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The proprietary lands confiscated by the Mary-
land government totaled about 245,000 acres.
WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on December 8, 1835,
at "Down Place"; buried in St. Michael's Church-
yard, Bray, England. LAND: probably a house in
London and a country estate near Windsor.
HARRIS, BENTON (ca. 1716-1777). BORN ca.
1716. RESIDED: in Worcester County, 1743 (proba-
bly lived in that part of Somerset County that
later became part of Worcester County). FAMILY
BACKGROUND. FATHER: probably John Harris, of
Somerset County. SISTERS: Rebecca, who married
(first name unknown) Costin (Caster); (first name
unknown), who married (first name unknown)
Perkins; (first name unknown), who married (first
name unknown) Hayman; (first name unknown),
who married (first name unknown) Boughton;
(first name unknown), who married (first name
unknown) Riggin. MARRIED ca. 1753 Betty,
widow of both William Whittington, a possible
legislator, and Hampton Hopkins (?-1746);
daughter of Robert Martin (?-1725), who immi-
grated from Scotland in the early-eighteenth cen-
tury, and wife Mary Downes (?-1774); stepdaugh-
ter of James Martin (?-ca. 1 748) Her brother was
Capt. John. Her sister was Mary, who married
(first name unknown) Schoolfield. CHILDREN.
STEPSONS: William Whittington (?-1769), who
married Mary King; Samuel Hopkins. PRIVATE
CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIA-
TION: Protestant. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES:
Gent., 1746. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE planter;
officeholder. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SER-
VICE Lower House, Worcester County, 1757-1758
(Accounts 1), 1758-1761 (Public Offices Cv 3),
1762-1763 (Elections 1, 2; Public Offices 1, 2; Ac-
counts 2), 1765-1766 (Public Offices 2; Grievances
3). LOCAL OFFICES: deputy commissary, Worcester
County, 1743-1777; sheriff, Worcester County,
1745-1746; justice, Worcester County, 1762-1777
(quorum, 1769-1777); justice, Court of Oyer and
Terminer and Gaol Delivery, Worcester County,
commissioned 1770 and 1771; chairman, Commit-
tee of Observation, Worcester County, in office
1776; register of wills, Worcester County, ap-
pointed 1777. MILITARY SERVICE: captain, by
1745. WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. LAND AT
FIRST ELECTION 706 acres in Somerset and
Worcester counties (probably inherited 151 acres
from his father), plus control of 396 additional
acres in Worcester County, which he was holding
for his stepson, 1756. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN
LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: by
1774 he no longer controlled the 396 acres belong-
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ing to his stepson; he was charged with more than
300 additional acres, 1757-1774; he acquired 307
acres through a patent resurvey in 1776. WEALTH
AT DEATH. DIED: between April and September
1777; will probated in Worcester County. PER-
SONAL PROPERTY: TEV, at least £5,956.12.10 cur-
rent money (including 17 slaves). LAND: more than
1,369 acres in Somerset and Worcester counties.
HARRIS, EDWARD (ca. 1757--ca. 1837). BORN:
ca. 1757 in Queen Anne's County; probably youn-
gest son. NATIVE at least third generation. RE-
SIDED: in Queen Anne's County; Talbot County,
1783; Queen Anne's County, 1790; Baltimore
City, 1804; Queen Anne's County, 1822. FAMILY
BACKGROUND. FATHER: Thomas Harris (?-1760).
MOTHER: Elizabeth (?-ca. 1760), daughter of Wil-
liam Turbutt (1683/84- 1739). STEPFATHER: Rich-
ard Keene, of Queen Anne's County. GUARDIAN:
Edward Lloyd (1711-1770), responsible for the
care of Edward until he was twenty-one years old.
AUNT. Anna Maria Turbutt, who married Edward
Tilghman (1713-1786). BROTHERS. William (?-by
1795); Thomas. SISTERS: Elizabeth; Sarah; Marga-
ret; and Mary (ca. 1755-?). MARRIED by 1784 Sa-
rah, daughter of Pollard Edmondson (ca. 1718-
1794); granddaughter of John Edmondson (1692-
1743). Her mother was either Mary Dickinson or
Rachel Birckhead McManus (by 1740-1818).
CHILDREN. SONS: Turbutt, who married in 1807
Maria, daughter of Samuel Earle ( 1756- 1790), and
who was declared incompetent by his father in
1822 because of several blows he had received to
his head in 1819; Pollard; and Edward. DAUGH-
TERS: Maria, who married by 1820 James Sterett;
Eliza; Mary; and Sarah. PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCA-
TION: literate; his father's will specified that Ed-
ward and his brothers be kept in school until they
were of a suitable age and had attained sufficient
education to be apprenticed to a practitioner of
some art or science to which their natural genius
inclined them. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Anglican,
Chester Church, St. Paul's Parish, Queen Anne's
County. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Gent.,
1791. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: physician in 1792,
but did not practice before 1797; farmer. PUBLIC
CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House,
Talbot County, 1783, 1784, Queen Anne's
County, 1790. LOCAL OFFICES, justice of the
peace, Queen Anne's County, in office 1791; asso-
ciate justice, Second District, Queen Anne's
County, appointed 1791. WEALTH DURING LIFE-
TIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: £221.18.4 received as
part of his share of his father's estate, ca. 1773;
assessed value £402.0.0, including 7 slaves, 1783;
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