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Peter's Parish Vestry, Talbot County, 1722-1725,
1740-1742; justice, Talbot County, 1726-1728,
1730-1742 (quorum, 1732-1742). WEALTH DUR-
ING LIFETIME. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 3,124 acres
in Talbot and Queen Anne's counties (possibly
inherited 1,350 acres from his father and paternal
uncles, acquired 358 acres through patents, and
purchased 2,081 acres). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN
LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: pur-
chased 2,893 acres in Talbot and Queen Anne's
counties between 1729 and 1742; charged on debt
books with 200 acres in Dorchester County, 1737;
charged on rent rolls and debt books with 634
acres in Talbot County, 1738; patented 871 acres
between 1729 and 1739; obtained control through
marriage of 1,000 acres in Queen Anne's County
inherited by his wife in 1737. WEALTH AT DEATH.
DIED: on December 5, 1742; buried in St. Peter's
Parish Churchyard, Talbot County. PERSONAL
PROPERTY: TEV, at least £16,755.13.7 current
money (including 57 slaves, 3 servants, 513 oz.
plate, 1 oz. gold, 1 silver watch, and 29 books).
LAND: 7,972 acres in Talbot, Queen Anne's and
Dorchester counties.
ROBINS, JOHN PURNELL (ca. 1742-1780).
BORN: ca. 1742 in Worcester County; probably
second son. NATIVE: third generation. RESIDED:
probably in Boquetenorton Hundred, Worcester
County. FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: Thomas
Robins (ca. 1702-1766). MOTHER: Arralantar (?-
by 1782), daughter of John Purnell (?-1755),
granddaughter of Thomas Purnell (?-1723). UN-
CLES: Zadock Purnell (?-1805); William Purnell
(?-1777), a possible legislator; and Thomas Pur-
nell, of John (?-1796). BROTHERS: Littleton;
Bowdoin (?-by 1786). HALF BROTHER: Thomas
(1740-1776). SISTERS. Elizabeth; Mary (1743-
1809), who married William Purnell (1739 -1796),
a possible legislator; Esther; Andasia; and Ar-
ralantar (?-1825), who married John Selby Pur-
nell (?-1799). FIRST COUSINS: William Purnell (?-
1798); Ann Purnell (?-by 1800), who married
first, Henry Dennis (?-1785), and second, William
Polk (1752-1812). MARRIED by 1770 Anna (?-
1821), daughter of Adam Spence (?-by 1762) of
Worcester County and his wife Mary (?-by 1770).
Her brothers were Adam; John; and George. Her
sisters were Margaret; Betty; Mary; and Sarah.
CHILDREN. SONS: John Purnell; Littleton; and James
Bowdoin (1770-1826), who was educated at the
University of Pennsylvania, became a lawyer, and
served as an associate judge of the circuit court
on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He was a
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member of the House of Delegates from 1794 to
1797 from Worcester County. DAUGHTERS: Ar-
ralantar; Mary (Polly). ADDITIONAL COMMENT:
All of Robins' children were minors when he died
in 1780. PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate.
SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Gent., by 1771.
OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: probably a planter;
owned at least 2 mills. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLA-
TIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Worcester County,
1771, 1773-1774; 9th Convention, Worcester
County, 1776 (election voided on August 15, 1776,
because voter qualifications had not been ascer-
tained as prescribed by the resolves of the 8th
Convention). LOCAL OFFICES, justice, Worcester
County, 1773, 1777 until death; justice, Orphans'
Court, Worcester County, 1777 until death.
WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY:
ca. £185.0.0 through his wife's inheritance, 1768.
LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 1,634 acres in Worces-
ter County (200 acres through marriage, 514 acres
by purchase, and 920 acres inherited from father).
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST
ELECTION AND DEATH, purchased 122 acres be-
tween 1773 and 1778, and sold 138 acres in 1772,
all in Worcester County. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED.
will probated in Worcester County on December
1, 1780. PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, at least
£1,419.4.5 (including 17 slaves and at least 2 mills).
LAND: ca. 1,618 acres in Worcester County.
ROBINS, ROBERT (ca. 1621-by 1685). BORN:
ca. 1621. IMMIGRATED: in 1648 as a free adult
with his wife and child from Virginia. RESIDED:
in Newtown Hundred, St. Mary's County. MAR-
RIED first, Elizabeth. In 1659 in actions recorded
in the Charles County Court records, each dis-
claimed the other as man and wife in separate
declarations before Gov. Josias Fendall (?-by
1688). For two years prior to this date, their mar-
riage had been marked by a succession of ap-
pearances in Provincial Court. Robins had charged
Elizabeth with adultery and attempted abortion,
and had challenged his paternity of the child borne
by her. In turn, a deposition filed by Elizabeth
attested to her husband's physical mistreatment
of her, and Elizabeth was plaintiff in at least one
suit filed against her husband. MARRIED second,
Margaret, who later married Francis Harrison.
CHILDREN. SONS. Richard (by 1648-1705), who
married Lydia Shuttle wort h (?-1744); John (?-
1708). DAUGHTER: Elizabeth, who married John
Banister (?-1712). ADDITIONAL COMMENT: In
1662, Robins was charged with fathering a bas-
tard child bora to Elizabeth Weeks. PRIVATE CA-
700
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