Fifth Generation

A good way to do genealogy is to pick a focus ancestor. I made the mistake of picking Ninian Magruder. I soo found that his children married into the Beall family. I tried to figure them out but was sorely disappointed. It became a confusing mess. Everyone is trying ot connect to Col. Ninian Beall so that lines are crossed and knotted into a mess. It would take a lot of research and time to figure the mess out. I have three young children and at this time am unable to do tha kind of work. I know my mother could fix it but she is so far away. I notice that many times when you get a line back to 1650 things become confused. It is impossible to connect back to the old country which was usually England and sometimes Scotland. It is so tempting to connect your ancestor with those of the peerage, but these are usually wrong. It is best to just go by what research is found.

I honestly do not think it is a stretch that Alexander Magruder’s mother had royal lineage especially since those connections are through an illegitimate line and it goes back to Robert the Bruce. Saying that he was related to James IV is probably incorrect however and the fact of him being a cattle theif is not a stretch either. I like the Alexander Magruder who is a Drummond and a Campbell not a MacGregor who was an adventurer and soldier, whose mother with the timy bit of royal lineage through illegitimate lines There is some speculation that Alexander fought in wars on the continent before coming to Maryland and that he came to Maryland earlier than previously thought. All the stories of Alexander Magruder once he came to Maryland prove to be true. He worked hard, he became rich, he had friends in high places, and he was well educated. He also doesn’t seem to be a fan of the English and did not serve in the local government. He owned more than 4000 acres and his son Samuel became good friends with Col. Ninian Beall. Just based on facts and not speculation, Alexander Magruder is an interesting man. You don’t need to make up stories about him and he doesn’t even need to be connected to the MacGregor clan. The Magruders are interesting without them, even without connections to royalty or Lords and Ladies.

I have learned a lot about this family in the past month. Some not so flattering. Sarah Magruder the wife of Samuel appears in court documents where the court sentences mulatto girls to whippings and lashings for getting pregnant and selling their illegitimate children to other neighbors. As a Southerner, you have to accept the fact your ancestors were slave owners and forgive them, but it was still hard to read. A mullato free girl got pregnant by one of Sarah Magruder’s slaves. She asked the girl who the father was but the girl refused to name a father. She brought the girl to court and she was whipped and her child given to a neighbor for 30 years. Such a tragic story. Another interesting thing is that it was a fashionable thing to have an East Indian slave bought from England. I know of at least one Magruder who had an East Indian slave. We have interesting cousins like General John B. Magruder. I think he is my favorite cousin and he is related through Samuel Magruder son of Alexander the immigrant through his son William. (my line is from Ninian)

This is General John B. Magruder. You can read about him in Wikipedia.

The Magruders were interesting and I would like to read more about them, but for now I will pick another ancestor who is not so complicated. Maybe one from the Tucker line. (but NOT Moses Tucker!)