John
Currier was born March 17, 1717/18. He was the son
of a land owner on
North
East River of Cecil County, Maryland John
Currier and his wife
Sarah, last name unknown recorded in the
St. Mary Anne’s Parish records,
North East Maryland. The records were compiled as Early Anglican
Church Records of Cecil County by Henry C. Peden, Jr., page 75.
This part of the Maryland is dominated by the
Chesapeake Bay and
it's many rivers and streams. At the very northen most reach
is the current town of North East. In 1717 it was the location of
the Parish church was in Port Deposit on the Susquehana
River. In 1743 a new church bulidng was errected at the head
of the North East River. The town came later. The Bay
is considered to begin at the junction of the Susquehana, North
East and Elk River From that point the Susquehanna is
entered by going north west. The North East River by going
north east, and the Elk by going east north east. The point
of land that lies between the Elk and the North East is now called
Elk's Neck.
There is still remnants of a boat landing at St. Mary Anne's
church from when parishioners went to church by boat, as well as
visiting neighbors. It was easier than over land. The location of
the church in Port Deposit is not known by me, but I would also
assume travel by water as the land there is very hilly with steep
cliffs.
Cecil
Ct.
Historic Map shows the rivers details in 1785. The
county is that land between the Susquehanna and the Sassafras
Rivers. In the late 1600s it extended south of the Sassafras
River.
Out of the
Currier Family file
at the Cecil County Historical Society is a paper done by
Grace J. Currier. She states that in 1687
William and Jane Currior
bought land from
George Talbot
called
"Helena" on the
North East river. I cannot find the Deed transfer,
but I did find the original patent given to George Talbot.
It is Patent Record SDA, page 230 in 1683 for 32000 acres in Cecil
Ct called
New Conought
Mannor also known as Susquehanna Manor. This land
is on the West side of the North East River. Helena is just
south of current Charlestown MD.
The History of Cecil County by George Johnston 1881
states on page 129, that in June 1687 George Talbot
executed the only deed executed by him for land in Cecil County
"that is on record". So we will probably not find the deed.
On June 16, 1740 almost 16-years-old,
Millliscent Johnson wed
John Currier. This
is recorded in the
St. Mary
Anne’s parish records, and listed in Peden’s book on page 62.
John
Currier
was just 23 at the time of their marriage and had inherited his
father’s dwelling and plantation in the spring of 1738. It
is not presently known just where that plantation was located.
Cecil County Wills Vol 14, will of
John Currier folio 345. The marriage was also
noted in the
Sermon Book -
noted toward the end of this story. John Currier was serving
in the Maryland Militia in 1740. He was in the Foot Company
under Captian Edward Jackson.
from Inhabitants of Cecil County 1649-1774
In 1740 Cecil County had many Plantations, though some of
the land was already in decline because of the continual
cultivation of tobacco. There were active furnaces and
milling operations and the need was felt for a real town, with
shipping capabilities. Hence in 1742
Charlestown Maryland
was incorporated. The town was laid out on a point the
west side of the North East
River. The design of the town was complete in the
spring of 1743 to contain 500 acres. 200 acre lots were laid
out with 7 streets laid out at right angles to the river and five
crossing streets. 300 acres were set aside for the communal
use. Sale of the lots began on May 10, 1743. A
wharf and warehouse were erected, the county court house was
erected and for years two town Fairs attracted people from all
over the east coast. It eventually became rather rowdy in
nature. This town history is from the
History of Cecil County, pages 265 –
269, by George Johnston written in 1881. The
County seat eventually moved to Elkton and the commercial wharf
closed. Today Charlestown remains much as it was laid
out. A quiet, pleasant Bay-side town with many marinas along
the river edge and historic buildings a careful 3 blocks from the
river.
St. Mary Anne's is the name of the church of the North Elk
Parish. This Parish was erected by an act of the Maryland
Legislature in 1706 to include the part of the county
north of the Elk River and
East of the Susquehanna. It originally met in Port
Deposit on the Susquehana, but in 1743 they built a church and
vestry house at the
head
of the North East River, now in the town of North East.
John Currier was a
vestryman at the time along with
Captial Nicholas Hyland, Edward Johnson, Henry Baker, Captain
Zebulon Hollingsworth, and Thomas Ricketts. At the
time the
History of Cecil
County, pages 218 - 222 was written in 1891, there was
still a cornerstone from this original building on the lovely
building now standing on same ground. It had the
inscriptions of the Rector and vestrymen of 1743. It read
"Rd WYE: HB: NH: DEI: ZG: TR: IC: 1743" The I was used for
Capital J. In the fall of 2009, I could not find the
cornerstone. I hope it has been preserved somewhere out of
the elements. In 1748 the Vestry purchased for 180 pounds,
100 acres from John Currer for a glebe.
Deed
Vol 7, p. 18 It was part of Clayfall which is near, just
south I believe, from Charlestown. This was sold 1784 for
605 pounds. A glebe is church land. It is not known
how the land was used.
Nicholas Hyland,
Milliscent Johnsons half brother,was one of the original town
Commissioners assigned the task of creating a town. He
purchased a ½ lot deed to lot #11.
This lot was 2 blocks north of the warehouse
and on the river. On June 12, 1744
John Currier, "Innholder in
Charlestown" bought for 12 shillings 6 pence ¼ of lot #11 from his
brother in law,
Nicholas Hyland.
The deed goes on to say “it being the quarter part of the said lot
that the said Currer now lives on”.
Charlestown Land Records
1744-1801 Vol 1, page 6.
On July 28, 1750
John Currier
and wife
Melisant of
Charlestown sold the ¼ lot #11 for 129 pounds 15 shillings, 7 ½
pence. He made a tidy profit on that sale.
Charletstown LR., Vol 1, pg 129.
John Currier made
two other lot purchases in Charlestown that we know of. On
Nov. 6, 1746, he purchased ¼ lot #133 for 3 pounds. This is
on the interior of the town on a public square. . He was still
listed as Innholder in this deed.
on page 50 And on Nov. 11, 1748, John
Currier purchased from another town Commissioner ¼ of Lot #1 for
15 pounds. This lot was either next to or shared the site of
the Warehouse.
page 89 Sale
of
either
of these last two properties has not been found. So we know that
by 1743 John and Milliscent Currier had moved to Charlestown where
he was an Innholder. The Inn may well have been where they lived
on Lot #11.
The Cecil County Historical Society has a family group sheet for
this family that lists 8 children with their names, birth dates
and for some young death dates. The only ones that are also
in the
St. Mary Anne Records is
the eldest and the youngest. Page 62 & 67
Thomas Currer born
July 23, 1741
Augustine “Leny” Currer
born Sept 15, 1743, wed
Jacob Jones Dec 10,
1759
Sarah Currer
born Aug. 2, 1746,died Sept 24, 1747
John Currer
born Jan 28, 1747
Rebecca Currer born
May 10, 1750 died Aug 20, 1751
Lihichay Currer born
Aug 21, 1752, died May 26, 1754
Nicholas Currer born
March 16, 1754, died March 26, 1754
Bennoney Currer born Oct.
4, 1755
Milliscent Johnson Currier
died just a few days after the birth of Bennoney or Benoni.
According to the family records kept in the
Currier Sermon book, she died
Oct. 7, 1755. She was 31-years-old. In the
Cecil County Historical Society
library Surname File on Currier there is a letter from
Mrs. Oliver M. Currier of Havre de Grace, Maryland dated
1975. In it she describes a Sermon Book given to Mrs.
Loreen Buffum Robinson of Long Beach CA. The Sermon Book was
given to Mrs. Robinson by a 95 year old cousin. “The Sermon
Book is the remains of a book of sermons preached by a Currier
preacher in England at the time of Cromwell.
Augustine
Currier Jones used this book as a family bible.The birth
and death dates were found in the Sermon Book. Mrs. Robinson had
already sent the genealogical sheets and sermons to the Maryland
Historical Society in Baltimore in 1975.
John remarried in Nov. 24, 1756 to
Rosamund Pennington. She was the widow of Thomas
Pennington and mother of Rachel Pennington. from the Currier
family files of the Cecil County Historical Society.
Bef 6/13/1757 -
Maryland
Indexes Marriage References MSA S 1527 Currer, John, m. by 13 June
1757,
Rosamond, admx of
Thomas Pennington of CE Co.
(MDAD 41:154).
There is a note that
John Currer
died August 1760, but I have no documentation for that statement.
If Augustine kept the family bible, it should be in there.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
If you know the answer please
CONTACT
US
1. Look at original St. Mary Anne’s church records. Perhaps
some were missed by Peden.
2. Find the Sermon book at the Maryland Historical Society
3. What became of John after his second marriage?
4. What became of the St. Mary Anne's Cornerstone?
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Date Last Edited: 2/4/2009