Analysis. Parents, Wife and Children of Bazaleel Maxwell (2)

Contents 1 Source 2 Related 3 NB 4 Ancestry 5 Vita 6 Child List	Return to Old Augusta County!	------ Maxwell Tapestry Register Data Notebooks Analysis Bibliography YDNA Index
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Source

Source:Maxwell History

Related

Person:Bazaleel Maxwell (2)

Transcript:Records for "Maxwell" in Maxwell History and Genealogy

NB

Unless otherwise noted all records cited, including their original and intermediate sources, can be found in the article Transcript:Records for "Maxwell" in Maxwell History and Genealogy

Ancestry

Source:Maxwell History:41 describes the ancestry of the Maxwells of Albemarle County as:

John Maxwell was the son of Bezaleel Maxwell, son of John, said to be a younger son of James, of Calderwood. James was probable twice married. The descendants of his younger sons lived in Scotland before coming to the Colonies....Two of his uncles came to America in search of religious freedom, and later returned for their families. When they came the second time many of their relatives and friends came with them. The family first settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They removed to Augusta County, Virginia, and later to Albemarle County. about 1750.

While Person:John Maxwell (93) has been confirmed as the son of Person:Bazaleel Maxwell (2), the identification of another John Maxwell as Bazaleel's father has not been confirmed. Source:Maxwell History provides no basis on which the above quoted statement was made. It seems likely that the person being referred to as Bazaleel's father was Person:John Maxwell (88), the Justice, who settled about 1740 in Augusta County, on Beverly's Manor. An importation statement for John (55) exists, and identifies others for whom he paid to import to the America.

July 24 1740 John Maxwell came into Court and made oath that he imported himself, Margaret, John, Jr., Thomas, Mary and Alexander Maxwell from Ireland to Philadelphia, and from thence to this colony at his own charges, and that this is the first time of his proving his rights in order to obtain land. Which is ordered to be certified.

The relationship of these five people to John Maxwell (88) is not stated, but Margaret is widely believed to be his wife, and the other four are believed to be his children.

No one by the name of "Bazaleel" appears in this record. It is possible that Bazaleel paid for his own importation, but while it is clear that John (88) is in America by 1740 (date of testimony to importation at an earlier date), our first knowledge of Bazaleel is when he purchases land in Albemarle County in 1751. If Bazaleel was old enough to pay for his own importation, we would expect that he would have appeared in the records earlier than 1751, if he was, in fact, the son of John the Justice. While this in itself does not prove that Bazaleel (2) was not the child of John (88), it does make it seem unlikely.

As to John, supposed father of Bazaleel, being the younger son of James of Calderwood, that too seems largely undocumented. Source:Maxwell History provides considerable information about the Maxwells of Scotland, including the Calderwood lineage. This information is presented prominent at the front of the work, but appears to be largely speculative at least in terms of a connection to Bazaleel. Similarly, the idea that Bazaleel imported from Scotland, and first settled in Lancaster County, PA, seems speculative, and is not directly supported by documentation. It is probably based on the idea that Bazaleel was the son of John (88), for whom we have direct testimony that he came to America landing in Philadelphia. Since there's no evidence that Bazaleel is in fact his son, this does not provide reason to think that Bazaleel followed a similar pathway to Albemarle County.

As it stands, we have no credible information identifying Bazaleel's parents, or his history prior to his appearance in 1751 in Albemarle County. We do, however, have a few clues that may point us to fruitful lines of research concerning his ancestry.

First, the second record for Bazaleel (2) in Albemarle county comes a year after his purchase of land in Rich Cove. In 1752 he is shownas preparing an estate inventory for an "Edward Maxwell".

Vita

Date of Birth: Person:Bazaleel Maxwell (2) first appears in the records of Albemarle County in May of 1751 when he acquires 400 acres of land in Rich Cove from Charles Lewis. That seems to demand that he was at least 21 in 1751, and implies a DOB of about 1730 at the latest. The following year he is shown as preparing the estate inventory for an Edward Maxwell. Preparing an estate inventory probably requires more experience than a 22 year old would normally be expected to have, so that probably pushes his DOB back at least to c1720. In 1758 Bazaleel sells part of his Rich Cove property to son John. That seems to make son John at least 21 years of age in 1758, implying a DOB of 1737 at the latest. Assuming Bazaleel was 21 years at age of marriage, and that son John was born the following year, implies that their marriage took place about 1736, and that Bazaleel would probably have been born no later than 1715.

Marriage: Source:Maxwell History identifies Rebecca Boyd as the wife of Bazaleel (2). We can confirm that the given name of his wife was indeed Rebecca, through the following record:

Bezaleel Maxwell, Sr., and Rebecca, his wife, to Thomas Maxwell, for £10, sixty acres of land, being a part of 400 acres bought from Charles Lewis.

The land involved here is a portion of the same 400 acres that Bazaleel (2) acquired from Charles Lewis in 1751, so there is no question that this transcaction involves the patriarch of the family, Bazaleel (2), and leaves no question that his wife's given name was Rebecca.

We do not, however, have substantiating information to firly establish that Rebecca's last name was "Boyd". Other Albemarle records related to the Maxwell's make reference to members of the Boyd family. For example

Inventory of the estate of James Maxwell, appraised by Claiborne Gentry, William Boyd, James Boyd and Thomas Maxwell, Sr.

While James Maxwell is believed to be the son of Bazaleel (2) and wife Rebecca Boyd. It is probably significant that James' wife is commonly identified as Jane Boyd, presumably kinswoman of William Boyd and Rebecca Boyd. It might be, however, that the reason William Boyd was involved in the estate appraisal of James is simply because of the family connection to Jane Boyd, widow of James. On the other hand, William Boyd is also shown in court records in association with William (42), son of Bazaleel (2) and Rebecca. The fact that "William" is not used in general in the Maxwell family (William (42) is the only one by that given name known in the firs three generations) but is used in the Boyd family (e.g., William Boyd of the above two records) strenghens the idea that Rebecca's last name might indeed be "Boyd". Following the Boyd family might reveal further confirmation of Rebecca's last name.

During the discussion of the DOB of Bazaleel (2) it was mentioned that

In 1758 Bazaleel sold part of his Rich Cove property to son John. That seems to make son John at least 21 years of age in 1758, implying a DOB of 1737 at the latest. Assuming Bazaleel was 21 years at age of marriage, and that son John was born the following year, implies that their marriage took place about 1736, and that Bazaleel would probably have been born no later than 1715.

Accepting John as the eldest son of this couple (he's the first of Bazaleel's children to receive land from his parents), and a consquent DOM of no later than c1736, implies that this marriage occurred elsewhere than Albemarle county. No documentation has been so far found to say where that might have been. One possibility is that it occurred in Old Chester County PA, from whence the family is said to have come. There is no substantive proof that they did in fact pass through Pennsylvania, so this remains an open possibility. Another possibility is that the marriage occurred in Ireland, prior to immigration. That assumes that bazaleel was indeed the immigrant ancestor of this family, a view commonly stated, but for which no proof has been found.

Date of Death: The last record that seems to be comfortably linked to Bazaleel (2) is where he transfers a parcel of his Rich Cove land to son Bazaleel (3) September 4, 1783:

Bezaleel Maxwell. Sr. for love and good will, to his son, Bezaleel Maxwell. Jr., 250 acres, "on which I and have lived for many years," in Rich Cove, "without any consideration whatever."

This probably represents the last of his property originally purchased in 1751. The statement that the property is that "on which I and have lived for many years," makes this sound like an end of life transaction. Ie, he has no further use for the property, and is passing it on to his son "without any consideration whatsoever". At minimum, this places his DOD as after September 4, 1783.

A subsequent record dated to November 22, 1808, could be his probate record. Since this is a full 25 years after he gives up his Rich Cove property it seems likely that this record is for a different Bazaleel Maxwell. It would not be for Bazaleel (3) who is believed to have died in Indiana in 1829, but it could be for his son Bazaleel (3) or perhaps Bezaleel (2). Additional work on those individuals is needed to rule them in or out.

In anycase, if this does represent Bazaleel's probate record, then he apparently had a very long life---1715-1808. Not impossible, but not likely either, especially since in the intervening 25 years between the land transfer and this probate record, we find no other obvious records for him.

For the moment, a DOD of after 1783 seems most appropriate.

Child List

Bazaleel and Rebecca are said to be the parents of at least eight children, as given in Source:Maxwell History. Some of these children can be independently confirmed through original source documentation.

Source:Maxwell History identifies two other children of Bazaleel (2) and Rebecca for whom there is some supporting documentation, but which documentation is less compelling. In the case of person:William Maxwell (42) we have a number of records in Albemarle that seem to refer to the same person. Some identify his wife as Ann, which is consistent with Source:Maxwell History. Most place his land adjacent to a Bazaleel Maxwell in Rich Cove, indicating that he is indeed a family member, if not a son of Bazaleel (2). "William" is rarely used as a given name among the Maxwell's of Albemarle. The only one given in the first three generations in Source:Maxwell History is William (42), about whom little information is othewise provided. "William", however is used as a given name in the Boyd family, and "Boyd" is the commonly given surname of Bazaleel (2)'s wife Rebecca. The fact that 1821 estate record identifies William Boyd as the administrator of the estate of William Maxwell seems to show this William is infact the son of Bazaleel (2). While this is a reasonable case supporting the idea that William is in fact the son of Bazaleel (2) and Rebecca Boyd, it is not a compelling case. Additional documentation to support this is needed.

[[Person:James Maxwell (42) is also identified in Source:Maxwell History as a son of Bazaleel (2) and Rebecca. There are numerous records in the Albemarle court records that refer to a James Maxwell, sometimes identifying his wife as "Jane". This later fact is consistent with the identification of Jane Boyd as his wife per Source:Maxwell History, though we have no independent confirmation that Jane's last name was Boyd. The earliest record in the area for James is

December 27 1758 Bezaleel Maxwell, of St. Ann Parish, Albemarle County, to his son, John Maxwell, land bought from Charles Lewis, Sr., a part of the tract on which the said Bezaleel lives. Test. Thomas and James Maxwell and Roger Kilpatrick.

suggests that James is indeed a family relation of some degree. The record shows that James was an adult in 1758, and could be scarcely older than about 30. Given a projected DOM for Bazaleel and Rebecca it is difficult to see how he could be the son of one of their children. Identifying him as a son of this couple seems reasonable, though direct evidence for this is lacking.

Source:Maxwell History identifies three others as children of Bazaleel (2) and Rebecca: Anna, Virginia, and an unnamed child. Only limited additional information is provided in Source:Maxwell History. An independent check of Albemarle county records might reveal additional information, and might confirm the identity of them as children of this couple. While we have no reason to question this conclusion, we also have no evidence to support it. Additional work in this area is needed.