Sarah Magruder

Family

https://magruderslanding.com/alexander/alexander-2/

Alexander McGruder married at least twice in Maryland. If we are correct that he was born in 1610, he was about 42 when he arrived, so he may have been married in Scotland. About his Maryland wives, the only thing we can be sure of is that no two people agree about who they were.

A number of land records, from 1663 through March 1671, include a wife named Sarah. Her surname is unknown, but after Alexander’s death the interests of her children were aggressively supported by Ninian Beall and Samuel Taylor. Alexander’s last wife was named Elizabeth. Most genealogists believe her surname was Hawkins, but Green has also been suggested.

In Alexander’s generation, most men who possessed enough property to write a will name only one or two living children. Alexander names six. The youngest three–Alexander, Nathaniel, and Elizabeth–are identified in a codicil to the will as the children of his last wife, Elizabeth.

The elder three children–Samuel, James, and John–were the children of Sarah. John died young, without issue. Elizabeth lived to marry, but died without issue. Samuel, James, Alexander, and Nathaniel all had children…who had children. This is an extraordinarily high reproductive rate for Alexander’s times, and explains why there are so many of us today.