--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > In a message dated 6/8/06 10:58:37 A.M. Central Daylight Time, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > My tenth Great Grandfather, Ambrose Dixon, arrived in the colony > > of Virginia in 1640 from London and eventually felt compelled to > > leave because he was a Quaker and he felt he was being > > discriminated against for holding Quaker meetings in his home. > > Lord Baltimore offered him free land in Maryland and a guarantee > > not to be hassled over his beliefs. I think the predominating > > denomination in Virginia at the time was Episcopalian. > > A couple of my ancestors got into some kind of > denominational religious difficulties here around > that time and were imprisoned for a while. Don't > know any of the details except that they wouldn't > have been Quakers, and I believe they were in the > New England area. I'm quite sure no British > aristocrat offered them land if they'd just go away > from where they were causing trouble, though. ;-) > > Baltimore was a Roman Catholic, was he not? > Interesting that he'd have been more tolerant than > the Episcopalians. > > > > Yes Lord Baltimore was a Catholic. He probably just wanted to increase his > tax base because several Quakers went with Ambrose on the same deal.< I think > there might have been a little more to his leaving than just religious > discrimination. Ambrose seemed to be a character. He first showed up in James City > in 1640 in a court case. He was suing his employer for back wages owed him > and won his case. In fact the judge ordered all of the other employees be paid > like wise. He and some other settlers also started a war with the pohitan > Indians causing trouble not only with the Indians but upsetting the other > settlers as well. Some Quaker, LOL! He and the others were thrown in jail while > things were settled with the Indians. On his release he had to sign allegiance > to Cromwell. He also resisted paying taxes which he believed were supporting > the Episcopalian church and subsequently his house was marked with a big red > slash painted across his front door. This was the straw that broke the > camel's back. At this point I think he and other Quakers must have petitioned Lord > Baltimore to be able to move to Maryland for more religious freedom. Lord > Baltimore was very accommodating to them. Ambrose was given 3 to 4 hundred > acres referred to in tax records as Dixon's Choice.
Neat! Did the land stay in your family? Where did you find all this out? Most people in the U.S. know bupkes about their ancestors. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get to your groups with one click. Know instantly when new email arrives http://us.click.yahoo.com/.7bhrC/MGxNAA/yQLSAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
