Walter Pye of Maryland 1685-1749

Son of Col. Edward and Ann Sewall Pye

Brother of Charles Pye

1716 – Surveyor General for the Western Shore/Charles County

Cornwallis Neck is now home to a Naval Support Facility at Indian Head. It had once been the land of the Mattawoman tribe, a branch of the Piscataway Indian Nation. They belong to the Algonquian language group and were mostly associated with Southern Maryland. This land was owned by a man named Thomas Cornwallis (Cornwalys) whose widow sold it to Edward Pye in 1688. I haven’t been able to determine if Walter lived at Cornwallis Neck while Charles was in England or if the land was rented out.

This Walter Pye became the Power of Attorney for his brother Charles while he was in England and France. It isn’t known if Walter remained in Maryland the entire time as in some records he is referred to as “of the Meende, Herefordshire.” However he did marry and by 1716 was a Surveyor General for Charles County.

*Walter married c. 1703, Margaret Tant, b. c. 1685 in St. Mary’s Co. They had 8 children:

i. Edward (1704-1752) m. 1736 Sarah Edelen (1706-1773) widow of           Samuel Queen

          ii. Susannah (1709-1738) m. 1725 Edward Stonestreet

          iii. Margaret (? -1777) entered Carmelites in Antwerp, Belgium. Became                        Sister Mary Magdalene of St. Joseph. Mentioned in her brother                           Edward’s will.

          iv. Walter (? – 1786)

          v. Henrietta Maria (?-1776) m. 1756 John Pye, her first cousin

          vi. Mary (? – 1783)

          vii. Robert (1731 – aft 1749) Was 18 when his father died in 1749

          viii. Jane ( ? – aft. 1752) m. Henry Brent 1 son, also named Henry Brent

Robert was the only child mentioned by name in Walter’s will. All others were said to ‘be of age.’

*There has been ongoing controversy concerning the wife of Walter Pye. Many claim she was Henrietta Maria Neale. However, a deposition of Henry Rozer at age 76 in 1801, shows that Walter married Henrietta Maria Pye.

          …that the said Charles Pye the Grand Father left two Sons Charles Pye    the Eldest Son and heir at Law and John Pye his Second and eldest Son that Charles Pye the Son came to Maryland and resided some years therein upon his Estate in Charles County called Cornwallis Neck but returned to England where he died unmarried leaving his mother still alive and also his Brother John Pye to whom he devised his Estate or the principal part thereof that John Pye resided many Years and died upon the Estate Called Cornwallis neck in Maryland devised to him by his Brother Charles Pye as above Stated that John Pye above named married Henrietta Pye the Daughter of Walter Pye Esquire of Charles County aforesaid that the Said John Pye died in the year Seventeen hundred and Seventy two leaving Six Children…

          Contributed by Shirley Middleton Moller
          Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin; Summer 1984 Vol 25 No 3; Charles County, Maryland Probate Records, Inventories PART III: 1791-1808; Compiled by Ruth King & Carol Mitchell; The following was extracted from LDS microfilm #13742.; The first number is the page number the document begins on upon the microfilm. Charles County Maryland Probate Records, Inventories, Book 1798-1802
          401 Edward Joseph Pye-18 Aug 1801-Charles Pye kin-Mary Pye Exex

The following statement shows that Walter continued to care for his brother Charles’ interests in Maryland.

          Walter Pye, attorney for Charles Pye, leased to Richard Lewis of Charles
          County MD, the 104 acres tract "Maple Thicket" for the natural lives of
          Richard Lewis, his wife Jane, and his son John, on 11 June 1740 [Prince
      George's County MD land records].

      Scott Swanson
          Department of History
          Butler University
          4600 Sunset Avenue
          Indianapolis, Indiana 46208-3485
          sswanson@butler.edu

From 1739 – 1743, Walter, acting as attorney for Charles Pye, leased several different properties in Charles County at Mattawoman Neck. Some of these leases were to Benjamin Gardiner, John Manning, Charles Tizeck, Richard Lewis, John Thomas, Richard Farrell and John Maggatee. During this period, each document states that Walter Pye is of Prince Georges County.

Of Walter and Margaret Tant’s children:

          Edward and Sarah had three children, Elizabeth, Margaret and Walter.

                    Margaret m. Jesse Matthews and had a son named Luke.

          Susannah and Edward Stonestreet had 4 children, Mary, Christian,                                         Susannah, and Richard. Susannah Stonestreet m. James                                   Goodwin.

          Margaret became a Carmelite Nun.

          *Henrietta Maria m. John Pye and had 6 children.

          *Subject of the next blog

         

          Mary – did not marry; her will shows bequests to her nieces.

          Jane – m. Henry Brent, 1 son also Henry Brent

http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/speccol/sc2600/sc2685/html/survgen.html

Maryland land records vol 1

Maryland land records vol 2