The family lived on the plantation
Triumph on the Elk River.
During
Milliscents childhood it grew from 300 to over 1000
acres. We know there had been a cider mill, and from that we
deduce an orchard. When
Milliscent was 10 years old
her mother died on August 6, 1734.
Thomas soon
married again, a woman by the name of
Rebekah, last name unknown. The marriage is
not recorded in the parish records, but the births of
Thomas
and Rebekah's two children are in 1735 and 1737.
page 60 & 61
1738 was a hard year for the family.
Thomas Johnson died and was
buried Jan. 7, 1738. In Nov of 1738 his youngest
child,
Thomas Jr.
died. By the direction of
Thomas’ will,
Milliscent’s
brother,
Edward Johnson,
who was 12-years-old when his father died was to “remain and be
under the care and guardianship of my beloved brother
Edward Johnson until he shall
be one and twenty years of age.”. It is not known where
young
Edward’s uncle lived or why he was separated from
his sister
Milliscent.
Milliscent was 14-years-old
at the time and was to “remain under the Guardianship of his wife
Rebekah until she was 16-years- old.
Rebekah
and
Thomas’ 3-year-old daughter, also named
Rebekah was
not named in the will but would have also remained with her
mother. The widow,
Rebekah was given the plantation
with permission to sell, if needed to pay debts. If she did
not sell, she could live there and upon her death the estate
reverted to his son
Edward.
A few months before she was 16-years-old,
Millliscent Johnson wed
John
Currier on June 16, 1740. 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. The plantation was called
Helena by
John's grandfather,
William Currer and was about
1/2 mile south of the
present boundary of Charlestown on the west side of the North
East River. Cecil
County Wills Vol 14, will of John Currier folio 345.
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.
John and Milliscent Currer sold Helena in 1744 and moved with
their two children to the brand new town of Charlestown.
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 may have been the Innholder, but she probably had a huge
hand in running the Inn. 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
John Currer
born Jan 28, 1747/8
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
This is just the start of a very sad story. Of the 8
children born to
John and Milliscent Currier, 4 died by
age of 2.
Thomas, Augustine, son
John and
Benoni
all lived to adult hood, but both
Thomas and
Benoni are
believed to have died as young adults.
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. It
is not known where she is buried. Her husband married in Nov. 24,
1756
Rosamund Pennington.
John is said to have died in 1760, but so far we have not found
documentation. Perhaps it is in the Sermon Book.
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. I believe 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.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
If you know the answer please
CONTACT US
1. What was the maiden name of Milliscents mother?
2. Look at original St. Mary Anne’s church records. Perhaps
some were missed by Peden.
3. Find the Sermon book at the Maryland Historical Society
4. Were John and Milliscent still living in Charlestown at the
time of her death?
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Date created: 3/12/2009
Date Edited 12/14/2014
Date edited 1/7/2021
Date edited 1/19/2023