William Richard Deane of Maryland

links:

• http://www.chambersheritage.com/images/wdeendsc.pdf

William Richard Deane (d. Mar 1699) William Richard Deane (son of William Henry Deane and Elizabeth Dampier) was born in England, and died Mar 1699 in Maryland. He married Elizabeth Meridith.

Notes for William Richard Deane: William Richard Deane William Richard Dean was the Patriarch of the Deane Family in Dorchester County. His will was filed for probate August 2, 1699, and witnessed October 28, 1698 by his wife's two brothers and his neighbor, Michael Todd, Sr. 

William Richard was also the first of the Deane Family to be granted land in South Dorchester County in 1685. William Richard settled in the Fox Creek (called Cox Creek in early records and in this will) area on the Honga (referred to as Hungar) River. This area is near the present-day area known as Crapo (pronounced Craypo). This area is almost directly across the Cheasapeake Bay from St. Mary's City, which was the first settlement in Maryland.

It is thought from some sources that William Richard, being from a family of noted English shipbuilders in the employ of the Monarchy, at one time toyed with the idea of building a shipyard on the Chesapeake in order to build ships which would expedite trade with the Native Americans. He soon gave up this idea when it was realized that the costs of importing ships' fittings from England would be cost-prohibitive, and not having the resources locally, he turned to becoming a farmer (or planter in early records) growing tobacco for shipment back to Mother England.

It is interesting to note that most of the early settlers of Dorchester were from the areas surrounding Dorchester, Dorset, England, and it can be surmised that is how the county got it's name. Another interesting fact is that in some old records, Dorchester County is called "Dorsett County", and both names were occasionally used interchangeably.

I have used the original grammar and spellings in the transcription of the will to lend to it an air of antiquity and authenticity. I have also taken the liberty of using some formatting (fonts, etc.), to help add to this effect.

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This will can be found at the Maryland Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland. The folio is Prerogative Court (Wills) 6, pages 305-306. A transcription also resides in the Maryland Room at the Dorchester County Library, Cambridge, Maryland in the Dorchester County Historical Society (DCHS) Section, File No. F-903

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Oct 6 2017, 15:51:25 UTC

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• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Oct 6 2017, 15:51:25 UTC