John Culver Sr. (abt. 1693 - abt. 1766)

Born about 1693 in England or Maryland

Husband of Mary Martha Coppinger — married 2 Dec 1711 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Husband of Mary (Unknown) Culver 2nd — married after Sep 1755 (to before Apr 1766) in Somerset, Maryland

Descendants

Died about Apr 1766 at about age 73 in Somerset County, Maryland

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Rebecca Adams [send private message], Sam Casey [send private message], and Jim G Culver [send private message]

Biography

John CULVER was born about 1693 in Middlesex, England or Maryland Colony. He married Mary Martha COPPINGER on 2 Dec 1711, and they had ten children together. After her death, he then married another wife named Mary between September 1755 and his death. He died before April 30, 1766 when his will was filed in Somerset, Maryland Colony at the age of 73.^[1]

John was not born in 1685 as some have speculated . That was a different John Culver.

To quote Lorena Spillers' book on page 15: To have been married in 1711, John would have been born 1693-4 at the latest. Now the problem begins all over again. Whose son was [this] John Culver?

Another interesting quote from Spillers page 2 is: "Every branch of the Culvers that came to Georgia that I have contacted said there were three brothers who came over together from England and settled in Maryland. One later went to New York, one out west and the other went to Georgia, according to family tradition." [Jim Culver - I wish one of those descendants had known the names of the other two brothers. That might have lead us to the names of their parents back in England.]

Notes added by Jim G. Culver 10 Apr 2021

These notes represent many years of research and are my current assumptions as supported by as many records as are available. All currently available databases have been searched for additional details about this John Culver. I doubt that any additional records will ever be found that would conclusively prove or disprove my notes or those of other researchers. This information is hopefully the basis for others to prove or disprove with actual records, not supposition as many researchers have attempted. Further details not included here can be found on my Ancestry.com page at the following link: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1638347/person/-1907781629/facts

John Culvers: There were several John Culvers who lived in the approximate time frame as this one. Our John CULVER was probably born about 1693 in Middlesex, England. [He was possibly, but not proven, to be born in the the British Colonies, perhaps Maryland on the same date.] In British records, there are several records for the common name John Culver, who were born in England (in general), specifically the Middlesex Area of England, and other areas as well.

I call ours John Culver, Sr. There are no records to support that naming convention; I do it because he had a son named John Culver (who I call Jr.).

Dispelling a Few Internet Errors

DAR Membership Application Errors: In the DAR membership application, the portion beginning with Edward Culver (1654-1732) and all earlier portions for those generations are incorrect. Many hang their assumptions on that document. However, Mrs. Spillers published that document on 23 Nov 1954 . In her later research, published in 1963, she concludes that the connection to Edward Culver/Colver cannot be made, and that the 1685 date of birth that she originally published is incorrect, and should be 1693 or later. She does republish the work of Leslie Dryden on the Edward Colver family in an appendix for informational purposes, but she concludes that the connection of Edward Colver to John Culver of Somerset cannot be made. That is why she named her book Some Descendants of John Culver, not Edward Culver.

Therefore, Edward Culver was not John's father and Sarah Backus was not his mother; or at least there is no proof of it. Additionally, Edward's parents, Edward Colver and Ann Ellis, were not John's grandparents. Respectfully, Jim Culver- originally written 2007

Unsupported Postings: Jim Culver Note: There are sources on the Ancestry, RootsWeb, One World Tree, and WorldConnect, that were copied without regard to their authenticity, that suppose that Nathaniel Culver born 20 Feb1673 and Margaret Burroughs born 5 Oct 1677 are the parents of John Culver of Somerset. Some have accepted those assertions as fact, and have circumstantiated that information . I discount those sources as incorrect because there are no records that offer proof, only supposition that it might be true.

Stories about John Culver of Somerset

The following three paragraphs are stories, not records :

1. There is an account of John coming to America from England with three sons and no mention of a wife.

2. There is another account that has John descended from Edward Colver of Connecticut. If you believe the supposition that John is a descendant of Edward, he could have migrated to Anne Arundel county where he met and married Mary Martha.

3. There is another account of a John CULVER, born 1693 in England, and his wife Mary came to America in 1716 with three young sons and settled in the Chesapeake Bay area near the Maryland and Delaware border. Three more sons were born on the Maryland farm they called Beverly. (As a sign of the times, daughters were not listed.)

------------End of Stories -------------

Church Records & Notes:

The following records show the marriage of John Culver and Mary "Martha" COPPINGER as well as the baptism records of sons Joseph and John, who were christened in the church in Maryland Colony, but that does not necessarily mean they were born there.

Church Records All Hallows Parish Church of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Register 1685 to 1858: Page 78 marriages - 1711 John Culver & Martha Coppinger were married by B(anns) 2 Dec 1711 (Jim Culver Note: anns means a church wedding, registered only in the church).

Page 86 - Joseph son of John Culver & wife Martha was baptized 3 Aug 1712,

Page 277 - John son of John & wife Martha was baptized 21 Jul 1717, (Possibly died before 1718, [Jim Culver Note: speculated by others, not my assumption]).

Page 287 - John son of John & wife Martha baptized 14 Sep 1718 [Jim Culver Note: If only the year were different, this would be assumed to be a posting error. However, the month and day are different also. So, was son John baptized twice, or did the first son John die and they named to another son John?].

Page 310 - William son of William Murfey and Martha Culver, was baptized 23 Feb 1721-22. (Jim Culver Note: I do not know who this Martha is or how she fits into our tree. In this family, there was a daughter named Martha, but she was not born until about 1724. Another curious thing about this records is the way it is stated. Most of the other birth/baptism records I see from that church list the husband's name and his wife's given name, not her maiden name. This seems to indicate that they were not married.

Maryland Marriages, 1634-1777 Culver, John, 2 Dec. 1711, Martha Coppinger Marriage: John Culver to Mary Coppinger, 02 Dec, 1711, All Hallows Parish. (Source: Anne Arundel Co. Church Records of the 17th & 18th Centuries; Wright, F. Edward, Westminster, MD: Family Line Publications.)

On Feb 18, 1737 John Culver purchased a 150-acre farm west of Delmar, near the Maryland-Delaware border from Robert and Ann Downs. The family consisted of sons: Joseph Culver born 1712 in England, Aaron Culver born in England, Moses Culver born in England, John Culver born 1717 in Somerset Maryland, George Culver born 1721 in Somerset Maryland (died 1782 Sussex County Delaware), and Thomas Culver born about 1732 in Somerset, Maryland.

Jim Culver Notes: Based on the church records indicating John and Martha were married in 1711 in Anne Arundel County Maryland, and they had (at least) two sons christened in the church there, I believe the family either came from England or another territory, then settled in Somerset County, Maryland. Due to the sparse population at that time, it seems highly unlikely that there were two John Culvers living in the same area, at the same time, both with a wife named Mary, and with two sons named Joseph and Aaron.

Culver Family Record Locations: In the early 1700's, Princes Anne was the county seat of Somerset County, Maryland, and Georgetown was the county seat of Sussex County, Delaware. Early Somerset comprised what is now several counties and a vast land area. When John purchased his farm on Feb 18, 1737, the farm was in Somerset County, Maryland. It was located about four miles West of Delmar, Delaware. In 1767 (after John's death) the boundary lines were redrawn and it was established that the farm was in Delaware, not Maryland. Therefore, some family records are posted in Somerset County, Maryland and others in Sussex County, Delaware.

At the time John purchased the property in 1737, his Culver's occupation was weaver. While he was also a farmer, it appears he continued weaving until his death as indicated by the inventory of his estate after his death that included weaving equipment and an inventory of wool, yarn, and thread. The listing of livestock, farm equipment, and produce indicate he was also a farmer.

On 25 Jan 1755, John and wife Mary M. (1st Mary) sold 57 1/4 acres of Beverly to William Phillips. This left John with 92 3/4 acres. John signed the deed and "Mary M." made her mark. Evidently, first Mary died between 25 January when she made her mark on the bill of sale, and 2 September 1755, when John's will was dated.

John married another woman named Mary (2nd Mary) after September 1755, when he wrote his will. He died in April 1766 at the age of 73, before the 30th (the date his will was filed in court in Somerset, Maryland Colony).

Spillers Quote: In a deposition in 1750, John said he was "about" 50 years of age. Is this true or did vanity cause him to approximate. If true, it is unlikely that he was the same John who married Martha Coppinger in 1711.

John Culver Death record 1766: All Hallow's Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Register 1685-1858.

Spillers Research: Much of my Culver information for early Culvers comes from the Lorena Martin Spillers book, Some Descendants of John Culver of Somerset, Maryland, original dated 1954 (later updated in 1963). I honor and praise Mrs. Spillers for her extensive work over many years that resulted in her book. I used Lorena Spillers' work as starting point, and I have endeavored to refine and enhance her information, but only when I found additional records to prove those details were incorrect or incomplete.

Mrs. Spillers suggests that John Culver probably had two wives both named Mary. Her assumption is based primarily on the fact that no wife was mentioned in his will written in 1755. (See 2nd Mary).

Note about 2nd Mary: John died in April of 1766. In August of 1766, John Henry and Henry Steele sued John's widow Mary in court for a debt of 5 lbs, 11 shillings, 8 pence, owed by her late husband. This and other court records Mary filed contesting her husband's will indicate that there WAS a 2nd Mary and that she outlived John.

John married the second wife named Mary after September 1755, when he wrote his will. He died in April 1766, before the 30th, when his will was filed in court in Somerset, Maryland Colony.

Will

Will of John Culver - Somerset Co., MD - John Culver of Stepney Parish.^[1] The will was written 2 Sept 1755. It was proven in court on 30 Apr 1766 by his son Moses and witness. On the same date, current wife, 2nd Mary disputed the will, which left her nothing. Mary claimed her one/third of the estate required by law, and claimed claimed she should be the administrator of John's estate. Both requests were granted by the court. Therefore, it was concluded by the court that 2nd Mary was John's lawful wife.

John Culver's Will: On the 30th day of April 1766 came Moses Culver and made oath that within instrument of writing is the true and only Will and Testament of John Culver, late of Somerset County, dec'd., that hath come to his hands, possession and knowledge, and that he doth not know or has ever heard of any other. Sworn before Thomas Holbrook, Dep. Commissioner of Somerset County.

On the 30th day of April, came Mary Culver, widow of John Culver, and made her election to the within Will and refuses to abide by the said will or any part thereof, but def to have her thirds, agreeable to an act of Assembly, in such cases made and provided. "Be it remembered that the above mentioned Mary Culver is to pay for recording the within Will.

To sons John, George, Thomas and Charles - one shilling each and no more of my estate. To sons Moses and Aaron land and dwelling Plantation. (Jim Culver Note: The will, written 11 years before his death, it mentions six sons and no daughters, no wife. Four of his sons were left nominal legacies, apparently to clear the title to his real estate, which he left to his sons Moses and Aaron.)

At the time of his death, 43 persons owed John money, apparently due in payment for cloth or material that he weaved for them in his establishment. His debtors included four of his sons Aaron, Moses, George and Thomas, as well as three members of the Phillips family (who had purchased part of "Beverly"), one member of the Hardy family, and two Calloways.

The will does not include Joseph Culver, shown on some records as John's oldest son, born in 1712. He must have been deceased and without heirs at the time of his father's writing of the will in 1755. This would seem to indicate that Joseph was never married, or did not live to that age.

Jim Culver Note: The will also does not mention the two daughters Mary and Martha. However, there is an account in Mrs. Spillers' book that indicates that the daughters received compensation through their husbands names. Since this was not in John's 1755 will, I wonder if second Mary made these changes or attributions.

The estate inventories were taken on 17 and 19 November 1766. Copies of these records were obtained from the Maryland Archives for Somerset County, Maryland.

Quote from Spillers: In Jan 1755 John's wife was Mary M.; but 2 Sep 1755 no wife was mentioned in the will (where by law she should have received "her third"); then in 1766 a widow Mary sues for her third. Implies two different wives named Mary. In this scenario is true, the 2nd Mary would have had to marry him in the 11 years between writing the will and his death, and the first Mary Martha would have died between 5 Jan 1755 & 2 Sep 1755.

Note from pg 9 Spillers "I found the will of George Culver, 2nd son of John, and the wills of Moses and Aaron Culver, the 2nd & 4th sons, but did not find the will of John Culver (Jr.) 1st son born about 1720, nor the wills of Thomas or Charles Culver the 2 youngest sons, so it is possible that those moved away from Maryland and settled elsewhere.

Quotes from Spillers are taken from the book by Lorena Martin Spillers, Some Descendants of John Culver of Somerset, Maryland. . Mrs. Spillers later disproved some of her own research and updated her book, but very little of it was later determined to be substantially incorrect. The following link is to the archive of her book. https://archive.org/details/somedescendantso00spil/page/n3/mode/2up

Following are some additional notes from Mrs. Spillers book that further the discussion about John and his transactions in court:

'HALL OF RECORDS, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND Testamentary Proceedings.

Liber 41, folio 370. John Culver his Will and Testamentary Bond by Mary Culver his Executrix with Josiah Dashiel and Samuel Callaway his Sureties in the sum of 100 pounds sterling dated 30th April 1766. Folio 435. Oct. 8, 1766. John Culver his Inventory.

Folio 158. John Culver of Somerset County comes into court in his proper person and prays that forasmuch as he is old and infirm unable to labour he may be discharged from paying taxes for the future which is by the court hereunto him granted. Nov. Court, 1764.

Folio 168. John Culver vs. John Lankford. You John Lankford, Thomas Lankford and Thomas Phillips do confess Judgment to John Culver for the sum of thirty three shillings three pence debt and cost of warrant which sum was recovered by the said John Culver against John Lankford on the 31st day of August, 1764, before Thomas Moor one of his Lordship’s Justices of Peace for the county aforesaid the said sum of 33 shillings 3 pence debt and cost to be levied on your bodies goods chattells lands or Tenements for the use of the said John Culver in case the aforesaid John Lankford should not pay or indemnify? unto the said John Culver the said sum of 33 shillings and three pence debt and costs as afsd. recovered against him with the additional cost thereon on the 10th day of February 1764. Confessed this 3rd day of October 1764. Before William Adams. Nov. 1764.

Folio 180. March Court, 1765. John Culver of Somerset County, planter, to appear at court, March 3rd Tuesday, 1765, to answer unto Ephraim King in a matter of debt of 13 lbs., 12 shillings 4 pence. John acknowledged debt. King granted recovery.

Folio 201. March 19, 1765. Aaron Culver of Stepney Parish, planter, on October 9, 1764, assaulted John Williams. Admits guilt. Fined one shilling.

Somerset County Judicial Record 1765-6

Folio 23. John Henry and Henry Steele vs. John Culver of Somerset Co., planter. A matter of unpaid debt of 5 pounds 11 shillings and 8 pence. Account exhibited: 1763-April 19 and 25, rum; Aug. 18, 2 men’s felt hats, powder; 1764-July 4-rum; July 6-tin funnel; Aug. 9-1 man’s felt hat, pepper. John admitted guilt. George Culver of Somerset County, planter, undertook to pay fees should John default.

Folio 206. August Court, 1766. John Henry and Henry Steele vs. Mary Culver. Henry and Steele had recovered a debt of 5 lbs. 11 shillings 8 pence and costs against John Culver. Said John Culver is now dead and died intestate and administration granted to Mary Culver the widow and relict. They now obtained judgment against Mary Culver.

--End of Jim G. Culver Notes entered 3 June 2020--

John Culver. ^[2] Born 1693 Somerset, Montgomery Co, Maryland. ^[3][4][5]

Note: According to a disposition John Culver made in 1750 stating that he was fifty years old, he was born about 1700. The first known records of John Culver are from 18 Feb 1737 when he purchased 150 acres of the tract Beverly from Robert Downs and Ann his wife, of Somerset Co MD. The land was in Delaware after the borderline was changed and finally established in 1767. It is to be found just across the line in Del, ab out 3 or 4 miles west of the present town of Delmar. On 19 Aug 1738, John witnessed the will of Peter Calloway which was probated on 26 Jan 1739/40. On Nov 1738, a commission was appointed by the Somerset Co court to have the boundaries of Beverly re-established. According to 1739 court records, Thomas Langford of Stepney Parish did' beat, wound, and evilly treat (John Culver) that his life was greatly despaired of'. On 2 Apr 1750, John made a deposition stating that he was 50 year sold. On 25 Jan 1755, John and wife Mary M. sold 57 14 acres of Beverly to William Phillips. This left John with 92 34 acres. John signed the deed while Mary made her mark. Mary may have died during 1755 since she is not mentioned in John's will written later that year.. John wrote a will on 2 Sep 1755 in Stepney Parish of Somerset Co MD.He mentioned six sons, no daughters and no wife. Most of the sons were left only nominal legacies, apparently to clear the title to his real estate, which he left to only two of them, Moses and Aaron. He left one shilling sterling to his sons, John, George, Thomas, and Charles. To his other two sons, Moses and Aaron, he gave all of his land and dwelling plantation, to be divided equally between them. In Nov 1764, John Culver Somerset Co came into court in his proper person and prayed that for as much as he is old and infirm and unable to labour that he may be discharged from paying taxes for the future which by the court here unto him granted. John Culver died in April 1766 at the age of 66. At the time of his death, some forty-three people owed him money in various sums, no doubt largely due in payment for cloth or material which he wove for them in his establishment. They included four of his sons - Aaron, Moses, George, and Thomas, as well as three members of the Phillips family who had purchased part of Beverly. On Apr 30 1766, Moses Culver presented the will of John Culver. Also appearing in court on the same day was Mary Culver, widow of John Culver, who contested the will and requested one third to which she was entitled by law. The request was granted. 2 RESEARCH NOTES: 2 At the time that he purchased property in 1737, John Culver followed the trade of a weaver. While he undoubtedly devoted part of his time to agricultural pursuits after he purchased Beverly, there seems little doubt that he continued to follow his original trade for the rest of his life. This seems clear from the inventory of his estate after his death. Various pieces of equipment used in the weaver's trade, quantities of wool, yarn, and thread, all indicate that he actively pursued his trade through his life. The listing of livestock, frame equipment, and farm produce indicate that he also engaged in farming. It would seem that he even raised some of his raw materials, for 'unbrok flax' and flaxseed were listed. Most of the Culver information comes from the Culver-Spillers Family book dated 1963. Mrs Spillers was a real old lady when contacted by Catherine Ballard about purchasing a book. It was no longer in print. Unless otherwise references, most Culver information comes from this source. The author of this book suggests that John Culver probably had two wives both named Mary. This is based mainly on the fact that no wife was mention in the 1755 will. I have chosen not to list a second wife since there is no information as to which children might belong to each wife if there were two.

Event: DNA-Sam parents. Note: and JJ. ^[6][7] Event-Misc 19 AUG 1738. Maryland Note: John Culver witnessed the will of Peter Calloway. Type: WITNESS. Event-Misc 02 SEP 1755. Stepney Parish, Somerset Co, Maryland. Note: John Culver: mentions six sons, no daughters, no wife. Type: WILL SIGNED. Event-Misc 30 APR 1766. Somerset, Montgomery Co, Maryland. Note: Type: WILL PROVED\PROBATED. ^[8][9][10]

Marriage Husband John Culver. Wife Martha Mary Coppinger. Child: George Culver. Marriage 02 DEC 1711. Anne Arundel Co, Maryland. ^[11][12]

Husband Nathaniel Culver. Wife Margaret Burroughs. Child: John Culver. Marriage 24 JAN 1699/0. ^[13][14]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Maryland Register of Wills Records: Will of John Culver
2. ↑ Source: #S4 Database online.
3. ↑ Source: #S4 Database online.
4. ↑ Source: #S4 Database online.
5. ↑ Source: #S4 Database online.
6. ↑ Source: #S678
7. ↑ Source: #S29
8. ↑ Source: #S4 Database online.
9. ↑ Source: #S4 Database online.
10. ↑ Source: #S4 Database online.
11. ↑ Source: #S85 929.3752 BAR
12. ↑ Source: #S85 929.3752 BAR
13. ↑ Source: #S4 Database online.
14. ↑ Source: #S4 Database online.

• Maryland, Somerset County, Probate records: "Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999"
  Catalog: Maryland, Somerset County, Probate records Wills, liber EB4, 1750-1773, folio 117
  Image path: Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999 > Somerset > Wills 1750-1773 vol EB4 > image 257 of 408
  FamilySearch Image: 33S7-95F3-XWW (accessed 11 July 2022)
• Source: S29 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Provo, UT Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Repository: #R25
• Repository: R25 ancestry.com
• Source: S4 One World Tree Ancestry.com Publication: The Generations Network, Inc, Provo UT Repository: #R25
• Source: S678 ancestryDNA-sjcaseyjr

See also:

• Spillers, Lorena Martin Some Descendants of John Culver (Tulsa, OK, 1963),