James Hook Genealogy

James Hook, son of Thomas and Annaple Hooke, was born in what later became Prince George County, Maryland, about 1680 to 1685. He died in the same county in 1738. He married Margaret Thrasher in 1706. He lived in the vicinity of his parental home until 1714, when, calling himself a planter, he leased 150 acres of land from John Bradford on Hegoe Branch (probably Sligo Branch), just north of the present site of Washington, D. C. He was to have and to hold this land "for and during the natural life of him and said James Hook, Margaret his wife and his daughter Mary, and the longest liver of them" paying therefor the yearly rental "of 500 pounds of tobacco in casque, clear of all manner of trash and ground leaves." The lease was dated August 9, 1714. (Deed Book Liber E, page 393, Upper Marlboro, Md.) The fact that Mary Hook was designated along with her parents in the lease would indicate that she was the oldest child. James and his family were still living upon this lease in 1726 as indicated in the will of John Bradford.

James was one of the organizers of the Rock Creek Parish of the Church of England, in Maryland. On September 18, 1719, he subscribed 200 pounds of tobacco "toward erecting a Chappel to serve the inhabitants of the Eastern Branch of Rock Creek." He was the seventh largest subscriber, John Bradford being the largest with a subscription of 1,000 pounds of tobacco. He was elected a Warden of the parish, April 10, 1732, and served for one year. George Murdock was the pastor. (See record of Rock Creek Parish on file with Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore.)

In 1727 Benjamin Thrasher, probably the father of Margaret Hook, wife of James, recorded a gift to James, son of James Hook, Sr., of a dark bay mare. (Deed Book Liber M, page 174, Upper Marlboro, Aid.)

The Administration bond to the estate of James Hooke was signed by Margaret Hook, July 3, 1738. He left no will. The inventory listing 700 pounds of tobacco, four cows, and heifers, four young cattle, four breeding sows, twenty-six young hogs, two horses, one mare and colt, one bull, two rugs and two pair of blankets, one old chest, two old guns, fourteen barrels of flour, a parcel of carpenters tools, one linen wheel and wooling ditto, one hand mill, spindle and frogg, one parcel of working tools, wearing apparel, feather bed and furniture, pewter utensials, hour glass, marking irons and stilliards, was appraised, July 26, 1739, and signed by James Hook and John Hook as creditors and kin, and by John Magruder as creditor. (Records at Upper Marlboro and Annapolis vary slightly.)

The children of James and Margaret Hook were as follows:

1. Mary Hook, b. Nov. 17, 1708 (Margaret Hook, m. Thomas Fee, 1733. Prob. same as Mary).

2. Arrabella Hook.

3. Rachel Hook, m. Feb. 25, 1731, Robert Owen. Stephen Hook.

4. Samuel Hook.

5. James Hook.

6. John Hook.