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Seney died near Church Hill, Queen Anne's
County. PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £1,805.15.11
current money (including 16 slaves and books);
FB, £335.18.5. LAND: 623 acres in Queen Anne's
County.
SENEY, JOSHUA (1756-1798). BORN: on March
4, 1756, near Church Hill, Queen Anne's County.
NATIVE: at least third generation. RESIDED: in
Queen Anne's County, except for the years 1792-
1796 when he lived in Baltimore County. FAMILY
BACKGROUND. FATHER: John Seney (ca. 1733-
1795). MOTHER: Ruth Benton (1737-?). BROTH-
ERS: Jonathan (?-ca. 1793); Samuel (ca. 1755-
1794); Robert (?-ca. 1797); and Horatio (?-ca.
1802). MARRIED first, by 1788, Deborah (ca. 1755-
by 1792), widow of Elijah Bishop (?-ca. 1783),
daughter of Robert Hawkins (?-ca. 1756) of Queen
Anne's County and wife Juliana (?-1761). Deb-
orah was the stepdaughter of John Emory Reg-
ister. Her sister was Julianna (ca. 1757-?), who
married first, John Shoebrooks, and second, Wil-
liam Gould. MARRIED second, by 1792, Frances,
daughter of James Nicholson (ca. 1736-1804), a
noted naval officer, who was born in Chester-
town, Kent County, and died in New York, and
wife Frances Witter. Frances was the niece of
both Joseph Nicholson, Jr. (?-1786) and Benja-
min Nicholson (?-1792). Frances Nicholson had
seven brothers and sisters, one of whom was Han-
nah, who married Abraham Alfonse Albert Gal-
latin (1761-1849), secretary of the U.S. Treasury
and a diplomat. CHILDREN. SONS. John; Joshua;
and Robert. STEPSON: William Smith Bishop (?-
1809). STEPDAUGHTER: Frances Bishop (?-1810),
who married Charles Emory (ca. 1750-1811). PRI-
VATE CAREER. EDUCATION: graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania in 1773; studied law.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Anglican, St. Luke's
Parish, Queen Anne's County. SOCIAL STATUS
AND ACTIVITIES: Gent., by 1785; Esq., by 1798;
subscriber to Washington College, Chestertown,
Kent County. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter;
lawyer, admitted to the bar. PUBLIC CAREER. LEG-
ISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Queen Anne's
County, 1785, 1786-1787 (Laws to Expire 1),
1787-1788 (Elections 1; Grievances 1). OTHER
STATE OFFICES: Maryland Senate elector, Queen
Anne's County, elected 1786; chief justice, Third
District, 1792-17%. LOCAL OFFICE: sheriff, Queen
Anne's County, 1779-1782. our OF STATE SERV-
ICE: delegate, Continental Congress, 1787-1788
(elected in December 1787, but did not attend
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until April 1788; reelected in December 1788, but
did not attend); representative, U.S. Congress,
1789-1791, 1791-1792 (resigned on May 1, 1792);
presidential elector, 1792. WEALTH DURING LIFE-
TIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: 19 slaves, Town
Hundred, Queen Anne's County, 1798. LAND AT
FIRST ELECTION: 100 acres (gift from father, 1779).
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST
ELECTION AND DEATH: acquired by inheritance
and purchase 746 acres in Queen Anne's County,
1785-1798; conveyed by deed of gift 100 acres to
his father, 1792. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on Oc-
tober 20, 1798, near Church Hill, Queen Anne's
County. PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £1,968.15.1
current money (including law books and 5 slaves);
FB, £183.6.11. LAND: 746 acres in Queen Anne's
County.
SETH, JAMES (?-ca. 1785). BORN: of age by
1762. RESIDED: in Queen Anne's (later became
part of Caroline) County; Tuckahoe Hundred,
Caroline County, 1778; Queen Anne's County by
1784. MARRIED first, (name unknown). MARRIED
second, by 1775, Sarah (?-ca. 1788), daughter of
Thomas Winchester (?-1775) of Talbot County
and his wife Tabitha, alias Dorcas (?-1781), of
St. Michael's Parish, Talbot County. Tabitha
Winchester had previously married (first name
unknown) Marling. Sarah's sister was Mary, who
married Nathaniel Cooper. Her half brother was
Francis Marling. CHILDREN. SONS: Charles (?-by
1786), eldest; James (?-1795), Gent., second son,
a Talbot County merchant who married Chris-
tiana (ca. 1756-1828), daughter of Margaret
Dagnid, and who gave a lot in Easton, Talbot
County, to the Methodist Episcopal Church in
1790, and who manumitted all of his slaves in his
will; Jacob; Thomas Winchester; and George
Washington (1776-?). DAUGHTER: Elizabeth.
PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. SOCIAL
STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Gent., by 1775. OCCU-
PATIONAL PROFILE: merchant. PUBLIC CAREER.
LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Caroline
County, 1780-1781 (elected to the 1st session of
the 1780-1781 Assembly). WEALTH DURING LIFE-
TIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: assessed value
£328.15.0, including 9 slaves and 3 oz. plate, Car-
oline and Talbot counties, 1783; controlled prop-
erty assessed at £1,277.0.0, including 25 slaves,
Queen Anne's County, 1783, for the heirs of Ja-
cob Seth. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 43 acres in
Caroline County (20 acres by patent; 23 acres,
the remainder of 514 acres, by purchase), plus
723
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