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Newton Family papers

 Collection 0288-MDHC

Members of the Newton Family were landowners in Anne Arundel, Dorchester, and Howard Counties, and Baltimore City, Maryland. The Newton Family Papers date from 1772 to 1885 with the bulk of the material from 1784 to 1865. The collection consists largely of legal documents. Additionally there is material relating to business transactions, correspondence, and a Sons of Temperance handbook. The primary subject of the collection is land transaction. Other subjects include eighteenth century advertising, the departure of a pastor from his parish, and the activities of the Sons of Temperance in the early nineteenth century.

Dates

  • 1770-1873
  • Majority of material found within 1848-1865

Use and Access to Collection

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Photocopies or digital surrogates may be provided in accordance with Special Collections and University Archives duplication policy.

Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs unless otherwise specified. It is the researcher's responsibility to secure permission to publish materials from the appropriate copyright holder.

Archival materials may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws or other regulations. While we make a good faith effort to identify and remove such materials, some may be missed during our processing. If a researcher finds sensitive personal information in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the special collections reading room staff.

Extent

1.00 Linear Feet

Scope and Content of Collection

The Newton Family papers date from 1772 to 1885 with the bulk of the material from 1784 to 1865. The collection consists largely of legal documents; additionally there is material relating to business transactions, correspondence, and a Sons of Temperance handbook. The primary subject of the collection is land transaction. Other subjects include eighteenth century advertising, the departure of a pastor from his parish, and the activities of the Sons of Temperance in the early nineteenth century.

Family History

Members of the Newton family were eighteenth- and nineteenth-century landowners in Anne Arundel County, Dorchester County, Howard County, and Baltimore City, Maryland.

The earliest traceable member of the Newton family was Nimrod Newton (d. circa 1792) of Dorchester County, Maryland. He and his wife Margaret had three children: sons Nathan Newton and William Newton (d. 1871), and daughter Mahala Newton. William Newton had three sons: Nimrod Newton (b. circa 1800), Thomas Newton (b. 1800), and William M. Newton (b. 1826). When their father William died in 1871, Nimrod and William M. Newton sold their inherited land to their brother Thomas and another relative, Howar Newton.

William M. Newton was a painter. He married Lucy Rebecca Newton (b. 1830), originally from Virginia, and they lived in Baltimore City. In 1880 they had four children: three daughters, Mary (b. 1863), Lucy (b. 1868), and Ridis (b. 1871), and one son, Eugene (b. 1875). Later, according to census records, Eugene, Mary and Ridis are shown still living together in Baltimore, with Mary and Ridis working as teachers.

Nimrod Newton (according to census information, circa 1800) was a wheelwright in 1860. Like his grandfather and namesake, he married a woman named Margaret. They had two sons, Wilbur and Lessie.

Nimrod and William's brother Thomas Newton (b. 1800-d. October 25, 1883) was a farmer. He and his wife Ruth (b. 1804) had three children, possibly four: Thomas S. Newton (b. 1828), Margaret Ann Newton (b.1832), and Julia Ann Newton (b. 1836, married Edward Earp) and Olivia Newton (b. 1844). Olivia is difficult to trace and it is possible she died in 1870 or 1871, or was a more distant relation to Thomas and Ruth Newton. She appears in the 1870 census with the family but is not mentioned in the 1871 deed dividing Thomas Newton's land between his children. The eldest of the children, Thomas S. Newton, was a blacksmith. Julia Ann and Edward Earp, and possibly any other members of the Newton family, are buried in the cemetery attached to Melville Chapel in Elkridge, Maryland (Howard County) as there are records in the collection of purchase of plots within this cemetery by Edward Earp and Thomas Newton.

Other Newton family members mentioned in the collection are: Willis and Milcah Newton (husband and wife, mentioned in 1784), William Newton (mentioned in 1786 and 1800), Richard Newton (mentioned in 1800), and Howar Newton (mentioned in 1871). The relationship between these members of the Newton family and the previously mentioned members is uncertain.

Arrangement

The Newton Family papers have been arranged into one series:

  1. Series 1: Family Documents

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

The Newton Family papers were accessioned by the University of Maryland in February 1990.

Bibliography

Research into U.S. Census records has revealed some details about the Newton family beyond what is included in the collection.

Processing Information

The Newton Family Papers were processed in February 2011 by Allison C. Heinbaugh. A detailed inventory was made of the collection. The papers were arranged into a single series ordered chronologically with any undated material placed at the end of the series. The materials were each placed in individually labeled acid-free folders to aid location within the collection. A finding aid was then created for the materials.

Title
Guide to the Newton Family papers
Status
Completed
Author
The collection was processed in February 2011 by Allison C. Heinbaugh.
Date
2011-05-03
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Library Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives

Contact:
University of Maryland Libraries
Hornbake Library
4130 Campus Drive
College Park Maryland 20742
301-405-9212