John Wight I (abt. 1645 - abt. 1705)

Born about 1645 in England

Husband of Mary (Gittings) Wight — married 1685 in Maryland

Husband of Ann (Fielder) Wight — married after 1692 in Prince George, Maryland

Descendants

Died about 1705 at about age 60 in Prince George, Maryland

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Biography

Was a physician

WIGHT (WHITE, WRIGHT), JOHN (?-1705). ^[1]

BIRTH

BORN: probably in England. IMMIGRATED: probably ca. 1680, as a free adult with his wife and four daughters. [But Note the correction below. ] RESIDED. Calvert (later became Prince George's) County.

MARRIAGE

MARRIED first, Mary (?-by 1687), daughter of John Gittings. MARRIED second, Ann (?-1726), widow of Thomas Gantt (?-ca. 1691).

CHILDREN

SON: John, who married Ann, daughter of Thomas Greenfield (ca. 1649-1715). STEPSONS: Thomas Gantt (?-1765); Edward Gantt. DAUGHTERS: Gratiana; Susannah; Elizabeth; Mary; Margery (?-1783), who married first, Thomas Sprigg (?-1725), son of Thomas Sprigg (by 1670-by 1739), and second, Joseph Belt (ca. 1680-1761); Mary, who married Jeremiah Belt (1698-?), son of John Belt (?-1698); and Fielder, who married John Powell. STEPDAUGHTERS: Elizabeth Gantt (?-1718); Ann Gantt, who married John Bradford (?-1725/26).

PRIVATE CAREER.

EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Presbyterian. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES. Gent.,on arrival. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter; mer- chant.

PUBLIC CAREER

LEGISLATIVE SERVICE.Lower House, Prince George's County, 1697/98-1700, 1701-1704 (Aggrievances 1). LOCAL OFFICES: justice, Calvert County, 1694, Prince George's County, 1695/96-1704 (quorum); coroner, Prince George's County, 1696. MILITARY SERVICE: captain, 1695/96. STANDS ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE ISSUES, charged with having Jacobite sympathies, 1698.

WEALTH DURING LIFETIME

LAND AT FIRST ELECTION 783 acres in 1696. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: administration bond filed on May 23, 1705, in Prince George's County. PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £1,915.0.8 (including 79 oz. plate, 19 slaves, books, and one-sixteenth ownership in the ship Samuel); FB, £1,792.9.1. LAND: at least 1,025 acres.

Sources

1. ↑ "Edward C. Paperfuse et. al. A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature. "

• www.msa.maryland.gov
• Colonial Chesapeake Families British Origins and Descendants – Harrison Dwight Cavanagh, 2014 p 133

John Wight (White, Wright, Wishtt, Weighte, etc.), the second husband of Ann Fielder Gantt, appears to have arrived in Calvert County as a free immigrant in the early 1680’s. In an unfortunate mislisting in what is usually otherwise the seminal history of the Colonial Maryland Legislature by Papenfuse et al. (Vol. 2, p. 887), he has been confused with a John White, gent., who came to Maryland (WC2: 321) in 1680 with his wife and four daughters, settling in Somerset County on the eastern shore, who died testate there in 1686 (WB4: 200).

John Wight of Calvert County, gent., married firstly by 1685-86 (Test Pro 13: 514) Mary Gittings, Daughter of John Gittings (d. 1686) and his second wife Margaret, widow of John Reade of Calvert County, who married thirdly, Thomas Stagg, then she died in 1686. Mary Gittings was born about 1666 and was dead by 30 August 1687, leaving an only child—John Wight, Jr.—probably born about 1686. John Wight Sr. was literate and styled as gentleman in the earliest records. He became one of the most prominent citizens of Calvert Count and later Prince George’s County in the 1690’s and early 1700’s. He was elected to the Lower House of the Legislature in the 1687-1700 and 1701-1704 sessions, serving on the Aggrievances Committee. He also served locally as justice for Calvert County in 1694, Prince George’s County in 1695-1704 (of the quorum) and as the first coroner of Prince George’s County in 1697. John Wight was also styled as a captain of militia in 1695-1696. He was suspected of and was charged with “Jacobite sympathies” in 1698 and was a Presbyterian.

He died intestate in 1705, leaving a large estate of at least 1,025 acres of land and personal property valued at 1,915.0.8 English pounds including 72 ounces of silver plate, 19 slaves, books, and a 1/16th ownership of the trading ship Samuel (administration bond file 23 May 1705 by Ann Gantt Wight in Prince George’s County). After payment of debts, the estate’s net worth totaled 1,792.9.1 pounds sterling, a huge fortune of the time.

Mr. John Wight 25.230 I L284.15.2 Jul 23 1705 Dec 5 1705 Appraisers: Col. William Barton (died prior to Dec 5, 1705), William Wilkison --- Mr. John Wight 25.233 I L498.14.1 Dec 5 1705 Appraisers: Col. Walter Smith, William Wilkinson. Abstracts of the Inventories and Accounts of the Prerogative Court of Maryland 1699-1708, by VL Skinner, pg 19.

John White (also John Wight) 29.182 A PG L783.19.3 L122.11.7 Mar 8 1708 [Account lists Payments received from and Payments to (not copied here).] Mentions: Capt. John Hyde (also John Hide). Administratrix: Ann White (widow). Abstracts of the Inventories and Accounts of the Prerogative Court of Maryland 1708-1711, pg 8, by V.L. Skinner. Edward C. Papenfuse. A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature. Thomas Gantt.

GANTT, THOMAS (?-1765). BORN: by 1691 in Prince George's County; elder son. NATIVE: second generation. RESIDED: in Prince George's County. FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: Thomas Gantt (Gaunt) (?-ca. 1691), of Calvert County, immigrated as an indentured servant in 1654. STEPFATHER: John Wight (?-1705). MOTHER: Ann (?-1726). BROTHER: Edward. STEPBROTHER: John Wight, who married Ann, daughter of Thomas Greenfield (ca. 1649-1715). SISTERS: Ann; Elizabeth (?-1718). HALF SISTERS: Margery Wight, who married first, Thomas Sprigg, son of Thomas Sprigg (ca. 1670-by 1739), and second, Joseph Belt (ca. 1680-1761); Mary Wight, who married Jeremiah Belt; and Feilder Wight, who married John Powell.

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