1. John I Roach 1,2,3 was born in Jan 1635 in England 4 and died in 1718 in Somerset County, Maryland 4 at age 83.
General Notes: [From "Old Somerset of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. A Study in
Foundations and Founders", by Clayton Torrence, Richmond, Virginia,
1935. Electronic version at geneologylibrary.com. P. 457-458]
Roach. John Roach (also spelled Roch) was an early settler in Annemessex,
coming in with Stephen Horsey.(*) On February 4, 1663/4, John Roach m.
Sarah Williams (daughter of Michael and Sarah Williams and stepdaughter
of Stephen Horsey; see post, Williams, Michael). John Roach d. 1717/18,
leaving by Sarah, his wife, issue: (1) John (1664-1727); m. Alice Hall
(see ante, Hall); (2) Sarah, 1667/8; m. 1683, John Perkins; (3) Mary,
1668/9; m., 1683, Francis Martin; (4) Elizabeth, 1670/1; (5) Abigail,
1672/3; m., 1687, Anthony Bell; (6) William (1674/5-1687); (7) Arabella,
1679; m. (???) Cullen; (8) Nathaniel (d. 1721), m. Elizabeth (???); (9)
Michael (d. 1729); (10) Rebecca, 1685; (11) Hannah, 1687; (12) Joseph,
1689; (13) Samuel (1692-1736) (IKL; EB 9, pp. 66, 72, 111, and 182; EB
14, p. 288; EB 15, p. 135).
(*)The two last named, Elizabeth and William, are recorded as children of
John Rhodes and Elizabeth, his wife. John, Robert, Martha and Werenia are
simply recorded as children of John Rhodes. Werenia's death is recorded
as daughter of John Rhodes and Katherine, his wife. Evidently John Rhodes
was married twice.
(*)"Makepeace," the Roach family home established by John Roach, first of
the name in Somerset County, 150-acre tract at head of Apes Hole Creek,
several miles east of town of Crisfield. This tract was patented by John
Roach, February 9, 1663. The brick colonial dwelling house is stated to
date "immediately after 1663" (Forman, Early Manor and Plantation Houses
of Maryland, p. 149). This was the home of John Roach (d. 1717/18), who
devised his dwelling plantation, "Makepeace" (after death of wife Sarah),
to eldest son, John Roach, who, dying in 1727, devised "Makepeace" to his
son, Charles Roach (wills of John Roach, Sr., 1717/18, and John Roach,
Sr., 1727, Will Liber EB 9, pp. 66 and 111, Somerset Registry of Wills).
[p. 490]
Somerset Court, Liber IKL, pp. 196 and 255. Liber IKL, containing
register of marriages, births and deaths (though probably by no means a
complete record), gives record of marriages of James Nicholson and Mary
Price in 1663; John Roch [Roach] and Sarah Williams in February, 1663/4;
and of Edward Surnam and Ann Frowin in 1664.
[p. 469-471]
(d) PATENTEES OF LAND IN OLD SOMERSET AREA, 1662-1666
The list as given below has for its objective a statement of the names of
persons who received warrants for lands within the area of Old Somerset
(the present Somerset, Worcester and Wicomico Counties) from the time of
the origin of that settlement under proclamation of November, 1661 (see
ante, p. 13), to August 22, 1666, when Somerset County was created (see
ante, p. 67). This list of "patentees" of lands in this area, together
with the list of "rights," proved for transportation into the province
(appended hereto) has been made in attempt to obtain from the remaining
original sources the names of the early settlers: those persons who were
within the area when Somerset County was created and thus were truly
"first settlers." The list as here given has been made up from the Lord
Proprietor's Rent Roll (in the Calvert Papers, Maryland Historical
Society) with additions from the Land Patent books in the Hall of
Records, Annapolis. There are variations in the dates of surveys between
the Rent Roll and the Land Patent records. These variations are, however,
slight, and this list gives the dates as carried by the Rent Roll. The
dates here given follow the so-called "old style" with the year beginning
on March 25th and ending with March 24th.
[Many entries omitted]
Stephen Horsey, Jr., Undoe, 200 a., April 2, 1664.
Stephen Horsey (Tract on Tomatico), 500 a., March 26, 1664.
Stephen Horsey, Horsey's Down, 150 a., March 30 [1664].
Stephen Horsey, Coleburn, 650 a., August 18, 1663.
Charles Hall, Hall's Choice, 300 a., June 6, 1665.
John Horsey, Watkins' Point, 150 a., February 20, 1664.
Stephen Horsey, The Desert, 400 a., March 10, 1665.
John Roach, Makepeace, 150 a., February 9, 1663.
Stephen Horsey, Chance, 300 a., March 1, 1663.
Stephen Horsey, Horsey's Bailwick, 500 a., March 26, 1664.
Charles Hall, Hall's Choice, 300 a., June 6, 1665.
The tracts of land noted in the above list as surveyed for and patented
by the parties whose names are given were in the sections of the Old
Somerset area along the Pocomoke, Great Annemessex, Manokin, and Wicomico
Rivers (with one or two of them in the neighborhood south of Nanticoke
River) and about Morumsco, Monie and Back Creeks. In July, 1666, the
governor issued a proclamation authorizing the commissioners for "the
Eastern Shore" to issue warrants for lands on "the seaboard side" to
those who wished to settle there (Somerset Court, Liber O 1). However, it
was several years later before there appears to have been any movement
towards the section comprehended by this proclamation. In 1670 William
Stevens and James Weedon were appointed deputies for granting lands on
"the seaboard side" (Ar. Md., Proceedings of Council, 1667-1687/8, pp.
79, 90 and 96). The objective of this movement was principally the
establishment of settlements in the northeastern section of the Old
Somerset area which at the dates given included what is now the lower
part of Sussex County, Delaware. By 1672 numerous warrants were issue for
lands in this section and a county by the name of Worcester was proposed
(see ante, p. 423, et seq.).
The following persons were entitled to 50 acres of land each for coming
into Maryland to settle. In some instances they assigned their "right" to
the 50 acres to others, who received a grant thereof. In other instances
the parties were transported by others who therefore received the "right"
of 50 acres of land. Those whom we can prove to have been actual settlers
in the Somerset area are marked with an asterisk. The names of these
"rights" have been obtained
[entries omitted]
August 16, 1662--Stephen Horsey* for himself, wife Sarah*; Jno.,* Saml.,*
Mary* and Abigail Horsey* [his children]; Thos.,* Michael* and Sarah
Williams* [his step-children]; John Roche [Roach],* Benj. Summer* and
Thos. Whittfield (4:580).
March 10, 1663--Stephen Horsey for Reba [Rebecca?] Horsey (6:255).
March, 1663--Stephen Horsey entered "rights" for John King,* Jane King,*
John King [Jr.?], Mary King, Jas. Davies, James Cane,* George Carter, Wm.
Howard (6:255).
Somerset County Marriages:
John Roch [Roach] and Sarah Williams, February 4, 1663.
[p.348-350]
It was to the court of Somerset, held "12th 9ber" and "13th 9ber, 1689"
[November 12th and 13th] that the matter of this address of loyalty to
William and Mary and the Protestant religion and succession to England's
throne was brought, and we find in the court record reference thereto in
the following terms:
"This same day viz the 13th of 9ber There was an Address presented by the
Grand Jury to the Worll Court humbly craving there [their] Worps and
freemens concurrence therein and that it may be with Speed sent to there
Majestys--Immediately after ye Justices of ye Court signed the
Address,(+) and so did many others that attended the Court. Then the
Court Ordered that the aforesaid Address when finished should Be sent
over the bay, in order to be presented to there Maties. It was then
likewise Ordered by the Court that when ye said Address was Sent over the
Bay that it should be certifyed there that the Court had appointed and
made Mr William Brereton high Sheriffe of this County instead and place
of Capt William Whittington."
(*)The Coulbournes, Dixons and Horseys were originally most sympathetic
with the Quaker and other "non-conformist" elements in the founding of
Somerset
County; but in the second generation transferred their loyalty to the
Church
of England, which was indeed thei