Joshua Merriken was born on July 2, 1722, in Anne Arundel County, British Colonial Maryland. Joshua married Margaret Todd on August 13, 1751, in Anne Arundel County, British Colonial Maryland. Joshua Merriken died on July 17, 1759, in Anne Arundel County, British Colonial Maryland.
Joshua Merriken was born July 2, 1722, in Anne Arundel County, British Colonial Maryland, the second of two surviving sons of John Merriken and his wife Mary Stephans. Joshua and his siblings grew up in the Broadneck of Anne Arundel county on their father's 400 acres plantation “Scotland”. Joshua's father also owned and patented additional land in Broadneck including part of “Young Richard”, “Persimmon Point”, “Betty's Point”, a part of “Leonard's Neck”, and “Fox Point”.
On August 13, 1751, Joshua married Margaret Todd, daughter of Lance Todd and Ann Burle. Joshua and Margaret had the following known children:
Mary Merriken
John Merriken
Rachel Merriken
In early 1754 Joshua's father John died. Joshua inherited half of the tract “Scotland” and “Fox Point”, about 215 acres.
In 1755 Richard Moss brought a case to the Provincial Court regarding the boundary between the part of “Scotland” which Joshua owned and Richard's land “Skidmore” which adjoined it. The boundary was decreed by the court and Joshua paid the lawyers fees while Richard Moss paid the cost of the suit.
On June 23, 1759, Joshua “being sick of body” wrote his will. He devised to his 5 year old daughter Mary both of his tracts of land, “Scotland” and “Fox Point” and a negro girl Judah. If Mary were to die, Joshua named his niece Frances Hammond and his nephews Lemuel Hammond and Joseph Merriken as residuary heirs. Since children John and Rachel were not included in the will, they are presumed to be deceased by this date.
Joshua died on July 17, 1759, in Anne Arundel County, British Colonial Maryland, at the age of 37.
Joshua's wife Margaret administered his estate. Joshua's inventory showed that he owned several slaves: men Will, Flanders and Dick, women Darkey, Hagar and Jenny, girls Judah, Sue and Parthena, and a boy Phil. Will, Flanders and Darkey were listed in the inventory of Joshua's father when his estate was administered.
Around 1761 Joshua's wife Margaret married again, Elijah Robosson. The surname “Robosson” was spelled several different ways including “Robertson” and “Robeson”. Mary Merriken, Joshua and Margaret's daughter, likely grew up in the Robosson household, away from the Broadneck where she was born. Around 1768 Mary's mother died and Elijah married again, Mary Warfield. Through Elijah's wife Mary, Mary Merriken met Mary's brother Lancelot Warfield who she married around 1771. Mary and Lancelot had several children, the oldest and heir at law, was Charles Warfield. When Mary died the properties Mary had inherited from her father Joshua Merriken, “Scotland” and “Fox Point”, descended to Charles Warfield.
In 1793 Charles sold “Fox Point” to his father, however it is the deed dated May 13, 1794, which described the relationships. On this date Charles Warfield sold to his father Lancelot Warfield all his right and interest in a 150 acre tract of land in Anne Arundel on the west side of Chesapeake Bay. In the deed Charles described the land's descension: “the land was left to a certain Joshua Merriken, deceased, Grandfather to the aforesaid Charles Warfield by the last Will and Testament of a certain John Merriken, deceased, father of the said Joshua Merriken”. The metes and bounds in the deed match the tract “Scotland” and subsequent records record Lancelot Warfield in possession of part of the 600 acre tract known as “Scotland”.
According to “The Warfields of Maryland” by Joshua Dorsey Warfield, Lancelot Warfield married “Mary Robertson, sister of Col. Elijah Robertson”. Another source reported that Lancelot married Polly Robertson, “Polly” a common nickname of “Mary”. From the deed, it's clear that Lancelot Warfield married Mary Merriken, heir of Joshua Merriken.
Genealogical Research and Life Sketch Completed: June 2021
Sources:
"Maryland Births and Christenings, 1650-1995", database, FamilySearch, Joshua Meriken, 1722.
"Maryland Marriages, 1666-1970", database, FamilySearch, Joshua Merriken, 1751.
"Maryland Births and Christenings, 1650-1995", database, FamilySearch, Joshua Merriken in entry for Marry Merriken, 1753.
"Maryland Births and Christenings, 1650-1995", database, FamilySearch, Joshua Merriken in entry for John Merriken, 1755.
"Maryland Births and Christenings, 1650-1995", database, FamilySearch, Joshua Merriken in entry for Rachel Merriken, 1757.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Wills. Liber 29 Folio 80.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Inventories. Liber 57 Folio 198.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Wills. Liber 30 Folio 769.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Inventories. Liber 71 Folio 30.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Accounts. Liber 47 Folio 280.
Maryland State Archives. Maryland Land Records. Anne Arundel. Liber BB 1 Folio 143.
Maryland State Archives. Maryland Land Records. Anne Arundel. Liber NH 7 Folio 97.
Maryland State Archives. Maryland Land Records. Anne Arundel. Liber NH 7 Folio 192.
