Thomas Addison Sr. (1679 - 1727)

Born 1679 in Chesberton, St Mary, Maryland

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Tasker) Addison — married 21 Apr 1701 (to 10 Feb 1706) in Piscataway, Prince Georges, Province of Maryland, British America

Husband of Eleanor (Smith) Addison — married 17 Jun 1709 in Prince George's, Maryland

Descendants

Died 17 Jun 1727 at about age 48 in Oxon Hill, Prince George's, Maryland

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Biography

ADDISON, THOMAS (1679-1727). BORN: in 1679 in St. Mary's County; only son. NATIVE: second generation. RESIDED, in St. Mary's County; Charles County, by 1687; St. Elizabeth's, Oxon Hill Creek, Prince George's County, after 1696.^[1]

Col. John immigrated to Maryland in 1674, and he served in many public posts in the colony, including on the Maryland Council (1691,1693-1700,1702, and 1704), and he also attained the rank of colonel in the militia.

In 1677, Col. John (the father of Thomas Addison) married Rebecca Wilkinson, daughter of Rev. William Wilkinson, the first Protestant clergyman in the colony, and widow of Thomas Dent, a wealthy planter. Their son, Thomas, was born in 1679 at "Chesberton," in St. Mary's County. Col. John was a merchant and frontier trader as well as a planter, and by the time of his death in 1705 he had amassed an estate of nearly 6,500 acres, including the property that would be known as Oxon Hill, which he acquired in 1687.

Col. Thomas Addison inherited Oxon Hill when his father died in 1705. His 1727 estate inventory describes the contents of a two-story house with eight principal rooms. This large manor house is believed to have been constructed beginning in 1710 (and completed in 1711) following Thomas' return to Maryland after having visited England with his second wife, Eleanor Smith. The couple had married in June 1709.

Col. Thomas Addison's many public offices included service on the Maryland Council (1721-27), and he also rose to the rank of colonel in the militia.

Marriage and Children

21 April 1701, in Piscataway, Prince George's, Maryland he married Elizabeth Tasker, daughter of Thomas Tasker, another prominent planter. She bore him two daughters,

1. Rebecca and
2. Eleanor,
   but died in 1706.
   
   17 June 1709 at Prince George's, Maryland, Col. Thomas subsequently married Eleanor Smith, daughter of Col. Walter Smith, in 1709. The brick manor house is thought to have been built by Col. Thomas in 1710-11 to celebrate his marriage to Eleanor. Children from this union included sons
3. John born in 1714,
4. Thomas born in 1715,
5. Anthony born in 1716, and
6. Henry born in 1717.
7. Anne Addison
8. Eleanor Addison
9. Christopher John Addison
   
   John Addison married Susannah Wilkinson and inherited an estate of over 3,800 acres, including Oxon Hill, upon his father Col. Thomas' death in June, 1727.

Adult Life

AFFILIATION: Anglican

SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: second generation councilor; his father's high status brought early preferment and patronage; he was one of the few men to be appointed to the Council without prior service in the Assembly.

OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: surveyor; planter; merchant.

PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Upper House, 1710-1711 (first sat in the 3rd session), 1712-1714, 1715, 1716-1718, 1719-1721/22, 1722-1724, 1725-1726 (died before the 4th session).

OTHER PROVINCIAL OFFICES: deputy naval officer, Potomac, 1697; Council, 1708-1727; justice, Provincial Court, 1714-1727.

LOCAL OFFICES: surveyor, Prince George's County, 1696-1697; justice, Prince George's County, 1704-1705; Piscattaway (King George's) Parish Vestry, Prince George's County, 1704-1727; sheriff, Prince George's County, 1705-1707/8.

MILITARY SERVICE, lieutenant colonel, by 1713; colonel, 1714-1727.

WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 800 acres when appointed a justice in 1704; at least 8,294 acres in 1706 after his father's death.

WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: will probated on June 28, 1727

PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £5,722.11.8 (including 71 slaves and 3 servants); FB, £5,369.18.8. LAND: 14,000-15,000 acres.

Death

Date: 17 JUN 1727

Place: Oxon Hill, Prince George's, Maryland, USA

Sources

1. ↑ maryland.gov

• "Biographical Sketch of Thomas Addison (1679-1727)" in Papenfuse, Edward C. et. al. A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature, 1635-1789. Vol 1: A-H, p 101 (Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, 1979) Maryland Archives Online
• McCarthy, John P.: The Archaeology and History of “A World They Made Together” —Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum and Maryland Historical Trust St. Leonard, Maryland; Crownsville, Maryland
• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Author: Yates Publishing Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Original data - This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases.

Acknowledgements

• Addison-45 created through the import of Lea and Randol and Ely and Si.ged on May 31, 2011 by Maude Randol; adopted by amb 18:55, 22 December 2013 (EST)
  
• Addison-184 created through the import of SIROIS.ged on Aug 31, 2012 by Brian Myron. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Brian and others.
  
• Thank you to Michelle Bairfield for creating WikiTree profile Addison-298 through the import of Strain Family Tree(1).ged on Oct 7, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Michelle and others.