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- He was the immigrant ancestor in this line. He is the John Ponder who was transported to the American colonies on May 24, 1674 from England to Annapolis, Maryland. He arrived on the ship "Charles of London". Capt. Benoni Eaton claimed het land for John Ponders's transportation. John purchased his first 100 acres of land in June of 1682 from Hugh Paxton. John Ponder purchased 200 acres more on Mar 6, 1689 which he named Ponderfield. It was surveyed for him of 4/25/1688 as lying on the east side of Unicorn Branch on Chester River in Maryland. John Offley was the surveyor for his brother Edward. He was on a jury in 1797 in Kent Co., Maryland. He was on the Orphan Jury in 1702 in Kent Co., Maryland. He is also in the following record that would have occurred in Kent Co., Maryland between 1701 and 1702. It involves his sons, John Jr. and Richard also. Four men had to pay a surety amount that was large for the time to assure that they would return for the next court date in which their case was being tried. It does not tell what the case was about. Peter Mersey and Thomas Mounsier in their prper prsons Phillip Duff by John Ponder his Surety, Are bound to Appear As Evidences here next Court In the Sume of ten pds Sterg ~ John Ponder Junr. and Richard Ponder are bound in twenty pounds Sterg. And John Ponder Senr. & Tho: Ford are bound in ten pounds Sterg Each to be levy'd as is abovesd. in Case the Sd. Jno. Ponder Junr. and Richd Ponder do not Make their Appearance at the next Court He died shortly thereafter in Kent Co., Maryland.
His will (on Ancestry) named his wife, Mary, sons John, James, William and Richard and daughter, Margaret (later called Mary) who was given into the care of her mother as she was underage. He also mentioned "Shepherd's Fortune" and "Shepherd's Fields" which had been acquired from Francis Shepherd. The will was written in 1702 and entered into probate on 2 Feb 1702. It was proved on July 20, 1703. Kent Co. was mentioned at the bottom of the will. His wife Mary in the will would have referred to his 2nd wife named Mary who Candee Varville has proved was Mary Bright.
Candee Varvill found good evidence by way of wills that Mary was a Bright by birth. John Ponder, her husband, had a court case and deed with Charles Bright, a likely relative (brother or cousin) of his wife's. Mary Bright might have been a wife of John who only had one child, Mary b. 1697 by him. The following was posted 15 Apr 2010 by jkedroff1 in Public Member Stories on Ancestry. John Ponder and Elizabeth Dunnlatte were both on the "Charles of London". In 1677 John was accused and found guilty of fathering a child by Elizabeth.
After his death, his wife had to pay for his debts as seen in the following court record: It is likewise Considered b? ye Sd Court ye Same Da? and year yt ye Jno ffisher recover at ye Said William fford as well ye Sume of ffift? pounds of tobo ye Damages ascessed b? ye Jur? as afsd as ye Sume of five hundred pounds fift? and four pounds of tobo for his Cost and Charges Laid out and Expended according to ye form of ye Statute &ca GLumle? Clk | Also under The Exrs. of Edward | ffre? ~ ~ ~ | Com? nd was Given to ye Sherf of Kent Count? ye 29th Da? of 7ber Anno agt | D? i 1704 to take Mar? Ponder admrx of John Ponder Senr. if to be Mar? Ponder Admx | found in his bailewick and her Safe keep Soe yt he ma? have her ~ of John Ponder Senr | bod? before ye Justices of Kent Court, att next Court to be held for Sd Count? to answer unto Geo: Lumle? &ca Exr. of Edward ffrey Deceased in a plea of trespass upon ye Case for ye Sume of one pound fourteen Shillings Sterg mone? , and hereof he was not to faile &ca. And now here this Da? to witt this 28th Da? of 9ber anno D? i 1704 being ye Da? of ye retn of ye writt afsd ye Sherf makes retn hereof Endorsed Cepi Corps pr me John Hawkins Sherff '97 '97 Whereupon ye Sd Deft appears in her afsd Capacitie and Sa? eth yt She cannot Gainesa? ye pltf in his acc? n afsd Soe as afsd brought, nor but yt ye Sd John Ponder Decd Indebted to ye Sd Edward in ye Sume afsd, and She ye Sd admx in Sd Capacitie is willing yt Judgmt. be Intered agt her for ye Same '97 It is therefore Considered here b? ye Court this 28th Da? of 9ber anno D? i 1704 yt ye Sd Geo: Lumle? &ca in their Capacitie afsd recover agt ye Sd Admx in Sd Capacitie as well ye Sume of one pound fourteen Shillings Sterg mon? ye Debt afsd as ye Sume two hundred and five pounds of tobo Cost of Suit '97 '97 '97 Michael Earle | Dt 540ls tobo | H? lands admrs. | Dt| Thos Joce | | Jkedroff1 on Ancestry surmises that John was married twice and had children with 3 women.
Because my 102 year old mother who was born in 1916 has from 3.2 to 6.7 cM's of common DNA with 4 cousins descending from Mary's grandfather, Thomas Edward Norris, I theorize that Margaret was either a misinterpretation of the original 1680's document or it is a common nickname for Mary at the time. I believe that our John descended from wife, Mary/Margaret Woodroofe as supported by DNA.
As for his children's ages, a lot can be surmised from his will probated Feb. 2, 1702. He supposedly wrote it years before his death perhaps before a trip. His daughter, Mary, apparently had not been born when he wrote his will. He apparently lived on a tract of land in Sussex Co., Delaware and owned a plantation in Queen Ann's County, Maryland. He bequeathed to his son John the tract of land where he lived. He bequeathed to his son James and William 300 acres of land each called Cloud's Adventure. He bequeathed to his son Richard half the land where John Sr. was living (in Sussex, DE) and half the plantation (in Queen Anne's?). To his wife Mary, he bequeathed the other half of the tract in Sussex, Delaware and half of the plantation in Queen Anne's. (I assumed the locations) To his daughter Margaret, he gave a negro named Weyman when he came of age. He bequeathed to his wife one man servant called William Goodbury and a servant called Catherine Green. He bequeathed a yearling horse to his son, James. His son James was to be cared for by son Richard till he came of age. His son William was to be under the care of his wife till he too came of age.
He might be the John Ponder who was the son of Thomas Ponder and Ann christened Mar 30, 1656, Undershaft, London, England. So far I have found 1 descendant of this Thomas Ponder and their DNA does not match my mothers. As for the wife that he had most of his children by, this is one theory. In 1680 John Ponder gives up his headrights. Amongst the group of those so doing is Margaret Ponder, listed as the wife of John Ponder. Margaret and Mary are interchangeable nicknames at the time. We have not been able to find this deed. In a deposition given by Daniel "Norris" in 1706, concerning Thomas Woodrooffe who died without heirs, Daniel Norris states that Ann Norris was his sister and that she married William Woodrooffe (brother of Thomas) in Cowley, England and after his death she married Francis Shepperd. He further stated he knew the Woodrooffe family in London before they came to America. Ann and William had six children. One of them was named Mary. It is Ann's daughter Mary who was possibly also the wife of John Ponder. This would explain why Francis (Shepherd) left "John Ponder the land on which he now lives". Also, Mary, the daughter of Francis and Ann was still under age and unmarried in 1692 at the time of his will. Francis also stated he wanted his children to remain in their home. Since they were all under age this would probably not have been possible if a relative was not near.(This of course makes it unlikely that Daniel, Ann, Alice and Robert Norris were the children of Thomas Norris as is so often quoted. For how can it be explained that they were living in England?) jkedroff1
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1650 - Bef 1702 (< 52 years)
