The first European settlements in Maryland were made in 1634 when English settlers created a permanent colony.
Anne Groome was born about 1640 in England.
Stephen Johnson was her first husband.
Her second husband was James Thompson. He was born about 1624 in England. He immigrated to Baltimore (now Harford County), Maryland in 1649. He was a sub-sheriff to Captain John Stansby, the High Sheriff to Lord Baltimore. He owned Taylor's Choice. Taylor’s Choice was granted to John Taylor on July 28, 1661.
On January 4, 1693 James Thompson, Gent., and wife Anne conveyed 200 acres called Thompson's Choice to Gabriel Parrott.
Her third husband was Edward Felkes. Ann Johnson and Edward Felkes made an ante-nuptial agreement on February 19, 1701/02.
Edward Felkes patented the 200 acres of Felke's Forest (Felkes Forret) and 200 acres of Felke's His Range (Felkes Range) in 1689. Felkes Forest was on the north side of Back River. He also was in possession of Black Wolf Neck (Black Woolfe Neck Neck, Black Wolve), on the Gunpowder River on the south side of the western most branch. Felke's Range was on the south west branch of the Gunpowder River.
Edward Felkes patented the 200 acres of The Good Hope in 1696.
In 1712 an act was passed locating the county court at the "house built on Taylor’s Choice in the town of Joppa."
She wrote her will in Baltimore County, Maryland on January 1, 1719 and it was probated on March 11, 1720.
She left 300 acres of Taylor's Choice at the head of the Gunpowder River to her kinswoman, Anne Groome Maxwell.
A gentleman had no title, but descended from an aristocratic family, was of the landed gentry, and had a coat of arms.
Maryland was established with religious freedom for Catholics. The colonial economy was based on tobacco cultivated by Africans who had been enslaved.
from The History of Maryland 1600-1765 by John Thomas Scharf
Whether any beginning of the town [Joppa] was made or not, does not appear; but in the next year the assembly ordered the site at Forster's Neck "to be deserted, and in lieu thereof fifty acres to be erected into a town on a tract of land on the same river, belonging to Anne Felks, and called Taylor's Choice, and the court-house to be built there."
Now the act had no validity—the province being then under royal government—until the queen's assent was obtained; but this would take a year, and probably no one imagined that Queen Anne, with her mind full of Marlborough and the French war, would have any objection to Forster's Neck as the location of the county court. So the commissioners went actively to work, laid off the town and had the courthouse partly built, when the surprising news came that the queen had refused her assent to the bill. So matters stood; nor do we know where the court was held until 1712, when (the Tories being then in power, and Marlborough disgraced) a new act was passed, setting the county court at the house built on Taylor's Choice, "in the town of Joppa" — for here the name first appears.3
Queen Anne ruled England and Great Britain from
March 8, 1702 to August 1, 1714.
Personal property can be called personalty (personality), goods, chattels, articles, or movable property. It includes both animate or inanimate property.
Will of Anne [Groome Johnson Thompson] Felkes, wdw of [Edward Felkes or Phelks] Baltimore Co.
1 Jan 1719-11 Mar 1720.
To:
kinswoman Anne Maxwell and her husband James, former dwelling plantation,
300 ac Taylor's Choice at head of Gunpowder River during lives then to
Asacle eldest son of afsd Anne;
personalty to Asacle, Elizabeth,
James, Anne and Robert Maxwell and their mother Ann afsd (5:32)
Ann was born about 1640 in England. Her first husband was Stephen Johnson and her second was James Thompson and third Edward Felkes.
James Thompson (1624-1694), immigrated to Baltimore (now Harford County), Maryland in 1649. He was a sub-sheriff to Captain John Stansby, the High Sheriff to Lord Baltimore. He Taylor's Choice. On January 4, 1693 James Thompson, Gent.,
and wife Anne conveyed 200 acres called Thompson's Choice to Gabriel Parrott.
Ann Johnson and Edward made an ante-nuptial agreement on February 19, 1701/02
In contracts and pleadings usually people and things mentioned before are designated by the term said (sd ) for clarity.
Aforesaid (afd, afsd, aforesd ) means it was already mentioned.
In 1688, during the Glorious Revolution, the Protestant king and queen,William and Mary, took the English throne from Catholic King James II. The bloodless revolution profoundly impacted the American colonies.
Rent rolls were lists of landowners showing whether they had paid their annual quit-rents to the Crown. A quick-rent was a feudal remnant and was paid by a freeholder in lieu of services that might otherwise have been required.
from Baltimore County Rent Rolls
Black woolfe neck, 150 acr Sur the 3 of June 1667 for Richard Furendall in gunpowder river on the south side of the wester most branch and now In the posestion of Edward Folks rent $ anum —..3..— Black Wolve Neck. Poss Ann Felks.
Felkes Forrest, 200 acr Sur the 2 of Decemb 1688 for Edward Felkes Lyeing on the north side of back river and now in the posestion of Harebottle for the Orphants of Henry Francis rent per anum —..8..— Poss Hew Merriday.
Felkes Range, 200 acr Sur the 14 of August 1688 for Edward Felkes Lyeing on the south west branch of gunpowder and now in posestion of Edward Felkes rent per anum —..8..— Poss Ann Felks.
Good Hope, 200 acr Sur the 8 August 1696 for Edward FelksLyeing on the south side of the main falls of gunpowder river in the woods hegining at a bounded popular by the two bounded white oakes and in the posestion as afores , rent per anum Poss Ann Felks.
Baltimore County, Maryland was founded in 1659 and included most of northeastern Maryland. The original county included parts of Cecil, Frederick, Harford, Carroll, and Baltimore Counties.
