Elizabeth Upshur (ca. 1700-1770)

There are no birth records for Elizabeth Upshur. Based on the few sources I’ve located for Elizabeth, I estimate that she was born around 1700.

Elizabeth’s Father

I know that Elizabeth’s maiden name was Upshur and that her father was named John because on July 2, 1720, the court in Somerset County, Maryland, approved the inventory of John’s estate, noting that Robert R. Blades and John Paine were his nearest kin.[1]

The surname Upshur comes from Essex, England, and means one who comes from the upper district.[2] John Upshur was a cooper, a tradesman who crafted and repaired wooden barrels, casks, and other vessels used for storing and transporting various goods.[3]

One puzzle, however, is that John referred to his daughter as “Elizabeth Tudor” when he wrote his will on October 31, 1702. While this would normally imply that Elizabeth was married to a man with the surname Tudor in 1702, he would have been too young to have an adult daughter in 1702. The only Tudor family that appears in Maryland records descends from Owen Tudor, who was transported to Maryland in 1677[4] and settled in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. While Tudor may have been Elizabeth’s middle name, middle names were rare in colonial Maryland and would have implied a family connection to the British royal family. For now, John’s reference to “Elizabeth Tudor” in his will is a mystery.

Elizabeth’s Mother

On July 19, 1695, John Upshur married Mary Thomas, the widow of John Thomas.[5] The Somerset County Court documented the marriage after they charged John Upshur for cohabiting with Mary Thomas, the wife of John Thomas.[6] The Somerset County Court also mentioned Mary Upshutt as the widow of John Upshutt when approving his estate inventory.[7]

John Upshur referred to Robert R. Blades as his brother-in-law in his will.[8] Therefore, Elizabeth’s mother’s maiden name was most likely Mary Blades.

Elizabeth’s Paternal Grandparents

Elizabeth’s paternal grandparents were probably Arthur and Elizabeth Upshur. Somerset County court records noted that twins, John and Sarah, were born to Arthur and Elizabeth Upshur on November 21, 1674, in Moroumsco.[9] Moroumsco was located southwest of present-day Pocomoke City. There are no records of Arthur’s wife Elizabeth’s maiden name.

Most researchers believe that Arthur was the son of Arthur Upshur (hereinafter referred to as Arthur I), who was born about 1624 in Essex, England, and who immigrated to colonial Virginia.[10] I know that Arthur I had two sons named Arthur (hereinafter referred to as Arthur II) and John because he mentioned them in his will. [11] 

The Virginia Upshur family had connections to Somerset County, Maryland. On October 25, 1671, Arthur I gave power of attorney to his friend John Avare to demand debts owed to him in the county.[12] On February 5, 1677, John Upshur bought land from Thomas Davis. He bought the land with Robert Blades, most likely Elizabeth’s maternal grandfather. John appeared again in Somerset County court documents in April 1691.[13]

It appears that the brothers Arthur II and John may have moved to Somerset County as young adults. Arthur II would have been around 20 years old when he married a woman named Elizabeth. Naming their firstborn son John after Arthur II’s brother would have been commonplace.

On February 20, 1687, Arthur I gifted Arthur II land in Accomack, Virginia.[14] This gift of land may have motivated Arthur II to return to Virginia.

This theory, however, has some flaws. Arthur I wrote a will on February 12, 1707, and bequeathed several items to Arthur II’s children. [15] In the will, he did not mention a grandson named John. Arthur II wrote his will on May 26, 1738, and bequeathed items to several children and grandchildren.[16] In the will, he did not mention a son named John or a granddaughter named Elizabeth.

I have not located any records of another Arthur Upshur in the region, so if John’s father was not Arthur II, there is no evidence pointing to another possibility.

Marriage to John Paine

There are no records of Elizabeth’s marriage to John Paine, but they were likely married around 1718 in Somerset County, Maryland. More than a decade after John died without leaving a will, Elizabeth renounced administration of his estate, and their son John was named the administrator and ordered to conduct an inventory.[17]

Elizabeth’s Death

On December 3, 1762, Elizabeth wrote her will.[18] She bequeathed her clothing to her three daughters, Jemima Dubberly, Elizabeth Conner, and Sarah Roley. She left 25 shillings to her son John and one shilling to her son Isaac. She gave the remainder of her estate to her children Moses, Jacob, Jemima, Elizabeth, and Sarah.

On September 28, 1770, the Worcester County, Maryland, court probated Elizabeth’s will.[19] Based on this, I estimate that Elizabeth died sometime between 1762 and 1770, most likely in Worcester County, Maryland (which had been Somerset County, Maryland until 1742).

Footnotes

[1] Maryland, Somerset County. Wills 1748-49. FamilySearch, film 005087783, image 4 of 530 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYMF-GD9?lang=en&i=3, p. 539, image 278 of 530 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YMF-P64?lang=en&i=277. (while dates say 1748-1749, it has inventories from 1720s)

[2] Smith, Elsdon C. New dictionary of American family names. (New York: Harpers Row, 1973) 524.

[3] Maryland, Worcester County. Wills Liber M.H. No. 3 1665-1743. FamilySearch, film #005080347, image 4 of 426. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9TBJ-94NP?i=3&cc=1803986&cat=66222, pp. 182-183, images 109-110 of 214 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9TBJ-94SG?lang=en&i=108.

[4] Maryland. Patents Certificates & Warrants 1674-79 No. 18. FamilySearch, film #007834710, image 451 of 698 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3J-KTTW?lang=en&i=450, p. 644, image 541 of 698 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3J-KTFV?lang=en&i=540.

[5] Maryland, Somerset County. Judicial Record 1665-1851 CM926. https://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/series.aspx?action=Coagserm&ID=cm962, volume 687, p. 5 https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000687/html/am687--5.html.

[6] Ibid, p. 74 https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000687/html/am687--74.html

[7] Maryland, Somerset County. Wills 1748-49, p. 539, image 278 of 530 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YMF-P64?lang=en&i=277.

[8] Maryland, Worcester County. Wills Liber M.H. No. 3 1665-1743. FamilySearch, film #005080347, image 4 of 426. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9TBJ-94NP?i=3&cc=1803986&cat=66222, pp. 182-183, images 109-110 of 214 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9TBJ-94SG?lang=en&i=108.

[9] Maryland, Somerset County. Land Records, vol. IKL 1711-1723: 263. [Note: birth and death records were interspersed into the land records].

[10] Upshur, John Andrews. Upshur Family in Virginia. (Lynchburg VA: Warwick House Publishing, 1993) 4.

[11] Virginia, Accomack County. Wills Etc. 1692-1715. FamilySearch, film 007643796, image 419 of 715 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P7-95JZ, pp. 463-465, images 519-520 of 715 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P7-95XH.

[12] Maryland, Somerset County. Judicial Record 1665-1851 CM926. https://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/series.aspx?action=Coagserm&ID=cm962, CM962-3, volume 87, page 4

 https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000087/html/am87--4.html.

[13] Maryland, Somerset County. Deeds 1676-1679 EK2. FamilySearch, Film 008141729, image 3 of 307 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKH-79XW-4, p. 281-284, images 175-177 of 307 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKH-7961-2.

[14] Ibid. pp. 464-465, images 587-588 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99P7-9L47.

[15] Virginia, Accomack County. Wills Etc. 1692-1715. FamilySearch, film 007643796, image 419 of 715 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P7-95JZ, pp. 463-465, images 519-520 of 715 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P7-95XH.

[16] Virginia, Accomack County. Wills 1737-43. FamilySearch, film 007643841, image 2 of 569 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9P7-9H18, pp. 69-72, images 93-96 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9P7-9CFW.

[17] Maryland, Worcester County. Administrators Bonds Liber J.W No. 5 1753-63. FamilySearch, film 005080350, image 4 of 236 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GT1V-27H, p. 71-73, images 42-43 of 236 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GT1V-234.

[18] Maryland, Worcester County. Wills Liber J.W. No. 4 1769-83 FamilySearch, film 005080348, image 3 of 421 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9TBJ-S56X, p. 25, image 17 of 279 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9TBJ-STHH.

[19] Ibid.