Line 19.2, Charles Sellman, An Enigma

Little is known of Charles Sellman apart from the fact that he did own land in Maryland, a slave state. Southern records aren’t as meticulous as the ones kept in the Puritan controlled New England states. Church and state records were kept half hazardly in the South or often not preserved. Gravesites on farms and plantation weren’t always kept up and often just disappeared or the stones were damaged beyond repair or just disappeared.  If “Bible” records were kept, the book itself had to have been preserved over the centuries by the family and more often than not just disappeared.

 

Charles Sellman was born 5 August 1722 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia, the son of William Sellman and his wife, Ann West

Married Elizabeth Gassaway the daughter of Nicholas Gassaway and his wife Elizabeth Hawkins, in 1745 probably in Accomack Co., Virginia

The children of Charles Sellman and Elizabeth Gassaway were:

1        Margaret Sellman born 1740 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. She married Joshua Hobbs.

2.      Anne Sellman, born 1741 at Anne Arundel, Maryland.

3.      Gassaway Sellman born about 1745  in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland and died in Frederick Co., Maryland on 27 May 1823. He married Francis Davis’ widow, Catherine and they had six children.

4.      John Sellman born about 1748  in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. He married Elizabeth (Betsy) Phelps. They had six children. He died October 1816 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland.

 

Charles Sellman died 20 December 1770 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland

 

Charles Sellman grew up on his father’s plantation in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He inherited “residue” of land at “Crosses Forest” according to his father’s will. “Sheep” were willed to his children, Margaret and Ann. Gassaway and John must have been born after their grandfather’s 1743 will. Elizabeth Gassaway Sellman inherited “clothing” from the will. He was also left land from his father-in-law’s will.  Slaves were left to Charles’ brother Thomas and to a sister and brother-in-law in their father’s will but not to Charles so it is very possible that Charles did not own slaves. But he was a land owner and he did live in Maryland where the practice of slavery was common among land owners. However I have not been able to find a will so it’s impossible to know for sure. Since he was not the elder son, his portion of land holdings was probably small and he may not have had to buy slaves. I also know little about Gassaway and John, Charles’ sons so if they didn’t owned slaves then the practice  may have ended with Charles in that line. Daughter Anne probably [see more on Margaret Sellman] died young and Daughter Margaret’s family was in Kentucky by the early 1770s. While Kentucky was a slave state I haven’t found evidence that the Hobbs were slave owners.

 

***SOURCES***

1. Will of Nicholas Gassaway of Anne Arundel Co., dated 18 Feb 1757

2. Will of William Sellamn of Anne Arundel co., dated 11 Feb 742/3 / 31^st March 1743

3.  Early Families of Southern Maryland, Vol 2,”the Lawrence Family”

1.      Anne Arundel Gentry Vol 1 “The Gassaway Family.”

 

Donald C. Mendoza 

 My dad went to Heaven on July 2, 2013. This is what I said about him at his memorial service.

What Dad taught me.

The last few months has made me realize just how valuable the legacy my dad left me is. He was a son, a brother, a cousin, a husband, an uncle, a father and grandfather and a friend. He was an engineer, a hiker, a camper and a teacher. He taught me a lot as I was growing up and into my adult years, right up until the day he died.

My dad loved books. He taught me to love the written word. As a very young child he would sit me on his lap and read the comics from the newspaper to me. He taught me to hunger after knowledge. He was a treasure chest of knowledge and of wisdom. I always said he was the encyclopedia salesman’s best friend. Our home was filled with encyclopedias and books. Often he would tell us to look up the answer and let us learn by our own efforts. My dad taught me to love to read and to love knowledge. My dad used to tell us that his mother once said to him “I hope that one day you have a little boy who asks as many questions as you do and he drives you crazy too.” Her wish not only came true it was quad tripled by three sons and a daughter who all loved to ask questions.

My dad taught me to love history. He made history come to life for my brothers and me with his love of museums and historical sites. We visited old forts, California missions, historical houses and battleships. We took a trip to the East Coast one year and since I had studied about the Battle of Lake Champlain that year, he made a detour just so I could get a glimpse of that lake.

My dad taught me to love nature. Our vacations were full of national parks, hikes, camping and beaches. He loved the outdoors so much that every house we lived in was close to nature. He even found a house in the city of Oakland that bordered on a canyon full of opossums and rabbits and an occasional deer. We lived in Gresham surrounded by forest on two sides and a dairy farm on the third. When I was in college, he and my mother and brother, Tim, moved into a house in Los Angeles that was a block and a really big step to the ocean.

He taught me to appreciate family. He loved his sister and Billie Jean and her family are still a big part of my life, as well was my dad’s cousin, Dick Austin’s family. As a child, I remember going to Fresno, California for family reunions. In the eighties, my cousin Christine, Billie’s daughter and I arranged family reunions that inspired my genealogy research. It was fun to listen to my Great-Aunts and my dad’s cousins tell stories of the family and my dad’s misadventures as a child.

My dad taught me how to be a faithful friend. He didn’t have a lot of close friends but those who were stayed in his life until either their death or his own. He went to every one of his high school class reunions until the one two years ago when his health was starting to limit his mobility. And as he grew weaker and closer to his home-going to Heaven, I heard wonderful things about his sweet nature and his knowledge from the friends who knew him in the final phase of his life on this earth.

My dad taught me that kindness was better then wisdom. A couple of months ago, my cousin Kent told me “Your dad is the kindest man I’ve ever known.” What a tribute to a quiet man who didn’t just expose his heart in words but in his deeds. I’ve been noticing lately that a lot of people use the word “kind” about my dad. He exposed his heart in the love and compassion he showed to other people. He worked in soup kitchens, tutored a neighbor’s home schooled children in math, and he and my mom welcomed a young college student who was a stranger to them at the time into their home several years ago. Yenny is now a part of our family and a legacy to my dad’s and my mom’s warm hearts. And Dad and my mom took my son and me in when we were homeless.

Dad taught me that I was loved. I have a very positive picture of what our Father in Heaven is like because of my dad. I am very, very fortunate to have had an earthly father who reflects his Heavenly Father. Theology was a great passion in my dad’s earthly life. He knew his Bible and he knew his God. As the gates of heaven open up for him, I can almost hear Our Lord saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  

My dad taught me a lot of things and I will forever be grateful to him for those lessons.

Line 19.1 William Sellman; Can a Slave Owner be Holy?

William Sellman was the son of a former indentured servant. By the time he died he owned “31 negro slaves.” It seems ironic that coming from a background where his own father had been an “indentured” servant and did not own slaves, that William would. Am I proud he owned slaves? Of course not but owning slaves did not make him a wholly evil man. But could he still be holy and a slave owner? There isn’t much known about William, except what can be gleamed from his will and some land records. Hopefully, he was a Christian man who was kind to his slaves. The man who wrote "Amazing Grace" went back to slaving once he became a Christian but at the end of his life he fought to end the practice. William Sellman didn't give up his slaves (he actually "willed" his slaves to his heirs). He didn't fight against slavery. So it leaves to question if he could justify owning slaves. We can't know his heart condition, but I at least will hope that he had pity on people he imprisoned.

William Sellman was born 22 January 1688/9 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia, the son of John Sellman and his wife, Elizabeth Brashears

Married Ann West, daughter of John West and Matilda Scarborough on 09 October 1718 in Accomac, Accomack Do., Virginia

The children of William Sellman and Ann West were:

1.      Thomas Sellman born 29 November 1718 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. He married Ruth Shipley and died 1794

2.      William Sellman Jr., born 18 May 1720 at All Hallows, Anne Arundel, Maryland. He married Charity Tidings and died 7 November 1749 in Virginia

3.      John Sellman born 1 March 1720/21 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland and died there 15 November 1804.

4.      Charles Sellman born 5 August 1722 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. He married Elizabeth Gassaway about 1745. He died 20 December 1770 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland.

5.      Jonathan Sellman born 21 February 1723/4 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. He married Elizabeth Battee.

6.      Ann Sellman born 25 September 1725. She married Samuel Battee.

William Sellman died 31 March 1743 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland

William Sellman was the great-grandson of both a French Huguenot, forced to flee France for his religious beliefs and a powerful man who persecuted people not of the Anglican lean toward Christianity. It seems odd that the grandchildren of two such men, should find enough love between themselves to marry and have children.

William lived most of his life in Anne Aundel Co.,  Maryland. His main residence was “Sparrow’s Rest” on the Rhodes River. He later added Shaws Foly to his land holdings and then added “Francis Addition” forty-two acres, which he purchased from John Gresham in 1729. Here William build a brick house in 1735 and marked the chimney in “old Flemish bond” with “W A 1735” for himself and his wife, Anne and their children. A hundred and ten years later his descendant added a large addition. The house remained in the Sellman family for six generations when it was sold to Mrs. Alexander Howat in 1915. Grainy but interesting photos of this house can be seen at Wilbert (Bert) Webb’s RootWeb site. I hope he doesn’t mind me posting the site address: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~yearsgoneby/p1113.htm

 William died 7 March 1742/3 at age 53. According to his will, he owned 1373 acres of land, thirty-one “Negro” slaves, 21 horses, 119 head of cattle, 108 sheep and 19 hogs    as well as farm and home equipment and goods. His will read in part:

Sellman, William A.A. Co., 11th Feb., 1742-3; 31st March 1743. To son-in-law Scarborough Sparrow, 100 A. lying bet. property of Thomas Higgins and Nicholas Maccubbin's quarter on Elk Ridge. Shd. he die without issue to pass to son Thomas. to son William, part of 300 A. "Morton's Lot" on Bush R. in Baltimore Co. and liberty to live at swelling plantation for yrs. To son John, 260 A. "Sewall's Lot," 88A. "Catter's Whim," 100 A. "Carter's Rock," 23 A. "Carter's Addition." To son Charles, residue of "Crosses Forest." To son Jonathan, 360 A. "Shaw's Folly," 42 A. "Frances Addition". To son Thomas, land testator bought from Benjamin Trasker, agent of Lord Baltimore, and money now in the hands of Joseph Adams. To child. afsd. and dau. Anne, personalty. To wife Anne, personal estate. Tobacco in warehouses to be shipped and proceeds thereof to go into his personal estate. Ex.: Wife and son Jonathan. Test: John Jacobs, John Sparrow, Mary Sparrow. 23.251"} {4--Sellman, Anne Arundel Co. [will]; 25 oct 1748; 29 May 1749, to son William Sellman, 1 s. sterl.; to son Scarborough Sparrow, slaves. To son Thomas Sellman, slaves. To grandson Jonathan Sparrow, son of Kensey, 1 slave.To other 2 grandsons, Kensey and Thomas, sons of the above sd. Kensey Sparrow, remainder of above slaves....To grand-dau. Ann Battee, slavaes; to the 2nd child. of dau. Ann Battee, 1 slave. To son Jonathan Sellman, furnishings; To Elizabeth, wife of Jonathan, chest of drawers. To son Scarborough Sparrow, sheep and the 2 child of my son Charles Selman, Margaret and Ann, and the 3 children of my son John Sellman: Ann, William and Frances. To grand-son West Burgess, cattle. To grand-dau. Katharine Sparrow, dau. of sd. son John, one large hammered pewter dish. to sons John Sellman and Charles, all my crop of cotton. To dau. Matilde Brugess, furnishings. To dau. Ann Battee, my clothing. To dau. Katharine Curtis, clothing. To Elizabeth, wife of son John Sellman, and to Elizabeth, wife of son Charles Sellman, clothing. To Mary, wife of son John Sparrow, clothing. To Dinah, wife of son Kensey Sparrow, clothing. To children: Kensy Sparrow, Scarborough Sparrow, John Sellman, Charles Sellman, Thomas Sellman, and dau. Ann Batee, remainder of my estate. son Scarborough Sparrow, ex. Wit: John Jacobs, Jos. Cowman, Jr., Richard Tidings. 26.141}

   

I don’t know if William Sellman had any religious affiliations but if so, it can be hard in our age to justify his owning slaves. But the Eighteen Century was a different time and slavery was practiced at that time. It became an economic rather then a moral issue to many people in the Southern States. That doesn’t justify it but it makes it easier to understand that if William Sellman was a Christian, why he would own other people. He was part of a system that used the black man and woman as a source of labor. My hope is that he treated his slaves with compassion, despite enslaving them. Again, it doesn’t justify his “economics” but it does make it a little less intolerable. The issue of Slavery and Christianity is an interesting discussion and the Internet has several interesting article on this subject. If you are a descendant of a Sellman slave or of William Sellman himself, I’d love to hear your view this son of an indentured servant become slave owner.

***SOURCES***

1. Maryland Calendar of Wills by Jane Baldwin & Roberta Balling Henry, Baltimore Gen. Publ Co., 1968: Volume 8

2. "One Mississippi Family" by Ann Geoghegan annieg49@bellsouth.net "Ancestry.com"

3. Ancestry.com "Our Family History Rebecca Miller and Bruce Rutherford"

4."Founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland" by J. D. Warfield, A.M. 1967
5.John Warren, john.Warren@worldnet.att.net
6.“Bert’s Family Links Over 500 Surnames” byWilbert (Bert) Webb, Root Web http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~yearsgoneby/p1113.htm.

Line 19: John Sellman, Indentured Servant

John Sellman came to the colonies as an indentured servant and died as a rich man. He is an example of the Puritan work ethic from the Southern viewpoint. He married his “boss’” daughter, a Huguenot, but ended buried in an Anglican Church yard.

John Sellman was born 1645 probably in Ludlow, Shropshire, England the son of William Sellman and his wife Margaret Holford

Married Elizabeth Brashears

John Sellman died 18 October 1707 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland and was buried in St. Mary, Anne Arundel Co., Maryland

 John’s parentage has not been proved to a certainty nor has his place of birth. I don’t know where the parent names come from nor do I know where the “rumor” that John was born in Ludlow comes from. So that information must be taken with a grain of salt. Some researches think his wife may have been Elizabeth Lawrence rather then Elizbeth Brashears but to my way of thinking, (which may be a bit too romantic) Elizabeth Brashears is the better fit. I love the thought of a rich young girl falling in love with the family servant. After all this is about an American family, where a poor servant boy grows up to own over 900 acres of land.

John Sellman was also called “Jonathan Sellman” is believed to have been the indentured servant of his future father-in-law, Benjamin or Benois Brashears. He was a boy of 13 years. He moved to Calvert and then Anne Arundel County with the Brashears family where he continued to serve as a “custom servant” for about ten years. When he left the Brashears’ family he was given clothing, some farm tools and corn seed. He also had two warrants for fifty acres of land that he received from the Lord Proprietor. On 2 July 1675 John turned over one of his land warrants to Thomas Henge. In December of 1676, John Sellman and George Westall bought 175 acres called Covells Folly in Anne Arundel Country south of the South River and west of Flat Creek. By the time he died in 1707, John Sellman was land rich with over 900 acres. The once poor indentured servant now employed indentured servants.

 On 18 July 1707 John Sellman recorded his will. It was proved 28 Feb 1707 and is now at the Hall of Records in Annapolis, Maryland, book 12 page 205.  John died the next year on 28 February, probably at home.

My guess is that John had a Calvinist in his beliefs as were the Brashear family. He was buried in the Anglican Church in St. Mary’s City, which indicates that he probably practiced at the Anglican or Church of England lean in religion with a Calvinist tinge. Or he may have practiced it because it was the “safest” religion for a wealthy man to practice. Whatever his religious leanings were, he was buried in an Anglican church and his bones still lie there.

***SOURCES***

1.  "One Mississippi Family" by Ann Geoghegan annieg49@bellsouth.net "Ancestry.com"

2. "The Selman page" htp://www.talweb.com/redlimey/gene/selman.htm

3. http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/pattselman1.htm "The Selman Family" by Walter L. McKeehan

4. John Warren, john.Warren@worldnet.att.net

6. [JSD] Internet, 2002, "Descendants of John Sellman"

My Sellman Line:

John Sellman b. 1574 in Shropshire Co., England m. Anne Fisher b. 1578

William Sellman b. 1613 in England m. Margaret Holford b. 1617

John or Jonathan Sellman  m. Elizabeth Brashears the daughter of Benjamin or

    Benois Brashears and his wife Mary Richford

William Sellman m. Anne West

Charles Sellman m. Elizabeth Gassaway

Margaret Sellman m. Joshua Hobbs

Line 18.2 Elizabeth Brashears: A French Accent to Faith

Elizabeth Brashear Sellman was of French ancestry but born in the New World. She never knew the buzz of the big city. Her world was open farmland and small villages that served as areas of business and social life. Her “social life” probably centered around the family’s church, which for many in the new world formed their world. However, being a child of Maryland, she was probably exposed to more then just the Huguenot way of viewing Christianity. 

Elizabeth Brashears was born Nansemond Co., Virginia, the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Brashears

She married 1. John Sellman. Secondly, she married 2. Dr. William Nicholls.

She and John Sellman had:

1.      John Sellman born 1680 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland and died there 1716. He married Martha Goss, the daughter of William Goss and Hester Gassaway.

2.      Elizabeth Sellman born 1682 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland and died 1706. She married William Grey.

3.      Margaret Sellman born 1684 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland and died there  May 1762. She married Benjamin Williams.

4.      Mary Sellman born 1686 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland and died there around 1710.

5.      William Sellman born 22 January 1688/89 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland

6.      Ann Sellman born  in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland

7.      Robert Sellman born  in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland

8.      Benjamin Sellman born  in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland

9.      Ruth Sellman born  in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland

10.  Lawrence Sellman born in Anne Arundel Co. Maryland

Elizabeth Nicholls died 18 October 1707 in St. Mary's City, Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. She was buried 20 October 1707 at All Hallow Parish, Anne Arundel Co., Maryland.

Elizabeth was probably born about 1654 in either Nansemond County or Calvert County Virigina because she was listed as a “headright” on Benois (Benjamin) Brasseur’s land records when he moved from Virginia to Maryland. Only people not born in Maryland were eligible for land and Benjamin received 50 additional acres of land in Maryland for Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s sister Mary was not listed, which probably means she was the only one of Benjamin’s children to be born in Maryland. However, in 1663, Elizabeth was the last named child in her mother’s will. Wills at the time listed children by their age, oldest to youngest. “Mary Brasseur, widow of the Clifts” filed her last will and testament on 25 May 1663 recording: "I give and bequeath to my daughter elizabeth three heifers, called and known by the names of Christmas, Cole and Nutt with their female encreae, to be delivered unto her at such time and when she shall accomplish the age of sixteen years or day of marriage, which shall first happened;” Since at best Elizabeth was 9 years old, she may or may not have actually been the youngest child.

Elizabeth married twice, first to John Sellman by whom all her children were fathered and secondly to Dr. William Nicholls. John Sellman came over from England with Elizabeth’s parents as an indentured servant with Elizabeth’s family and was many years older then Elizabeth. However, they had a long marriage, lasting thirty-eight years. John owned over 900 acres when he dies, so Elizabeth was well off as a widow. I haven’t been able to find much on her second husband other then his name.

Little is known of Elizabeth beyond her birth, marriages and death. She was most likely raised with a strong Calvinist background, speaking both  French and England. John Sellman may have had a leaning toward the Puritan teachings rather then the Anglican church teachings. However, in the end, Elizabeth was buried in the cemetery at the “All Hallows Church”, an Anglican Church. This may have been due to her second husband’s influence or merely because it was a covenant church to attend. The lovely red brick building was build in 1710 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. The old register of burial contains an entry for “Eliza Nicholls, widow, 17 Jan 1728/9.” No gravestone remains and some family historians believe she may actually have been buried in Baltimore.

***SOURCES*****

1.  Familysearch.com, Ancestral File v. 4.19

2.  "One Mississippi Family" by Ann Geoghegan annieg49@bellsouth.net "Ancestry.com"

3. "The Selman page" htp://www.talweb.com/redlimey/gene/selman.htm

4. http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/pattselman1.htm

5. Will of Mary Brasseur, mother

http://www.next1000.com/family/GRUBB/brashearBB.html by Cheryl Grubbs

Line 18.1 Benoit Brassier / Benjamin Brashears

Line 18.1

Benoit Brassier / Benjamin Brashears

French Freedom of Faith

Benoit (later Benjamin) Brassier was born in France, a Catholic country where Protestant practices of faith were not just frowned on but caused the Catholics to riot against them. We don’t know just what, if any, persecution Benjamin and his family suffered there but as a child, his family fled to England. As a teenager, he left England for the New World and a place to settle where he could find peace with his God.

.

Benoit Brassier was born about 1626 in France to Robert Brassier

He married Mary Richford

Their children were:

1.      Robert Brashears 1642-1712 married Alice Springs

2.      Benjamin Brashears born 1647 and died 1674/5

3.      John Brashears born 1649 and died 1696. He married Ann Sterling

4.      Mary Brashears born 1651 and died 1701/2

5.      Ann Brashears born about 1653 and married William Dalrymple

6.      Susanna Brashears born 1655 and died 1692. She married Mareen Duvall and they were the ancestors of President Obama

7.      Elizabeth Brachears born 1660 and died 17289. She married John Sellman

Born in France with the name Benoit Brassier, he Anglicized the name. Brashears may have been the way the English speaking American’s phonetically spelt the name Brassier. Records record that he was age 64 in 1666 and 73 in 1734/5, so he was born sometime in the 1620. We know he was born in France because in his citizenship papers, he declares that he is “a subject of the Crowne of France.” He must have left France early in his teens as we know that one of his sisters was born about 1636 at Isle of Thanet, England. He must have been a young man when his parents and siblings left England for the New World.

Because Benois who later went by Benjamin, paid for the passage of a Mary Richford, who is believed to have become his wife. This may be possible but at this point it is impossible to prove this speculation as no further records with Benjamin’s wife’s name have been found. Mary was and is a common name, but as there was a daughter named Mary, it is quit possible she was named for her mother.

It is unknown if Benjamin and his brother Robert arrived in Jamestown with their parents in 1636. We do know the brothers settled in the Upper Norfolk Co. by 1638. Soon after this, the area became Nansemond County, Virginia.  On 14 April 1653 "Benjamin Brafseure" was issued a patent in this county 300 acres “ being at the head of a Creeke called indian Creeke being a branch of the western branch of nancemond river...joining the land of M. John Ganat.". The patent was issued “for the cost of transporting six persons into the colony.'" We do not know who the “six persons” were but it is high probable that Benjamin’s brother, Robert, was one of them. Robert Jr. already had land given to him in his father’s patent. On March 26, 1656, Benjamin renewed his patent.

Benjamin’s wondering feet lead him to the colony of Maryland by 1660. In that year, Benjamin was issued a call to jury duty under the name of Benjami Brasheers. He was living at “The Clifts” just south of present day Chesapeake Beach. The next year he was selected as the Justice of Peace of that area. On 4 December 1661 by the Council of Maryland Benojs [Benois] Brasseuir, and his family, of French origin and late of Virginia, were granted citizenship. “Whereas Benjamin Brashearss, late of Virginia, has sought to leave to inhabit as a. I do hereby declare that said Benois Brasseur, his wife and children, to be full denizens of this our Province, and that he be held, treated, reputed and esteemed as one of the faythful people.”  Benjamin’s citizenship papers also recorded "...Whereas Benjs Brafseuir late of Virginia and subject of the Crowne of France haveing transported himsefe his wife and Children into this Crownes hereto inhabite thath besought us to grant him the said Benojs Brafseuir leave here to inhabite and as a free Dennizen freedome and to hime and his hiers to purchase Known ye that wee willing to give due encourgement to other subjects of that Crowne doe hereby declare them the said Benois Brafseuir his wife & children as well those allready borne as state hereafter to bee borne to bee free Dennizens of this our Province of Mayland..." signed Charles Calvert, December 4, 1662”

Benjamin didn’t get to enjoy his new citizenship for long. He died 25 May 1663 in Maryland leaving eight young children and a widow who had to finish the purchasing of the family farm.

Despite a shaky beginning, Maryland became a refuge for many Christian sects looking for freedom to worship God in their own way. The Huguenots were just one such sect that successfully settled and raised families in the New World.

***SOURCES***

1.   "The Brassier page" htp://www.talweb.com/redlimey/gene/brassier.htm

2.       http://www.next1000.com/family/EC/brassieur.robt.html by Cheryl Grubbs

3.      http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/pattbrasher1.htm

4.      http//www.bellucc1.com/melonbel/brashears.html "My Brasseur/Brashear(s)

          Connection"

5.       http://www.next1000.com/family/GRUBB/brashearBB.html by Cheryl Grubbs

1.      "Outrages and Corrections" by Charles Brashear, Gen Forum Brashears Family

2.      Early Families of Southern Maryland, Vol 4, Brashear

3.      Virginia Land Patents, book 3, p. 33

4.Virginia Land Patents, Book 3, p. 33

Hall of Records of Maryland, Council Proceedings, Liber HH, ff. 157, 158]