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Kent County, MD

James Staveley of Kendal, Westmorland, and his wife Francis FULCHER settled in Kent County, Maryland around 1675.  James died in Kent County in 1682.

The following is a 1677 Provincial Court Proceeding involving James regarding 13,344 pounds of Tobacco owed to him:

James Stavely John Brooke late of Dorchister County Chirurgion agt otherwise called John Brooke in the Province of John Brooke Maryland was Sumoned to Answer unto James Stavely of a plea that he render unto him the full sume & just quantity of thirteen thousand three hundred forty & foure pounds of good sound & every way well condiconed Mrchantable tobacco in cask which he oweth him & unjustly detaineth And whereupon the said James Stavely by George Parker his Attorney saith, that whereas the said John Brooke the one & twentieth day of April in the yeare of our Lord God One thousand six hundred seventy & seven by his certaine bond or writeing obligatory sealed with the seale of the said John Brooke & here in Court produced whose date is the day & yeare first abovesaid, was holden & firmly bound to James Stavely of Cecil County Mrchant in the full sume & just quantity of thirteen thousand three hundred forty & foure pounds of good sound & every way well condiconed Wchant able tobacco in cask to be paid to the said James Stavely or to his certaine Attorney his Exrs Admrs & assignes To which paymt well & truely to be made & done he the said John Brooke did binde himselfe his heyres Exrs & Admrs firmly by those prsents Notwithstanding which the said John Brooke the said sume of Thirteen thousand three hundred forty & foure pounds of tobacco in cask according to the tenour of the said bond or writeing Obligatory although often demanded hath not paid, but the same to pay hath refused & still doth refuse, Whereupon the said James Stavely saith he is damnified & hath losse to the Value of twenty thousand pounds of tobacco & thereupon he bringeth his suite.  And the said John Brooke bie[?] Charles Boteler his Attorney comes & defends the force & injury when &c & prayeth hearing of the said bond or writeing obligatory & itt is read unto him, he also prayeth the hearing of the Condicon of the said bond or writeing obligatory & itt is read unto him in these words The Condicon of this present above written obligation is such, that if the above bounden John Quigley Peter Sayer & John Brooke they or any of them their or  any of their heyres Exrs Admrs or assignes or any of them shall & doe well & truely pay or cause to be well & truely paid unto the above named James Stavely or to his certaine Attorney his Exrs Adrs or assignes the full sume & just quantity of six thousand nine hundred twenty two pounds of good sound & every way well condiconed Merchantable tobacco in caske upon the twentieth day of Octobr next ensueing the day of the date hereof in some convenient place in Talbot County aforesaid within one Mile of some convenient landing place without any fraud or further delay That then this present above written obligacon shall be void & of none effect Otherwise to stand & remaine in full power force & vertue Which being read & heard the said John Brooke by his Attorney aforesaid, & prayeth liberty to imparle hereunto untill next Court & itt is granted unto him, the same day is given to the plaintiffe also. Now here att this day to witt the ffifteenth day of June in the third yeare of the Dominion of Charles Lord Baltemore Anno Doni 1678. came the said James Stavely by his Attorney aforesaid & offered himselfe agt the said John Brooke in the plea aforesaid, but the said John came not but made default therefore itt is considered by the Court here, that the said James Stavely recover agt the said John Brooke the Sume of thirteen thousand three hundred forty & foure pounds of tobacco debt And also five hundred & Sixty pounds of tobacco costs of suite. James Stavely & Peter Sayer Memorandum that the twelfth day of ffebruary in the third yeare of the Dominion of the right Honble Charles absolute Lord & ProprY &c in the yeare of our Lord God 1677 came here in Court James Stavely by George Parker his Attorney & exhibitted to the Justices here in Court his certaine bill agt Peter Sayer genti one of the Attorneys of this Court prsent here in Court in his proper person of a plea that he render unto him the sume of Thirteen thousand three hundred forty & foure pounds of good sound & every way well condiconed Merchantable tobacco in cask which he oweth him & unjustly detaineth. And whereupon the said James Stavely by George Parker his Attorney, saith, that whereas the said Peter Sayer the one & twentieth day of April in the yeare of our Lord God one thousand six hundred seventy & seven by his certaine bond or writeing obligatory Sealed with the Seale of him the said Peter Sayer & here in Court produced whose date is the day & yeare abovesaid, was holden & firmly bound to James Stavely of Cecil County Wchant in the full sume & just quantity of thirteen thousand three hundred forty & foure pounds of good sound & every way well condiconed Merchantable tobacco & cask to be paid to the said James Stavely or to his certaine Attorney his Exrs Adrs or assignes To which paymt well & truely to be made & done he the said Peter Sayer did binde himselfe his heyres Exrs & Adrs firmly by those prsents Notwithstanding which the said Peter Sayer the said sume of thirteen thousand three hundred forty & foure pounds of tobacco in cask according to the tenour of the said bill or writeing obligatory although often demanded hath not paid, but the same to pay hath refused & still doth refuse, whereupon the said James Stavely saith he is damnified & hath losse to the Value of twenty thousand pounds of tobacco and thereupon he bringeth his suite.  And the said Peter Sayer by Robert Ridgely his Attorney doth come & defend the force & injury when &c and prayeth the hearing of the bond or writeing obligatory aforesaid He also prayeth the hearing of the Condicon of the said bond or writeing obligatory & it is read unto him in these words The Condicon of this prsent above written Obligacon is such That if the above bounden John Quigley, Peter Sayer & John Brooke they or any of them their or any of their heyres Exrs Admrs or assignes or any of them shall & doe well & truely pay or cause to be well & truely paid unto the above namedJames Stavely or to his certaine Attorney his Exrs Admrs or assignes the full & just quantity of six thousand nine hundred twenty two pounds of good sound & every way well condiconed Mrchant able tobacco in cask upon the twentieth day of Octobr next ensueing the day of the date hereof in some convenient place in Calvert County aforesaid within one mile of some convenient landing place without any fraud or further delay That then this prsent above written obligacon shall be void & of none effect, otherwise to stand & remaine in full power force & vertue Which being read & heard the said Peter Sayer by his Attorney aforesaid prayed liberty to imparle hereunto untill next Court & itt is granted unto him, the same day is given to the plaintiffe also. Now here att this day to witt the ffifteenth day of June in the third yeare of the Dominion of Charles Lord Baltemore &c Anoq Doni 1678. came the said James Stavely by his Attorney aforesaid & offered himselfe agt the said Peter Sayer in the plea aforesaid, but the said Peter came not but made default Therefore itt is considered by the Court here, that the said James Stavely recover agt the said Peter Sayer as well the sume of thirteen thousand three hundred forty & foure pounds of tobacco debt As also five hundred thirty two pounds of tobacco cosis of suite.

A land survey of 742 acres in Talbot county known as "Suffolk" was conducted for James on March 3, 1681.

Also in 1681 a record of court proceedings

Michael Miller aged 37 yeares or thereabouts Sworne and Examined Saith That this Deponent being at Cecil Court the second Tuesday in June last past, where for some misdemeanor committed by a servant formerly belonging to Thomas King of said County but at that time claimed by Captn Jonathan Sibrey, The said servant was by the Court ordered to receive thirty nine Lashes and was committed into the custody of Edward Inglish high Sheriff of the said County to receive the punishmt that was by the said Court ordered whereupon the said Inglish did putt in the said Servants hands into the whipping post, and some small Peach tree switches was brought to whip the said person which Captn Sibrey and others found fault with and said tht they were not fitt to whipp the man withall, whereupon the said Inglish went himself to cutt more that might give content, at which time the prisoner was lett loose and did runn away and Mr Inglish Runn after him, at which tyme all the people with Mr James Stavely, Mr Philip Holenger & William Peerce did stand round the whipping post when the prisoner was lett loose and did sett up a greate shoute and William Nowell at that time stood in the Court house Porch makeing a laughter thereat, but Mr James ffrisby one of the Commissionrs standing some distance off at the prison doore with your Deponent cryed shame of their Actions, and was much troubled as he did show by his discourse. And this Deponent being an Attorney for an Orphan, (and that being an Orphan Court) did plead the Act of Assembly concerning Orphans Estates which the Court called to the Clk for, but the Clerk answered that he had left it at home, upon which the Court adjourned. And this Deponent further saith that sometime before Mr Inglish was sheriffe and when he sate President of the Court. He demanded of the Clark to read the Act concerning Amerciamts in the County Courts to shew the Clarkes Duty therein (as Mr Benjamin Randall told me) that the said Clark by name Swithen Wells did take the booke of Lawes and threw at Mr Inglish then President and bid him looke it and read it himself. And further saith not Septr 30th 1681: M. Miller Then came Michael Miller this Day and made oath on the holy Evangelists before us that what is here above written is the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth. Jurat Coram Henry Hosier Cornelius Comegys. Memdu the foregoing Deposition together with the subsequent oath of Benj" Randall were first read and taken at Councill board the 8th Day of October last and should have been entred fo: 272: before the order for dismission of Swithen Wells but being misplaced were there omitted and soe come to be entred here. October the 8th 1681 : Benjamin Randall of Kent County gentl upon oath taken on the holy Evangelists this Day in Councill saith that being at Cecil Co" Mr Edward Inglish then President of the said Court calling to the Clerk Swithen Wells, to read an Act of Assembly the said Wells tooke the booke, threw it at him and bid him looke it himself or words to that effect. His Ldsp produces and orders to be read a Letter he lately reed from Mr James Stavely as foll. viz. My Lord. I thought good to give your Honor Accot of the abuses done to the good people of your County of Caecil by the high Sheriff who have and doe behave himself proudly and malitiously in his Office, for not long since he made a complaint to his honor the Chancelor in the behalf of his under Sheriff against one of your Ldsps Justices Mr Philip Holeager, and against Mr Swithen Wells Clark of the County, and there-upon obteines a warrt to bring them to answer at the Provinciall Court, and on the second Tuesday of this moneth was the Day our Court should have been holden, and just before the Court went to sitt cometh the Sheriff and served his warrant upon One of the Justices and the Clark, and sett a guard upon the Justice and told them he would make them know' themselves before he had done, and did huff at a strange rate, and for want of a Justice and a Clark we could hold noe Court to the great disappointmt and Damage of Many of the County. The Sheriff have said many a time he could out witt the whole County at his pleasure, it did now stand him instead to trye his witt, there being Six Actions for above 500" sterling (in which he is the Def) would have come to tryall had there been a Court, and after the Sheriff had kept the Justice dureing his pleasure he gave me the warrant to take bayle, and when I had read the warrant I examined Evan Carew the under Sheriff, whither he owned the complaint made in the warrant, and he would not, but said he marvelled how such words was devised, and that Philip Holeager and Swithen Wells did not threaten him neither was he any wayes afraid of his life as in the warrant express'd: Soe that it doe appear that it was a contrived business of the Sheriff to hinder the Court ffor the Monday before the Court should have been The Sheriff told me there should be noe Court Wee have had more disturbances since Mr Inglish was Sheriff then all the time Capt Sibrey was Sheriff before him, and this I thought good to signifye to your Honor who is your humble Servant 27th 7br 1681: James Staveley Cecill. Directed To the Rt honble the Ld Propry humbly Present These James Stavely and others Petitioners against Edward Inglish being then present were severally Examined and Required to give in their testimony upon oath what they could alledge against the said Inglish and first James Stavely saith that sometime before the Court Mr Inglish came to his house and required him to aid and assist him in the takeing of a man in the County which he the said Stavely refuseing to doe, Inglish sent for the man to his house and there arrested him. But the said Stavely told him that he needed not trouble the poor man for security for that he would certainly be at Court, to which Mr Inglish replyed that there should be noe Court, at the Court Mr Inglish seized the man and told him he was his Prisoner without bayle or mainprize, but told the said Stavely that if he would be his security he would release him, whereunto the said Stavely answered that as he was a Justice or Conservator of the peace he ought not to become security for any person that was guilty of the breach of the peace; The said Stavely also saith that he has been credibly informed and hath heard it reported by severall persons that Mr Inglish should tell them that (whereas they had sett their hands to a petition against him and were thereupon summoned down before my Lord and Councill,) if they would but come to his house and acknowledge the wrong they had dune him, he would excuse them from goeing downe.

James Stavely died the following year in Kent County in 1682.  The following entry appears to have been made in 1687:

An account of what lands is forfeitt in Cecil county Thomas Salmon held 150 acres of land, who is dead and left a son in the tuition of James Stavely, the said Stavely, and the orphan of Salmon being both dead and no heires known.

It is unknown why there is no recognition of son John.   John Staveley (b. 1662) married Mary UNITT, and they had a son James sometime after 1682.  James married Elizabeth WILSON and had the following children:

James and Elizabeth's son Joseph (b. 1740) married Ann REDGRAVE in 1763, and had the following children:

Wilson Stavely married Rachel Susan VANSANT in 1806.  A son John W. Staveley was born abt. 1808.  John settled in Ralls County, Missouri.

Joseph Staveley Jr. married Rachel REYNER on April 24, 1799 in Shrewsbury Church, in Kent County.  They are known to have had at least four children:

As young adult, Joseph and Rachel Reyner's son William appears to have moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he married Margaret SHEED on August 27, 1822.

Joseph and Rachel's son, Joseph (b. 1808), married Rachel Cann PRICE, a widow, previously married to John H. Price.

Joseph Stavely and Rachel Cann PRICE had the following children:

In 1850 we find James Reyner Stavely in the household of Thomas Hepbron:

1850: Kent County, Maryland

James Reyner Stavely married Margaret HEPBURN:

1860: Kent County, Maryland

1870: Kent County, Maryland

*Bayard Cann Stavely.

1880: Kent County, Maryland

Margaret Elizabeth Hepbron Stavely died on January 18, 1891. Her husband, James Reyner Stavely, died November 29, 1895.

In 1910 we find that James's son Bayard has moved to Camden, New Jersey.

James and Margaret's daughter Lena ( Helena) appears to have been enumerated twice, as she is also found staying with her grandmother in 1880

1880: Queen Street, Kent County, Maryland

James and Margaret's son Thomas Hepburn Stavely married Mary Isabella HODGES:

1900: Edesville, Kent County, Maryland

In 1910 Thomas and Mary are living in Baltimore.

James and Margaret's son Harry Maslin Stavely married Florence Kelley BOWERS on December 17, 1890:

1900: Worton, Kent County, Maryland

James and Margaret's son, Alwyn Norval Stavely, married Lucy ROBERTSON and is in Kennedyville by 1900:

1900: Kennedyville, Kent County, Maryland

1910: ? Hill Road, Kennedyville, Kent County, Maryland

Alwyn and Lucy's son, Alwyn Hanson Stavely, died while in service with the US Army in Pennsylvania, during the influenza pandemic of 1918.

Harry Maslin Stavely is recently widowed as his wife, Florence Kelley BOWERS, died March 10, 1910:

1910: Fairlee, Kent County, Maryland

In 1920, Harry's son, Archer Bayard Stavely, is a Marine Soldier at the Marine Barracks at Dumfries, Viriginia, aged 27 years.

Harry Maslin Stavely's second wife is Edith Estelle McKAY:

1920: Fairlee, Kent County, Maryland

1920: Kennedyville, Kent County, Maryland

Alwyn and Lucy's son, Reyner Wroth Stavely, married Pauline COPPER, and is living near his parents in Kennedyville:

1920: Kennedyville, Kent County, Maryland

1930: Bay Shore Road, Fairlee, Kent County, Maryland

1930: ? Village, Kennedyville, Kent County, Maryland

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