It reads "John Maxwell came into court and under oath that he imported himself Margaret John Jun'r {r raised} Thomas Mary & Alex'r {r raised} Maxwell from Ireland to Philadelphia and from thence into this Colony ^ (at his own charge) & that this is the first time of his proving his and their rights in order to obtain land w'ch {ch raised} is ordered to be certified."

Notice he does not indicate that his wife is with him, she may will have been deceased. We presume when we say she is the Mary on the list. Most documents I have seen list husband, wife and then the children in order of age. A John Maxwell with a wife Mary started appearing on the land records ca 1750. The original document I have with her name on it is dated 16 August 1753. Here is the extraction done of one I do not have a copy of the original. 'August 29, 1750 p 42 of book and p 432 of Augusta County Order Book II. "Mary, wife of John Maxwell, relinquished *dower in deed John M.-- to Robt. Breckinridge." ' I am now leaning towards this John being John Jun'r and his being an older teenager or young adult when he came to America. But can not be absolutely sure and no one probably ever will be able to determine that.

*"relinquished dower" simply means that she gave up her right to the property (her legal share) and was allowing it to be sold. Most older land deeds have that in them. It means nothing else.

From page 479 of the above book the baptism records of old Craig Parish in

which was included both Stone and Tinkling Spring Meeting Houses.

I do not have a copy of the footnotes showing where baptized, but William's footnote # is for a different place than Edly's and John's.

Note: Edly and William may be brothers of John, Sr.

Maybe DNA testing will help verify!

April 5, 1749 Borden's Road 439 acres to John Maxwell



This is from the Beverley Patent 1736 that includes original grantees 1738-1815 in Orange ad Augusta Counties, VA compiled and drawn by J. R. Hiderbrand 1954 ( I have the complete map.)



From a book I found in Augusta County page 15 (unknown name)



"Augusta County, Virginia, was created in November 1738 from Orange County. Simultaneously, the sister county of Frederick was created in the lower half of the Shenandoah Valley. Until 1770, when Botetourt County, was set off, Augusta County was the largest county in the world--stretching to the Mississippi River on the west and north through the Illinois county and a corner of Wisconsin. although it was a county in 1738, there was no courthouse here in 'Beverley's Mill-place', as Staunton was originally named, until November 1745 when the county was organized. The name Augusta was given to the county in honor of Princess Augusta, mother of George III.

Present day Augusta County is the second largest county in Virginia--exceding in area only Pittsylvania County. Much of the county embraces the boundaries of the Beverly Manor grant obtained by William Beverley of Essex County in 1736. ... Another large land grant which was part of Augusta County was the Borden grant --the land being in the present day Rockbridge and Botetourt counties. ... Two of the oldest Presbyterian churches in Virginia are located in Augusta County --Augusta Stone at Fort Defiance and Tinkling Spring at Fishersville Both were founded in 1740 and both are still flourishing."