Joseph HEDGES, ???

                   Joseph Hedges's will from "The Maryland Calendar of Wills" , V-6 page 236, by Baldwin:
Hedges, Joseph, Manaquicy, Prince George County 6-Sep-1732, 29- Nov-1732
To son Solomon and hrs. 258 A. on Manaquicy Ck.
To 2 sons Charles and Joshua and their hrs. each 200 A. at Opeckan
To sons Jonas and Joseph and their hrs. 400 A. to be bought by exs. at
Opecken divided equally.
To son Samuel and hrs., 100 A. to be bought by exs at "Manaquicy".
To daughters Ruth, Cathren and Dorcas and sons Joseph and Samuel,
personaly.
To wife ______ and child., residue of estate.
Exs. : Sons Solomon and Charles
Testi: Chidly Mathews, Thomas Hillard, John Hillard 20,468
Larry D. White, Fort Wayne Indiana, LDS tape 1307857, item 4. Us/Can 929.273
A1, No 3544.


Joseph Hedges, the founder of the family came from England to America in the early part of 1700 and landed on the Delaware River and settled in Chester County, Pa., later removed to Maryland. (Colonial Families of the United States, by McKensie)


In 1722, Joseph Hedges was a taxable in New Garden township, Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1726 in New London township. (History of Chester County, Pennsylvania)


A note by an unknown researcher states, Joseph m/2 Katherine Tingey, of
London on Sept. 8, 1713 records as in Cripplegate, London. Later (present day) researchers say Joseph probably married Catherine Stalcup, in Wilmington, Delaware. The only record is of the birth of Joshua Hedges born to Joseph and wife, Catherine. Record in Old Swedes Church, Wilmington. It does not give a last name (maiden for Catherine). There is a land transfer in Chester County, Pennsylvania they base their belief on.

According to the "Media Research Bureau" of Washington D.C. .... Joseph Hedges of Salem County, New Jersey married Catherine Stalcop before 1711. (This apparently is a different Joseph). Book: " Pioneers Of Old Monocacy, The Early Settlement of Frederick County Maryland, 1721-1743" by Grace L. Tracey and John P Dern. Pages 106-114

Joseph Hedges: A number of the early settlers along the Monocacy came
originally from the upper reaches of today's New Castle County, Delaware or
from neighboring Chester County in Pennsylvania. Typically representative of
these was the family of Joseph Hedges. Joseph Hedges was English, but
notwithstanding elaborate family claims to the contrary no substantiated tie
has ever been established to a marriage in England or to his antecedents there. He first appears in American records in a warrant dated September 8, 1702 and its certificate of survey of April 4, 1703 for 100 acres located on Red Clay Creek in Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle County. Some fifteen or twenty years later he and his wife Catherine moved to the London Tract in London Grove Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Then, although now well advance in years and with a family nearly grown, Joseph Hedges on April 22, 1730 sold his Pennsylvania land and moved on to Maryland. On July 1, 1730 Joseph Hedges had 258 acres surveyed in Maryland on the Monocacy River some five miles north of today's downtown Frederick. The land bordered the River, extending north and west from what was soon to be known as Biggs Ford. It also supposedly bordered the northeastern line of "Tasker's Chance". Hedges named his land "Hedge Hogg" and this has puzzled historians ever since. They are unable to ignore the notation that Hedges' first land in New Castle County was "at the head of a tract formerly taken up on new rent by George Hogg" or that when Hedges and his wife Katherine in Chester County sold the New Castle land on August 17, 1725, George Hogg was one of the witnesses to the deed. Even more mysterious is the question who or what encouraged Hedges to come to Maryland and why he settled where he did.
Although his residence on "Hedge Hogg" proved to be a focal point for nearby parcels of land surveyed or rented by his children, all of whom came to Maryland with him, his own Maryland chapter ended almost as soon as it began. Joseph Hedges receive his patent for "Hedge Hogg" on August 25, 1732. Two weeks later, on September 6, 1732, only two years after his arrival and almost exactly 30 years to the day after his initial warrant for land in Delaware, Joseph Hedges "of Manaquicy in Prince George's County" wrote his will. It was probated on November 29th. In the will he named no wife, though she survived him. His eldest son Solomon Hedges was to inherit "the 258 acres on Manaquicy Creek," while sons Charles and Joshua were each to receive 200 acres at Opeckan in Virginia obviously already purchase for them. More significantly, Solomon and Charles as executors, one of whom seemed slated to stay in Maryland while the others was to go to Virginia. were instructed to purchase an additional 400 acres at Opecken to be divided equal between son Jonas and Joseph. The executors were also directed to purchase 100 acres at Manaquicy for son Samuel. Personalty was to daughters Ruth, Catharine and Dorcas and to sons Joseph and Samuel. All nine children and Joseph's wife were to divide the remainder.
Chidley Matthews, Thomas Hillard and John Hillard witnessed the will and on February 27, 1733 Robert Jones and Henry Ballenger inventoried the estate. It would appear that a move to Virginia was contemplated for at least some of the family almost before roots could be established in Maryland. Presumably none of the children was yet married and Joshua was only seventeen years of age. The Purchase of Virginia land, both actual and contemplated, was being made by Joseph Hedges himself for, but not by, his children. Thus the question is poised, how permanent did he view his family's stay in Maryland? Unless we are plagued by positive hindsight which he did not have, why also would he want his family to desert an area where all about him lay good choice land almost theirs for the asking. It was not a wholesale commitment, however. He did provide for two of his children to stay on in Maryland. And so our curiosity turns to how the future actually did unfold.
Although positive proof is lacking it would appear from their lives (Charles and Joseph), that Joseph Hedges was also bound out at a young age to a Swedish family in Christiana Hundred. His name first appears on Sept. 8, 1702 when the following entry appears on the minutes of the Pennsylvania Board of Property:
Joseph Hedges of New Castle County requests 100 acres at the head of the Tract formerly taken up by Geo. Hogg on new Rent, and now entred upon by some Dutch Men, Situated upon Red Clay Creek, for which he agreed to pay L20 upon the Confirmation. Rent 1 Shelling per 100; 1st 11 months (Pennsylvania Arch.2d ser., 19:323) Althought a patent for this land was issued in 1714, it had to be resurveyed March 17, 1714/15 because it was found to overlap the land of Charles Springer. On resurvey it was found to contain 108 acres.
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Notes of:
Jerry Krieger
652 8th Street NE
Mason City, IA 50401
Joseph Hedges was born about 1675, perhaps near London, or perhaps in New Castle County, a son of William Hedges and his wife Mary Caldwell.
He was apprenticed to a weather, John Healey, in the White Clay Creek area. In 1701 he was listed as a land owner in New Castle. On 8-Sep-1702 he requested a warrant on 200 acres On the west side of Red Clay Creek near Wilmington, and a certificate of survey on 100 acres was recorded 4-Apr-1703.
His name is often found in the records of Holy Trinity Church at Christina (Wilmington). On 3-Aug-1713 he was a co-sponsor at the baptism of Samuel Hall's daughter Elizabeth. On 15-May-1715 he was present at the baptism of his son Joshua.
In 1709 he married Catherine Stalcop in New Castle. (See "The Stalcop Family." since he was more than 30 years old at the time there is speculation that Catherine was a second, third or even a forth wife, the first being one Beata Springer.) On 23-Mar-1723 he bought 200 acres in London Grove Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania from Tobias Collet. On 17-aug-1723 he sold his 200 acres near Wilmington and removed from there to Chester County. Later he bought an adjoining 100 acres. He was listed as a taxpayer in New Garden and Loundon Grove Townships in 1722, 1724 and 1726.
He sold his original 200 acres somtime after 1730, and removed to Prince George's County, Maryland. On 3-Jan-1729 he was granted a warrant for 450 acres in Maryland and on 25-Aug-1732 he patented a tract of land he called Hedge-Hogg in Prince George's, lying along the Monocacy River about five miles north of Frederick. This tract of 248 acres had been surveyed for him 1-Jan-1730. Although his residence at Hedge-Hogg became the focal point for nearby parcels of land purchased or rented by his children, most of whom followed him to Maryland, Joseph's enjoyment of his new land soon ended.
Joseph "being very sick and weak of body" drew up a wil on 6-Sep-1732. He named his son Solomon as excutor and included bequests to children Charles, Joshua, Jonas, Joseph, Ruth, Catherine, Dorcas and Samuel. He died shortly thereafter and the will was proved 29-Nov-1732.
Sources: Waters "Genealogical Gleanings" 1440; Shrourd "Fenwick's Colony"; Craig "Descendants of William and Mary Hedges"; Tracy & Dern "Pioneers of OLD Monocacy"; Smythe "The Duke-Sheherd-Van Metre Family"; NSDCW Lineage Book 5:860; "Two Assessment Lists" in Genealogical Magazine of NJ 13:3; Anna Van Metre DAR record; James M Van Metre DAR record; Wood "The early Hedges" in Berkeley Journal No 3; Berkeley JOurnal No 10; Will of Joseph Hedges; Hedge-Hogg land patent; family group records of William and Joseph Hedges by Kemmerle; Hedges letter to Smith; Reiner letter to Hedges; email from Steve Hedges, Roland Schneider.
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