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Some further information has been developed concerning Joseph Longfellow of Maryland:
1. A new work by Robert W Barnes has been published; albeit contains no Longfellows [Maryland Marriage Evidences, 1634-1718, GPC, Baltimore, 2005]. More important is that Barnes is employed in the Reference Department, Maryland State Archives. His previous work in 1975 [Maryland Marriages, 1634-1777] contained 12,000 marriages from church records. His new opus contains marriages from religious and civil sources, as well as those from land, court, and probate records. He found 2,007 actual marriages from religious and civil sources, 4,143 clues to marriages in land, court, and probate, and another 267 actual marriages for a total of 6,417, but not a single Longfellow, suggesting Joseph married elsewhere [Virginia? or England?]
2. Close examination of the Queen Annes County deed [book ?__, pg 650], in which Joseph Longfellow was granted 50 acres, specifies it was land he "now lives," and was known as "Joseph's Hope" lying in Tuckahoe Neck. He paid yearly rent of 2sh.
3. To my knowledge Joseph's death record or tombstone has not been found. It is critical, especially if it shows a birth date, or age. It would answer many questions. Foremost is if there were TWO Joseph Longfellows, father and son. Apparently there is a 6 Jan 1740 birth record of John, allegedly at St Luke's Parish, Church Hill, Queen Ann County. I have not seen such a record [maybe somebody has a copy?], so it is unclear if it states Joseph to be "son of Joseph and Elizabeth," "son of Joseph," or simply his birth or baptism [date] as recorded. It could suggest the father of John was NOT Joseph [who witnessed the 1710 will of Elizabeth], but a SON. If true, it was probably Joseph2 Longfellow who got the 1737 grant for 50-acres, and not his putative father. The twenty-six year gap between these two events is more than enough for a new generation. Especially in the absence of the elder Joseph's death record.
4. There are unsupported statements of births [Affidavit, 1903, Atty Hutchins, Dover, Del] occurring Maryland, albeit yet to be confirmed from a primary source:
(a) William born 23 Dec 1713; (b) Jonathan born 1 Mar 1715; (c) Mary born 6 Aug 1717; and (d) Hetty born 3 June 1721. I haven't the faintest idea where Atty Hutchins found these very specific dates [does anybody out there?], but if they were extracted from a Bible of Jonathan Longfellow they are questionable as Jonathan was probably the gr-grandson of William and down the track a bit. Allegedly their parents were William [born 1679 in Newbury] and Elizabeth Ringold, but no proof of a marriage [where?] is offered. This is all problematic considering William [born 1679], died Boston 1705 after a short stint of 5-months married to Mary Davis. Atty Hutchins specifies his sources as "family bible of Jonathan Longfellow who died April 5, 1818 and which book is now in possession of W C Longfellow. Balance of record from Bible of William C Longfellow." Is this credible evidence? If that Bible were made available to us [anybody out there seen it or have a copy?], we could judge for ourselves.
5. Finally there is a book "Fegley-Longfellow Family Tree," [Robert Leroy Fegley, privately published, case bound, published and printed New Canaan, Connecticut, November 1971]. It is among the collection of the New Canaan Historical Society, 13 Oenoke Ridge Rd, New Canaan, CT 06840, Sharon Turo, Librarian. It was clearly influential to Esther Longfellow Prather, compiler of "Our Longfellow Heritage," c1988, found at the Longfellow Cambridge Museum, Cambridge, Mass, who cites correspondence with Mr Fegley, but not the book. I have not seen this book, but am attempting to retrieve copies of relevant pages.
6. Joseph Longfellow was not part of any white slavery group [Harry Wright Newman, 2002, To Maryland from Overseas];" nor does the surname appear in a list of 1601-1602 English surnames [F K & S Hutching, References to English Surnames in 1601 and 1602, GPC, 1968, reprinted]. He was unlikely a servant [Peter Wilson Coldham: The Bristol Registers of Servants Sent to Foreign Plantations 1654-1686, GPC, 1988], and he does not appear among separately published passenger lists of Hooton, Banks or Coldham, but which are passengers destined for New England.
Among other priorities I plan to visit the Maryland State Archives in the near future. I would have great interest in hearing from (1) serious researchers of Joseph, who may have (2) factual information, constructive opposing views, or constructive information from their own research, and (3) are willing to share their sources that may be relevant to Joseph's ancestry. I have no personal agenda; just an anxious desire to learn of and prove Joseph true ancestry.
Thank you.
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