Abraham Marlatt
1733–c. 1810
Baptised 12 April 1733 at the Harlingen Dutch Reformed Church, Somerset County, New Jersey. The first of the family in Virginia: he bought 300 acres on Opequon Creek, near Martinsburg, in 1771. Died in Berkeley County between 1799 and 1810.
Life events
| Baptised | 12 April 1733 | Harlingen Dutch Reformed Church, Somerset County, New Jerseyson of Dirk Merlet and Jannetje Schamp |
|---|---|---|
| Land | 5–6 August 1771 | Frederick (from 1772 Berkeley) County, Virginia300 acres on the east bank of Opequon Creek, east of Martinsburg, bought from Moses Keywood for £225 5s. The earliest record of him in Virginia |
| Land | 16 March 1778 | Berkeley County, Virginia43 acres on the Warm Springs road, from Benjamin Cowenhouer |
| Tax list | 1787 | Berkeley County, Virginiaas Abraham Morlatt, Sr., with 9 horses and 14 cattle, the best established of the five Marlatt households |
| Will | 6 April 1799 | Berkeley County, Virginianames his sons Abraham and Richard and his daughter Jane Bodine; signed with his mark, A.M. |
| Died | by 20 March 1810 | Berkeley County, Virginiathe day his will was proved |
Research note: his wife, and when he came to Virginia
Children. His will names three: Abraham (born about 1761), Richard (born about 1762–65) and Jane, wife of John Bodine. In 1796 his children published a notice questioning his fitness to manage his affairs; he answered that he was quite capable and meant to leave that part of the country.
His wife. Deeds of 1799 to 1803 name his wife as Ann, and twice as Nancy, which was a pet form of Ann. No wife is named before 1788. On 22 January 1788 an “Abraham Mortal” married Anna Clausen in Berkeley County, and Abraham had been a close associate of John Clawson for years. William P. Marlatt thinks it most likely that Anna was his second wife and that the mother of his three children, whose name is not known, had died young.
The move. A 1918 biography of his great-grandson Washington Marlatt says he settled near Martinsburg about 1758. The earliest record found is the land purchase of August 1771, and his sons were probably born in New Jersey.
Sources: William P. Marlatt, Family of Abraham and Mary (Maple) Marlatt of New Jersey, Virginia and Ohio (30 September 2019), citing Berkeley County deed and will books; and the Merlet / Marlet genealogy on RootsWeb for the 1796 newspaper notices.