joshua Reynolds
7. Ann married Richard Bidwell
8. Lydia married Benjamin Wilson

9. The Nottingham Quakers book listed below add James who died Jan 30, 1803.

 The book Nottingham Quakers 1680-1889 by Alice L. Beard state that Elizabeth Job, widow of Thomas died the 7^th day 9^th month 1782. She is buried at the Brick Meeting House where they were married.

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Date created  1/1/1998
Last update 12/25/2012