Benjamin Galloway (1752-1831)
MSA SC 3520-472
Biography:
Born: 1752 at his family's home on the West River, Anne Arundel
County; third son.
Native: Fifth generation.
Resided: In Rhode River Hundred, Anne Arundel County, until
ca. 1796 when he moved to Washington County, settling in Elizabeth Town
(later called Hagerstown).
Died: August 18, 1831, in Hagerstown, Washington County.
Family Background:
Father: Samuel Galloway (1720-1785), of "Tulip Hill," West River,
Anne Arundel County.
Mother: Anne (1725-1756), daughter of Dr. Samuel Chew and wife
Mary Galloway.
Brothers: John (1748-1810), who married in 1786 Sarah Chew;
Samuel, Jr. (1751-?).
Sisters: Mary (1746-?), who married Thomas Ringgold (1744-1776);
Anne (1755-?), who married in 1775 James Cheston.
Married: October 5, 1775, Henrietta Maria (1759-1847), daughter
of Samuel Chew (by 1734-1786); niece of Henrietta Maria Chew (1731-1762),
who married Edward Dorsey (1718-1760); Margaret Chew (?-1773), who married
John
Beale Bordley (1726/27-1804); and Ann Mary Chew (?-1774), who married
William
Paca (1740-1799). Her brothers were Samuel Lloyd (1756-1796); John
Croley (by 1767-by 1786). Her sisters were Elizabeth (1765-?); Ann (after
1770-?).
Children: Died without progeny.
Private Career:
Education: Sent to school in England.
Religious Affiliation: His family was traditionally Quaker,
but Galloway was married in St. James' Parish, Anne Arundel County, and
his wife owned a pew in St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church in Hagerstown
at her death.
Social Status and Activities: Gent., by 1783; Esq., at death;
member of a prominent southern Anne Arundel County family.
Occupational Profile: Lawyer, 1779; planter, 1795.
Public Career:
Legislative Service: Lower House, Anne Arundel County, 1777;
House of Delegates, Washington County, 1822.
Other State Office: Attorney General, appointed 1778.
Local Offices: Justice, Orphans' Court, Anne Arundel County,
1782-at least 1785; justice, Anne Arundel County, 1783-at least 1785.
Stands of Public/Private Issues: His obituary called him a "Republican
from his youth" and a "sterling Jeffersonian Republican." Galloway was
an outspoken opponent of the "Jew Bill" in the 1820s, the measure to remove
Maryland's exclusion of Jews from elected office, and he ran for the House
of Delegates in 1822 as the leader of the "Christian Ticket," defeating
Thomas
Kennedy, one of the bill's chief supporters.
Wealth During Lifetime:
Personal Property: Assessed value £1,820.10.0, including
36 slaves, 1783; assessed value £702.0.0 including 16 slaves and
192 oz. plate, 1803-1804.
Land at First Election: None in his own name, but he was probably
living on and managing ca. 1,500 acres of his father's land in Anne Arundel
County.
Significant Changes in Land Between First Election and Death:
Purchased 750 acres in Montgomery County in 1779, but sold it in 1795.
In 1782 his wife received 800 acres of a large tract in Washington County
from her father Samuel Chew (by 1734-1786). Inherited ca. 1,500 acres in
Anne Arundel County from his father in 1785. His wife was bequeathed an
additional 1,351 acres by her uncle Bennett Chew (?-1793) in 1793. Shortly
afterwards, the Galloways moved to Washington County, probably to live
in Hagerstown where they purchased several lots and occasionally sold
off pieces of the large tract. He had apparently sold about 450 acres
of his land in Anne Arundel County by 1798.
Wealth at Death:
Land: Ca. 1,000 acres in Anne Arundel County, plus 7 lots in
Hagerstown and his wife's remaining ca. 1,300 acres in Washington County.
Source: Edward C. Papenfuse, et al., eds, A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature, 1635-1789. Vol. I. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979), 338-339. Supplemented with additional information, 2010.
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