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BACKGROUND. FATHER: Charles Jones. MOTHER:
Elizabeth, daughter of John Courts (1691/92- 1747/
48) and wife Charity Henley (?-by 1703). Charity
subsequently married John Contee (?-1708). UN-
CLE: Robert Hendley Courts (?-1774). AUNT:
Charity Courts (1680-1711), who married first,
Bayne, son of James Smallwood (ca. 1639-ca.
1714/15), and second, Daniel Dulany (1685-1753).
FIRST COUSIN: William Courts (ca. 1753-1792).
OTHER KINSHIP: great-grandfather, Robert Henley
(ca. 1617-1684). MARRIED Dorothy Hanson,
daughter of Robert Hanson Harrison (?-ca. 1795),
who was military secretary to George Washington
and a chief judge of the Maryland General Court,
and wife (first name unknown) Johnston. Dor-
othy was the stepdaughter of Grace Dent. She
was the granddaughter of both Richard Harrison
(?-1780) and George Johnston, of Virginia. She
was the niece of William Harrison (?-1789). Her
sister was Sarah, who married first, (first name
unknown) Craik (?-1795), married second, David
Easton, and married third, Capt. John Jordan (?-
by 1786). OTHER KINSHIP. Dorothy's great-grand-
father was Joseph Harrison (1687-1727); her great-
uncle was Joseph Hanson Harrison (?-1785).
CHILDREN. SONS: John C; Robert Charles (?-by
1820). Both sons were minors in 1806. DAUGH-
TERS Susanna (?-by 1819); Maria H. (?-after
1820), who married John Hanson, son of Samuel.
Both daughters were minors in 1806. PRIVATE CA-
REER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIA-
TION: probably Anglican; owed money at death
to vestry of William and Mary Parish, St. Mary's
County. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Esq., by
1802; original member of the Society of the Cin-
cinnati. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter. PUBLIC
CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House,
Charles County, 1785. OTHER STATE OFFICE: na-
val officer. First District, appointed 1786. LOCAL
OFFICE: Maryland Senate elector, Charles County,
elected 1786. MILITARY SERVICE: 2nd lieutenant,
First Maryland Battalion of the Flying Camp,
June-December 1776; 1st lieutenant, 7th Mary-
land Regiment, December 1776; captain, 1777;
transferred to 4th Maryland Regiment, 1781;
transferred to 1st Maryland Regiment in January
1783, served until April 1783; served as aide-de-
camp to Maj. Gen. William Smallwood (1732-
1792), 1779-1783. WEALTH DURING LIFETIME.
PERSONAL PROPERTY: 5 Slaves, 1790. LAND AT
FIRST ELECTION. 284 acres in Charles and Fred-
erick counties (218 acres inherited from his father,
66 acres purchased as confiscated British prop-
erty). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN
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FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: purchased ca. 30 acres
in Charles County, 1790-1791; redeemed 400 acres
of officer's bounty land in Allegany County, 1793;
inherited 674 acres in Charles County through his
wife, 1795; sold 263 acres in Charles County to
his son Robert in 1802, plus an additional 100-
acre tract the same year. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED:
between May 18 and October 8, 1802; inventory
and accounts proven in Charles County. PER-
SONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £704.8.9 current money
(including 10 slaves, books, and plate); FB, estate
overpaid £93.3.1. LAND: ca. 1,000 acres in Charles,
Frederick, and Allegany counties.
JONES, RICHARD (ca. 1671-1714). BORN: ca.
1671, probably in Anne Arundel County. NATIVE:
probably second generation. RESIDED, in West
River Hundred, Anne Arundel County. FAMILY
BACKGROUND. FATHER: Richard Jones, of Severn
River, Anne Arundel County, an innholder, 1701-
1704. SISTER: called herself Alice Dixon, spinster,
of Londontowne, Anne Arundel County. MAR-
RIED by 1699 Anne (ca. 1670-1742), widow of
both John Watkins (?-1697) and William Burgess
(?-1698), daughter of Nicholas Gassaway (1634-
1691/92). Anne's brothers were Nicholas (ca. 1668-
1699); John. Her half brother was Thomas Gas-
saway (1683/84-1739). Her sisters or half sisters
were Hester; Jane (?-1736); and Margaret. CHIL-
DREN. STEPSONS: Gassaway Watkins (?-1746);
Nicholas Watkins; and John Watkins (?-1743),
who married Mary (?-1768). DAUGHTERS: Ann
(1700/1-by 1721), who married Turner Wootten
(ca. 1695-1760); Jane (1702/3-1704). STEP-
DAUGHTER: Elizabeth Watkins, who married
Samuel Smith (1695-1748). PRIVATE CAREER. ED-
UCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION. An-
glican; father possibly a Quaker. SOCIAL STATUS
AND ACTIVITIES: Mr., by 1704; Gent., by 1713.
OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: merchant, planter. PUB-
LIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House,
Anne Arundel County, 1704-1707 (elected to the
1st session of the 1704-1707 Assembly to fill va-
cancy), 1708A (Elections), 1708B-1711 (Elec-
tions 1, 2, 4; chairman 4), 1712-1713 (Elections
1-2; died before the 3rd session of the 1712-1714
Assembly). LOCAL OFFICES: justice, Anne Arun-
del County, 1701-1705, 1708-1714 (quorum,
1704-1705, 1708-1714; chief justice, 1709-1714);
coroner, Anne Arundel County, 1704; All Hal-
low's Parish Vestry, Anne Arundel County, 1704.
MILITARY SERVICE, captain, by 1700-1714. STANDS
ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE ISSUES: refused to take oath
as justice in 1705 after being lowered in rank on
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