Hyde, Jonathan (1727-1802) – New Windsor, MD

Jonathan Hyde was a blacksmith and wheelwright, born in Ireland in 1727, died in New Windsor, Maryland on 31 July 1802. He came to Maryland with his wife Ann (last name unknown, born 16 June 1728, died 8 July 1812), and was joined at a later time by his sister Dorothy and her husband Thomas Townsend. Both couples appear to have been married in Ireland and it is not known when they came to the US. It is possible that one of the families they settled near was part of Ann’s family.

*

There is a record of marriage in Ireland between a Dorothy Hyde and a Thomas Townsend in 1771, Diocese of Ossory, Leinster Province, that requires further research. Given the ages of both couples, there is some possibility that they left grown children in Ireland. Jonathan’s first land purchase (to the best of my knowledge, his first recorded presence in the US, when he was approximately 44 years old) was 80 acres in 1771 from Frederick Baum, 2nd purchase in 1778, another approx 80 acres from James Crawford. Jonathan and several of his immediate family members are buried in St Luke’s (Winter’s) Lutheran Church Cemetery in New Windsor, now a part of Carroll County MD. Others are buried in Pipe Creek Church of the Brethren, Union Bridge, Carroll County MD. Jonathan’s will, filed in 1801, appears in Frederick County MD Wills, 1794-1803 Vol 3. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GT15-98S1?i=275&wc=SNYC-FM3%3A146535301%2C147314001&cc=1803986

*

Jonathan and his wife had four daughters, Mary, b 19 March 1761, d 10 January 1836, m 19 March 1779 Jacob Appler (1757-1843), lived in Uniontown, Frederick County, MD. Eleanor/Ellenor b 19 March 1761, d 4 April 1829, m 1782 John Lambert (1758-1838). Elizabeth, b 3 June 1762, d unm 1 or 14 September 1804. And Ann, b 28 November 1770, d unm 21 March 1858.

*

Jonathan’s sister Dorothy Townsend is mentioned in his will, as are his nephews Jonathan Hide and Thomas and Samuel Townsend, but there is no mention of Dorothy having a daughter Mary, and to date I have not been able to find evidence that the Mary Townsend who married William Shaw is related to this family.

*

Maryland land record for Frederick County WR21 pg 373 shows Jonathan Hyde (nephew, son of Richard) and Thomas Townsend buying the farm of John England in 1801. This is very close to the time of Jonathan the nephew’s arrival, as MD State Archives has his naturalization record, his origin no more specific than “from Ireland”. In fact, as recent immigrants circa 1798, neither was eligible to purchase land and the transaction was handled through their “trusty friend”, John Clemson. Thomas Townsend’s sister Charlotte married Samuel England, son of John, and moved to Ohio. The England family appears on the 1850 federal census for Marion, Hocking County, Ohio and she is noted as born in Ireland. Jonathan Hyde the nephew married Rachel Durbin on 14 June 1805. Their daughter Mary Hyde married Jacob Nusbaum 13 Aug 1832 in Frederick County MD.

*

Jonathan’s will mentions Isaac Hyde as the son of his daughter Ann. Isaac was born on 9 January 1798 and died 3 March 1872. In the 1870 census Isaac attests that his father was not born in the US.  Y-DNA results from Family Tree have matched Isaac’s descendants with those of Thomas Townsend Sr, most probably through his son Samuel Townsend, who was Jonathan’s nephew and his apprentice at the smithy. It is to Samuel that Jonathan willed all of his blacksmith tools. I have not been able to locate records mentioning Samuel Townsend (born between 1770-1780) in the Western Maryland area, so it’s not clear where he went or what happened to him. Isaac married Mary Lambert (1802-1876) on 20 or 27 February 1823. Isaac and Mary were the parents of John (b Jan 1825 d Feb 1825), Elmer (b 1826 d 1898, m 1 Sarah Ann Engleman and 2 Rachel Lambert), Eleanor/Ellen (b 1828 d 1851, m James W Lantz, see Annotated Life and Times of James W. Lantz of Carroll County, Maryland, 1857-1891 by Trudie Davis-Long), Joshua L (b 1828 d 1900, m Elizabeth Ann Lantz), Ann (b 1833 d 1911, m Samuel Henry Gilbert), Jesse/Jessie L (b 1837 d 1903, m Elvira/Elvaria A Barnes) and Isaac Harrison (b 1840, d 1919, m Susan A Waltz).

*

Thomas Townsend (b Ireland, 1778-1851), son of Dorothy Hyde and Thomas Townsend, married on 21 October 1801 in Baltimore County Elizabeth Haines (1776-1850), daughter of Michael Haines and Sarah Downey (parents married in PA 9 October 1769). Thomas and Elizabeth are buried in St Luke’s Lutheran Church cemetery, New Windsor, Carroll County MD. Some of this branch of Thomas Townsends appear in censuses under both Thomas and Thos, Townend and Townsend, in Westminster, Frederick County MD 1800-30 and Carroll County 1840 onward.

*

A Valentine Hide, born in PA,  married Polly Ropp in Frederick County MD on 11 Aug 1812 but so far there is no evidence that he is connected to this family.

*

The Journal of Nathan H. Baile, currently held by the Historical Society of Carroll Co. MD, mentions in passing, “Next down the stream was Peter Geiger, whose wife was a Hyde and their children were John, Josiah, Mary.” In Winter’s (now St Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran) Cemetery is a Peter Geiger, 19 May 1784 – 7 Aug 1858, age 74y.2m.8d and Charlotte (Peter’s wife, whose maiden name was Lambert rather than Hyde), 26 Apr 1793 – 6 Sep 1863, age 70y.4m.10d. Scharf’s History of Western Maryland suggests that a James Hyde, d 19 Nov 1769 is also buried at Winter’s. I’m unable to place James within this Hyde family.

*

If any of these lines belong to you, please contact us.

7 comments

  • Nancy, you and I are related, as this is one of my own Hyde lines. Delighted to hear from you! Are you in touch with our mutual cousin, Charles Appler, family historian extraordinaire?

  • Mary (aka Polly) Speed (10 Nov 1777- 11 Apr 1846), daughter of Henry Speed and Elizabeth Spencer, married Robert W. Hyde in 1797 in Virginia, son of ??? Hyde and ???.
    Mary Speed and Robert W. Hyde’s children were sons, born in Tompkins county, NY.:
    Robert Henry Speed Hyde. (27 Sep 1818- 29 Apr 1884) born in
    Speedville, Tompkins county, moved to Binghamton, NY. married,
    lawyer, soldier. .
    William Henry Speed Hyde. (????)

    Thank you for your time and consideration.

    • Robert W Hyde’s parents were Robert Hyde, a Freemason of Hillsborough/Hillsboro District, Grandville NC, who married Elizabeth Harper 22 Oct 1781. He bred racehorses and conducted business in London and Fredericksburg, VA under “Smith, Young and Hyde”. Elizabeth’s parents were Jesse Harper and Emily Diana Goodloe of Fredericksburg, VA, who moved to Granville NC around 1769. Robert Hyde Sr’s parents were John Hyde of Lunenburg and Mecklenburg, VA, (John’s will dated 11 Sept 1791) and Martha, last name unconfirmed, who predeceased him. Per “Records and Memorials of the Speed Family”, Mary Speed and Robert W Hyde’s children were Robert Henry Speed Hyde who married Louisa Dederer and William Henry Speed Hyde who died unmarried. A link to the book here: https://archive.org/stream/recordsmemorials00spee/recordsmemorials00spee_djvu.txt

      • Hi, Nancy, I’m an independant scholar working on a historical project about Granville County NC around 1800. Would you please share your sources on Robert Hyde’s racehorses and businesses–and anything else on Robert and Elizabeth Hyde? Would greatly be appreciated.

Leave a Reply to Nancy Lambert Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *