| ** The Huggs of Delaware & Maryland ** | 
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The Huggs in Delaware and Maryland
To my knowledge, there are two lines that appear to begin in Maryland. The better known of these is a line of German Hugg's that came to American via Ireland. This family, which appears to have been centered around Baltimore, Maryland, was very successful. Their wealth eventually became the source for the Thomas-Hugg House in Baltimore and the Hugg-Thomas Wildlife Management Area near Sykesville, Maryland.
The second Maryland line appears to be the source of my current line. They seem to have started on Maryland's Eastern Shore, with members in Cecil County and other possible relatives in Queen Anne's County. [7/18/2006 Over time, I've come to be fairly certain that this is a separate line from that of the New Jersey (John Hugg) line, as the arrival dates of these Hugg immigrants appears to coincide, or come before, the arrival of John Hugg.]
From Parts Unknown to Delaware: The William H. Hugg Line
Current Huggs of the Delaware line (which includes myself), can easily trace their roots back to William H. Hugg, who was born about 1818. For more details on William H. Hugg's Descendants, click here.
By the 1850 census, William was 32, living in Third Division, New Castle County, Delaware as listed on Census Sheet 380. By the 1870 census, he is listed as living in/near Felton, Delaware.
Who is William H. Hugg's father?
For years, this was a stopping point in my research. It appeared that William H. Hugg could be the son of one of several Huggs:
- Jacob Hugg b.1773 (Possibly the same as Jacob b. 1776)
- William Hugg b.bef 1775 (Probably closer to 1760)
- Jacob Hugg b.1776 (Approx. birth date, would be approx. 42 at time of birth)
- Isaac Hugg b.1777 (would be 41 at time of birth, wife appears to be same age)
- #2: Benjamin Hugg (II) b.1790 (28 at time of birth - married in 1812)
- Andrew Hugg b.1794 (approx. 24 at time of birth -- no marriage info available)
- #1: Henry Hugg b.1796 (Most likely candidate -- see below - brother of Benjamin Hugg)
- Enoch Hugg b. est. 1797 (new find, married Margaret Walker);
However, somewhere around July, 2006, I found another William Hugg (b. 1786) that is a much better match for William H. Hugg's father. I still need (as of November, 2008) sources to back this up, but I feel confident this mystery is solved.
Nevertheless, here is the logic I was following prior to the discovery/addition of this "new" William Hugg (b. 1786). I leave it here, set aside, in case my current theory proves to be impossible or implausible:
Of these, Henry Hugg is my choice for "most likely father." Henry was born about 1796 in New Castle Delaware. He married a "Marie," born in 1798. They would be approx. 22 and 20 at the time of William H. Hugg's birth. In addition, they are both listed as parent's on their gravestones, but no additional information is included.
Benjamin (II) comes in as a close second by my account, as he is married and approximately the same age. Benjamin and Henry are brothers, both sons of Benjamin Hugg (I), born around 1755 in Cecil County Maryland.
As William H. Hugg had a son named Benjamin, and lived at least part of his life in New Castle County, Delaware, it can be "hoped" at the least that he named this son after his own father or his uncle. If this is the case, the next issue to be solved is the lineage of Benjamin Hugg (I) (b. est. 1755).
The lineage of Benjamin Hugg of Cecil County, MD, born est. 1755
William Hugg (b. 1786) appears to be the son of Benjamin Hugg (b. about 1755). The most apparent possibility for Benjamin Hugg's ancestry is that he is a possible grandson of William Hugg, of Cecil County, MD, born about 1697.
William Hugg had two sons that could be Benjamin's father:
- Patrick Hugg - b. Dec 18, 1729
- William Hugg (II) - b. Mar 15, 1724
There is also a reference to an apparently older Benjamin Hugg in the "Heads of Families at the First U.S. Census" published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census in 1907. This source (which I have not researched directly) appears to list this elder Benjamin Hugg as a head of household in the 1750's, making him a candidate for father of the Benjamin Hugg b. est. 1755, d. 1800.
I do not have enough information on either Patrick of William to determine which is more likely to be the father of Benjamin.
Regardless, the next question is obvious: Who are the forefathers of William Hugg (b. 1697)?
The lineage of William Hugg, of Cecil County, MD, born about 1697.
A New Jersey Connection?At first glance to anyone familar with the well-documented John Hugg line from colonial New Jersey, it is tempting to suggest that William Hugg may have come from this New Jersey line. This would be an easy way to tie the Delaware/Maryland Hugg line into the well-researched New Jersey Line. However, in order to be a descendant of the John Hugg of New Jersey line, this William Hugg would be a grandson of the original John Hugg, making him the son of one of the following:
- John Hugg Jr, - b. 1665 (32 in 1697 - had several children)
- Elias Hugg - b. 1668 (29 in 1697)
- Joseph Hugg - b. 1670 (27 in 1697)
- Charles Hugg - b. 1673 (24 in 1697 - no spouse given)
Of course, William Hugg could also be the child of an unknown son of John Hugg's. However, as the original John Hugg's life is so well documented, this seems unlikely.
Out of the known sons, John Hugg, Jr. and Joseph Hugg seem to be the most interesting suspects for the father of William. Charles apparently did not marry (or, conversely, split from the main family unit…making him a possible ideal candidate). Elias' widow's death is referenced in the Quaker Encyclopedia, indicating that she (and presumably her family) did not move far; also I have no record of children for Elias.
I've listed John Hugg Jr. as the top possibility, because he had several children. William is not listed, but that does not preclude him from being a son.
The more likely solution:
However, it appears more likely that William Hugg is the son of a "Maryland Hugg," and possibly an Irish Hugg. There were additional Hugg's living in Maryland in the 17th century:
Thomas Hugg (b. about 1696), was a member of Stepney Parish in Somerset County, Maryland. Thomas married Joanna Knox about 1721. Thomas' will leaves for a son William, apparently from a former marriage. (For Thomas Hugg sources, see www.FamilySearch.org)
Joanna Knox is also listed as one of several spouses of John Polk/Pollok. John Polk/Pollok also has a spouse named Jugurtha Hugg. John Polk/Pollok is listed as being born in Donegal, Ireland. I need to review my records, but I also believe that I've seen records indicating that Jugurtha is also from Ireland. If the Polk, Knox and Hugg families are tightly integrated, especially in a small area of the fledgling Maryland colony, then it is entirely possible they came to the New World together.
In addition, a George Hugg is listed in A 1681 Maryland State Tax List . I have no other information on this Hugg, but he is a possible father/relative of the William Hugg of Cecil County.
The Next Step
Obviously, more research is needed to patch up all these "leaps of faith." In particular, more information may be available on William Hugg via the records of St. Stephen's Parish in Cecil Maryland.
Materials that may contain information will be listed under the Hugg Queries page as it becomes available.
A Visit to the Hugg-Thomas WMA - Father's Day, 2001
This past summer my family and I went to the small town of Sykesville to find out more about the Hugg-Thomas WMA, especially to see the ruins of the Hugg mansion the website speaks of. Well, while we found a couple nice restaurants in Sykesville, and did get our exercise hiking through the expansive WMA, we did not see anything we could identify as ruins. There is one old stone wall near the road at the WMA, but this seemed to be more of a fence or ground retention wall than the foundation of a house.
The Missing Hugg's Chart
Shortly after I began this site, I put together a chart showing the "gap" between John Hugg's descendants and the oldest known ancestor of my current line. The Chart of "Missing Hugg's" is still available, although it is badly out of date.
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These pages (with the exception of ads, banners, etc. put in by the sponsor or sponsors), the compilation of data contained, and all original text are © copyright 2000 by Steve Hugg. All rights reserved.
Sources:
(For primary information on George C. Hugg, composer)
Biography of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers, Jacob Henry Hall, Fleming H. Revell Company, New York, Chicago, etc., 1914. Pages 263-265. Source can be seen at the Rockingham Public Library, Harrisonburg, Virginia as of June 2000.
(Source for George Hugg's middle name, his mother's maiden name and his pedigree)
Personal E-Mail and papers from fellow Hugg researchers. For more information, please contact huggfamily@yahoo.com.