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Hill (?-1762). UNCLE: James Weems (ca. 1707-
1781). BROTHERS: William (1725-1751); David
(1729-1745); James (1731-1784); Loch (1733-
1734); Loch (1735-1764); and Thomas Lane
(1737-1779). HALF BROTHERS: Richard (1740-
1780), who married first, Sarah (?-1767), and
second, Mary Ward; David (1747-died young);
David (1748-1750); David (1750-died young);
David (1751-1820), who married in 1777 Mar-
garet Harrison; William (1758-?); and Mason Loch
(1759-1825). HALF SISTERS: Ann (1742-1744);
Williamina (1744-died young); Susannah (1745-
1805), who married in 1776 Thomas Morton; Wil-
liamina (1754-1783), who married in 1783 Dr.
Thomas Mudd; and Ester (1756-1856). FIRST
COUSINS: John Weems (1737-1813); Sarah Weems
(?-1763), who married Samuel Chew (1737-1790);
and Margaret Weems (?-1783), who married sec-
ond, Joseph Sprigg (1736-1800). MARRIED first,
name unknown. MARRIED second, on December
18, 1781, Mary (?-1816), daughter of Richard
Dorsey (1714-1760) and wife Elizabeth Beale Ni-
cholson (1711-ca. 1776). Mary was the grand-
daughter of John Beale (?-1734). She was the
niece of Edward Dorsey (1718-1760); Mary Dor-
sey (1725-ca. 1786), who married John Ridgely
(by 1724-1771). Her brothers were Caleb, who
married Mary Rutland; Richard; and Edward.
Her sisters were Eleanor (ca. 1739-1805), who
married John Hall (1729-1797); Anne, who mar-
ried Benjamin Beale; and Elizabeth, who married
first, (first name unknown) MacGowan, and sec-
ond, Elijah Harrison. Her first cousins were Harry
Dorsey Gough (ca. 1745-1808); Thomas Dorsey
(?-1790); Charles Ridgely, of John (ca. 1749-1786);
Achsah Dorsey, who married Ephraim Howard
(1745-1788); Rebecca Dorsey, who married
Charles Ridgely (1733-1790); Eleanor Dorsey, who
married Upton Sheredine (1740-1800); Deborah
Ridgely (1749-1817), who married John Sterett
(1750/51-1787); Mary Ridgely (?-1804), who
married Benjamin Nicholson (?-1792); Elizabeth
Dorsey (?-ca. 1811), who married Richard Ridgely
(1755-1824); Henry Woodward (1733-1761);
Frances Todd, who married George Risteau (?-
1792); and Deborah Lynch (?-1810), who mar-
ried Samuel Owings, Jr. (1733-1803). CHILDREN.
SONS: William (ca. 1789-1829); Richard Dorsey
(1790-died young); and John Beale (?-1814),
who married in 1806 Priscilla, daughter of Richard
Harwood (1738-1826). DAUGHTERS: Mary, who
married in 1776 Alexander McPherson (1738-1805);
Sarah (?-possibly 1795), who married in 1774
Richard Johns (possibly 1744-1806); Eleanor
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(1791-by 1794); Elizabeth (?-1796); and Ann,
who married in 1812 Horatio Ridout, Esq., son
of John Ridout (1732-1797). PRIVATE CAREER. ED
UCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: An-
glican, St. James' Parish, Anne Arundel County.
SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Gent., by 1764.
OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: merchant, 1757; planter.
PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Conven-
tions, Anne Arundel County, 1st, 1774, 2nd-3rd,
1774. LOCAL OFFICES: justice, Anne Arundel
County, 1757-1770, 1773, 1777 (quorum 1768-
1770, 1773); commissioner of the tax, Anne
Arundel County, 1777-1779, 1781-1783, 1785,
1786, 1790; subscription officer of the Continental
Loan Office for Anne Arundel County, 1779; St.
James' Parish Vestry, Anne Arundel County,
1751-1754, 1757-1764, 1767-1770, 1770, 1778,
1779-1783, 1783-1794. MILITARY SERVICE: colo-
nel, South River Battalion, Anne Arundel County
Militia, appointed January 6, 1776, served until
at least May 1779. WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PER-
SONAL PROPERTY: inherited 3 slaves from brother
Loch, 1764. Assessed value £2,551.15.0, includ-
ing 52 slaves and 94 oz. plate, 1783. Gave over
30 slaves to daughters Mary and Sarah before his
death. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: probably 801 acres
in Anne Arundel County (500 acres as gift from
father in 1757, 301 acres by purchase). SIGNIFI
CANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELEC-
TION AND DEATH: inherited 482 acres in Anne
Arundel County from his brother Loch after the
death of their father in 1779. This land had de-
scended to David and James Weems (ca. 1707-
1781) from their uncle Dr. William Loch (?-1732),
but their ownership of it was disputed by Dr.
Loch's son William Loch (?-1750) and his heirs.
After litigation for many years, a compromise was
reached and John Weems (of Anne Arundel
County) finally received title to 357 acres in 1785.
He also controlled 600 acres in Anne Arundel
County from 1787 to 1794 that had been devised
to his son John Beale by Mary Weem's sister Ann
Beale. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on November 28,
1794, in St. James' Parish, Anne Arundel County.
PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £3,908.18.0 current
money (including money received from sales of
property as authorized by the Orphans' Court in
order to pay Weems's creditors; about £1,077 of
the total was from the sale of real property); FB,
estate overpaid £82.10.6 in 1803, but remained
in litigation until 1816. Inventory included 79 slaves
and 126 oz. plate. LAND: 1,158 acres and ca. 2
acres in unpatented certificates in Anne Arundel
County. All of his land except 500 acres of his
875
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