Mary Houser

          Indenture, 27 Sep 1711

From: Henry Cox of Calvert County, Gent.

To: John Soaper (sic), cooper of Prince George's County and Mary his wife.

For the moyety of a tract of land called Good Luck containing 200 acres willed to Mary Soaper (sic) by Thomas Houser; bounded by Little Land

Signed: Henry Cox (seal)

Witnessed: John Leach and James Heigh, Justices of Calvert County

Memo: Henry Cox and Sarah his wife acknowledged deed

Alienation: John Soper paid 4s/6p on 30 Jan 1711 ^[4]

   Henry Cox transfers land to John Soaper, (sic) a Cooper.  200 Acres of a tract called Good Luck  that was willed to Mary Soaper (sic) by Thomas Houser.

Why did Thomas Houser will land to Mary Soaper (sic)?  The next indenture tells us why.

Liber F - Folio 141 27 Sep 1711, Indenture  from Henry Cox of Calvert Co., Gent. to Elizabeth Lewis, Widow, of PG Co. for the moyety of a tract of 113 acs of land called Good Luck, lying in Calvert Co., now PG Co. lying on the N. Branch of the Patuxent, containing 200 acs formerly owned by Thomas Houser-sic, deceased. Land descended to Elizabeth Lewis and Mary Soaper (sic), wife of John Soaper (sic), joint heirs of Thomas Houser, bounded by land of Henry Cox called Little Land (and), land of Henry Cox called Battson's Vinyard. Signed Henry Cox (seal) Wit John Leach and James Heigh, Justices of Calvert Co .Alienation: Elizabeth Lewis paid the sum of 4s/6p and a half penny 3 Jan 1711/2
Memo: Henry Cox and wife, Sarah Cox ack. deed before witnesses.
Recorded 3 Jan 1711/2 (PG Land BK F, f. 141)

    Henry Cox is transferring land to Elizabeth Lewis.113 acres of land called Good Luck that contained 200 acres formerly owned by Thomas Houser, which land descended to Elizabeth Lewis and Mary Soaper (sic), wife of John Soaper (sic), joint heirs of Thomas Houser. 

Folio 153 Deed of Gift, 4 Feb. 1711/12From : Elizabeth Lewis, widow of Prince George's County. To : John Lewis, her son Gives a moyety of land on the North Branch of the Patuxent River lately occupied by Henry Cox of Calvert County called Battson'sVineyard, the moyety lately sold my sister Mary Soper, wife of John Soper by Henry Cox .Signed : Elizabeth Lewis [ mark & seal ]witnessed : Edward Willett , Tabitha Willet 

   In a Deed of Gift we find Elizabeth Lewis making a gift of Battson's Vineyard to John Lewis Her Son, which was sold by my sister Mary Soper, wife of John Soper.

  
   Mary Soper is the sister of Elizabeth Lewis and they are heirs of Thomas Houser. Mary and Elizabeth are daughters of Thomas Houser.

Thomas Houser; Father

Daughter: Elizabeth Houser Lewis

Daughter: Mary Houser Soper.

Elizabeth Houser married John Lewis had 6 children one named John.

(1710-NVAMD-027.000) On or about 04 February, 1711 at Prince George’s co., MD Elizabeth Lewis, a widow of Prince George’s co., MD, issues a deed of gift to her stated children:

            Thomas Lewis

            John Lewis

            Stephen Lewis

            Sarah Lewis

            Priscilla Lewis

            Samuel Lewis

And to her grandson John Davis, child of her daughter Jane Lewis. Witnesses were: Edward Willett, Tabitha Willett.

[source:  LMGA Exhibit temp 20 page 5]

Could there be another John Soper, or John Soaper, (sic) a planter, married to a Mary, or a John Soper, a cooper, married to a Mary who had land transactions for the same plantations? I found only 1 time that John was called a planter, but 2 times called a cooper.

John Soper, Mary Houser and family

Wills L 23 f77: John Soper, planter who was seated on VALE OF BENJAMIN will of 11 Apr 1724-29 Nov 1742, Prince George's Co., MD To grandsons John & Robert 100 acres of Batron's Vinyard, (Battson's Vineyard) which he had bought from John Cash to his daughter, Esther Duvall, his dwelling plantation (purchased from Charles & Esther Duvall & a tract of land purchased from Charles Williams, to children John,   Robert, Mary James, Phillice Lowe, Acquilla Shaw & Lucy Lashly, 1 shilling each, to daughters Esther (Hester) Duvall, Priscilla, Leah, & Jamima, residue of estate & appointed his son-in-law, Mareen Duvall Jr. the executor. Wit. Burgess Mitchell, Richard Stone, & Thomas James

From the above will we can identify John and Mary’s family:

John Soper b: 1656 England d: 29 Nov 1742

Mary Houser b: 1660 Maryland d: 1742

Mary Soper b: 1690 Maryland m: John James in 1708 m: Thomas James in 1714

Acquilla Soper b: 1694 Maryland m: John James Shaw

John Soper b: 1694 d:1768 m: Susannah  in 1720

Leah Soper b:1696 Maryland :

Priscilla Soper b: 1698 Maryland  m: William Ellis in 1721

Robert Soper b: 1710 Maryland d: May 1790 m: Sarah in 1755

Lucy Elizabeth Soper b: 1713 Maryland m: Robert Lashley in 1735

Esther Soper b: 1715 Maryland m: John Lowe in 1735 m: Mareen Duvall in 1741

Phillice Soper b: 1717 Maryland d:1746 m: William Lowe in 1737

Jemima Soper b: 1734 Maryland

Please note, Some of the above Birth and Death Dates are probably incorrect. As a family they raise flags in Family Search. These dates have always been in their records and all work for them had been done years ago. My undertaking was to establish relationships between John And Mary. The fact is their are no records indicating John's birth date and his death date is not established in his will. Mary's dates are pure guess work.        

Sadly most internet searches link Mary Yate to John Soper.  In most of these searches John and Mary Yate are linked because the researcher found someone else that said so, or thought they might be.

There are two books by Earl F and Dawn Soper. "A Soper Compendium" and "A New Soper Compendium" The first only references John Soper being married to Mary Yate. The second book says this about John.

John Soper (c1656-1742/3) migrated to America from England about 1676, and settled in Calvert County which in part became Prince Georges County. By 1696, John was a civil officer signing a communication to the king, "congratulating your majesty of your deliverance from the horrid designed assassination against your sacred person". William III, William of Orange, ruled from 1650-1702. John reportedly married Mary Yates, who probably died
before 1742.

I don't think this is our John.

From "Our Soper Family History, from 1676 to 1999, by Kenneth H Soper we find:

John Soper is listed is listed as a "planter" and from his will the names of his Children have been established. The only possible clue to his wife's name is a marriage record that shows that a John Soper and a Mary Yates were married in 1693 in Prince George's County. We can only assume that this was our John Soper, although there could have been other John Soper's living in the area at that time.

 Our Maryland Heritage Book Seven 'The Soper Family" by William Neal Hurley, jr; pg 144 , shows a record listing "a child named John, born 1694 whose parents were John/Mary Yates in Prince George’s County". 

Note the child’s name is John and the parents are John/Mary Yates. The name Soper is not listed.

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