Shari Handley’s Eastern Shore Genealogy

Genealogy and history resources for Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Delmarva

Family History

My Eastern Shore Family Lines

Working research notes on the Eastern Shore families in my ancestry—what I know, what I think may be true, and the questions I am still trying to answer.

A note about the research: This is a working genealogy page, not a compiled proof argument. Some information came from older family histories, correspondence, or third-party research and has not been independently substantiated. I have tried to identify uncertain connections and hypotheses clearly. Please verify important conclusions with original records.

If you are researching one of these families and would like to compare notes, you can contact me at srh@tyaskin.com.

A bit of the original page survives here by choice: it once played the Scottish tune “Mo Shuil Ad’ Dheigh” (“Of Thee I Dream”) automatically. I’ve retired the autoplay, but Taylor’s Traditional Tunebook—where the MIDI came from—is still online.

Mezick / Messick

Early Somerset line; European origin unproven

I descend from Julian MEZICK, whose surname also appears in records as MESSICK. He was transported by John Tilney to Accomack County, Virginia, in 1664/65. By 1674 he had moved north into Nanticoke Hundred in Somerset County, Maryland, where he married Sarah COVINGTON, daughter of Nehemiah COVINGTON. In 1681 Julian acquired 100 acres that he called Nantes.

Julian’s place of origin has not been established. An old family theory proposes that he may have been French or Huguenot, in part because of the name Nantes, but I do not consider that theory proven. The Edict of Nantes is useful historical background, not evidence of Julian’s ancestry.

Julian died in 1718. His property included land south of the Nanticoke River and along Wetipquin Creek.

Children of Julian Mezick and Sarah Covington

  1. Nehemiah MEZICK, born about 1676; died August 1751; married Sarah HOPKINS.
  2. John MEZICK, born about 1678; died about 1746; married Mary COLLIER.
  3. Richard MEZICK, born about 1680; died before 1715. Unverified: his placement as a son of Julian and Sarah came from the old IGI and needs independent documentation.
  4. Jacob MEZICK, born about 1682; died February 1761; married first Rachel COVINGTON and second Elizabeth WALLER.
  5. Joshua MEZICK, born about 1684; died about 1718.

After Sarah’s death, Julian married Priscilla NICHOLSON. Their known or reported children were Joseph, Isaac, Benjamin, Julian, Sarah, and Mary MEZICK.

See the dedicated Mezick Family page for the fuller family story.

Back to surname index ?

Bloyce

Early Somerset family

Thomas BLOYCE proved his right to land for himself and members of his family on 24 September 1662 in Somerset County, Maryland. He later added tracts called Bloyce’s Hope and Success. He settled in the Manokin area with his wife, Frances, whose maiden name is unknown.

Known children

  1. Judith BLOYCE, born about 1650; married Stephen CANNON in 1671.
  2. Frances BLOYCE, born about 1650; married William WRIGHT in 1669.

Back to surname index ?

Cannon

Compiled genealogy should be independently verified

In his privately printed Wainwright and Related Families, Emerson B. Roberts reported that Edward CANNON was born about 1600 in Yorkshire, England, and married Ann, whose maiden name is unknown. The family came to Virginia in 1646. Two of their children later crossed the Chesapeake Bay to Somerset County, Maryland.

Children attributed to Edward and Ann Cannon

  1. Edward CANNON, born about 1635 in Yorkshire; married Sarah DAWLEY and remained in the Lower Norfolk County area of Virginia.
  2. Thomas CANNON, born about 1637 in Yorkshire; married Elizabeth CORNICK and also remained in Lower Norfolk County.
  3. Ann CANNON, born 1639 in Yorkshire; married James DASHIELL about 1659 and later moved to Somerset County. She died between 1697 and 1705 near Wetipquin.
  4. Stephen CANNON, born about 1640; married Judith BLOYCE in Somerset County in 1671 and died between 1699 and 1709.

Stephen Cannon’s story is especially unusual. Somerset records identify him for a time as “Thomas Davis, Carpenter.” According to the older account, he had run away from service in Virginia and used that name before publicly declaring his true identity in 1674.

Related lines: Bloyce and Dashiell.

Back to surname index ?

Covington

Early Somerset and Eastern Shore of Virginia

Nehemiah COVINGTON was born about 1628, possibly in England. A man of that name appears in Virginia headright records in the 1640s, although those entries do not by themselves prove a single identity or origin. Nehemiah signed the Oath to the Commonwealth in Northampton County, Virginia, on 25 March 1651.

By 1662 he had moved with his family to Somerset County, Maryland. In 1663/64 he patented 300 acres on the north side of Monie Creek and named the tract Covington’s Vinyard. He died in 1680/81.

Children of Nehemiah Covington and Mary

  1. Jeane (Jane) COVINGTON, born about 1652; died February 1677/78; married David WILLIAMS.
  2. John COVINGTON, born about 1653; married Mary; died 1693.
  3. Katherine COVINGTON, born about 1654; died August 1681; married Edward WRIGHT.
  4. Sarah COVINGTON, born about 1654; died about 1685; married Julian MEZICK.
  5. Margaret COVINGTON, born about 1655; married Richard ELLINGSWORTH.
  6. Nehemiah COVINGTON, born about 1657; died 1713; married Rebecca DENWOOD.

After Mary’s death about 1667, Nehemiah married Anne INGRAM. Their children were Elizabeth, Thomas, Anne, and Jeremiah COVINGTON.

Related line: Mezick / Messick.

Back to surname index ?

Dashiell

My connection remains unproven

My earliest identified DASHIELL connection is Sarah DASHIELL, born in 1728, who married William ROBERTSON in 1753. Her parents have been reported as William and Isabella DASHIELL, but I have not yet proved that parentage.

The Dashiell family has been extensively studied. Benjamin Dashiell’s multi-volume Dashiell Family Records presents a much longer ancestry for the family, but—as with any compiled genealogy—each generation should be checked against original records before being treated as proven.

My possible line may run through James DASHIELL and Ann CANNON, then their son George DASHIELL, who married Priscilla MITCHELL, and then through a son William who may have been Sarah’s father.

Related lines: Cannon, Mitchell, and Robertson.

Back to surname index ?

Denson

Two separate Denson connections; several details need proof

James DENSON was born about 1785 and married Polly, whose maiden name is unknown, about 1805. He died about 1849. His will, proved 25 October 1849, named daughter Sally H. Denson as executrix and mentioned his children. No wife was named, suggesting Polly had died earlier.

Children named or attributed to James and Polly Denson

  1. Sarah Anne DENSON, born about 1809; married Francis MEZICK on 1 January 1834; died 1883.
  2. Mary DENSON, born about 1811; married a ROBERTSON.
  3. Betsey DENSON, born about 1813; married John EVERSMAN.
  4. Druscilla DENSON, born about 1815; married Samuel MEZICK on 15 December 1835.
  5. Jesse DENSON, born 1817; married Louisa.
  6. Sarah “Sally” H. DENSON, born 1820.
  7. Mahala DENSON, born 1822.
  8. Jane (Allice J.) DENSON, born 1824.

A James DENSON is also listed with Somerset County’s 23rd Regiment under Capt. Josiah Heath during the War of 1812. Whether that soldier is the same James needs to be demonstrated.

I have a second, much earlier DENSON connection involving Elizabeth DENSON, who was associated with Edward DICKERSON and the early Annemessex settlement. Older notes place her family in England and Barbados before Somerset County, but those details require careful rechecking against original English and colonial records.

Related lines: Dickerson and Mezick / Messick.

Back to surname index ?

Dickerson / Dickinson

Early Annemessex family

Edward DICKERSON—whose family name appears as DICKINSON in English records—was associated with London, Barbados, and then Somerset County, Maryland. By November 1662 he was in the Annemessex area and became active in county affairs.

In 1667 Edward patented 300 acres called Contention at the head of the Annemessex River. In 1673 he purchased part of Irish Grove on Morumsco Creek. He also held tracts called Dickersons Hope and Goose Marsh.

Children listed in my earlier research notes

  1. Somerset DICKERSON, born about 1656; married Hannah; died 1727 in Somerset County.
  2. Edmund DICKERSON, born 1658; died 1740 in Somerset County.
  3. John DICKERSON, born 9 November 1662.
  4. Peter DICKERSON, born 21 June 1664; married Sarah RIGGIN about 1696; died 1733.
  5. Edward DICKERSON, born 23 July 1666.
  6. Elizabeth DICKERSON, born 11 July 1670.
  7. Mary DICKERSON, born 13 March 1673.

The older version of this page assigned the first two children to an earlier wife and the later five to Elizabeth DENSON. I am retaining that working arrangement here, but it should be supported with original records before being considered settled.

Related lines: Denson and Riggin.

Back to surname index ?

Dougherty

Origins unresolved

John DOUGHERTY was born about 1740. I have not established whether he was born in Somerset County or elsewhere. He married Leah DICKERSON before 1765 in Somerset County. Through that marriage he acquired interests in land including Force Putt and Dickersons Fancy in Nanticoke Hundred.

John’s will was dated 14 November 1795. His wife was not named, but his children were.

Children named in or associated with John Dougherty’s family

  1. Leah DOUGHERTY, born between about 1770 and 1780; married first Elihu MEZICK Jr. on 13 May 1793 and second Covington MEZICK on 9 January 1810; died after 1840.
  2. Robert DOUGHERTY.
  3. Teague DOUGHERTY.
  4. John DOUGHERTY.
  5. Hetty DOUGHERTY.
  6. Betty DOUGHERTY.

John may also have been the father of Dickerson DOUGHTY (Dickason Dougherty), who married Esther LORD in 1785. That relationship remains a hypothesis. John’s will mentions a grandson named Dickerson Doughty MEZICK.

Related lines: Dickerson and Mezick / Messick.

Back to surname index ?

Ellis

Sallie’s mother remains unidentified

Elijah ELLIS was born about 1780 and died in 1830. He married Sarah “Sallie,” whose maiden name is unknown, about 1800. I have wondered whether she may have been a HITCH, but I have not proved that. Elijah’s will was probated 7 September 1830.

Children

  1. Matilda ELLIS, born about 1800; married William McNEAL.
  2. William ELLIS, born about 1802.
  3. Mary ELLIS, born about 1803; married a DAVIS.
  4. Sarah “Sallie” ELLIS, born 7 September 1804; married Henry WHITE on 19 June 1828; died 25 July 1865.
  5. Esther Hitch ELLIS, born 25 January 1808; married Samuel WHITE.

Related line: White.

Back to surname index ?

Evans

Two Evans connections; one major parentage question

My great-great-great-grandmother Priscilla Ann Matilda June EVANS was born 11 December 1823 and married Washington H. ROBERTSON on 12 June 1844. She died in 1895. One of my long-standing research questions is: Who were Priscilla’s parents?

A family autograph book adds a wonderful personal link. Priscilla gave it to her granddaughter Carrie ROBERTSON in the mid-1880s, and it later passed down through the family. Priscilla inscribed the first page for Carrie in ornate handwriting.

A second, earlier EVANS connection is Mary EVANS, born about 1710, who married Stephen WAINWRIGHT on 30 August 1737. Stephen’s will names brothers-in-law John and Nicholas EVANS, and a 1739 deed from John EVANS conveyed 50 acres called Little Monmouth to “daughter Mary Winright wife of Stephen Winright.” This suggests a promising line of evidence for Mary’s parentage.

Source clues in my notes include Somerset probate book EB4:104 and the 1739 Little Monmouth deed. Related lines: Robertson and Wainwright.

Back to surname index ?

Higgins

Parents sought

I am looking for the parents of Isabel (or Isabell) HIGGINS, who married George MITCHELL in 1668 in the Manokin area of Somerset County, Maryland. George and Isabel lived near Monie Bay.

Related line: Mitchell.

Back to surname index ?

Larramore / Larmore

Early Nanticoke and Wetipquin-area family

Thomas LARRAMORE was born about 1690 and married Mary, whose maiden name is unknown, about 1710. His landholdings included tracts called Coopers Mistake, Mount Hope, Recovery, Ticknell, and Turnstile, totaling nearly 800 acres. Several were in the Nanticoke–Wicomico–Wetipquin area. Thomas died about 1731.

Children

  1. Elizabeth LARRAMORE, born about 1710; married first Henry McCABE and second Archibald RITCHIE on 10 April 1732.
  2. Catherine LARRAMORE, born about 1715; married Elias VENATSON.
  3. John LARRAMORE, born about 1720.

Related line: Ritchie.

Back to surname index ?

London

Early Long Island, Virginia, and Somerset family

Ambrose LONDON was born about 1618. His nationality and exact origin have not been established; older notes suggest connections with England and possibly Holland. An alternate surname spelling, LONNEN, has also been reported.

Ambrose was among the early settlers of Gravesend, Long Island, and married Mary CORNISH in 1641. He later appears in Northampton County, Virginia, where court records describe conflict over his nonconformist religious behavior. By 1665 he and his family were in the Annemessex area of Somerset County, Maryland.

Ambrose became a prominent planter and landowner and served in county civil and military affairs. He was a Justice of the Peace in 1683 and was elected to the Maryland Lower House in 1671, although I have not found evidence that he actually took his seat. He died before November 1706.

Children

  1. Samuel LONDON, born 1642 at Gravesend; died about 1652.
  2. Mary LONDON, born about 1644 at Gravesend; married Teague RIGGIN in 1667; died after August 1730.
  3. Thomas LONDON, born 1646 at Gravesend; died 1662/63 in Northampton County, Virginia.
  4. Ruth LONDON, born 1657 at Gravesend; married Thomas WALSTON in 1677.
  5. Abigail LONDON, born 1660 in Northampton County; married Thomas LIDSTER in 1682; died 1692 in Somerset County.

Related line: Riggin.

Back to surname index ?

Mitchell

Origins unresolved

George MITCHELL was born about 1635. By 1666 he was in the Manokin area of Somerset County, owning land near Monie Bay between Great and Little Monie Creeks. Marriage banns for George MITCHELL and Isabel HIGGINS “of Somerset” were published in Somerset County court records on 29 September 1668.

Children

  1. Margaret MITCHELL, born about 1669 at Manokin; married George DOWNES.
  2. Elizabeth MITCHELL, born 27 December 1670 at Great Monie Hundred; married Thomas DASHIELL in 1686.
  3. Priscilla MITCHELL, born 1671 at Manokin; married George DASHIELL in 1694; died about 1735.
  4. Isabel MITCHELL, born about 1672 at Manokin; married first James DASHIELL and later Joseph McCLESTER.

Related lines: Higgins and Dashiell.

Back to surname index ?

Riggin

Early Somerset family

My earliest identified RIGGIN ancestor is Teague RIGGIN, born about 1640, traditionally said to have been Irish. He was in Somerset County by 1667, when he married Mary LONDON.

In 1670 Ambrose and Mary London conveyed a 16-acre tract called Teague’s Down to their daughter Mary RIGGIN, wife of Teague. The land lay between the Annemessex and Manokin Rivers. Between 1676 and 1683 Teague acquired additional tracts, including Golden Lyon between the Pocomoke River and Morumsco Creek.

Children of Teague and Mary Riggin

  1. Mary RIGGIN, born 4 January 1668 at Annemessex; died after 1726.
  2. Teague RIGGIN, born 27 March 1670 at Manokin; married Elizabeth; died 1722.
  3. Ambrose RIGGIN, born 18 October 1673 at Manokin.
  4. Sarah RIGGIN, born 18 April 1676 at Morumsco; married Peter DICKERSON; died before 1733.
  5. Ruth RIGGIN, born 31 January 1678 at Morumsco.
  6. Darby RIGGIN, born 1 August 1683 in Somerset County.
  7. Rachel RIGGIN, born 28 June 1683 in Somerset County.
  8. Samuel RIGGIN, born 4 April 1689 in Somerset County.

Related lines: London and Dickerson.

Back to surname index ?

Ritchie

Origins unknown

Archibald RITCHIE was born about 1710, place unknown, and married Elizabeth LARRAMORE, widow of Henry McCABE, in 1732. Archibald died 11 November 1778 in Somerset County. An Archibald Ritchie appears in Essex County, Virginia, records in the 1760s, but I do not assume that man is the same person without further evidence.

Children

  1. Margaret RITCHIE, born about 1735; married Elihu MEZICK.
  2. James RITCHIE, born 2 April 1738; died before August 1746.
  3. Elizabeth RITCHIE, born 3 October 1741; died 5 April 1742.
  4. Daniel RITCHIE, born 18 February 1743; married Delilah MEZICK.
  5. James RITCHIE, born 17 August 1746.

Related lines: Larramore / Larmore and Mezick / Messick.

Back to surname index ?

Robertson

Stepney Parish family

William ROBERTSON was born about 1730, probably in Somerset County, Maryland. He married Sarah DASHIELL in May 1753. The births of their children were recorded in Stepney Parish records.

Children of William Robertson and Sarah Dashiell

  1. Joseph ROBERTSON, born 22 October 1755.
  2. William ROBERTSON, born 5 September 1757.
  3. Peggy ROBERTSON, born 30 March 1760.
  4. Isaac ROBERTSON, born 29 December 1762; died 25 January 1763.
  5. Jesse ROBERTSON, born 23 October 1764.
  6. Mitchel ROBERTSON, born 14 February 1767.
  7. Samuel ROBERTSON, born 12 February 1770; wife not yet established.
  8. Anne ROBERTSON, born 5 June 1774.
  9. Thomas ROBERTSON, born August 1775.

Related lines: Dashiell and Evans.

Back to surname index ?

Street

Probable line; earlier origin unresolved

I believe my STREET line is through Mansfield STREET, born about 1750. I have not established his birthplace. Family information suggests a possible Dorchester County connection before the family appears in Somerset County.

Mansfield’s will was dated 18 December 1816 and proved 17 February 1818 in Somerset County. No wife was named, suggesting she had died earlier.

Children named in my notes

  1. Mansfield STREET, born about 1775.
  2. Zacheus STREET, born about 1778.
  3. Mary (Polly) STREET, born 21 November 1781; married Joshua WAINWRIGHT in 1810 in Dorchester County; died 28 February 1847 in Somerset County and was buried at Clara.

Related line: Wainwright.

Back to surname index ?

Wainwright

American origin before Somerset remains speculative

William WAINWRIGHT was born about 1675, place unknown. A family tradition says the first Wainwright ancestor came south from the Puritan colony of Boston, but I have not proved that tradition.

William married Mary CANNON, daughter of Stephen CANNON and Judith BLOYCE, about 1690. Through the marriage he acquired interests in Cannon Shott and Doughty’s Lott near Wetipquin Creek. He later acquired Woolhope and Pasturage north of the Wicomico River. William died about 1711.

Children of William and Mary Wainwright

  1. Stephen WAINWRIGHT, born about 1690; married Mary EVANS; died 1763–1765.
  2. Cannon WAINWRIGHT, born about 1691; married Rebecca; died 1754.
  3. James WAINWRIGHT, born about 1692; married Eleanor COLLIER; died 1794–1795.
  4. William WAINWRIGHT, born about 1693; died after 1763.
  5. Judith WAINWRIGHT, born about 1694.

Related lines: Cannon, Bloyce, and Evans.

Back to surname index ?

Waller

Marriage and parentage unconfirmed

I received information that Jacob MEZICK’s second wife was Elizabeth WALLER rather than Elizabeth NELSON, as some older sources reported. If correct, they were probably married around 1715, likely in Stepney Parish, where their children’s births were recorded.

Two questions remain open: Can the marriage of Jacob Mezick and Elizabeth Waller be documented, and who were Elizabeth Waller’s parents?

Related line: Mezick / Messick.

Back to surname index ?

White

1922 newspaper account not independently confirmed

Joseph WHITE was born about 1785 and married Polly, possibly a HILLMAN, about 1805. A 1922 Wicomico News article gave information about their children, but I have not independently confirmed all of the article’s claims.

Children reported in the 1922 newspaper account

  1. Henry WHITE, born 20 December 1807; married Sarah “Sallie” ELLIS on 19 June 1828; died 24 February 1850. The article described him as a Bay captain, tavern owner, militia captain, and member of the I.O.O.F.
  2. Hamilton WHITE, born about 1809; reportedly went west and settled in Salem, Marion County, Illinois.
  3. Peter WHITE, born about 1810; reportedly lived in Philadelphia.
  4. Dr. William WHITE, born about 1811; graduated from the University of Maryland in 1851 and later settled in Illinois. The newspaper article also made a Jennings/Bryan family-relationship claim that needs independent verification.

Related line: Ellis.

Back to surname index ?