Col. John Douglas, Gentleman

John (Douglas) Douglass (ca 1632-35-1678), from Scotland, was in Maryland., 1654, col of militia, burgess, 1676, owner of Blythwood Manor and lord of Cold Springs Manor, Pickwixon, md., m. Sarah Bonner.

John Douglas (1636) bought Cold Spring Manor on May 10, 1677 from Josias Fendall for 22,000 pounds of tobacco. It consisted of a home on 1,050 acres on the west side of the Patuxent River in Mt. Calvert Hundred (now part of Patuxent Hundred) in Prince George's County, Maryland. The manor came with all rights of "Lord of the Manor."

500 acres was inherited by his John's son John Douglas (1664) who left it to his son, Benjamin Douglas (1685) who sold part in 1705. The residue of Cold Spring was inherited by John's younger sons, Joseph Douglas (1675) and Charles Douglas (1678).

Possibly ancestor of George Douglas, allegedly known for among other things being at Fort McHenry in 1812 for the bombardment that inspired the Star Spangled Banner.

See also this (same?) John Douglas—perhaps tie the trees together?: Col. John Douglas, Gentleman

John Douglas's possible ancestral link to Scotland:

From http://www.collinsfactor.com/turpin/douglasfamily.htm :

"The first land grant of John Douglas was surveyed on May 10, 1667, by Benjamin Rozer for 100 acres, on the north side of the Potomac River "nigh Pickawaxon" which borders on one side of the land of John Jenkins. He named the plantation 'Blythswood'..."
Mr. Newman put a lot of faith into the fact that since John Douglas named his 100 acres "Blythswood", this must be the same John Douglas, son of Sir Robert Douglas, who acquired the free barony of "Blythswood" in Scotland. It is possible, but certainly not conclusive.
"In 1674 he witnessed the power of attorney of Peter Small, of London, Chryrurgon, and John Harrison, of Hull, Merchant to, Henry Bonner, of the Province of Maryland, Gent. If he were not in England at the time the powers of attorney were granted, then the two grantors were in Maryland at the time."
It is much more likely that the men were in Maryland when they signed the power of attorney. Regardless, there is no dispute that John Douglas is likely from England or Scotland as most immigrants at the time were.
The ancestors of Sir Robert Douglas of Blackerstoun are provided with thanks to Stirnet. On the linked page a site visitor (not me) has strongly claimed that Sir Robert Douglas's sole heir was his daughter, Susannah. Evidently, she was the only one mentioned in his will.
Milton Rubincam in his book Pitfalls in Genealogical Research, mentions work by another author, Dr. Neil D. Thompson who had concerns about the Douglas Family research by Harry Wright Newman. Dr. Thompson published his concerns in April 1977 in an article entitled The Douglass Family of Charles County, Maryland: Some Further Observations. Below is an except from Mr. Rubincam's book referring to the Thompson article:
"Mr. Newman did much good work as an expert on Maryland records, but he was also prone to attach families to illustrious ancestors from whom they were not descended. The final paragraph reads: Finally, it ought to be noted that I cited certain evidence for the possibility that the emigrant was son of Sir Robert Douglas of Blackerstoun and had a lengthy ancestry, including royal descent. On the same evidence, adding nothing at all, Mr. Newman has asserted this connection as fact. It may be correct or it may not be. But genealogy has suffered so much already from speculation and wishful thinking on the subject of royal and noble ancestry for colonial immigrants that it seems a pity to publish yet another example of such pedigree-mongering... If the reader is descended from a family whose British ancestry has been traced by him, the lines should be tested very carefully before being accepted. He was thoroughly familiar with records, and may indeed have made the connection. On the other hand, a lady once commissioned me to investigate the Scottish origin of her Maryland ancestor which he had compiled to admit her cousin to a pre-colonial society. The pedigree proved to be false."
If we are indeed connected to Sir Robert Douglas of Blackerstoun, it would be an honor. Some of his notable ancestors are...
King James I (1394-1436), King of Scotland, King James II (1430-1460), King of Scotland, Robert the Bruce (1274-1329), King of Scotland, MacBeth, Duncan, other Shakespeare notables, and and many other Princes, Kings, Earls, etc. A google search easily reveals a huge amount of this Royal family tree. However, we should probably first find more evidence that our John Douglas is the son of Sir Robert Douglas

References

• https://www.anamericanfamilyhistory.com/Douglas%20Familly/DouglasJo...