Hepburn Family papers
Abstract
The Hepburn Family Papers consist of legal documents, public notices, and land records primarily related to Prince George's County, Maryland. Included is a three-party prenuptial agreement between Philip Thomas, John Hepburn, and his soon-to-be wife Mary Chew, regarding the disposition of Mary Chew's property, including 30 named slaves; bonds of credit that John Hepburn extended to named local citizens; and accounting receipts for tobacco deliveries. Also included is a deed of gift for a slave that Samuel Hepburn gave to son John Muir; and a broadside that names Samuel Hepburn as the executor of Samuel Leche's will. The remaining documents include property records for Prince George's County land owned by various Maryland personages; a circular notice by London merchant William Molleson; a circular advocating smallpox vaccination in Baltimore; and a letter of estate administration.
Important Information for Users of the Collection
This collection is open for research.
Hepburn Family papers, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
This collection is PROCESSED.
Historical Note
John Hepburn [sometimes "Hepbourne"] (circa 1714-circa 1780) was a merchant born in Prince George's County, Maryland, the only child of Dr. Patrick Hepburn (died circa 1726) and an unknown first wife. He married Mary Chew (circa 1714-circa 1770) of Anne Arundel County. John and Mary Hepburn had three children: Samuel Chew Hepburn (circa 1759-circa 1806); Ann Hepburn (birth and death dates unknown); and John Hepburn, Jr. (died circa 1774).
Samuel Chew Hepburn married Jean Muir (1759-circa 1810) of Dorchester County, Maryland sometime before 1780. They had four children: Mary "Polly" Hepburn (circa 1780-circa 1849); John Muir Hepburn (1790-1850); Sarah Hepburn (birth and death unknown); and Patricus Hepburn (birth and death unknown).
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Hepburn Family Papers span the years 1739 to 1813, with the bulk of the material dating between 1748 and 1795. The collection consists of legal documents, public notices, and land records. Included is a three-party prenuptial agreement between Philip Thomas, John Hepburn, and his soon-to-be wife Mary Chew, regarding the disposition of Mary Chew's property, including 30 named slaves; bonds of credit that John Hepburn extended to named local citizens; and accounting receipts for tobacco deliveries. Also included is a deed of gift for a slave that Samuel Hepburn gave to son John Muir; and a broadside that names Samuel Hepburn as the executor of Samuel Leche's will. The remaining documents include property records for Prince George's County land owned by various Maryland personages; a circular notice by London merchant William Molleson; a circular advocating smallpox vaccination in Baltimore; and a letter of estate administration.
Custodial History and Acquisition Information
The University of Maryland Libraries purchased the Hepburn Family Papers from Steve Wunderly in 1988.
Processing Information
Processed by Jennie A. Levine, October 2007.
The materials were placed in acid-free folders, within an acid-free box. Most of the documents were also placed in Mylar sleeves and include captions.
EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access. Markup completed by Jennie A. Levine.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1: Hepburn Family, 1739-1813 (18 items)
The series consists primarily of legal documents relating to Hepburn family members' personal and business transactions. Included is a three-party prenuptial agreement between Philip Thomas, John Hepburn, and his soon-to-be wife Mary Chew, regarding the disposition of Mary Chew's property, including 30 named slaves; bonds of credit that John Hepburn extended to named local citizens; and accounting receipts for tobacco deliveries. Also included is a deed of gift for a slave that Samuel Hepburn gave to son John Muir; and a broadside that names Samuel Hepburn as the executor of Samuel Leche's will. The remaining documents include property records for Prince George's County land owned by various Maryland personages; a circular notice by London merchant William Molleson; a circular advocating smallpox vaccination in Baltimore; and a letter of estate administration.
The following additional names appear in this series: James Pickering, Thomas Loomes, Richard Stone, Clement Maudsley, Thomas Collings, Laetitia William Perry(?), Kitty Joseph Mallett, John Brewer, William Baker, John Callahan, William Josephs, James Smith, John and Mary Morton, and Caleb (Lotton?).
Arrangement is chronological.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Nuptial Agreement -- Mary Chew and John Hepburn, 1739 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | |
| Bond From Richard Stone to John Hepburn, 1743 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | |
| Receipt, 1748 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | |
| Receipt, 1748 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | |
| Bond From James Pickering to John Hepburn, 1757 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | |
| Bond From J. Clement Maudsley to John Hepburn, 1754 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 6 | |
| Receipt, 1760 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 7 | |
| Account of Sale -- Tobacco, 1773 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 8 | |
| Account of Sale -- Tobacco, 1773 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 9 | |
| Circular -- William and Robert Molleson, 1774 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 10 | |
| Copy of 1689 Deed for "Joseph's Parke", 1790 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 11 | |
| Deed of Gift -- Slave "Ben son of Suky", 1794 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 12 | |
| Estate of John Morton of Prince George's County, 1794 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 13 | |
| Copy of 1722 Deed for "Bradford's Rest", 1795 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 14 | |
| Register of Wills Receipt, 1801 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 15 | |
| Plat -- Molly's Dislike, 1811 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 16 | |
| Copy of 1720 Deed for Calverton Manor (Oatry), 1812 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 17 | |
| Public Notice re: smallpox vaccination in Baltimore, 1813 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 18 | |
Related Material
The Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore holds two accounts for sale and two land grants to John Hepburn in the collection MS 2018.
The Archives of Maryland publication series, Vol. 198, v.3, and Vol. 201, v. 2-3, contain entries for John Hepburn and Samuel Hepburn. (Maryland State Archives, "Archives of Maryland Online." http://aomol.net/html/index.html , last accessed March 14, 2007.)
The University of Maryland Libraries also contains a small collection of material pertaining to smallpox epidemics in the late nineteenth century: The Baltimore Smallpox Epidemic Collection.
For other related archival and manuscript collections, please see the following subject guides.
Selected Search Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the University of Maryland Libraries' Catalog. Researchers desiring related materials about these topics, names, or places may search the Catalog using these headings.
Subjects
- Hepburn family -- Archives.
- Real property -- Maryland -- Prince George's County.
- Slaveholders -- Maryland -- Prince George's County -- Archives.
- Smallpox -- Vaccination -- Maryland -- Baltimore.
Names (Added Entries)
- Hepburn, John, ca. 1714-ca. 1780.
- Hepburn, John Muir, 1790-1850.
- Hepburn, Mary Chew, ca. 1714-ca. 1770.
- Hepburn, Samuel Chew, ca. 1759-ca. 1806.
- Leche, Samuel.
- Thomas, Philip, 1694-1762.