One family of Maryland immigrants was a Samuel Tracey who immigrated by 1670 to Baltimore Co. The following year Samuel Tracey requested a land grant for transporting into the providence Alice and Ann Tracey, along with several others. From the land records it appears that Samuel Tracey came to Baltimore Co. from Glouscester Co. Virginia.. It appears that Ann was his daughter and Alice may have been his wife or another daughter.
On 21 Dec 1670 Samuel Tracy of County of Baltimore proved right to two hundred acres of land due him for transporting himself, Hugh Williams, Edmund Basey and John Tucker into the province to inhabit. Warrent issued in the name of Samuell Tracy for two hundred acres, cert. returnable the 21th of March next.
{l.16/f. 30}
16 Oct 1671 Came Sameul Tracey and proved his right to Seven Hundred Acres of Land it going to him for transporting Alce Tracy, Ann Tracy, Mary Turner, John Turner Jun. & John Phillips, Mary Phillips, Ann Phillips, Mary Phillips Jun. & George Sevall, Mary Sevall Jun. & Mary Sevall, Ann Sevall, John Bishop, Wm Perry into this province to inhabit. {l.16/f.358}
From the land records of Baltimore Co.
Letter of Attorney, 17 Dec 1670, Samuell Tracey, gentleman, and Hugh Williams, tailor of Peanketank, Glouster Co Virginia, appointing John Watterton of Gunpowder River, their Attorney to take acknowledgement of sale of land to them by Richard Winley and wife Mary, Witnesses John Scott and Walter Cary.
Letter of Attorney, November 17, 1670, Mary Winley, wife of Richard appointing John Waterton her attorney to acknowledge her consent to the sale of the tract "Taylors Mount" to Mr. Samuell Tracey and Hugh Williams, witness John Collier and John Taylor.
Deed. December 16, 1670 Richard Winley, planter and wife Mary, spinster, for 6,000 pounds of tobacco conveying to Samuell Tracey, gentleman, and Hugh Williams, tailor, of Peanketank Va. the tract "Taylors Mount" of 250 acres, at the head of the Gunpowder River, between the great falls and Back River, excepting a point of land sold to John Owen and abutting on land taken up by John Dixon, deceased. Witnesses John Taylor, John Waterton. {Note that Hugh Williams was transported to MD by Samuel Tracy}
Deed Augus 1, 1672 Samuel Tracy, Gentleman, of Gunpowder River for 1,500 pounds of tobacco, conveying to Richard Winley, planter of Gunpowder River, 50 acres at the head of said river. it being a part of "Taylors Mount" now occupied by Tracy. Witnesses: Thomas Marley and Joseph Pearce.
Samuel Tracey witnessed several deeds: March 5, 1672 deed from Philip Macanaday to Richard Adams, 100 acres "Neves Choice" on Fendalls Creek. On 5 March 1672 witnesses deed of John Owen to Thomas Marley of part of "Taylors Mount".
Deed. June 2, 1673 from Samuell Tracey, gentleman of Gunpowder River for 6,000 pounds of tobacco conveying to James Wells and Thomas Richards, planters, 150 acres, being part of the tract "Taylors Mount" on the south side of the eastern branch at the head of Gunpowder River, adjoining the lands of Thomas Winley, and of Thomas Marley which were parts of "Taylors Mount", grantor giving warrenty for himself and for Hugh Williams. Witnesses John Winley and John Waterton.
Samuel had 200 acres surveyed 9 March 1670 known as "Tracey's Level" {Liber 16 folio 323 & Liber 14 folio 500}. Samuel died by 23 March 1676 when bond was posted for his estate. His (apparent) daughter Ann Trasey, of Anne Arundel Co. married 7 day, 6 month, 1687 (7 Aug. 1687 by todays calender) Richard Tayllor at the West River Monthly Meeting of the Friends (Quakers). That this Anne, is the heir of SAmuel Tracey is shown when Richard and Ann Taylor sold on 17 Dec 1691, 200 acres, Tracey's Level on Lightwood Creek to Lawrence Richardson. Lawrence Richardson was the brother-in-law of Richard Taylor. The abstracts of Prerogative Court records of Maryland include Samuell Trasey (along with over 100 others) in a list of debts for the estate of Thomas Salmon dated 8 Oct 1685 and 4 July 1685. The abstract for administration of Samuell Trasey's estate is dated 24 May 1676, the Administrator was Giles Stephens/Stevens and Payments to Samuell Boston for William Bisse, Thomas Richardson.
There seems to be cirrcumstanual evidence that Samuel was (1) a Quaker and (2) from Glouster Co VA based on the power of attorneys and deed langauge. Also from 1660 on many Quakers in VA went to Maryland because of religious persecution. There is no further mention of Alice to be found. If she was Samuel's wife, perhaps she died soon after arriving. No wife signed a relaease of dower on the deeds above, however, this also maybe because they were for land in a partnership of Hugh Williams and Samuel Tracey.
In the 1699 tax list of the Spesutia Hundred of Baltimore Co is a listing for a John Trasie. No other information is known about this John. It is not known if he is related to Samuel, but there are no other records for him. Perhaps he is an ancestor of Usher Tracey; for in the 1776 Census of Harford County is a Usher Tracey age 28 in the Spesutia Lower Hundred. So Usher would have been born circa 1748 and has not been identified as a descendant of Teague Tracy of Anne Arundle and Baltimore Cos. There was also a Jarrett Tracy in the area of Baltimore Co thatis now Harford Co. who served in the revolutionary war and received a pension for that service upto the 1840s. In the Cecil Co militia for 1740 in Sassafrass Hundred is listed a John Trase.
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© Jan 2001 by Lee Garlock