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FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: Marmaduke
Semmes (1701-1772), son of James Semmes (ca.
1670-ca. 1727/28) and wife Mary Goodrick.
MOTHER. Henrietta Jenkins. BROTHERS. Edward,
a physician who married Sarah Middleton; Mar-
maduke, who married Martha Middleton; and
possibly Joseph Milburn. SISTERS: Violetta (Le-
titia); Martha, who married Henry Hagan; Mary
Ann, who married by 1768 William Rhody Luck-
ett; and Susannah, who married by 1774 Thomas
Boarman. MARRIED Anne, daughter of Marsham
Queen (?-1771). Her brothers were William;
Richard; Samuel; and Francis. Her sisters were
Mary; Margit; dementia; Elizabeth; Sarah; and
Catherine, who married (first name unknown)
Bowling. CHILDREN. SONS: James (1755-?); Ed-
ward (1759-?); Joseph Milburn (1766-?); and
Ignatius (1768-?), a physician and tavern keeper
in Port Tobacco who later resided in Georgia.
DAUGHTERS: Henrietta (1757-?), who married
Aquila Scott (1756-?); Anne (1760-?); Jean (1762-
?); Mary (1764-?); Catherine (1770-?); Eliza-
beth (1772-?), who married Thomas Luckett, and
who resided in Georgia; and Martha (1774-?).
WARD: Henrietta Luckett (1768-?). PRIVATE CA-
REER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIA-
TION: probably Anglican. ADDITIONAL COMMENT:
While inspecting tobacco, ca. 1785, Semmes was
attacked and severely beaten on the head. He
never recovered his mental faculties, and in 1789
two of his children, Anne and Joseph Milburn,
were appointed his trustees by the court. They
moved with him to Georgia where he resided until
his death. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter. PUB-
LIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: 9th Conven-
tion, Charles County, 1776; Lower House, Charles
County, 1777, 1777-1778. LOCAL OFFICE: to-
bacco inspector, Port Tobacco, Charles County,
1785. JURY SERVICE, grand jury, June 1780. MIL-
ITARY SERVICE: first lieutenant, 12th Battalion,
Charles County Militia, commissioned March 7,
1776. WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROP-
ERTY: assessed value £1,174.0.0, including 27
slaves, 1783. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION . ca. 1,360
acres in Charles County. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH:
gave ca. 286 acres to his son Edward as a wedding
gift in 1781 and sold 132 acres in 1789, all in
Charles County; trustees stated in 1789 that all
remaining land was to be rented out. WEALTH AT
DEATH. DIED: at the plantation of his son, Dr.
Ignatius Semmes, in Wilkes County, Georgia; will
probated in Maryland on July 13, 1827. PER-
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SONAL PROPERTY: TEV, $8,268.62 current money
(including 19 slaves, 2 books); FB, $5,700.36.
SENEY, JOHN (ca. 1733-1795). BORN. ca. 1733,
near Church Hill, Queen Anne's County. NA-
TIVE: at least second generation. RESIDED: at
Church Hill, Queen Anne's County. FAMILY
BACKGROUND. FATHER. Solomon Seney (ca. 1705-
1763), of Queen Anne's County. MOTHER: Mary
(ca. 1711-?), daughter of Walter Neavell (?-1741)
of Queen Anne's County and wife Bridget. STEP-
MOTHER. Anne, widow of John Nevil (?-1747),
planter of Queen Anne's County. BROTHERS:
Nevil, who married in 1759 Mary Rochester; Sol-
omon. MARRIED ca. 1754 Ruth (1737-?), daugh-
ter of Vinson Benton (?-1784) of Queen Anne's
County. Her brothers were John; Vinson; George
Vinson; and Mark. Her sister was Susanna. CHIL-
DREN. SONS: Joshua Seney (1756-1798); Jonathan
(?-ca. 1793), who was elected sheriff of Queen
Anne's County in 1788; Samuel (ca. 1755-1794),
who married Mary, daughter of Woolman Gibson
(?-1786); Robert (?-ca. 1797); and Horatio (?-
ca. 1802). PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Protestant. SOCIAL STA-
TUS AND ACTIVITIES: Gent., by 1763; Esq., by
1776. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter. PUBLIC
CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower HoUSC,
Queen Anne's County, 1781-1782 (Laws to Ex-
pire 2), 1782-1783, 1783 (Elections), 1784, 1785
(Elections), 1786-1787 (Elections 1, 2), 1787-
1788 (Elections 2; Grievances 1; Claims 2), 1788
(Elections), 1789 (Elections; Grievances), 1790,
1791-1792 (Elections; Claims 2; Public Reve-
nues), 1793 (Grievances). OTHER STATE OFFICES:
Maryland Senate elector, Queen Anne's County,
elected 1786; Constitution Ratification Conven-
tion, Queen Anne's County, 1788. LOCAL OF-
FICES: justice, Queen Anne's County, 1772-at
least 1777; election judge, Queen Anne's County,
1776; justice. Orphans' Court, Queen Anne's
County, commissioned 1777. MILITARY SERVICE:
It. colonel, 5th Battalion, Queen Anne's County
Militia, commissioned 1777. our OF STATE SERV-
ICE: U.S. Presidential elector, 1792. WEALTH DUR-
ING LIFETIME. PERSON AL PROPERTY: 11 slaves, 1776;
assessed value £609.0.0, including 11 slaves, 1783.
LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 573 acres in Queen
Anne's County (inherited 110 acres, purchased
463). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN
FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: bought 50 acres in
Queen Anne's County, 1783. WEALTH AT DEATH.
DIED, administration bond dated April 14, 1795.
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