The earliest record I have for these families is from the Index to Queen Anne's County, MD Marriage Records. The index shows that my GGG-Grandparents Samuel Godwin and Ann Davis were married on March 23, 1824 by Rev. Crouch in Queen Anne's County.
Their daughter Susan Godwin was married to Samuel Sparks on July 16, 1849 by Rev. Sumption.
This record from the 1850 census for Queen Anne's County shows an interesting group of families living together. Susan and Samuel Sparks are living with Susan's parents and have a baby daughter, Martha Ann. A couple of young girls from the Meredith family and Rebecca Davis are also living with the Godwins. Rebecca Davis is close in age to Ann Davis Godwin, so they might be sisters. Also of note is that Samuel Godwin's occupation is a sailor.
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| Godwin family in 1850 census for Queen Anne's County, MD |
I am not sure where these Merediths fit into my family, but my GG-Grandparents Francis Councill and Mary Meredith were married on July 8, 1840 in Queen Anne's County. Both the Merediths and the Sparks had daughters named Ariana. Francis and Mary's son John Wesley Councill married Samuel and Susan Sparks' daughter Ariana, so it would appear that all of these families were close.
The previous page in the 1850 census has a Meredith and two other Sparks families, so those might provide some clues.
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| Sparks family on page before Godwins in 1850 Queen Anne's census |
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| Another Sparks family on the same page of the 1850 census |
I have a long way to go on sorting out these families. I'd love to hear from anyone else researching any of these surnames in Queen Anne's!
I like how you have grouped your surnames by county. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks Heather! I had this post lurking in my drafts for a while and hesitated to post it as it feels a bit unfinished. I have even more families clustered in Queen Anne's, but this group seems really intertwined.
ReplyDeleteWell, think of it as part 1. I research family's by county but I've never thought of blogging about them that way. It's a great idea, I hope you don't mind if I borrow it!
DeleteHeather, feel free to borrow it! Yes, this is definitely part 1. :)
DeleteLove family history. You never know what you will find or where. Looks like you are in for an adventure. Ever since I started my blog, I have enjoyed he thrill of the hunt.
ReplyDeleteRegards, Grant
Grant, I love the thrill of the hunt too! These are the first families I've researched with roots going back into early America, so it should be interesting. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI know this is a few years later, but I am wondering if you have made any progress on this family? I have a Samuel Godwin/Goodwin living in Philadelphia on the 1880 census showing he was born in MD about 1849. Is Samuel and Ann Davis his parents?
ReplyDeleteLisa
Lisa, I sent you an email. I still haven't figured out who Samuel's parents are, but will post an update if I find anything new.
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