Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Mary Kittamaquund

First - when dancing with the ancestors, never, ever, ever say you're related to an Indian Princess. There is no such thing as an Indian Princess. There is, however, the daughter of the Chief, which is exactly the title Mary Kittamaquund deserves. She was the daughter of Chitomachen Kittamaquund, the Tayac (translated as Emperor by the settlers of Maryland, but really only Chief) of the Piscataway Indian Tribes that were inherent to Maryland at one time.

Mary Kittamaquund is my 8 x Great Grandmother following this descent . . .

Mary Kittamaquund - m - Giles Brent

Mary Brent - m (1) - John Fitzherbet and m (2) Charles Beaven

Elizabeth Beaven - m - John Boone

Charles Boone - m - Mary Boarman

Walter Boone - m (1) Peggy Edelen and m (2) Elizabeth Hagan-Mattingly

My descent is through his second marriage which continues with Walter and Elizabeth's son . . .

William Henry Boone - m - Rosena Hagan

Miles Nicholas Boone - m - Rosa Jane Duvall

Victor Ivo Boone - m - Mary Willie Watson

Mary Willie Boone - m - William Oscar Sweat

Mom - m - Dad

ME!

Now, there's a ton of information out there about Mary Kittamaquund, most of which is fairly accurate, but not totally accurate, especially in regards to her daughter Mary Brent. 

The known for sure: She was converted to Catholicism and assumed the name Mary; she was the ward of Margaret Brent, sister-in-law to Leonard Calvert; at about age 11 she married Margaret's brother Giles who was at least 30 years her senior; she and Giles had at least three children, but possibly six children; and she either a) died in 1654, was put aside by Giles (he married Francis Whitegrave-Harrison in 1655), or left Giles and rejoined her people.

Now, her daughter Mary Brent is where the confusion usually sets in because most sites I found mention that Mary married a Fitzherbert, but never had children . . . so how in the heck could she be my 7 x Great Grandmother, the wife of Charles Beaven.

Well, come to find out Mary Brent either a) divorced John Fitzherbert or was b) put aside by him. This is documented in a letter from Chalres Calvert to his father Cecilius Calvert in 1672 that states: Major Fitzherbert's brother who maryed the Indian Brent, has civilly parted with her, and (as I suppose) will never care to bed with her more; soe that your Lordship needs not to feare any ill consequence from that match - Proceedings of the Council of Maryland: 1671 - 1682 (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1896). 

The marriage between Charles Beaven and Mary Brent-Fitzherbert took place sometime between 1672 and 1674. 

So, when dancing with the ancestors, don't believe the first thing you read and stop researching the line because it doesn't match up with other information. Keep searching.

For more information about Mary Kittamaquund and the proof of descent, check out this well documented blog post: http://goo.gl/LqGU1F

S