Robert Barnes in his book “British Roots of Maryland Families” profiles a man named John Hurst who immigrated to Anne Arundel County in 1689 and Barnes provides a very extensive pedigree for this man tracing back five generations.

In another of his publications -- “Baltimore County Families” -- Robert Barnes profiles a man named John Hurst who was present in Anne Arundel County by 1695. It is very hard to conclude reading the two profiles of John Hurst that, for sure, it is the same man being profiled. It sure would have been nice had Barnes reconciled the issue by saying clearly in one source or the other that they were the same man or that they were not the same man. But he didn’t.

But I believe they may have been the same John Hurst.

IMMIGRANT. I believe our John Hurst emigrated from England -- whether he was the John Hurst about whom Barnes provides such an extensive pedigree I don’t know -- but he came from England to Anne Arundel County and may later have had land interests in Baltimore County too.

The Barnes pedigree in “British Roots of Maryland Families” says that John Hurst, the 1689 immigrant, was the son of George Hurst and Elizabeth Field. This couple did not emigrate but their sons John and Samuel did.

George, in turn, was the son of John Hirst and Dorothy Robinson of Little Marsden, England. John was the son of Richard Hirst and Ellen Cottrell. Richard was the son of Thomas Hirst and Margery Ward of Marton, Prestbury Parish, Lancashire, England. And finally Thomas was the son of Joannes Hirst.

Barnes does not give a lot of dates for these people but one he does state is that a daughter of Joannes married in 1539. So obviously he has gone back many, many years.

I have not bothered to even begin to think about verifying any of this pedigree.

Here is Barnes’ biography of John Hurst and of (the other?) John Hurst:

• From “Baltimore County Families”. Present in Anne Arundel County by 1695, owned Wansworth, was an inn holder in Baltimore in 1701 when he purchased land from James Todd, conveyed Coles Harbor and also land once owned by Alexander Mountenay with wife Hannah in 1702, had issue John (born before 1705) and Alexander (born before 1710).

• From “British Roots of Maryland Families”. Married Elizabeth Wilson in 1685 and immigrated with wife and two sons in 1689 to Anne Arundel County and bought land named Luffman’s Division. Witnessed will of John Ray in 1692. May have been the parents of Isaac (born 1687), Elizabeth (born 1690) and John (born 1697).

So, both biographies profile a man named John Hurst who was present in Anne Arundel County in the 1690’s and had a son John born before 1705. But nothing else in either of the biographies corresponds to anything in the other. However, given that a man might have had more than one wife, might have owned multiple tracts of land and might well have had many children born over a fairly wide span of years -- there are no obvious contradictions, either.

I believe our ancestry traces to Bennett Hurst who was the son of John Hurst Jr. who, in turn, was the son of John Hurst Sr. of Anne Arundel County. I believe that our John Hurst Jr. was born in 1697 and that his father’s wife was Hannah by 1702.

Of the possibly two different John Hursts profiled by Robert Barnes, Hannah is mentioned in “Baltimore County Families” and John Jr. in both. In “Baltimore Families” it says only that John was born before 1705 while in “British Roots” an exact birth date is given that I think matches the birth date of our John Jr.. How much of everything else Barnes says about John Hurst (Sr.) in either source pertains to our John Sr., I don’t know.

I believe Hannah was the name of John Hurst Sr.’s wife by at least 1702 and I would guess, despite the possibility that John had an earlier wife, that Hannah was likely his wife in 1697 and therefore the mother of John Jr.