This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/gAC.2ACE/2735.1.3 Message Board Post: Marquess Family This name, spelled several ways, has been found in the Maryland records going back to the late 1600’s. Tradition and a few facts lead us to think those with this name, related or not, came to America from Northern Europe and the British Isles. There is evidence to suggest that our branch of the Marquess family can trace to a John Marquess, his name included in a list of members of The All Saints Episcopal Church, (25, April 1710) Sunderland, Maryland. (Calvert County) John died there in 1750, Margarit, may have been his wife’s name, she later married a Mr. Smith. Margarit made a will dated Feb. *, 1744 in which she named four Marquess sons, John, William, James and Kid. William Marquess married Sarah Taylor Sunderland, a widow, and daughter of Isaac Taylor, also of Calvert County, on Aug. 7th 1764. Later they moved to the Valley of Virginia, near Winchester. One son, Isaac Taylor Marquess , born 1772 married, Feb. 1795 to Elizabeth Beavers, born 1774 Loudoun Co., Va. She was a daughter of William and Mary Wyckoff Beavers. William served as a drummer with the Virginia troops and died while stationed in South Carolina, before November 1781. He had married Mary Wycoff 1763, in New Jersey. A son, Moses Beavers, (a brother to Elizabeth) married (17, Nov. 1803) Frederick County, Va.) to Hannah Holbert. About 1808 they settled, on what is now known as the Bolyard farm, on a ridge a few miles south of Rowlesburg, W. Va. Hannah’s grave is located in a small plot about 200 yards above the Bolyard house. We found only a footstone for Moses. The land records in Morgantown, West Va. Show the above Isaac Marquess (Marcus) bought (April 1807) 200 acres of land for 200 lbs. From Stephan Myres. The land was located in what is now southwest Preston County, near Evansville, W. Va. Dorsey and Hazel Goodwin now live on this farm. Soon, Isaac built a grist mill (the first one in this section). In 1811 he purchased another farm of about the same size, next to his and up Little Sandy Creek. Here he had a better place to rebuild his grist mill, a few feet below where the Eby Bridge is now located. Tommy Ice bought and operated this mill in the late 1800’s. Along this part of Little Sandy Creek ran the Old Northwest Trail, later improved and called the Moorefield-Clarksburg Road. (See the Map of Preston by John Wood, 1821 and copied by Porter Stiles, 1975-Kingwood, West Va.) The spot where Isaac rebuilt his mill is indicated on the map as Marks Mill. “An Indian trail going south from the Great Warpath, Near Masontown joined The Northwest Trail at Ice’s Mill.” (Ref. History of Preston County, Wiley-1882, Page 18.) In 1815, Isaac T. Marquess was part of a company of men organized at Morgantown, marched east to Dunkard Bottom when news of peace arrived. (Ref. The Monongalia Story II pg. 416.) See History of the Orr Family, By U. N. Orr, 1912, Journal Press, Kingwood, W. Va., third printed page.) Above compiled from information provided by members and friends of the Marquess families. ***************************************** Preston County West Virginia History, Preston County Historical Society, Kingwood, Wests Virginia, 1979, Library of Congress Number 79-88993, p. 52 Marquess The founder of what is now known as Marquess, WV, located at a crossroads on Sandy Creek, in Reno District, was Isaac Marquess. Records indicate Isaac Marquess located here to build and operate a grist mill. Records on hand show mill activity in 1857 through 1861. The last two known operators of the mill were Nelson Bolyard and William W. Matlick. William Matlick was the owner at the time the mill was destroyed by fire in 1939. The general store at Marquess was started by Isaac Marquess and handed down to J. B. and Jinny Marquess Simpson. This family operated the store their lifetime. Then the store was operated by Ernie H. and Bessie Murray Simpson. This family also operated the E. H. Simpson’s General Store until the passing of Bessie Simpson in 1966. After World War II, J. Murray and Kathleen Boyard Simpson ran the store for a time until Murray elected to go to other work and Bessie continued the store’s operation until 1966. The building and home are now owned by Hugh and Freda Simpson Denison. Hugh and Freda retired January 1, 1977; Freda from the University of Maryland Extension Service and Hugh from the Potomas Edison Company of Maryland. They are now planning a museum country store at this location. SUBMITTED BY HUGH AND FREDA DENISON