Dear List, I am exploring the possibility that Joseph MARSHALL, Blacksmith, of Worcester Co. and later Sussex Co. was actually a MARVEL. I have seen MARVEL misspelled many different ways including MARSEL. In some documents Marshall even looks like MARVHALL. Joseph MARSHALL appears in the Somerset tax list in Nanticoke Hundred in 1740 as a dependent, Joseph MEASHELL, in the household of Paris CHIPMAN, Blacksmith. That would make him born before 1725. The year before, in 1739, Robert MARVELL, is a dependent in the household of Paris CHIPMAN. Could be just a coincidence. This is obviously not the Robert MARVEL born in 1737 but a Marvel who does not fit into most of the Marvel genealogies that are floating around. That's a discussion for another time. No other Marshalls show up in Nanticoke Hundred tax lists before 1742 so where did Joseph MARSHALL come from? I believe Joseph married Leah DOLBY, daughter of Peter DOLBE, as Peter mentions his daughter Leah MEREHAL/MARSHALL in his 1747 will and one Joseph MARSHALL deed mentions Leah, his wife. Peter DOLBE also mentions a 10 year old grandson named Umphrey MEREHAL/MARSHALL. I was thinking that his first name might even be close to Ephraim. Ephraim and Joseph are both names used in Marvel families. Over his lifetime, Joseph MARSHALL patented, bought and sold quite a lot of land. Here are the land records I have so far for Joseph MARSHALL, Blacksmith: MD Patents (later in Broad Creek Hundred, Sussex Co. DE) Saw Mill Supply (1753): 50 acres Saw Mill Lot (1755-1756): 114 acres Middle Ground ( 1757): 3 acres Providence (1753-1769): 100 acres MD Unpatented Certificates: Forrest Grove (1753 and 1755) 52 acres Chancery (1768) 205 acres Sussex Co. Delaware Surveys: Chancery, Rounds Survey A, p. 60, 1753 (no acreage given in Tract Index) Ambition, Rounds Survey B, p. 189, 1761, (no acreage given in Tract Index) These lands were purchased by Joseph MARSHALL: p/o Cox's Performance, 29 July 1755, 100 acres, Grantor: James Windsor p/o Inclosed, 29 July 1755, 94 acres, Grantor: Day Givans Adventure, 22 June 1761, 50 acres, Grantor: Paris Chipman Isaac's Addition, 5 Oct 1763, 50 acres, Grantor: Isaac Noble Adventure (alias Friggs/Figgs Adventure), 5 Oct 1763, 150 acres, Grantor: Isaac Noble McDaniel's Ridge, 7 Jan 1764, 5 acres, Grantor: Gabriel Powell Tit for Tat, 14 Feb 1765, 50 acres, Grantor: Elijah Willis These lands were sold by Joseph MARSHALL: Saw Mill Supply, 50 acres, sold to Obed Outten in 1755 Saw and Grist Mill, sold to John Houston, Sr. bef. 15 Feb 1768, as mentioned in the will of John Houston This is probably the same as Saw Mill Lot, 118 acres, which Joseph Marshall had purchased from James Windsor. Saw Mill Lot was sold to John Houston and John Mitchell on 17 August 1763. It was patented for 114 acres. Saw Mill Lot was a 1755 resurvey and was part of Inclosed, originally containing 437 acres. Middle Ground, 3 acres, 17 Aug 1763, sold to John Houston and John Mitchell (Worc. Lib. F, f12) Providence, 100 acres, 17 Aug 1763, sold to John Houston and John Mitchell (Worc. Lib. 5, f12) p/o Coxes Performance, 100 acres, deeded from James Windsor to Joseph MARSHALL. This sale to John Houston and John Mitchell is recorded in the Worcester Co., MD deed in Liber F, f 12 dated 17 Aug 1763 This sale to John Houston is also recorded in a Sussex Bond of Obligation dated 23 Dec 1767. Adventure, 50 acres, sold 7 Oct 1765, (purchased from Paris Chipman on 2 Jun 1761) sold to John Houston Isaac's Addition, 50 acres, sold 7 Oct 1765, (purchased from Isaac Noble on 5 Oct 1763), sold to John Houston Adventure alias Figg's/Frigg's Adventure, 150 acres, sold 7 Oct 1765 (purchased from Isaac Noble on 5 Oct 1763) sold to John Houston Joseph MARSHALL owned at least 766 acres and sold 621 acres. That leaves 145-149 acres unaccounted for, not including his surveys in Delaware. He seems to have retained ownership of p/o Inclosed (94 a.), McDaniel's Ridge (5 a.), Tit for Tat (50 a.) as I have not found these sold again. These are probably questions for John Lyon, but feel free to jump in if anything sounds familiar. Where was the tract "Inclosed" located? There is a plat map with the 1728 patent (Robert GIVANS, 437 acres) and it certainly is an unusual shape! Did "Inclosed" enclose the tract ,"Cox's Performance"? I know they are near Laurel but would like to have a more exact location that I can compare to modern topo maps. And does anyone know where the tracts "McDaniel's Ridge" and "Tit for Tat" (pat. by Nathaniel WILLIS) are located? The MD Prerogative Court had a 1763 entry in Accounts for Joseph MARSHALL and I just received a copy today. Joseph is the account administrator for Thomas ADAMS, dated Aug. 4, 1763. I wondered if I was dealing with a Jr. and a Sr. Marshall because of the deed dates, but now I know they are the same person. William "Big Billy" MARVEL of Broad Creek Hundred in Sussex Co. leaves several farms to his children in his 1847 will. Most of the farms he bought over his lifetime. He also bought many smaller parcels so he enlarged some of the farms he bought. Big Billy must have been very industrious or he married vey well. Perhaps their Home Place was from his wife's family. Her name was Sarah Last Name Unknown. They lived between Laurel and Concord and with so many farms, may have moved around. Two of the farms, I cannot yet identify. One he calls the Home Place in his will and that contained 220 acres. It may include the tract "Snow Hill". That seems to be the 100 acre "Snow Hill" patented by James O'NEAL. Big Billy bought 100 acres of "Snow Hill", located 2 miles from the Broad Creek wading place, from Caleb ROSS in 1828. That seems to be near today's Chipman's Pond. The other was a 193 acre farm that formerly belonged to Joseph MARVEL. I am assuming that this Joseph MARVEL farm was located in Broad Creek Hundred as all the other farms were also. I am exploring the possibility that the 193 acre Joseph MARVEL farm includes land that was once owned by Joseph MARSHALL, Blacksmith, as his land seems to have been in same general area. I have not been able to find any deeds in which a Marvel buys land in Broad Creek Hundred before William "Big Billy" MARVEL begins buying land in 1811, after his marriage. William's father, Thomas MARVEL, loses 113 acres of land in Broad Creek Hundred in 1809 along with Ephraim MARVEL in a Sheriff's sale due to debts. Ephraim is probably a son (or a brother?) to Thomas MARVEL. In the 1803 Broad Creek Hundred tax list, Thomas MARVEL, is listed as owning 130 acres of land. How did Thomas MARVEL acquire this Broad Creek Hundred Land? If he is the son of the Thomas MARVEL who left land in 1801 to his son Thomas, "the land he now lives on", how did that Thomas MARVEL acquire the Broad Creek land? There are numerous deeds of Marvels buying land in Dagsboro, Nanticoke and Broad Kiln Hundreds. Later a few in Little Creek Hundred. My husband's Marvel ancestor was James MARVEL, son of Thomas MARVEL of Broad Creek Hundred. James MARVEL is identified as "of Thos." in the 1808 Broad Creek Hundred tax assessment list. James MARVEL was the brother of William "Big Billy" MARVEL who died in 1848. Their mother may have been Nancy KNOWLES, daughter of Richard KNOWLES, died 1791. James MARVEL died on December 13, 1840 as noted in Rev. Obed Baker's notebook. Thomas MARVEL of Broad Creek Hundred is probably the same Thomas MARVEL who died October 24, 1831 as recorded in Daniel Baker's Journal. I may be investing in some deed mapping software soon and I'm going to be at the archives in Dover after the holidays working on the Marvels for a few days but in the meantime, I would appreciate any additional information on Joseph MARSHALL, Blacksmith, that would help me prove or disprove this theory. Thanks in advance, Nanette **************One site keeps you connected to all your email: AOL Mail, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. Try it now. (http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000025)