Summary: Jesse Floyd, Jr., (1775- died after 1826) was the oldest son of Jesse Floyd, Sr. but lacked his father’s public standing. Divorced, he left three sons with numerous descendants in St. Mary’s County.
Jesse Floyd, Jr., son of Jesse Floyd, Sr. and Elizabeth Swales (daughter of John Swales and Margaret Goldsborough of St. Mary’s County) was born in the latter part of 1775.
The Jesuit accounts for St. Francis Xavier parish on Newtown Neck tell us that Jesse Floyd, Jr. was baptized in December 1775 (with Peter Ford and Elizabeth Joy as godparents). His parents had just been married in November of the previous year and he would be the only child of this couple because his mother’s death is recorded for that same year 1775 “suddenly” — presumably not long after childbirth. The will 1788 will of his grandfather John Swales of St. Mary’s County leaves most assets to his sons and, presumably because Jesse Floyd, Jr. was well provided for by his father, says succinctly “I give and bequeath unto my grandson Jesse Floyd, son of Jesse, one shilling and no more of my Estate.”
Jesse Floyd Jr. and Jemima Abell took out a marriage license on May 24, 1804, a marriage that would last until their divorce twenty years later. She was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Abell.
In writing his will in 1808, Jesse Floyd, Sr. instructed that all his land and rental property should be divided among his four youngest sons, but that a sum of $20 per annum from the rentals be paid to Jesse Floyd, Jr. for 15 years. In what seems an accurate judgement of character, his father names his son William rather than Jesse Jr. as executor.
In the 1810 Census, Jesse Floyd Jr. has a small household: himself, his wife (aged 16-26), three boys under 10, one girl under 10, and one slave. Apparently, two of the little boys did not survive, because in the 1820 Census, we find him, his wife, three boys under 10, one boy and girl (each aged 10-15), and no slaves. Later documents give us the identity of the four sons, but the daughter’s name and fate is unknown.
In March, 1823, Jemima Floyd, wife of Jesse Floyd comes into the Orphan’s Court and complains of the poverty of her children and the ill treatment of her husband to them and prays the court to bind them to such persons as may be able and willing to treat them humanely and take care of them . On Feb. 20, 1824, the couple were divorced.
Jesse Floyd, Jr. was living as late as 1826 when he gave testimony regarding the probate of the will of Athanasius Greenwell [Source: St. Mary’s County, Maryland Wills, 1821-1835 by Linda Reno]. In his first deposition of December 5, he states that when he went to witness the will, the testator was in the liquor. He had heard him say five or six weeks before that he wanted to make a will. When the deponent and the other witnesses were called in to sign the will for the second time, Mr. Greenwell was as sober as he ever was and erased the names of the former witnesses. He looked the will over for at least an hour, said it was his will and had the witnesses sign it. The will was signed the second time because the deponent Jesse Floyd, Jr had told Mr. Greenwell that the former witnesses would not prove the will because he was intoxicated at the time. That same day in in the Second Deposition of Bennet Hutchins: On the day of the interment of the deceased it was doubted that the will would be good. Jesse Floyd stated that it was a good will when a bystander said it could not be because Mr. Greenwell had not been sober for two years. Jesse Floyd responded “as to that matter, he had not been sober for five years.”
In his Dec. 19 second deposition, Jesse Floyd states: that Catherine Greenwell, daughter of Athanasius Greenwell is a cripple and is incapable of taking care of property. About two months before the deceased made his will, he and John Tennison had a fight. Mr. Tennison struck Mr. Greenwell on the arm, which caused it to inflame and to become very sore. The reason he gave for hitting Mr. Greenwell was that he had a knife in his hand. Mr. Tennison had a scratch on his face that he said Mr. Greenwell gave him but Mr. Greenwell denied it and said he did not have a knife. [Jesse Floyd also] states that Mr. Greenwell, on two occasions, drove him around and showed him the boundaries of his land and told him he planned to leave it to his wife and after her death to his son Solomon for one purpose—so that Solomon would take care of his sister, Catherine and also because otherwise the land would go out of the family.
Perhaps most revealing for the character of Jesse Floyd, Jr. is the testimony of Joseph Heard that same day about the reliability of Jesse Floyd, Jr. as a witness.
Question from Mr. Key: Do you know Jesse Floyd? Answer: Yes.
Question: Would you believe him upon his oath? Answer: I declare, I don’t know.
Jesse’s divorced wife would no doubt have agreed.
Their children
Both Jesse Floyd, Jr. and his former wife had died by 1832, when the St. Mary’s County apprentice records indicate that their youngest sons Jonathan and George Washington Floyd were apprenticed, with the consent of their older brother Joseph F. Floyd.
10/9/1832: J. A. Greenwell and Thomas H. Miles, Justices of the Peace, bind Jonathan Floyd, an orphan, age about 14, with the consent of his brother, to John McClelland, brick layer and plasterer until he arrives at the age of 21.
11/13/1832: Thomas H. Miles and J. A. Greenwell, Justices of the Peace bind George Washington Floyd, an orphan age about 11, with the consent of his brother, Joseph F. Floyd, to William Wheeler, carpenter for 7 years.
At the time of the 1850 census, we find these same three Floyd brothers still in St. Mary’s County, practicing their respective trades: Joseph as a laborer, Jonathan a bricklayer, and George Washington a farmer.
On May 28, 1833, Jesse’s oldest son Joseph F. Floyd married Mary Greenwell (daughter of Austin Greenwell), who was at least 15 years older than him. However, she was the widow of the landed George Cissell. But, like father, like son. Soon, the General Assembly of Maryland nullified his marriage too, on Feb. 6, 1836. At a court hearing many years later about Cissell’s parcels, we are told that the widow’s dower had been sold in the 1830s to satisfy the debts of her husband, Joseph Floyd (7/11/1853, St. Mary’s Circuit Court, Land Records, JTB 1, 1851-1854, MSA CE 60-1, p. 458). The following year, on March 8, 1854, perhaps because he was now unencumbered by the dowry issue, he married another widow Mary Goldsborough (widow of James Wooten).
Descendants of Jesse Floyd, Jr. [Provided by Linda Reno]
Generation No. 1
1. JESSE2 FLOYD, JR. (JESSE1) was born 1775 in St. Mary’s Co., MD, and died Bet. 1826 – 1832 in St. Mary’s Co., MD. He married JEMIMA ABELL 24 May 1804 in St. Mary’s Co., MD, daughter of JOHN ABELL and ELIZABETH ABELL. She was born Bet. 1785 – 1789 in St. Mary’s Co., MD, and died Bet. 1824 – 1832 in St. Mary’s Co., MD.
Children of JESSE FLOYD and JEMIMA ABELL are:
i. JOSEPH F.3 FLOYD, b. 1810, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1854; m. (1) MARY GREENWELL, 28 May 1833, St. Mary’s Co., MD; b. Bet. 1785 – 1794, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1836; m. (2) MARY GOLDSBOROUGH, 07 Mar 1854, St. Mary’s Co., MD; b. 1815, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1854.
ii. ROBERT FLOYD, b. Bet. 1811 – 1820, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1842; m. ANN A. REDMAN, 07 Feb 1842, St. John’s RCC, Hollywood, St. Mary’s Co., MD; b. 1810, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1842, St. Mary’s Co., MD.
2. iii. JONATHAN FLOYD, b. 1818, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Bet. 1869 – 1870, St. Mary’s Co., MD.
iv. GEORGE WASHINGTON FLOYD, b. 1820, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1850.
Generation No. 2
2. JONATHAN3 FLOYD (JESSE2, JESSE1) was born 1818 in St. Mary’s Co., MD, and died Bet. 1869 – 1870 in St. Mary’s Co., MD. He married SARAH ANN ELIZABETH DYER 05 Nov 1853 in St. Mary’s Co., MD, daughter of THOMAS DYER and ANN HENNING. She was born 1832 in St. Mary’s Co., MD, and died Aft. 1870.
Children of JONATHAN FLOYD and SARAH DYER are:
i. ROBERT H. S.4 FLOYD, b. 1850, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1860.
ii. GEORGE W. FLOYD, b. 1853, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1880.
iii. EVELINA FLOYD, b. 1856, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1870.
3. iv. JOHN THOMAS FLOYD, b. 1859, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
4. v. WILLIAM FRANCIS FLOYD, b. May 1862, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
vi. JAMES R. FLOYD, b. 1864, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
vii. JOSEPH BENEDICT FLOYD, b. 24 Mar 1866, St. Mary’s Co., MD.
viii. ANN (ANNA) MARIA FLOYD, b. 1869, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1880.
Generation No. 3
3. JOHN THOMAS4 FLOYD (JONATHAN3, JESSE2, JESSE1) was born 1859 in St. Mary’s Co., MD, and died Aft. 1920. He married NORA GENEVIEVE GATTON 24 Dec 1898 in St. Joseph’s RCC, Morganza, St. Mary’s Co., MD, daughter of WILLIAM GATTON and ANN GATTON. She was born 28 Feb 1877 in St. Mary’s Co., MD, and died Aft. 1920.
Children of JOHN FLOYD and NORA GATTON are:
i. MARGARET “MAGGIE” M.5 FLOYD, b. 1901, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1910.
ii. ELIZABETH V. FLOYD, b. 1903, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
iii. JOHN T. FLOYD, b. 1904, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
iv. CHARLES E. FLOYD, b. 1905, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
v. FLOSSIE FLOYD, b. 1906, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1910.
vi. MARY C. FLOYD, b. 1909, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1910.
vii. JAMES R. FLOYD, b. 1911, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
viii. JAMES STONE FLOYD, b. 13 Jan 1913, St. Mary’s Co., MD.
ix. NORA ESDEL FLOYD, b. 13 Sep 1915, St. Mary’s Co., MD.
x. MARY C. FLOYD, b. 1916, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
xi. CARROLL BENJAMIN FLOYD, b. 30 Jan 1918, St. Mary’s Co., MD.
xii. ESTELLA FLOYD, b. 1918, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
xiii. JAMES C. FLOYD, b. 1919, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
4. WILLIAM FRANCIS4 FLOYD (JONATHAN3, JESSE2, JESSE1) was born May 1862 in St. Mary’s Co., MD, and died Aft. 1920. He married MARY LOUISE MATTINGLY 09 Jul 1899 in St. John’s RCC, Hollywood, St. Mary’s Co., MD, daughter of JAMES MATTINGLY and SARAH “SALLY”. She was born Jun 1884 in St. Mary’s Co., MD, and died Bet. 1910 – 1920 in St. Mary’s Co., MD.
Children of WILLIAM FLOYD and MARY MATTINGLY are:
i. JOSEPH EMMETT5 FLOYD, b. 14 Jan 1903, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
ii. MARGARET MARIE FLOYD, b. 1906, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
iii. MARY ELLA FLOYD, b. 1908, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1910.
iv. JAMES WILLIAM ROBERT “WILLIE” FLOYD, b. 1909, St. Mary’s Co., MD; d. Aft. 1920.
Special thanks to Linda Reno for much of the information on this page.