MDCHARLE-L Archives

From: "Fredric Z. Saunders" <>
Subject: [MDCHARLE-L] Hungerford - Smoot - Cager
Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 17:53:27 -0600

Hi Dick,

I can see how an interpretation of the Archives of Maryland 41:469 could be made in the way you suggest, wondering if Ann BARTON, the widow of William HUNGERFORD was a daughter of Robert CAGER.

As I intrepret:
1. William HUNGERFORD bought a maid servant from Robert CAGER.
2. Before his death, William HUNGERFORD paid a [partial] payment of 2 hundreds of tobacco to Mr. HATCH for Robert CAGER, there still being a balance due.
3. Vincent ATCHISON married the servant

Notice closely the wording in Ann BARTON's deposition:
"since my husbands death my father hath rec[eive]d two hhds [tobacco] of VINCENT in the *ROOME* of the two hhds my husband did pay to Mr. HATCH."

The key phrase is "in the roome of." This payment was not toward the payment due CAGER for the servant, but to replace to William HUNGERFORD what he had paid for the servant. In other words, VINCENT was buying the servant from HUNGERFORD for the same price that HUNGERFORD paid CAGER, and VINCENT was to take over the bill for the amount due.

I don't recall there being any extant records regarding the administration of William HUNGERFORD's estate. As a young widow, it is likely that the administration was handled by her father William SMOOT. Thus the payment to "her father" [William SMOOT] would have been a payment by VINCENT to HUNGERFORD's estate.

As for evidence showing Ann as a SMOOT, see:
Archives of MD 41:470 where Ann was sister-in-law to Humphrey ATTWICKS. [who married Elizabeth SMOOT]

William SMOOT had a patent for 240 acres in Charles County, and assigned it to William BARTON, Jr. [Ann's 2nd husband]. In 1662 William BARTON, Jr. assigned the land to his "brother-in-law" Thomas SMOOT for the use of William HUNGERFORD, Jr., son to William HUNGERFORD, deceased.
[Charles Co., MD land records A:243-244]

1665 Thomas SMOOT transferred his right as guardian and trustee of William HUNGERFORD, Jr. to his father William SMOOT, Sr., with the trust to return to Thomas at the death of his father. [CCLR B:492]

1676 Richard SMOOT in his will called William BARTON his "brother,"
(MD Calendar of Wills 1:184)
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/md/state/wills/01/180.html

Rick Saunders
http://home.netcom.com/~fzsaund/0.html
http://genealogypro.com/fsaunders.html

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• [MDCHARLE-L] Hungerford - Smoot - Cager by "Fredric Z. Saunders" <>