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Clarke, John, Chas. County, 17th Apr., 1698; 12th Aug., 1698.
To sons John and Thomas at 18 yrs. of age, personalty.
to 5 child., viz., Mary, John afsd., Sarah, Ann, and Thomas afsd., residue of estate equally.
Test: Ralph Shaw, Stephen Gearman, Walter Winter. 6, 177.
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John Clarke 18,61 1 CH £51.17.7 Oct 20 1698
Appraisers: Ralph Shaw, John Barron,
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Aug. 24, 1698 - Administration Bonds from Charles Co. Conier Clark executor of John Clark. Securities: Ralph Shaw, John Bacon.
Source: Maryland Prerogative Court, Testamentary Proceedings, Liber 17, Page 187.
Nov. 10, 1698 - Petition of Coniers Clark relict and executrix of John Clark (Charles Co.) Mentions: estate to be divided among his children. Petition for her 1/3rds. She is poor, with small children. Petition granted.
Source: Maryland Prerogative Court, Testamentary Proceedings, Liber 17, Page 234-5.
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The parents of John Clarke of Charles County, Maryland, have not been
determined. The maiden name of his wife Anne is not known but it may have been Coates or Courts.
Anne Clarke, wife of John of Portobacco, was transported to Maryland in
1665, (Liber 9, folio 233, THE EARLY SETTLERS OF MARYLAND, Gust Skordas, Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, 1968). There were several men named John Clarke who were transported to Maryland; all but one after 1665.
The one who came to the colony in 1665 was more than likely the husband of Anne Clarke. He was identified as a servant (Liber 9, folio 270).
John Clarke was related to, perhaps a brother-in-law of Thomas Coates of
Portobacco in Charles County whose will was dated 23 June 1681. The sole heir of Thomas Coates was his cousin Gilbert Clarke. John Clarke, father of Gilbert, was named executor (Liber 2, folio 169, MARYLAND CALENDAR OF WILLS, Volume I, Jane Baldwin, Baltimore, 1914, reprinted Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, 1968). The term cousin frequently was used to denote nephews and nieces. Gilbert must have been young, perhaps unmarried, since he did not have children at the time the will was written.
Thomas Coates named another cousin, Conyers Clarke, as secondary legatee, if Gilbert died without issue. The will, which contains no proof date, was witnessed by Ralph Shaw and Cleborne Lomax.
Ralph Shaw who witnessed the will of Thomas Coates, who named John Clarke as executor on 23 June 1681, also witnessed the will of John Clarke in Charles County on 17 April 1698. John Clarke did not include his son Gilbert as a legatee, perhaps because he was dissatisfied with Gilbert's involvement with Fantalena Joy. It was about this time that Gilbert and Fantalena finally got married after having had at least one illegitimate child, daughter Jane, about 1691. On the other hand, Gilbert, who appears to be the eldest son, may have already received his legacy from his father.
Conyers Clarke, the cousin and secondary heir of Thomas Coates, was not mentioned by John Clarke in his will but he may have been a son, perhaps deceased.
The will of John Clarke of Charles County was dated 17 April 1698 and proved on 12 August the same year. His wife apparently died before he made his will since she is not mentioned. John Clarke bequeathed personal property to sons John and Thomas which was to be delivered to them at age 18. The balance of his estate was to be divided equally between John, Thomas and three daughters, Mary, Sarah and Ann. The will was witnessed by Ralph Shaw, Stephen Gearman and Walter Winter (Liber 6, folio 177, MARYLAND CALENDAR OF WILLS, Volume II). The abstract does not indicate the name of the executor. A probate record for John Clark's estate was recorded on 20 October 1698 (Charles County: Probate Records, Inventories, Book 1677-1717, MARYLAND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN, Volume 25, Number 1, Winter 1984, quarterly, Baltimore).
The names Coates and Courts may have been the same. They were occasionally spelled interchangeably in court records. Cleborne Lomax who witnessed the will of Thomas Coates also witnessed the will of Robert Henly (Henley) of Piccawaxon in Charles County on 15 February 1683. Robert Henley made a bequest of personal property to his granddaughter Charity Coates, daughter of John and Charity Henley Coates (Courts). Son in-law John Coates (Courts) was appointed executor. Edward Lee, Richard Gent and Margaret Maystis also witnessed the will which was proved on 31 March 1684 (Liber 4, folio 31, MARYLAND CALENDAR OF WILLS, Volume I).
As a cousin or nephew of Thomas Coates, Gilbert Clarke was probably a relative of Colonel John Courts (Coates), it could account for the seeming familiarity of Colonel Courts with the property of George Scrogin when he made an inventory of it on 20 August 1700 (SCROGIN SCROGGIN SCROGGINS).
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Thomas Coates 8.255 A CH #14616 #10518 Oct 12 1682
Payments to: Col. William Chandler, Edward Gale, John Reddish, William Wells, Edward Maddock, Joshua Graves upon account from Anne Britton, John Richards upon account from his master Thomas Hussey, James Whetler,
Executor: John Clarke,
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James Wheeler 8.388 I CH £33,19,1 Feb 11 1684
Appraisers: John Godshall, John Clarke.
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1642-1753 Rent Rolls Charles County, Maryland [Mike Marshall]; Hundred - Piccawaxen or Wm&Mary: Rent Roll page/Sequence: 296-62: ST. LAWRENCE SPRING : 100 acres; Possession of - 100 Acres - Briscoe, Philip (Junior) : Surveyed 23 Feb 1665 for John Clark; Adjoining to the lands he lives upon called Clarke’s Purchase: Other Tracts Mentioned: CLARKES PURCHASE; other notes - 100 Acres - John Fendall from John Clarke, 11 July 1715,
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1642-1753 Rent Rolls Charles County, Maryland [Mike Marshall]; Hundred - Piccawaxen or Wm&Mary: Rent Roll page/Sequence: 296-63: CLARKS MARSH: 50 acres; Possession of - 50 Acres - Briscoe, Philip (Junior) : Surveyed 12 Mar 1666 for John Clarke on the west side Wicomico river lying before his own land he now lives on.: Other notes - 50 Acres - John Fendall from John Clarke, 11 July 1715,
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