The Slade family researchers and Beaumont Whitaker say that Ann was the daughter of Abraham Whitacre and his wife Ann. It is an example of something I totally believe though I’m not sure I can claim it is absolutely proven.

• We know that Abraham had a daughter Ann, she was named in his 1743 estate administration. But that date was before she married.

• So the problem is how to know with certainty that the Ann Whitaker who married Ezekial Slade in 1754 was this specific Ann and not some other (possibly related) Ann. John Whitaker had other sons who might have named a daughter Ann after their mother, as Abraham did.

• One piece of evidence is that Ezekial and Ann named a son Abraham. I can find no evidence of the name Abraham being a Slade name prior to this event. I believe Abraham Slade most likely was named for Ann’s father, Abraham Whitaker.

• Ezekial and Ann also had a son Thomas and he and his wife Rachel named a son Isaac Whidaker Slade. Ann had a brother named Isaac Whitaker so it may be that Isaac Whidaker Slade was named directly for him. It is also possible that he was given the name Isaac for some other reason, but there is no obvious one.

• So, the “proof” that Abraham Whitaker’s unmarried daughter Ann was the same Ann who then married Ezekial Slade is a little indirect -- but there are no discordant notes and it is what I believe.

She may be present with her husband in 1790 but is not in 1800.

Harold Slade says our ancestor Ezekial emigrated from England.

Robert Barnes was aware of the William Slade who named sons Josias, Thomas, William and Ezekial in his 1726 will and said that the Josias and William whose names appeared in early Maryland records were William’s sons. But in his brief biography of Ezekiel Slade, who married Ann Whitaker in 1754, he did not make note of any connection between this Ezekiel and the Ezekiel named in William Slade’s will who was given £35. Did Barnes know for a fact that our Ezekial was not William’s son, or did he simply fail to make the connection?

The problem is probably Ezekiel’s tombstone. It says he died in 1802 and it gives his age at death -- but that part is hard to read and it either says 70 or 79 years. William wrote his will in 1726 so if 70 years is right [thus born about 1732], then Ezekiel was not William’s son.

I have seen his tombstone and while I can’t say I can decipher it accurately, I would lean to the view that it says 79 years. And I believe that is what Harold Slade thought as he listed Ezekiel as having been born in 1723 -- probably based on examining his tombstone 50 years ago.

So what’s the truth? I really don’t know for sure. But I believe all of William’s sons were young when he wrote his will and I am not troubled by the fact that he designated £35 to be given him, without saying “upon his maturity” or something similar -- he just didn’t apply that phrase or condition to any of his bequests to his sons. Ezekial clearly lived on My Lady’s Manor, where his presumed two older brothers also lived. So I believe the Slades of that place were all one big family and I believe Ezekial was, in fact, the son of William who died in 1731.

It is not clear exactly where William Slade was living at the time of his death in 1731 but by the 1740’s, Ezekiel’s brothers were leasing land on My Lady’s Manor in the general vicinity of the Baltimore-Harford County line. It may be that as a young man, Ezekiel assisted his brothers on their farms but from 1785-1801, a series of deeds show that Ezekiel became a rather extensive land owner himself on My Lady’s Manor.

His last purchase, in 1801, I believe, had become his “home plantation” by the time of his death the following year. He bought the land from John Hembleton and it was described as “on the road to Slade’s tavern”. It was partly in Baltimore and partly in Harford County not far from St. James Church in Monkton. Ezekiel lived on the Harford County side of his property. He was buried at nearby St. James.

1790. Two men named Ezekiel Slade live in Harford County -- one with six people in his household but only one male over 16, the other with 9 people but with 3 males over 16. The Ezekiel in focus here may be the latter with the older males living with him.

1800. Ezekiel Slade lives in Harford County and is 45+. The oldest female present is 26-44. Wife Ann Whitaker would be 67 were she alive so she must have died. Supposed second wife Blanch Wynn would be 52 so perhaps they have not yet married (but time is running out for Ezekiel).

Becky Curry found an indenture recorded on Nov 4, 1785 from Clement Hollyday & Gabriel Duvall to Ezekiel Slade for the purchase of British property which was confiscated and now is being sold by the redemption of certificate to land of My Lady's Manor in Baltimore and Harford County. I can’t say I fully understand the significance of this, I’m not even sure what land had been confiscated. Land in America or England?

Ann M Whalen covers the Slades from Christopher (the one born in 1825) back to Ezekiah in England and his parents John born Succors, England and Elizabeth Spencer. She has different dates for Ezekial (1728-30 Aug 1802) than I have from elsewhere.

Robert Barnes says Ezekiel Slade married Ann Whitaker 7 Jan 1754 and had a son Josias born 13 Oct 1754. He does not connect this Ezekiel to the Ezekiel named in William Slade’s will and given £30. The theory would be that Ezekiel took his £30 and bought land in Harford County.

Ezekiel’s Harford County will written 11 Jun 1802 proved 11 Sep 1802 mentions sons William, Thomas, John, Abraham and Ezekiel. To son Abraham, he leaves the plantation that “I now live on being part of My Lady's Manor and all that I purchased of Thomas Bond and John Hamilton. Also 1 negro man named Hector and I negro girl named Matilda.”

To son John, land described as "bought of Doctor Johnson being lot 3 of Mountjoy." Leaves one dollar to son-in-law Jacob Bull and a cow and a calf to his son Jacob. Leaves Mary Strader, alias Stroud, furniture, cash and livestock. Leaves livestock to Harriett Strader alias Stroud and Elizabeth Strader alias Stroud, some in care of her mother Mary Strader. Left horses to son John purchased of Joseph McClung.

He does not mention a wife. I wonder if he didn’t marry a widow Stroud but she has died and her daughter Mary married Strader (spelled Schrader in one place) and had two daughters. But that’s a guess.

Ezekiel, Ezekiel Jr., Thomas and William Slade took the 1778 Loyalty Oath.

A William Slade died in about 1825 and Abraham Slade, his son, filed the administrative accounts in the following years, recorded in Vol 5, 1823-30. The children and heirs were named: Stephen, Ezekial, Abraham, James W and Elizabeth.

Harold F Slade not only said that Ezekiel Slade who died 20 Aug 1802 emigrated from England but also said he was married to Blanche Wynn. He made no mention of any other wife.

But we know that, in 1754, our Ezekial married Ann Whitaker. Ann’s father was Abraham Whitaker and Ann and Ezekial named a son Abraham (not a Slade name up until then) presumably in honor of him. Nor is there any real evidence that there ever was a Blanche Wynn, who Harold Slade said was born in 1748, but its possible Ezekiel had two wives and she was his second.

Ezekiel’s 1802 will is no help. He mentioned no wife whatsoever. In any event, Ezekiel married Ann Whitaker in 1754 and I believe she was the mother of Abraham who was born in 1763, when Blanche Wynn, if she ever existed, was but 15 years old. When Ann died and whether there was then a second wife, I just don’t know, but so long as Ann was Abraham’s mother, it doesn’t matter much to me.

I have placed Blanche in my database as Ezekiel’s second wife just to keep her around until I learn more. But she supposedly lived until 1829, so it seems strange that Ezekiel didn’t mention her in his will.

Ezekiel bequeathed son Abraham the plantation that “I now live on being part of My Lady's Manor.”