Charles Pye (1684- 1748) Charles Co., Maryland

Charles, the eldest child of Col. Edward and Anne (Sewall, Rozier) Pye. Inherited the estate of his father when Edward died in 1696. He was also heir to the Mynde in Herefordshire, England. In May 1703 Charles had land at Pyes Chance and Pyes Hardshift surveyed. Pyes Chance was 141 acres, leased to Isaac Gilpin and Pyes Hardshift was 323 acres, leased to Thomas Tuckings. Sometime after this he left for England, leaving his brother Walter in charge of the properties in Maryland.

It is uncertain just when Charles left for England. He may have made several trips back and forth but there is no record of this. He was heavily involved with the support of King James II who lived in exile in France. James II died in 1701, but the supporters continued to live on near Saint-Germain. Since the Catholics were still not welcome in England, it was easier to maintain their faith and culture in France. Charles was married to Mary Elizabeth Booth in St. Gervais, France. The Booths were another Catholic family from Herefordshire supporting the Stuarts who had chosen to remove to France. It appears that their children were all born in either England or France. Those known children are:

          1. Elizabeth

          *2. Charles

          3. Walter

          **4. John H.

          5. Ann, died young

          6. Henry

          7. Nicholas

The son *Charles came to Cornwallis Neck, lived there for some time then returned to England where he died before his mother, and leaving his estate to his brother **John H. Charles never married.

John H. resided many years upon Cornwallis Neck, where he died in 1772. This John married his 1^st cousin, Henrietta Maria Pye. Earlier research stated that John Pye had married Henrietta Maria Neale, daughter of William Neale. This information is incorrect, as shown by the deposition given by Henry Rozer in 1801.

In 1801, Henry Rozer (aka Rozier) deposed that in 1735, when he was 10 years old, he was sent to Cornwallis Neck, in Charles Co., to visit his uncle Charles Pye, before Henry was sent to England to further his education. {This Charles was the grandfather of the Charles who lived at Cornwallis Neck in 1801.} Henry stated that Charles had married Miss Mary Booth. They had two sons, Charles and John. Charles (Charles², Edward¹) was born in England, came to Maryland to live for some years and then returned to England, where he died unmarried. Charles’ brother John, married Henrietta Pye, daughter of Walter Pye (son of Col. Edward Pye). He lived for many years on the land at Cornwallis Neck. John died there in 1772 leaving six children, all minors:

         

          1 Charles

          2. Edward Joseph

          3. Mary

          4. Margaret

          5. Anne

          6. Elizabeth

After John’s death, the eldest child, Charles, was sent to England in 1772 into the care of his Grand Uncle James Booth, counselor, who undertook Charles’ education. Charles returned to Cornwallis Neck, in 1783, where he continued to live.

At this point it seems I must end this line of Pye research. The family history says that a William Pye, of Maryland and Barbados, was impressed ‘off the docks’ in Barbados, to sail on the Junius Brutus, an American privateer. The Junius Brutus engaged in several combat events, eventually being captured by the British during the American Revolution. I received a copy of the crew list for the Junius Brutus and there was a William Pye aboard. The family story says he was taken to Newfoundland where he was put ashore, hoping to find an Uncle Henry Pye. (Both his father Charles and his Uncle Walter had a brother named Henry, who seemed to disappear from MD records. This could be the Henry William was hoping to find. If so, then who was William’s father?) The ship did go to Newfoundland in October 1782, a British port. He was imprisoned there until the end of the war. After he was released, he married Blanch Pye, a distant cousin. Blanch’s father, was John Pye of Falmouth, England. William’s existence on the ship and in Newfoundland can be proven. What can’t be proven is his connection to the Maryland Pyes. There is no record of his being in Barbados or Maryland. As mentioned before, earlier research showed John Pye married Henrietta Maria Neale, daughter of William Neale and Mary Ann (Boarman) Brook. This has been proven false through research done by the Boarman/Brook family and new documents that proved John Pye married his 1^st cousin Henrietta Maria Pye, daughter of his Uncle Walter. Although the family history says William was of Maryland and Barbados, no records I’ve searched have mentioned any William Pye. Perhaps William is a middle name, in which case the formal name is unknown. It is also possible that William was from Devon, where many of the settlers came from. If so, that puts a whole new slant on William’s ancestry.

All of the land, the original 5000 acres of the Cornwallis estate purchased by Col. Edward Pye, remained in the Pye family until John H.’s death in 1772. After that it was divided amongst his survivors, who, over time, sold it off or married into other families where the land was absorbed into the spouse’s family. By 1890, there were no Pyes with any land holdings on Cornwallis Neck.

Most of the land formerly owned by the Pyes was sold to the U.S. Gov’t from the late 1800’s to 1920. It remains, today, in government ownership.

Bonnie B. Morgan, researcher

Wikipedia

Maryland Archives

A2A English Archives

Shirley Middleton Moller – researcher

Gary E. Young – researcher

Charles County Land Records

Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin – summer 1984 Vol. 25, #3

Charles County History, Jan. 2003

The Record, April 1990, #48