On 2 Aug 1659, Richard Ewen assigned a 50 acre tract to his son-in-law Richard Talbott.

There’s a curious thing in the Ida Shirk book. She states it is not known when Elizabeth Ewen married Richard Talbott but since she shows their children as being born roughly 1656 to 1660 -- she had to realize their marriage was perhaps the early-mid- 1650’s. She quotes a document citing a land grant to Richard Ewen, Elizabeth’s father. in 1650 for transporting nine persons into the Province of Maryland. Those persons were named n this order: his wife Sophia, Eliza Davy, Richard Ewen Jr., John Ewen, Susanna Ewen, Ann Ewen and then three additional random people.

So where was Richard’s daughter Elizabeth? Was she already married to Richard Talbott and possibly came with him? Yes, that’s possible -- but isn’t it also possible that his daughter Elizabeth was Eliza Davy -- who was she? Why was she listed after his wife and before his other children? Couldn’t it be that Elizabeth (Eliza?) married first someone named Davy?

Richard and Elizabeth (Ewen) Talbott were Quakers, affiliated with the West River Monthly Meeting. West River seems to have been a very important early Quaker settlement in Maryland, if not America. George Fox, a key founder of the Society of Friends, came to West River on a visit to America in the early 1670’s.

The early prominent citizens of West River of that era are also described as Puritans. George Fox himself was raised a Puritan. Thus, as I read the history of West River, it almost seems the terms became blended. Yet in New England, settled initially by Puritans, Quakers were distinctly different, even persecuted by the Puritans. I’m not sure I can explain it.

Elizabeth married second (third?), in 1667, William Richardson and had about six more children by him. William was a Quaker, ultimately a minister of that faith. In fact, for a time, the West River Monthly Meeting was held at his house. William Penn visited the William Richardson house in 1682. Richardson also was a member of the Maryland General Assembly 1678-1684. He died in 1697.

I know nothing about his pedigree. There was a Robert Talbot in England, the Earl of Shrewsbury, whose wife, Grace Calvert, was of the family of the first Lord Baltimore. On the Internet, there is a debate whether Richard was the son of Robert or had no relation to him. The researchers who want to believe Richard was of this prominent family seem to ignore that in America he clearly sided with the Puritans in their dispute against Lord Baltimore.

IMMIGRANT. Whether Richard came to Anne Arundel County direct from England or came first to, say, Virginia and then later came into Maryland, for example, with his father-in-law -- is not known. But it seems clear that he was an immigrant at some point and can be found in Anne Arundel County by probably the early 1650’s and no later than 10 Dec 1656 when he aquired Poplar Knowle.

Richard Talbott settled on his plantation called Poplar Knowle in about 1657. His plantation adjoined that of his father-in-law Richard Ewen. Which came first, the event of his settling next to the Ewens and then meeting Richard’s daughter Elizabeth or the event of his meeting and marrying Elizabeth Ewen and then buying the adjoining plantation? That is not known, but probably the latter.

By his will dated 21 Apr 1663, Richard Talbott bequeathed Poplar Knowle to eldest son Richard (who apparently died before reaching majority) and other lands to sons Edward and John and daughter Elizabeth. He mentioned cattle given his two oldest sons Richard and Edward by their grandfather.

His daughter Elizabeth married first James Preston, second Benjamin Lawrence and third Richard Galloway. She had children by each husband. The Galloways were neighbors and, by Elizabeth’s third marriage, relatives, of the Talbotts and seem ultimately to have been the owners of both the original Talbott and Ewen plantations.