John Phelps [b. 1724] of Anne Arundel Co, MD, Father of Hugh Phelps of Wood County, WVA (VA)
By Marilyn Brien, November, 2014
John Phelps, the father of Hugh Phelps of Wood County, WVA, (VA) has been greatly misconstrued in most Phelps genealogies. Part of the confusion results from the renowned source, The Phelps family of America and their English Ancestors, compiled by Servin and Oliver Phelps.
John Phelps #253 on pp.175-176 is listed as one of the children of Timothy Phelps of Hartford, CT. This is not correct. John Phelps, the father of Hugh Phelps #806, is the grandson of Walter Phelps of Anne Arundel County, MD. John Phelps, son of Timothy Phelps #81 p. 116 was born Jan. 29, 1728, in Hartford, CT. This may be the John Phelps who married Mary Converse in Tolland County, CT, and is buried in Tolland County, CT. Neither the date of birth nor the location of birth is correct for John Phelps, father of Hugh Phelps.
The statement that this John Phelps settled South on James River compounds the confusion by also confusing John Phelps of CT with a 3rd John Phelps who lived in Lunenberg County (Goochland), VA. The grandson of Elijah Phelps, brother of Hugh Phelps, recalls that Elijah kept a ferry on the Potomac, which is consistent with the MD location. The explanation that son Burgess was named after the House of Burgesses again confuses Burgess's father, John Phelps of MD, with John Phelps of Lunenberg, who served as a burgess in Virginia. The listing of the children as born in Bradford, Co, VA, also is incorrect. The children were all born in Maryland before John Phelps of MD migrated to PA. The names of the children which include Hugh, Elijah, Burgess, Samuel, John, Mary, Eleanor, and Sarah appear to be correct, but the son John is badly confused in this citation.
The family of John Phelps of Lunenberg (Goochland), VA is well documented. The descendants are not the descendants of John Phelps of Maryland. Nancy Roy in Our Kin has considerable documenation on this line. Several sources are listed in a repository of sources for Southern Phelps Genealogy site Southern Phelps Families of the 16th through 19th Centuries.
Robert Barnes has researched the family of Walter Phelps. The latest Barnes research is available on the Southern Phelps Genealogy site listed above. It includes the Walter Phelps connection of John Phelps, father of Hugh Phelps, that is not included in earlier research. John Phelps of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, was the son of John Phelps and Susannah Meek and grandson of Walter Phelps and Elizabeth Benson. John Phelps was born 1 June 1684 and married Susan Meek on 16 Oct 1718 in All Hallows Parish. He died before 2 Jul 1724 when his brother Walter Phelps deeded a portion of Phelps's Choice to Charles Phelps and Susannah Meek. On 25 Sep 1724 Susanna Phelps, his widow, filed the inventory of his estate. She later married William Anderson after 11 Sep 1733 when she was named as Susannah Phelps in the will of her mother, Mary Boyce.
John Phelps, the son of John Phelps and Susannah Meek was born shortly before or after the death of his father in 1724. I am identifying him as John Phelps-2 rather than John Phelps, Jr, as identified in the Barnes research because later records refer to him as John Phelps Sr. and Hugh's brother, John, as John, Jr.
The mother of John Phelps-2, Susannah Phelps Anderson deeded 100 acres of Phelps's Choice to John Phelps-2 in 1746. On 11 Oct. 1755 Susannah Anderson transferred 235 acres of "Mistake in Friendship" in Anne Arundel County to John Phelps. On 26 Feb 1759 John Phelps transfered 70 acres of "Mistake in Friendship" to Jacob Stoner, approved by wife Priscilla. On 15 Mar 1768 John Phelps, planter of Frederick County, sold 65 acres of "Morehouse's Generosity in Anne Arundel County to John Henson. On 18 Aug John Felps leased for 21 years 100 acres of land in Frederick County from Samuel and Bennet Chew of Ann Arundel County. On 2 Dec 1775 John Phelps witnessed the will of Robert Barnes, Sr, of Chews Farm, Frederick County. Robert Barnes, Sr. was the father of Ezekiel and Sylvester Barnes who married John Phelps's daughters, Eleanor and Sarah. John Phelps, Sr, John Phelps, Jr, Sylvester Barnes, and Ezekiel Barnes took Oaths of Fidelity in Washington County (Frederick) in 1778.