Margaret (Unknown) Windom (abt. 1726 - 1806)

Born about 1726 in England

Wife of William Masters Jr. — married 1742 (to 1744) in Prince George's, Maryland

Wife of Thomas Windom — married 1746 (to 1767) in Prince George's, Maryland

Descendants

Died Aug 1806 at about age 80 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

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Biography

Margaret was born about 1726. She passed away in 1806.

Biography

Maiden name and parentage UNKNOWN.

She married her first husband, William Masters, Jr., in about 1742, but they separated in 1744.

Genealogist Carol Collins provided the following transcription and summary of a petition made by Margaret to the Prince Georges County court.^[1]:

"it was your petitioner's fortune to marry with William Masters about 2 years ago (1742). But by late 1743 or early 1744 they had become estranged." According to Margaret, she and William "lived for a time with Great Love to Each other til Some Evil Disposed Persons made such Insinuations unto the sd. William Masters as to have a bad opinion of her." Consequently, she was beaten by William, his father. Margaret, pregnant at the time, endured "patiently thinking that good behaviour & time would produce Peace." Instead, William refused to live with her and turned her out to a log house he and his father built for her. She was given only corn to eat, but "being in a Weak Condition cou'l not beat & Dress it fit for food," and she and her child survived on the charity of neighbors. Margaret Masters applied to the County Court for relief in March, 1744. In her petition she stated that on 6 March, 1744, William and his father beat her with a cart rope and threatened to shoot her if she did not leave the plantation, driving her and her child away and leaving them destitute." The County Court rejected Margaret's petition.

She was supported by Thomas Windom and was likely his common-law wife. He left Margaret and her son William Masters his entire estate in his will. Her other children were Verlinda, who married John Chappell, and Sarah, who married Zaddock Harris.

While her children used the Masters surname, they were not likely William Masters' biological children, all having been born after Margaret and William separated. William Masters did provide a small sum for each of Margaret's children in his will, but also disowned them.^[2] Thomas Windom may have been their biological father, as Margaret's son William was known both by William Masters and William Windom.^[3]

In 1776, Margaret gave property and three enslaved people -- Rachel, Bess and Doll -- to her daughter and son-in-law, the Chappells^[4]:

At the Request of John and Verlinda Chappell the following Deed of Gift was recorded on the 20th Day of November Anno Dom 1776 to wit

To all People to whom these Presents shall come I Margaret Masters of Frederick County in the Province of Maryland send Greeting Know yee that I the said Margaret Masters for and in Consideration of the natural Love and Affection which I have and bear unto my Son in Law John Chappell and my beloved Daughter Verlinda his wife and for divers other good Causes and Considerations me hereunto moving as also for and in Consideration of the Sum of five Shillings current Money to me in Hand paid by the aforesaid John and Virlinda Chapple the Receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge have given and granted and by these Presents do give and grant unto the said John and Virlinda Chappell the three following Negroes that is to say Rachel Boss and Doll with their Increase as also all my Cattle Horses Mares Sheep and Hogs Household Furniture Plantation Utensils Crop of every Kind Ready Money and all and singular my Personal Estate whatsoever or wheresoever in whose Hands Custody and Possession soever they be To have and to hold all and singular the said Negroes Cattle Horses Mares Sheep and Hogs with their Increases Household Furniture Plantation Utensils Crops Ready Money and Personal Estate aforesaid unto the said John and Verlinda Chappell their Executors Administrators or Assigns to the only proper Use and Behoof of them the said John and Virlinda Chappell their Executors Administrators and Assigns for Ever

And the said Margaret Masters the said Negroes Cattle Horses Mares Sheep and Hogs with their Increase Household Furniture Plantation Utensils Crop Ready Money and Personal Estate aforesaid to the said John and Virlinda Chappell their Executors Administrators and Assigns against all Persons whatsoever shall and will forever defend by these Presents of which Effects I the said Margaret Masters have put the said John and Virlinda Chappell in full Possession by delivering them one English Guinea in Name of the whole at the Sealing and Delivery of these Presents Provide nevertheless and it is the true Intent and Meaning of the Parties afsd that John & Virlinda Chappell shall furnish and provide for the said Marget Masters a good and sufficient Maintenance during her natural Life or that she may retain the Use of the aforesaid Negroes and Personall Estate during her natural Life at her Option In Witness whereof the said Margaret Masters hath hereunto Set her Hand and Seal this sixteenth Day of Novemr in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy six Signed sealed and delivered in the Presence of us

Benjn Becraft Junr
Robert Peter

Margaret her mark Masters

Slaves

• Rachel
• Bess
• Doll

MARGARET MASTERS AND HER CHILDREN

In his will, William Masters bequeathed to Margaret Masters and to each of her children—William Masters, Sarah Harris, and Verlinda Masters—“one shilling and no more.” In 1776, Margaret resided with the family of her son, William, in Lower Potomac Hundred, Frederick County. She was 50; William was 25. Sarah Harris, wife of Zadock Harris, in Northwest Hundred, Frederick County, was 27. Verlinda Chappel, wife of John Chappel, also in Northwest Hundred, was 20. They were all born too late to be William’s children, several years after he and Margaret had separated. ^[5] William’s legacy to them, the token one shilling, was a legal device against a challenge to his will, and carries no implication these were his children.

After William and Margaret Masters separated in 1744, Margaret formed a common-law union with Thomas Windom. William Masters, born ca. 1751, son of Margaret, was the son of William Windom. Presumably Sarah (b. ca. 1749) and Verlinda (b. ca. 1756) also were Windom’s children. At his death in 1767, Windom left a portion of his personal estate and all his real estate, “Fletchall’s Chance,” 100 acres, in trust for Margaret Masters and her son, William, until William reached the age of twenty-one. ^[6] In a 1777 deed, William Masters identified himself as “by some called William Windom.” On April 9 of that year, William, “about to remove with his family into Virginia,” sold “Fletchall’s Chance” to his sister and brother-in-law, Verlinda and John Chappel. ^[7]

On 16 November 1776, Margaret transferred to her daughter and son-in-law, Verlinda and John Chappel, three Negroes—Rachel, Bess, and Doll; all her cattle, horses, mares, sheep, and hogs; her household furniture, plantation utensils, ready money, and real estate in return for the Chappels’ providing Margaret with “a good and sufficient Maintenance during her natural life....” ^[8] On 26 April 1793 Margaret made her will. She left to her son William Masters “Five Shillings Sterling...and no more.” To John Chappell she left seven slaves and all real and personal property with the condition that he could not sell or dispose of any of it without Verlinda’s consent. After their death, the property was to be equally divided between Margaret’s grandchildren, William Chappell and Sarah Holmead. Sarah and Zadock Harris were not mentioned. ^[9] The will was probated in the District of Columbia on 2 August 1806.

Martha Masters.

RESEARCH NOTE and a question.

Margaret Masters applied to the county court for relief in March 1744. In her petition, she stated that on 6 March 1744, William and his father had driven her and her child away, leaving them destitute.^[10] Thus Margaret’s child was born by 6 March 1744, Old Style, ^[11] but we have no information about the child – no name, age, or sex is provided in the records of the Court proceedings. Nor is there any record in the Court proceedings of the fate of the child, whether raised by Margaret, bound out by the Court, or died.

There is this record in the King George’s Parish registry: “Elizabeth daughter of Martha Masters born May 9th 174 -” (edge of register page missing). ^[12]

There is no consistency in the order of the entries of births and baptisms: some are chronological; some record all the children of one family together; some are records of one individual birth or baptism. It appears that individual entries were randomly written in wherever a space was available regardless of the dates of surrounding entries. We assume that the register, as it is, is the original and not a transcription. ^[13]

There is one consistency that is important. It was usual for both parents to be named when recording a birth. When only one parent was named, it was the father, except in one instance: “Elizabeth daughter of Martha Masters….”

A Martha Masters has been found in no other record in Prince George’s County.

Question: was “Martha” an error for “Margaret”? Could Elizabeth, born 9 May 174-, be the missing child of William Jr. and Margaret?

Sources

1. ↑ Collins, Carol. William Masters Jr. http://www.jackmasters.net/wmmastjr.html . Source cited as Prince Georges Co. Court Proceedings, CC:269-70.
2. ↑ Genealogists Carol Collins and Edrie Broughton, citing Prince Georges Co. Wills Box 12 folder 9; Inv. Box 25, folder 50; Final Account, Liber ST no 1, fol. 53; this is secondhand information.
3. ↑ Frederick County Land Deed BD 2.545
4. ↑ Frederick County Land Records, BO 2.446. Contributed by Shirley Middleton Moller.
5. ↑ Marcus Gaius Brumbaugh, Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church, from Original Sources, 2 vol., (1915; Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., reprint 1975), 1:182, 184, 188, 190, 227.
6. ↑ Frederick County, Maryland, Wills, A#1:290.
7. ↑ Frederick County, Maryland, Land Records, BD#2:545.
8. ↑ Frederick County, Maryland, Land Records, BD#2:446.
9. ↑ Montgomery County, Maryland, Wills, JH#1 folio 183.Montgomery Co. was organized in 1776 from the southeast part of Frederick CO
10. ↑ Prince George’s County Court Proceedings, CC:269-270.
11. ↑ That is, prior to the calendar change of 2 September 1752 which moved New Year’s Day from 25 March to 1 January.
12. ↑ King George’s Parish - Prince George’s County (Register) 1689-1801 [MdHR 13,585; 0/8/6/4], p. 273 (image 148 in microfilmed copy.) (https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccolm/m0000/m0200/m229/pdf/m229.pdf)
13. ↑ Correspondence, Maryland State Archives, 19 Nov. 1988: 'An examination of the parish register…did not provide any clues as to its origin. The record came to us in 1958. There is nothing in our file to suggest that it is a transcript of an earlier volume.”