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| ~ Dry Docking Farm, St. Mary's County ~ | |||||||
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Dry Docking Farm, located in St. Mary's County, Maryland, was first issued June 24, 1673 to Robert Drury, who had received a warrant for 50 acres of land on June 11, 1670. Dry Docking consisted of 100 acres, 50 acres by assignment from John Vaughan for his time of service in Maryland, and 50 acres issued directly to Robert Drury for his own time of service. Land was issued in this manner to immigrants who would first work on a plantation for a period of time (usually seven years), and then receive their own land patent. Robert named the farm "Dry Docking". The record of transportation for Edward Scarborough (Scarburgh) on September 29,1663, lists two Robert Drurys. (Also a record of February 23, 1663 shows Thomas Orily of Accomake Co, same as Scarburgh, transporting a William Drury and James Druryford.) Whether this Robert Drury is the man who founded Dry Docking Farm is not proven. However, the name Dry Docking certainly correlates to Docking, Norfolk, known as "Dry Docking" for centuries for its scarcity of drinking water. It appears plausible that our Robert Drury of Docking, shown to have received allowances from the People of Docking, Norfolk up until 1663, was then Transported by Scarburgh in September of that year, and served his seven year indenture before being granted his land warrant in 1670. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Later, on August 10, 1684, Richard Drury (probably a brother or cousin) was issued another 100 acres of land, which he named "Dry Docking Addition", located adjacent to Dry Docking. The farm was part of Beaverdam Manor. This land had been previously surveyed for Robert Drury on October 20, 1683. The children of Robert Drury of Dry Docking Farm, Maryland are not proven but are believed to be John and Margaret. Dry Docking Farm passed from Robert Drury to John Tant in about 1680 when John married a Margaret Drury, assumed to be Robert's daughter based on this transaction. John Drury, thought to be the son of Robert, married Mary Ford and died in about 1726. His son, John married Susannah Hayden, who descended from Francis Haydon and Thomasine Butler. Francis immigrated from Watford, Hertforshire, England in the mid 1600's and held land in Virginia and Maryland; the Butlers/Botelers can be traced to British Royalty. Their son, William Drury, left St. Mary's County and moved first to Frederick, Maryland in the 1770's and by 1782 headed west to Prairie du Rocher, Illinois and then across the river to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Other Drurys went to Kentucky, and several families stayed in the St. Mary's County area. Dry Docking Farm still exists today, over 300 years later. Its current residents are Joseph P. and Helen Bowles Wilkinson, who bought the Dry Docking Farm in 1941, and in two other houses on the farm are their daughters' Doering and Dameron families. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have additions, corrections, or questions about the information on these pages please email the webmaster. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~Books~ Click here for a selection of books on American history and genealogy. Please be patient while the graphics load. There are available from England, the following books on Docking, Norfolk, England. They can be obtained for a nominal fee by contacting "Backward Glances", a Norfolk genealogy research firm that will purchase the books and mail them to you: "Dry Docking" by Gerald Hagan (including a Drury pedigree chart); "Docking, a Walk in Time", by Hermeina Elms and Eileen Wells; and "Docking, a Village in Norfolk", by Tony Arter. All three are full of historic photographs and history of the area and its families. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Click the blue
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To correspond with other St. Mary's County researchers, please sign the St. Mary's guestbook below. Be sure to name your early ancestors so others sharing common ancestors can find you. Caron, Drury, Gidley, Gideon, McCauley, Lagacé, Stevenson, Pollock, and Ste. Genevieve County guestbooks are on those family pages. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
