The Will of Colonel John Mackall

In the name of God, Amen. I, John Mackall of Calvert County, Md. being weak of body, but praised to God of sound mind and memory do make and ordain this to be my last Will and Testament in manner and form following:

Imprimus: I give my soul to God that gave it me, hoping through the Death and Passion of my Blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to have full pardon and forgiveness of all my sins, My body I desire may buried in Christian Burial at the discretion of my executor hereafter named and what worldly goods it has pleased God to bestow on me I give and bequeath as followeth:

Item: I give to James Mackall,lII, son of my deceased brother James Mackall,Jr. ten Pounds Sterling to buy him a silver tankard.

Item: I give and bequeath to my nephew John Mackall,II and his heirs forever one hundred acres of land that I bought from John Cay, being near the head of Battle Creek at the westernrnost part of said land

Item: I give and bequeath to my nephew Benjamin Mackall,IV and his heirs forever that tract of land called "Mackall's Desire", lying between the land he now lives on and the land called "Lower Bennett".

Item: I give to the Vestrymen of Christ Church Parish fifty acres that I bought of Benony Pardoe next adjoining the land the land of Lucy and Peter Pardoe to them and the said Vestrymen to them and their successors forever (for) the use hereafter named (that is to say) for the use and benefit of a poor honest man that he will live on said land, such a man as the Vestrymen of the said Parish shall approve of that is capable and will be obliged to instruct and do his endeavor to learn all such poor slaves as shall apply to him the Lords Prayer, Ten Commandments, and the Church of Englans Catechism on the Sabath Days, Holy Days, and Saturday's in the afternoon. But when it shall please God that the man dies or if he should move off the said land or does not do his endeavors to instruct or learn, the then Vestrymen of the said Parish, displace him and put some other fit person in his room and so on forever. I give five pounds Current Money to pay for building a house on said land and five thousand nails fit for that use. But if it happens that no man that is capable will accept of the said land on those terms aforesaid within three years after the date of my decease or if the land should be at any time three years without such a man living on it on the terms aforesaid, then my will is that the then Vestnmen of the Parish sell and dispose of the said land forever to the Best Bidder or them that will give the most for the same and the purchase money for the same to distribute amongst the poorest House Keeper of the said Parish.

Item: I give and bequeath to my loving wife Susannah Mackall during the days of her natural life acumoity of my dwelling plantation, house, orchards on the same, and our plantation being on the North Side of Hunting Creek on the land called "Bramwell" and contigous five hundred acres and other plantations lying near Battle Creek being part of a Tract of land called "Brooke Place Manor" contiguing three- hundred-ninety-two acres which said land I give to her my said wife during the days of her natural life and after her decease to my son James John Mackall,I and his heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath to Absalom Kent and his heirs forever all that piece and parcel of land on which he has begun to build a dwelling house and fifteen feet of land next adjoining to the East Side and both ends of said house. The name of the land is "Foxes Walk".

Item: I give and bequeath to my granddaughter, Susannah Mackall, two Negro Girls one called Jenny and the other Rachael. They are the daughters of a Negro Woman called Hannah.

Item: I give to my son James John Mackall,I those Negroes or slaves hereafter named: Michal; Charles:; Harry; Grace; Jacob; Joseph; David; Abraham; and Isaac. I also give my son one Negro Woman called Hannah that lives on my dwelling plantation and the youngest child of said Hannah called Grace. I also give to him my son my Negroes Sarah and young Sue that lives on the plantation I bought from Thomas Meads and all the children to be born to the said Sarah or Sue before my decease- The children of Sarah that are already born are: Matthew; Priss; and David. I likewise give to him my son my Negro Woman called Yellow Bess that lives at my quarters near Mt.Brorouis and all the children that are now or shall be born to Yellow Bess before my decease. The children already born are called: Betty; Dick; Sikey; Charles; and Jerry.

Item: I set my Negro Jack, commonly called Great Jack, and his wife called Great Sue that now live on the plantation I bought of Thomas Meads, free

The remaining part of my personal Estate, after my just debts are paid, I give to my wife and my son that is to any one third of it to my wife and the remaining part to my son and I do appoint him my son James John Mackall,I to be my whole and sole Executor of my last Will and Testament.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty-eighth day of April Anno Domini 1739.

John Mackall (seal)

Signed, sealed, and acknowledged
and declared in the presence of:

James Duke
Everard Taylor
Cleverly Dare

Calvert County, December twenty-first 1739 came James Duke, Everard Taylor, and Cleverly Dare the subscribed evidences to the within will and made Oath on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God that they saw the testator John Mackall sign and seal and heard him publish, pronounce, and declare the within instrument of writing as his last will and testament and at the time of his so doing he was to the best of their knowledge and apprehension of sound and perfect memory and understanding and then the aforesaid James Duke, Everard Taylor, and Cleverly Dare as witnesses subscribed the said will in the presence and at the request of the said Testator.

Sworn before-- Gabriel Parker Deputy Commissary of Calvert County

And also the following widow's election, s c t

The widow declares that she will not stand nor abide by this will, but will have her third part as the law gives her.

Before-- Gabriel Parker Deputy Commissary of Calvert County

In the name of God, Amen. I, Susannah Mackall of Calvert County,Md. (widow) being weak of body but of perfect sound mind and memory do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in the manner and form following.

Imprimis: I give and bequeath to the widow of my Son Gabriel Parker and each of her children one Shilling Sterling each.

Item: I give and bequeath to my Grandson George ( son of my son Gabriel Parker) one Shilling Sterling.

Item: I give and bequeath to my Son-in-Law, John Chosley, and each of his children one Shilling Sterling each. I likewise give and bequeath to my grandson, Thomas Foreman Greenfield, Twenty-five Pounds Sterling; I likewise give to each of his Sisters, Viz: Elizabeth and Rebecca Twenty Pounds Sterling each.

Item: I give and bequeath to my Son-in-Law, Gideon Dare and his wife, one Shilling Sterling each and to each of their children one Shilling Sterling.

Item: I give and bequeath to my Daughter Mary Smith one Shilling Sterling. I likewise give each of her children one Shilling Sterling each. I give bequeath to my Son-in-Law James Deems one Shilling Sterling and likewise to each of the children he had to my Daughter Sarah one Shilling Sterling.

Item: I give and bequeath to Elinor Ives (widow) five pounds Current Money of Maryland.

Item: I give to all my Title, Claim, and Interest that I have or ever had to the Lands of My Son Gabriel Parker Sold to Sundry people, to the said people and their heirs forever.

Item: Lastly I give and bequeath the remaining part of my Estate both Real and personal to my son James John Mackall, 1 and his heirs forever and I likewise appoint my Said Son James John Mackall, 1 to the whole and Sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty-nineth of November Seventeen-hundred-sixty-six.

Susannah Mackall (seal)

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered
in the presence of us at the
request of the Testator

Thomas Mackenzie
Daniel Rawlings
John Somerville

Calvert County 4 June 1762 came Thomas Mackenzie and John Somerville, two of the subscribing witnesses to the within Will, and being sworn on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God depose and say that they saw the Testator, Susannah Mackall, sign the within Will and Testament and at the time of her so doing she was to the best of their apprehension of sound disposing mind and memory and that they signed their respective names as evidnce to the within Will in the presence of the Testator and at her request.

Sworn to before me Clement Smith
Deputy Commissary of Calvert County

Further probation on Folio l064

Calvert County. It is to be remembered that on the fifth Day of April in the year of our Lord Seventeen- Hundred and sixty-three came Daniel Rawlings, one of the subscribing witnesses to the foregoing Will and made Oath on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God that he did see the Testator, Susannah Mackall, sign and seal the foregoing Will and heard her publish, pronounce, and declare the same to be her last Will and Testament and at the time of her so doing she was to the best of his apprehension of a Sound and disposing Mind and Memory and that he together with Thomas Mackenzie and John Somerville, the other subscribing witnesses, did severally subscribe their respective names as witnesses to the said Will in the presence of each other.

(Iurat Comm me Die G. Anno)
Supra Diep

Ellis Slaten
Deputy Commissary of Calvert County

MACKALL, JOHN (1669-1739). BORN: in 1669, in Calvert County; eldest son. NATIVE: second generation. RESIDED: in Calvert County.

FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: James Mackall (1630- 1693), who immigrated from Scotland as an indentured servant, free by 1668, illiterate. MOTHER: Mary Grahame (by 1649-1718). BROTHERS: James Mackall (1671-1717); Benjamin Mackall (1675- 1761). SISTERS: Ann (ca. 1661-?), who married first, Andrew Tannehill (?-1694), second, John Taney, third, Robert Skinner (?-ca. 1712/13), and fourth, (first name unknown) Bruse; Elizabeth (1665-?), who married William Skinner. NEPHEW: Benjamin Mackall, Jr. (ca. 1723 - 1795).

MARRIED Susanna (1675-1762), widow of George Parker (?-1711), daughter of Gabriel Parrott (?-1704) and wife Elizabeth (?- 1706). CHILDREN SON: James John Mackall (1717-1772). STEPSON: Gabriel Parker (l697-by 1762). STEPDAUGHTERS: Susanna Parker (1701-?), who married Gideon Dare (?-1757), son of Nathaniel Dare (?-1742); Mary Parker (1704-?), who married first, Michael Jenifer, and second, James Smith; and Sarah Parker, who married first, James Stoddert, Jr., son of James Stoddert (ca. 1667-1726), and second, James Weems (ca. 1707-1781).

PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Anglican, Christ Church Parish, Calvert County. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Esq., by 1718. Mackall had the longest legislative service of any burgess whose service began before 1715; member of important Calvert County family, with two brothers who also sat in the Assembly. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter.

PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Calvert County, 1704-1707 (Elections and Privileges 1), 1708A (Elections and Privileges), 1708B-1711 (Elections and Privileges 1-3, Aggrievances 4), 1712- 1714 (Elections and Privileges 1-4, chairman; Laws 2-4), 1715 (Elections and Privileges, chair man; Laws), 1716-1718 (Elections and Privileges 1-3, Laws 1-3), 1719-1721/22 (Elections and Privileges 1-5, Laws 2-5), 1722-1724 (Elections and Privileges 1-3, Laws 1-3)1725-1727 (Laws 3, speaker 4), 1728-1731 (speaker 1-5), 1732- 1734 (speaker 1-Cv), 1734/35-1737, 1738 (speaker), 1739 (speaker Cv; died before the 1st session of the 1739-1741 Assembly). OTHER PROVINCIAL OFFICE: justice, Provincial Court, 1718- 1725 (quorum). LOCAL OFFICE: justice, Calvert County, in office 1705/6-1706, 1710, 1714, 1714/15, 1715 (heads list, 1714, 1715). MILITARY SERVICE: captain, 1708-1709; colonel, 1713-1739. STANDS ON PUBLIC PRIVATE ISSUES: left bequest of 50 acres of land to be administered by the vestry of Christ Church Parish as a residence for a "poor, honest man" within the parish who would agree to live on the land and teach the tenets of the Anglican religion to any slaves who might come to him.

WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: probably 500 acres in Calvert County (inherited from his father, but subject to his mother's life estate). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: acquired at least 1,342 acres in Calvert County between 1709 and 1719; received 400 acres in Anne Arundel County from his stepson, Gabriel Parker, in exchange for 410 acres in Calvert County held by his wife from George Parker's estate; acquired at least 1,900 acres in Calvert County and 800 acres in Anne Arundel County between 1721 and 1732.

WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: will probated on December 21, 1739, in Calvert County. PERSONAL PROPERTY: size of estate unknown, but included 27 slaves mentioned in will. LAND: probably at least 4,532 acres in Calvert and Anne Arundel counties.

Colonel John Mackall (1669 -1739) married 1713 Susanna Parrott Parker, daughter of Gabriel and Elizabeth Parran Parrott of Anne Arundel Co., and widow of George Parker. She was born in 1675 and died in 1763. By this union there was one son only. Colonel John Mackall was a member of the House of Burgess, from 1704 to 1739, Speaker 1725, 1734, 1739. He was a vestryman of Christ Church, and in his will, left fifty acres of land to Christ Church Parish.

Colonel John Mackall, son of James Mackall the founder, was elected a member of the Lower House of the Maryland Assembly in 1704; thus beginning a long and distinquished career in public office. In 1707 Governor Seymour appointed a new commission to lay out towns and ports of entry. Serving on the Commission for Calvert Couty were Robert Skinner and Colonel John Mackall. He was Speaker of the House from 1725 to 1734. He was a vestryman of Christ Church and a Justice of Calvert County. His wife was Susanna, the widow of George Parker and daughter of Gabriel Parrott.

Colonel John Mackall, born in 1669, died in 1739, was first elected to the House of Burgesses in 1704 and served as such until his death in 1739. From 1725 to 1739 he was Speaker of the Houses of Burgesses. He married Susanna Parrott, daughter of Gabriel and Elizabeth Parrott. Colonel Mackall's residence and principal plantations were at Lower Bennett and Sharp's Outlet on the Lower Cliffs. The Rent Rolls show that he owned a plantation at Stonesby, in St. Leonard's Creek Hundred, adjoining the plantation of Colonel John Brome, and two other plantations in the Upper County. The greatest land owner in Calvert County, as shown by the census of 1733, was Colonel John Mackall who owned four plantations. He owned also 48 slaves, the largest number of any planter in the County.

Mildred Bowen O'Brien lists these additional children of Colonel John and Susanna Mackall. However most researchers believe them to be, along with Gabriel Parker, Jr., children of Gabriel and Susannah Parker. Particularly as the will of Colonel Mackall makes no mention of these daughters
............ 3   Elizabeth
............ 3   Mary
..................  +Michael JENIFER
............  *2nd Husband of Mary:
..................  +James SMITH
............ 3   Susannah
..................  +Gideon DARE

Maryland Calendar of Wills: Volume 8, page 55
[p.55] Mackall, John, Calvert Co., 8th Apr., 1739;

21st Dec., 1739.
To nephew John and hrs., 100 A. of land bought from John Gray at head of Battle Cr.
To nephew Benjamin, tract "Mackall Desire" lying bet. lands he now lives on and tract of land "Lower Bennet."
To nephew James son of deceased bro. James, personalty.
To vestrymen of Christ Church Parish, 50 A. of land bought of Benony Pardoe adjoining land of Lucy and Peter Pardoe to be used at their discretion for the christian instruction of the slaves.
To wife Susanna, during widowhood, 500 A. dwelling plantation on Hunting Cr. and 392 A. tract "Brooke Place Manor." At her death to pass to son James John and his hrs.
To Absalom Kent and hrs., tract "Foxes Walks."
To grand-dau. Susanna and son James John, personalty, including slaves bought of Thomas Meads.
To slave Great Jack, his freedom.

Ex.: Son James John.
Test: James Duke, Everard Taylor, Cleverly Dare.
Note: Widow refuses to abide by will and claims legal 1/3 estate. 22. 113.

General James John MACKALL

MACKALL, JAMES JOHN (1717-1772). BORN: on November 29, 1717, in Christ Church Parish, Calvert County; only child of father. NATIVE: third generation. RESIDED: on part of "Lower Bennett," Third District, Calvert County.

FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: John Mackall (1669-1739). MOTHER: Susanna Parrott Parker (1675-1762). UNCLES: James Mackall (1671-1717); Benjamin Mackall (1675-1761). AUNT: Ann Mackall (ca. 1661- ?), who married third, Robert Skinner (?- ca. 1712/13). HALF BROTHER: Gabriel Parker (1697-by 1762). HALF SISTERS: Susanna Parker (1701- ?); Mary Parker (1704- ?); and Sarah Parker, who married second, James Weems (ca. 1707-1781). FIRST COUSINS: Benjamin Mackall, Jr. (ca. 1723 - 1795); Barbara Mackall (1722-1757), who married William Wilkinson (?-1755).

MARRIED ca. 1736 Mary, daughter of Benjamin Hance (1684-1738) of Calvert County and wife Mary Hutchins. Her brothers were Samuel Hance (?- ?); Benjamin. Her sisters were Margaret; Elizabeth, who married (first name unknown) Johns; and (first name unknown), who married John Talbot, a Quaker. CHILDREN. SONS: John Mackall (l740-1799); Benjamin Mackall IV (1745-by 1810); James (1747-ca. 1837); Richard (1749-by 1772); and Thomas Mackall (1751-1799). DAUGHTERS: Susannah (ca. 1737-by 1782), who married Thomas Gantt, Jr. (?-1808); Mary (1742- ?), who married Edward Reynolds (?-by 1820); Elizabeth (ca. 1743- ?), who married James Heighe; Sarah (1752- ?), who married James Gray; Ann (ca. 1753- ?), who married Walter Smith (1747-1804); Margaret (1755-1799), who married Maj. Richard Chew (1753-1801); Barbara (1755- ?), who married Gen. Joseph Wilkinson; and Priscilla (1758- 1823), who married Robert Bowie (ca. 1750-1818).

PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Anglican, Christ Church Parish, Calvert County. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Gent., by 1756; described by a later historian as the "richest man of his day in Calvert County." OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter.

PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Calvert County, 1745, 1745/46-1748, 1749-1751 (Arms and Ammunition Cv-3), 1751-1754 (Arms and Ammunition 1-6), 1754-1757 (Bills of Credit 5; Arms and Ammunition 1-4), 1757-1758 (Elections 1, Cv, 2; Arms and Ammunition 1, Cv, 2), 1758-1761, 1762-1763 (Arms and Ammunition 1, 2).

WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: Inherited all of his mother's estate after minimal bequests had been paid. Before his death, Mackall apparently gave all of his household goods and plantation implements, as well as many of his slaves, to his children. Only the slaves were included in the appraisal of his estate. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: at least 4,350 acres in Calvert and Anne Arundel counties (all inherited from father).

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: sold 400 of his 1,200 acres in Anne Arundel County in 1750; acquired 1,127 acres in Calvert County by ca. 1751 and an additional 680 acres in Calvert County by 1753; purchased at least 150 acres in Calvert County in 1756; sold about 65 acres and acquired an additional 313 acres in Calvert County by 1763; gave at least 350 acres in Calvert County to his son Benjamin Mackall IV (l745-by 1810) in 1767 and patented 87 acres in Calvert County in 1768.

WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on Friday, January 3, 1772, in Calvert County. PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £8,578.15.2 current money and 67,041 pounds of tobacco (including 199 slaves and a water mill); FB, £8,055.11.10 and 67,041 pounds of tobacco. LAND: at least 6,612 acres in Calvert and Anne Arundel counties.

James John Mackall was an officer of the Military and one of the foremost men of Calvert Co., during the pre-Revolutionary period, representing Calvert Co., in nearly all of the meetings and conventions of that exciting period. He was a vestry-man of Christ Church, and one of the largest land and slave owners in Calvert Co.

... James John Mackall, was born November 29th, 1717, and married Mary Hance. He was a man of great wealth and influence, his estate consisting of thirty thousand acres of land lying between the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County, Maryland. He named his place "God's Graces." This old home was built of brick in English style, broad halls, old fashioned wainscotted walls, and curious gables, with great deep windows, opening on ivy-covered verandas. In front a smooth green lawn, with forest trees, spread to the water's edge; adjacent grounds were inclosed with a high moss-grown brick wall, covered with clinging vines of every kind, and the old-fashioned gravel path was bordered on either side with daily roses and St. Joseph lilies.

Every Sunday the stately old gentleman might be seen on his way to church, in brilliant knee buckles, lace ruffles and powdered hair, accompanied by his eight charming daughters; and very zealously did he guard them, always attending them whenever they went out. He was bitterly opposed to their marrying, and very few gentlemen were allowed to visit them; notwithstanding this, they all married men of influence, for love smiles at walls and stern fathers...

...they all married men of influence, for love smiles at walls and stern fathers.

Priscilla was the first to break the circle by marrying Robert Bowie, who was three times Governor of Maryland. Their courtship was carried on in the church; she escaped from home, over the moss-grown wall by means of a rope ladder, furnished by her sweetheart. Tradition tells us that several of Priscilla's sisters escaped in the same way.

Their daughter, Mary Mackall Bowie, married Reverdy Johnson, of Maryland.

Susanna married Thomas Gantt, supposed to be a descendant of "old John Gaunt," Duke of Lancaster, the son of King Edward III and father of King Henry IV of England. Thomas Gantt, Jr., was a member of the Convention of 1774 from Prince George's County, Md.

The Hon. Richard Gantt, the son of Susanna Mackall and Thomas Gantt, Jr., was born at White's Landing, the old homestead on the Patuxent River. He studied for time the profession of law under the guidance of William Pinckney, the great statesman and orator. He made his home in South Carolina and married Sarah, the daughter of Sherwood Allen, of Virginia, a woman endowed with great personal gifts. During the progress of Washington through the Southern States, it is said that at a ball given in his honor in the city of Augusta, Georgia, he selected Sarah Gantt, the loveliest girl in the room, as his partner.

Edward Reynolds, who was also a member of the Convention of 1774, was fortunate enough to secure the hand of Mary Mackall, the sister of Mrs. Gantt.

James Heigh chose Elizabeth, and her sister, Sarah, married Mr.Grey.

Ann became the wife of Walter Smith. She was the mother of Mrs. Zachary Taylor, wife of the President of the United States, and grandmother of the first wife of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. Margaret Mackall Smith was introduced to Zachary Taylor about the year 1809, by Dr. Alexander Duke, of Calvert County, Maryland, while visiting her sister, Mrs. Samuel Chew, of Kentucky (nee Smith), sister of Mrs. Thomas Holland Chew. While Zachary Taylor was President he prevented his son-inlaw, Jefferson Davis, then in the United States Senate, from fighting a duel. The President placed Jefferson Davis under arrest and sent his secretary to the ground to arrest Col. Bissell, his opponent. When arrested he was brought to the White House, where the President made the two shake hands. Col. Bissell was a member of the House at the time.

About seven miles beyond Georgetown, in Montgomery County, Maryland, you will find one of the most picturesque spots in the country, known as Cabin John Bridge, the arch of which is the longest stone span in the world. It was built by Montgomery C. Meigs, while Franklin Pierce was President of the United States. The President witnessed the opening ceremony and after a short speech, took the first spade of earth. Jefferson Davis, the Secretary of War, was also present and took the second spade full. The Bridge was constructed under Mr. Davis' direction and his name was cut on the top stone of the arch, but was removed by some one during the Civil War. The removal of his name is causing much comment at the present day, and brings him more into notice than if it had been allowed to remain. The aqueduct was built to conduct the water from the Great Falls to Washington. The arch spans Cabin John's Run, and was named for the man through whose place the water ran. The new Washington and Great Falls Electric cars run to the hotel, which is a great pleasure resort.

Margaret Mackall, one of the eight sisters, married on February 4, 1773, Major Richard Chew, eldest son of Richard and Sarah Lock Chew, who was born the 10th of April,1753. They left a son, Richard, who married Elizabeth Hollyday, daughter of Leonard Hollyday.

Barbara Mackall the last of the sisters, chose General Wilkerson for her husband.

Judge Benjamin MACKALL (Benjamin MACKALL IV)

MACKALL, BENJAMIN IV (1745-by 1810). BORN: on August 14, 1745, in Christ Church Parish, Calvert County; second son. NATIVE: fourth generation. RESIDED: in Calvert County; in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, from at least 1769 until at least 1771; at 'Godsgrace," Calvert County, by 1786-death.

FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: James John Mackall (1717-1772), son of John Mackall (1669-1739). MOTHER: Mary, daughter of Benjamin Hance (1684-1738) of Calvert County. UNCLE: Samuel Hance (?-?). BROTHERS: John Mackall (1740-1799); James (1747-ca. 1837); Richard (1749-by 1772); and Thomas Mackall (1751-1799). SISTERS: Susannah (ca. 1737- by 1782), who married Thomas Gantt Jr. (?-1808); Mary (1742-?), who married Edward Reynolds (?-by 1820); Elizabeth (ca. 1743- ?); Sarah (1752- ?); Ann (ca. 1753- ?); Margaret (1755-1799); Barbara (1755- ?); and Priscilla (1758-1823), who married Robert Bowie (ca. 1750-1818).

MARRIED on November 20, 1769, in Annapolis, Rebecca (?-by 1810), daughter of William Potts (1718- 1761) of Barbadoes and wife Sarah Lee, daughter of Philip Lee (ca. 1681-1744). Her uncles were Richard Lee (ca. 1707-1787); Arthur Lee (?-1760); and Francis Lee (?-1749). Her aunt was Hannah Lee, who married Joseph Sprigg (1736-1800). Her brothers were Richard Potts (1753-1808); William (?-by 1817), a merchant. Her sister was Sarah Eleanor, who married in 1782 Thomas Gantt, Jr. (?-1808). Her first cousins were Philip Thomas Lee (1738-1778); Thomas Sim Lee (1745-1819); Philip Richard Fendall (?-?); Sarah Lee, who married Philip Richard FendaIl (?-?); and Hannah Lee, who married George Plater (1735-1792). CHILDREN. No Surviving children.

PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: probably Anglican. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Mr., by 1766; Esq., by 1774. Third generation legislator. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter; attorney, admitted to the following courts: Prince George's County Court, June 1765; Frederick County Court, August 1770.

PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Calvert County, 1768-1770 (Public Offices 1-3; Grievances 4), 1771 (Grievances; Public Offices); Conventions, Calvert County, 1st, 1774, 2nd-3rd, 1774, 4th, 1775, 5th, 1775, 6th-8th, 1775-1776. OTHER STATE OFFICES: judge, Court of Appeals, 1778- at least 1803. LOCAL OFFICES: commissioner of the tax, Calvert County, appointed April 19, 1777; county lieutenant, Calvert County, 1777-1780 (resigned on October 2, 1780, citing his position on the Court of Appeals as incompatible with this office under the Maryland Constitution). MILITARY SERVICE: colonel, Calvert County Militia, appointed January 6, 1776; brigadier-general, 8th Brigade, Maryland Militia, 1799-1803 (resigned). STANDS ON PUBLIC PRIVATE ISSUES: signed resolution supporting non-importation of British goods, 1769.

WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: inherited 9 slaves from his father, 1772. Assessed value £1,059.3.4, including 24 slaves and 94 oz. plate, 1786. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 350 acres in Calvert County (received from his father in 1767).

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: inherited 617 acres in Calvert County from his father, 1772; patented 50 acres in Frederick County in 1774, and resurveyed that tract into 1,068 acres, which he patented in 1776; sold 100 acres of the Fredrick County land in 1776. By 1783 he had sold 398 acres in Calvert County. He resurveyed his Calvert County land into a 687-acre tract, which he patented in 1790; patented an additional 7 acres in Calvert County in 1792. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: between 1803 and 1810. LAND: 1,620 acres in Calvert and Frederick counties.

Benjamin Mackall (4) Born 8/14/1745 - Died l8O4.
He was known as Judge Benjamin Mackall. He married Rebecca Potts of Frederick Co., Md. No issue. A handsome portrait of Judge Mackall is still in the possession of the Potts family.

Benjamin Mackall (4), or Judge Benjamin Mackall, was a son of James John Mackall and his wife Mary Hance Mackall, His name appears as one of the signers of the Declaration of Rights of the Freeman of Maryland Province A.D, 1775. He was one of the first five Judges of the Maryland Court of Appeals, created in 1783, the members of which were as follows: Chief Judge Benjamin Rumsey and four Associated Judges as follows: James Murry, Solomon Wright, Thomas Jones and Benjamin Mackall. Judge Mackall served until his death in 1804.

Benjamin Mackall the fourth, whose name appears as one of the signers of the Declaration of Rights by the Freemen of Maryland Province, A. D. 1775, was also one of the first five judges of the Court of Appeals of Maryland. Judge Mackall became judge in December, 1778, and sat for more than a quarter of a century.

Judge Benjamin Mackall, of Godsgrace, was a member of the Constitutional Convention of Maryland, and a Judge of the Court of Appeals. A portrait of Judge Benjamin Mackall is reproduced in Judge Carroll Bond's book The Court of Appeals of Maryland.In 1790, when the judical system of Maryland was reorganized and the Court of Appeals was established as Maryland's highest court, Colonel Mackall became one of the judges of the newly organized court, under Chief Judge Benjamin Ramsey of Baltimore County.

Journal and Correspondence of the Maryland Council of Safety
August 29, 1775 to July 6, 1776.

Calvert County 15th March 1776.

Gent I left the mouth of Patuxent Wednesday, where I
saw Capt Thomas, who requested me (as he had no materials
then to write with) to inform the Council of Safety, that he
thought a Virginia Pilot Boat which was stopped by our
guard some days ago, would be very usefull, either for con
veying the troops from Calvert to St Mary's, or for taking any
small 'fenders which might come in our river That the owner
was very desirous of selling her & that he would take a
reasonable price sooner than return to Virginia, as he was
apprehensive of being taken. If you should be of opinion
that such a vessel will be of any advantage to the province,
hope you will inform me or Capt Thomas by the first oppor
tunity. The committee of observation for this County met on
Monday last, in consequence of your last letter, and impowered
me to appoint a number not exceeding 100 men, to watch our
Coast, & as the man of war and Tenders then lay at anchor
off the Clifts, I thought it necessary to station a guard of 78
men exclusive of officers to prevent their landing. Those men
continued under arms till Wednesday, when I discharged all
but 2 Lieutenants and 25 Privates, who are now stationed at
Drum Point there to remain until Capt Bealls Company of
Regulars comes down. The man of War and Tenders passd
the mouth of Patuxent Tuesday Evening:

I am with great Respect Gent

Your most obedt hble Servt

Benj: Mackall 4th

Thomas MACKALL

MACKALL, THOMAS (1751-1799). BORN: on August31, 1751, in Christ Church Parish, Calvert County; fifth son. NATIVE: fourth generation. RESIDED: on "Brook Place Manor," Third District, Calvert County.

FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: James John Mackall (1717-1772), son of John Mackall (1669-1739). MOTHER: Mary, daughter of Benjamin Hance (1684-1738) and wife Mary Hutchins. UNCLE: Samuel Hance (?-?). BROTHERS: John Mackall (1740-1799); Benjamin Mackall (1745-by 1810); James (1747-ca. 1837); and Richard (1749-by 1772). SISTERS: Susannah (ca. 1737-by 1782), who married Thomas Gantt, Jr. (?-1808); Mary (1742-?), who married Edward Reynolds (?-by 1820); Elizabeth (ca. 1743- ?); Sarah (1752-?); Ann (ca. 1753-?); Margaret (1755-1799); Barbara (1755-?); and Priscilla (1758-1823), who married Robert Bowie (ca. 1750- 1818).

MARRIED first, Ann or Asenath (?-by 1790), daughter of Chas Grahame (ca. 1721-1779) and wife Asenath Hutton. Her brother was John Grohal'Ie (1760-1833). MARRIED second, by 1797, Ann (?-1801), possibly a Holdsworth. CHILDREN. SONS: John Grahame (1777-1828), who married Susanna Somervell; James Grahame, who married Susan Kent. DAUGHTERS: Ann (?-1814), who died without progeny.

PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Anglican; subscriber to Christ Church Parish, Calvert County. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Gent., by 1773; third generation legislator. OCCUPAONAL PROFILE: planter.

PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Calvert County, 1779 (elected to the 2nd session of the 1778-1779 Assembly to fill vacancy). LOCAL OFFICES: justice, Calvert County, 1773; Christ Church Parish Vestry, Calvert County, 1781-at least 1786, 1794; commissioner of the tax, Calvert County, 1783-at least 1786, 1790, 1792, 1798. WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: assessed value £1,292.2.6, including 26 slaves and 27 oz. plate, 1783. Held bonds totaling ca. £1,000, which he assigned to his daughter before his death. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 2,315 acres in Calvert County (all inherited from his father).

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: sold 538 acres in Calvert County in 1793; purchased 500 acres in Calvert County in 1797.

WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: in December 1799 in Calvert County. PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £3,373. 13.3 current money (including 44 slaves. 9 oz. plate, 1 pair spectacles, and books); FB, £747. 1.2. LAND: 2,277 acres in Calvert County.

Ann Mackall SMITH

Ann Mackall, daughter of James John Mackall and his wife Mary Hance Mackall, married Major Walter Smith of the U.S. Army. Their daughter Margaret Mackall Smith, born 1778, died l852, married President Zachary Taylor, Their daughter Sarah Knox Taylor married Jefferson Davis, President of the Southern Confederacy, She was his first wife.

R. E. The ancestry of Major Walter Smith, born 8/12/1747, died in 1804. Married Ann Mackall, born 5/12/1755, died 5/20/1789. This marriage took place after 1772, as her father, in his will, dated and probated in 1772, states that she was single at that time. Following is the true ancestry of Major Walter Smith: he was a son of Walter Smith of Parkers Neck and a grandson of Walter Smith of Saint Leonards and a great grandson of Captain Richard Smith of Saint Leonards Calvert C0. Md. Richard Smith was born in ngland and died in Maryland in 17l. He and his brother Walter, also born in England, both came to Maryland with their father. Walter later settled in Baltimore Co., and became the progenitor of that banch of the family.

Captain Richard Smith married as his second wife, Barbara Morgan (Rousby), daughter of Henry Morgan of Kent Co., Md. and widow of Col. John Rousby. She was born in 1660. This Barbara Morgan must not be confused with an older sister born in 1656 who died in 1659 she also was named Barbara.

Two of the children of Capt. Richard Smith and his wife Barbara M R. Smith, (the only ones that we are interested in), are Walter, of Saint Leonards, born prior to 1692, he was older than his sister Barbara, born 1692. She married 1/1/1712 Thomas Holdsworth, by whom she had four daughters. After his death in 1719, she married in 1720, Benjamin Mackall (1) by whom she had two daughters and one son The above can be confirmed from the files of the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, Md

There has been a great amount of misinformation printed regarding the ancestry of Major Walter Smith. Someone, writing in the Baltimore Sunday Sun around the turn of the century, states that he was the son of Capt. Richard Smith and his wife Barbara Morgan Smith and a brother to Barbara S. H. Mackall. Had such been the fact, he would have been over sixty years old before Ann Mackall was born, so you can see that the above ancestry could not possibly have been correct. He was a great grandson of Capt. Richard Smith, not his son.

The Smith plantation house, (a large brick building), was destroyed by fire in the early part of the present century.

Margaret Mackall SMITH

property of Mabel Mackall Briscoe
Calvert County Historical Society

A soldier's wife can get very tired of life, it seems, especially when her husband takes her along to the wars. At least Margaret Smith Taylor, wife of the soldier-hero Zachary, who became our twelfth President, decided that life as First Lady and mistress of the white House was just too much bother after all the years that she'd spent as the help-mate of a frontier fighter. First Ladies had been criticized before for too much activity in and around the White House, but, Margaret Taylor was probably the first one to bear the brunt of Washington's social displeasure because she refused to enter into the Capitol's activity at all.

But Margaret did refuse, and her daughter "Miss Betty 'Taylor" in truth the wife of Major W. W. Bliss, was her father's official hostess during his administration. You couldn't blame Margaret, really, when you heard something of what she had had to endure before her husband became President, The daughter of a Maryland planter, she had insisted on following her husband thru all the early years of their married life, to meet with him the hardships of frontier life. She bore him five daughters and one son and to stay with him overcame any mother's yearning she may have had, and shipped all the children back to the more civilized parts of the young nation for education and instruction in genteel living. After years of such a life, Margaret looked forward to reasonable safety and comfort when her husband was moved to Baton Rouge and all the family was called back to the fold, a happy future in view.

Then came the bloody and bewildering Mexican war, to harass Baton Rouge and the whole border.

One of Margaret Taylor's trips to rejoin her husband was by horse back from Calvert Co., Md, to Kentucky.