Charles Philpott (abt. 1698 - bef. 1753)

Born about 19 Feb 1698 in Charles County, Maryland

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Smoot) Philpott — married before 5 Sep 1717 (to before 24 Mar 1748) in Charles County, Maryland [uncertain]

Husband of Elizabeth (Unknown) Philpott — married about 1752 in Charles County, Maryland [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 12 Nov 1753 before about age 55 in Charles County, Maryland

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Biography

Charles was born about 1698 in Charles County, Maryland and died about 1753 in Charles County, Maryland. He married Elizabeth Baron Smoot about 1717.

Father: Edward Philpott II

Mother: Susannah Posey

Siblings:

1. Susanna Philpott
2. Edward Philpott
3. John Philpott
4. Elenor Philpott
5. Mary Philpott

Spouse: Elizabeth Baron Smoot

Children:

1. Susannah Philpott
2. Elenor Philpott
3. John Philpott
4. Elizabeth Philpott
5. Barton Philpott
6. William Philpott
7. Warren Philpott

Note: Direct male descendants of Charles Philpott are encouraged to participate in Y-DNA testing.

Charles Philpott was born about 1698, at William and Mary Parish, Charles County, Maryland.^[1] He was the youngest son of Edward Philpott, and Susannah Posey.^[2]

Charles grew up along the west side of the Wicomico River in Charles County, in an area still known, today, as Allens Fresh. His mother died before he reached the age of ten, and his father died when he was about 20 years old. Charles grew up with at least two older brothers and three sisters, as well as two step-siblings, multiple cousins, aunts, and uncles—all living in close proximity. Charles’ father was a planter and a merchant. It was natural for Charles to become a planter, himself.^[2]

Charles Philpott married a neighbor, Elizabeth Barton Smoot, about 1717, probably at Charles County. They married before 5 September 1717 when Elizabeth Philpott was named in the will of her grandfather, William Barton.^[3] Elizabeth’s grandfather appears to have been highly regarded by the family, as the name "Barton" was frequently used as a given name among their many descendants.

Charles’ father, Edward Philpott, wrote his will on 19 August 1718, and died about two months later. Charles was bequeathed "the remainder of the land on the north side of Hospital Run"—records prove that this was a 200-acre tract known as Walker’s Run^[4]—and a slave named Tom. Along with his two older brothers, he was bequeathed an equal share of a 60-acre tract known as Timber Neck.^[5] Most of the land went to Charles’ eldest brother John, who was heir-at-law, though Charles and his two brothers seem to have lived contentedly on their shared lands for another seven years.

On 7 October 1720, Charles Philpot, planter, leased 100 acres of his land to John Fairfax, for a term of 15 years. Charles signed his name to the deed (proving that he could write), and Elizabeth released her right of dower.^[6] On 18 September 1723, Charles had a small, 16-acre tract of land surveyed, and named it Outlet.^[7] The tract was located next to Walker’s Run, among several tracts owned by the Philpott brothers. It was Charles’ only attempt to acquire more land.

Charles sometimes assisted friends and family in legal matters:

• 29 May 1724, William Pritchard and Charles Philpott were sureties for the bond of William Thimbles, administrator of Robert Stanfield^[8]
• 29 June 1724, Charles and his brother Edward were sureties for the bond of Mary Hungerford, administratrix of Thomas Hungerford.^[8]
• 5 Feb 1724/5, brothers Jno Phillpott and Charles Phillpott witnessed the will of Mary Posey (she was their first cousin)^[9]
• 23 Feb 1724/5, Charles Philpott and Francis Posey were sureties for the bond of John Philpott, administrator of Eleanor Philpott (Charles’ sister)^[10]

It was about this time that Charles’ brother, Edward, became ill. On 27 January 1725/6, probate for the estate of Edward Philpott was recorded at Charles County. He had written his will one year earlier, in January 1724/5. Edward left his estate to his wife Margaret, and two sons, Edward and John.^[11] His brothers were not named in the will but when an inventory of his estate was recorded on 25 February 1725/6, Charles and John were named, presumably, as his next-of-kin.^[12]

As the eldest brother, John was the main patriarch of the family, witnessing numerous events, and handling many financial affairs for the Philpott family and their relatives. By comparison, Charles seems to have lived a rather quiet life as a planter, on his 216 acres of land, while raising his large family.

• 30 Jul 1734, Charles Philpott and Charles Musgrove (Charles Philpott’s brother-in-law) were sureties for the bond of John Phillpott, administrator of Rev. Esdras Theodore Edzard.^[13]
• 1 Jul 1740, John Phillpot and Charles Phillpot were securities for the bond of Susannah Mastin (their niece), administratrix of Charles Mastin.^[14]

In February 1746/7, Charles’ brother, John, died in Virginia, when he was returning from a trip. No will or estate records can be found in the Charles County probate books, though John’s land holdings ended up in the possession of his eldest son and heir-at-law, Benjamin Philpott.

On 24 March 1748/9, Charles Philpott, planter of Charles County, gifted 100 acres of Walker’s Run to his son, John Philpott, "in Consideration of the natural Love and Affection which I bear unto my son . . . then to his Eldest son and his Heirs forever as for divers other causes methereunto moving".^[15] This appears to say that Charles was preparing to move but, if so, he did not move far. Of note, Elizabeth did not release her right of dower at the end of the deed so she apparently died before this date.

In March 1749/50, Charles’ nephew, John Philpott (the last surviving child of Charles’ brother, Edward), died without issue and left his real property, and much of his personal property to Charles’ eldest son. This included the tracts Court’s Palace, Cow Grave Yard, part of Philpott’s Chance, and Fardley’s [aka Fearnley’s] Rest, as well as two slaves named Esther and Moll. On the 23rd of March, Charles Philpott and Robert Gill acted as sureties for John Philpott (Charles’ son), administrator of Edward’s estate.^[16] From this point onward, all of the Philpott ancestral lands would be divided among the sons of two brothers (John and Charles), rather than three.

• 28 April 1750, Charles Philpott and George Elgin were sureties for the bond of Sarah Baker, administratrix of Charles Baker^[17]

On 8 June 1752, the parishioners of William and Mary Parish, Charles County, put forth a petition to allot the seats in the church to the several freeholders and their families. Families were assigned pews, and the plan was put before the Council of Maryland for confirmation and approval. Those assigned to pew 18 were Francis Posey, Harrison Musgrove, Charles Philpott, John Philpott (Charles’ eldest son), and Benjamin Philpott (Charles’ nephew, son of John).^[18]

Probably about July 1752, Charles married his second wife, a widow named Elizabeth Angell (maiden name may have been Thompson but this is unproven). Elizabeth had a minor daughter, Mary Angell, who, evidently, had been bequeathed a slave. In a "Deed of Gift" dated 14 July 1752, Charles ensured that Elizabeth’s daughter, Mary, would inherit the slave when she came of age:

" . . . I Charles Philpot of Charles County and Province of Maryland Planter Send Greeting. Know ye that I the said Charles Philpot . . . as for the Love good Will, and effection which I have, and do bear towards my Daughter in Law Mary Angell, Youngest Daughter of Elizabeth now my wife, have given granted, and Confirmed . . . unto the said Mary Angell one negroe Boy, which came by my wife aforesaid, named Gerrard . . . reserving to myself only the use and Labour of the said Negroe Boy, untile she the said Mary shall be of the full age of Sixteen years or the day of her marriage which Shall first Happen."^[19]

The deed was witnessed by Charles’ son, Barton Philpott, and Robert Yates. Joseph Thompson made the request to have the deed recorded.

By this time, Charles’ son John, and nephew Benjamin owned almost all of the Philpott lands. Even though John (Charles’ son) had been bequeathed land by his cousin John (Edward’s son), their cousin Benjamin (John’s son) was entitled to the land because he was the heir-at-law of the elder brother of Charles and Edward. Therefore, on 22 February 1753, Benjamin had a deed recorded in which he sold his right to the land, to his cousin (Charles’ son, John) for the sum of ten pistoles in gold and 20,000 pounds of tobacco.^[20] In an effort to more clearly define the division boundaries between the lands owned by Benjamin and John, two Commissioners were appointed by the Charles County Court to investigate. On 20 August 1753, they deposed several men, including Charles Philpott, “aged fifty five years”.^[1] Together, Benjamin and John (and John’s sons) shared portions of the land for another 25 years, until all of the tracts eventually passed out of the possession of the Philpott family.^[4]

Less than three months after giving his deposition, Charles died, intestate, at Charles County—probate was recorded 12 November 1753. James Latimer and Robert Gill appraised the estate, and James Campbell and Samuel Briscoe were the creditors. Two of Charles’ sons, John and Warren, were listed as next-of-kin (indicating that they were his eldest sons), and Charles’ widow, Elisabeth, was appointed executrix of the estate.^[21]

Genealogical Sketch of the Philpott Family, by H.L. Ludlow

Some of the identities of the children of Charles and Elizabeth would not be known today, if it weren’t for a man named Reuben Davis, who married one of their great granddaughters. Sometime during the 1800s, a record was made from Reuben’s memory, and eventually a sketch was written by a descendant, H. L. Ludlow, based, partly, on Reuben’s account.^[22] Following is a partial excerpt from the sketch:

"About the year 1730, Charles Philpott and Elizabeth Philpott, his wife, residents of Gloucester county in England, emigrated to America and landed at a place called Benedict, on the Patuxent river in Charles county, Maryland. They settled on a stream called Allen’s Fresh, seven or eight miles from Port Tobacco, in said Charles County. The said Charles Philpott died about the year 1740, and Elizabeth, his widow survived him some fifteen or twenty years. They were the parents of three sons—John, Barton and William and four daughters—Eleanor, Elizabeth, Susan and Mary. John, the eldest married and had the following children: David, Zachariah, Charles, John, Samuel and Sarah. He died when about forty years of age.

Barton, the second son of Charles and Elizabeth Philpott, lived in Piscataway, in Prince George County, Maryland, until 1771, when he moved to Frederick county in the same state, where he lived until his death. Said Barton was twice married and had two sets of children, whose names were as follows: Mary, Martha, Elizabeth, Charles, Benjamin, Barton, Samuel and John.

Of the four daughters of Charles and Elizabeth Philpott, we find no record of what became of Mary.

Eleanor, the eldest daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Philpott, married James Taylor and had two children, Behethelem, who died young and a son called Charles Philpott Taylor. He was the only surviving heir of his mother, Eleanor and married Wilhelmina Lyons and had the following children: Eleanor P., Elizabeth, Polly, Charles P., Margaret, Behethelem, James and Mary Ann. In 1798 said Eleanor P. Taylor was married to Reuben Davis, who was then fifty-one years old and to whom we are chiefly indebted for this genealogy, he having lived with the Philpotts nearly all his life.

Elizabeth, second daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Philpott was married in Charles county, Maryland, to Thomas Weatherford, after which they moved to Frederick county, same state, and thence about the year 1778 to the state of North Carolina, where said Elizabeth died, leaving two children named William and Thomas.

Susan, third daughter of Charles, and Elizabeth Philpott, married a man in Baltimore by the name of Humphries, but it is not known whether or not any children survived them.

William the third son of Charles and Elizabeth Philpott, moved from Charles county, to Frederick county, Maryland. He settled on Bennett’s Creek, near the foot of Sugar Loaf mountain, and died there about the year 1776. His wife’s maiden name was Mary Ann Davis. Their children were William, Barton, John, Jose, Elizabeth, Sarah, Rebecca and Ann. Barton second son of William died when a lad of eight or ten years of age."

The sketch continues with detailed information about the descendants of William, and ends with the following statement: "The Philpotts were great turfmen and imported quite a number of fast horses from their relatives in England. They were related to the Scotts and Keys of Maryland and can be found in almost all the States and in some states are very numerous."

While there are several errors and omissions in this sketch, most of the information regarding Charles’ children has been proven to be true. Within the erroneous information, there may be grains of truth. For example, contrary to widespread rumor, Edward Philpott, the immigrant, was not a descendant of Mayor Henry Philpott of Folkestone, Kent, England. The statement that the family originated in Gloucester may be a lead for researchers.

No evidence has been found to tie the Philpotts to the Scott or Key families, though, in the late 1700s, grandchildren of Charles’ brother, John, married into a Scott family. Perhaps Mr. Ludlow was referring to a later generation.

In summary, the Genealogical Sketch of the Philpott Family, by H. L. Ludlow may be flawed but it has provided valuable information about Charles Philpott and his family. Information in the sketch may still hold clues that will help determine the origins of the Philpotts of Charles County, Maryland.

—contributed by LPhilpott, November 2019

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} June Alice Bruce Stubbs, We Are Our Ancestors, (Columbia, Missouri: privately published, 1981). On page 28, Mrs. Stubbs provides a transcription of a report regarding the Philpott land boundaries recorded in Charles County Deeds, Liber D 3, folios 152-153.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Noland Bowling, Meet Your Ancestors: Some Descendants of Edward Philpott (1597?-1678), William Barton (1605?-1674), Francis Posey (1600-1654), William Smoote (ca 1597-1673), Moses Hobart (1709-1780), and Moses Hubbard (1774-1856), (Utica, Kentucky: McDowell Publications, 1995).
3. ↑ "Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YMZ-XV4?cc=1803986&wc=SNYZ-DPK%3A146535701%2C148432001 : 19 Nov 2019), Charles > Wills 1704-1733 vol 3 > images 84-85 of 166; Hall of Records, Annapolis.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Charles Jenkins Walthall, Burlean Hall also known as Mount Pleasant, Kilravock Hall, Philpott-Posey House, (Charles County, Maryland: privately published, 1995).
5. ↑ "Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YMZ-XGF?cc=1803986&wc=SNYZ-DPK%3A146535701%2C148432001 : 19 Nov 2019), Charles > image 91 of 166; Hall of Records, Annapolis.
6. ↑ Archives of Maryland Online, "MDLANDREC," images, mdlandrec.net (https://mdlandrec.net/main/ : 18 November 2019), Charles > Book H 2, pages 395-397 > Court (Land Records) > images 395-397; Maryland State Archives, Annapolis.
7. ↑ Maryland State Archives Online, "Guide to Government Records," images, guide.msa.maryland.gov (http://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/item.aspx?ID=S1195-828 : 19 November 2019), Charles County Land Surveys.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} V.L. Skinner, Jr., Abstracts of the Testamentary Proceedings of the Prerogative Court of Maryland, volume XVI (Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Co., 2008).
9. ↑ "Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YMZ-X83?cc=1803986&wc=SNYZ-DPK%3A146535701%2C148432001 : 19 Nov 2019), Charles > Wills 1704-1733 vol 3 > image 114 of 166; Hall of Records, Annapolis.
10. ↑ V.L. Skinner, Jr., Abstracts of the Testamentary Proceedings of the Prerogative Court of Maryland, volume XVII (Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Co., 2008).
11. ↑ "Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYMZ-JMG?cc=1803986&wc=SNYZ-DPK%3A146535701%2C148432001 : 19 November 2019), Charles > Wills 1704-1733 vol 3 > image 117 of 166; Hall of Records, Annapolis.
12. ↑ "Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YMF-3SW?cc=1803986&wc=SNY8-W3X%3A146535701%2C147938901 : 19 November 2019), Charles > Inventories 1717-1735 > image 118 of 268; Hall of Records, Annapolis.
13. ↑ V.L. Skinner, Jr., Abstracts of the Testamentary Proceedings of the Prerogative Court of Maryland, volume XX (Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Co., 2009).
14. ↑ V.L. Skinner, Jr., Abstracts of the Testamentary Proceedings of the Prerogative Court of Maryland, volume XXII (Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Co., 2010).
15. ↑ Archives of Maryland Online, "MDLANDREC," images, mdlandrec.net (https://mdlandrec.net/main/ : 18 November 2019), Charles > Book Z 2, pages 352-253 > Court (Land Records) > images 352-353; Maryland State Archives, Annapolis.
16. ↑ "Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYMZ-NGG?cc=1803986&wc=SNYZ-DPV%3A146535701%2C148432701 : 21 November 2019), Charles > image 162 of 217; Hall of Records, Annapolis.
17. ↑ V.L. Skinner, Jr., Abstracts of the Testamentary Proceedings of the Prerogative Court of Maryland, volume XXIII (Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Co., 2010).
18. ↑ Archives of Maryland Online. Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1732:1753, Volume 28, pages 546-547. Accessed 21 November 2019. http://aomol.msa.maryland.gov/000001/000028/html/am28--547.html
19. ↑ Archives of Maryland Online, "MDLANDREC," images, mdlandrec.net (https://mdlandrec.net/main/ : 18 November 2019), Charles > Book A 1, pages 32-33 > Court (Land Records) > images 32-33; Maryland State Archives, Annapolis.
20. ↑ Archives of Maryland Online, "MDLANDREC," images, mdlandrec.net (https://mdlandrec.net/main/ : 18 November 2019), Charles > Book A 1, pages 104-105 > Court (Land Records) > images 104-105; Maryland State Archives, Annapolis.
21. ↑ "Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YM6-1RM?cc=1803986&wc=SNYZ-RM4%3A146535701%2C147950501 : 18 November 2019), Charles > image 12 of 245; Hall of Records, Annapolis.
22. ↑ June Alice Bruce Stubbs, We Are Our Ancestors, Appendix I: "Genealogical Sketch of the Philpott Family" by Henry L. Ludlow (Columbia, Missouri: privately published, 1981).

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