The Rest of the Story

In my last post I began the inspiring life story of my 7X Great Grandmother Elizabeth Maxwell (1700-1782).  Born in London, she ran away from home at age 18 and sailed from England to Colonial Pennsylvania. The following is a brief summary of the rest of her story.

Available For Purchase. After the difficult weeks-long journey across the Atlantic, Elizabeth's ship made its way through Delaware Bay and then up the Delaware River and arrived at the port of Philadelphia in the fall of 1718. She was just one of numerous immigrants onboard the ship who were made available for purchase as indentured servants. At the Philadelphia dock at the time of her ship's arrival was an established Colonial land owner by the name of Andrew Job (1650-1722). By his attire Elizabeth recognized him as a Quaker. She was acquainted with the Quakers having grown up in London where her family belonged to a Quaker fellowship. Elizabeth knew that, as a Quaker, Andrew Job was likely to be fair and honest and treat her with respect. She encouraged him to select her -- to "purchase her time" was how they described it -- and fortunately he did. The ship's captain was reimbursed for the cost of her passage and Elizabeth became an indentured servant in the Job family of Chester County, Pennsylvania, for a term of 7 years.

Brick Meeting House Cemetery, Maryland

Fast Forward to 1725. After 7 years as a servant, Elizabeth was freed from her obligation. She had become such a respected and appreciated member of the Job household that she received a marriage proposal from Thomas Job, one of the sons of homeowners Andrew and his wife Elizabeth Job. It was a proposal she gladly accepted. Now that young Elizabeth was free, married and happily settled in the new world, she was free to think about her family back home in England. She wrote to her mother and her uncle Daniel in London, explaining where she was and what she was doing. It was the first time she had reconnected with them since leaving England on her intrepid adventure 7 years earlier. 

Reconnected With Family. Uncle Daniel wrote back to Elizabeth with the sad news that her mother had died. He also explained that she had inherited her mother's property, which included some priceless heirloom furniture. Uncle Daniel shipped the furniture across the Atlantic to his niece Elizabeth in Colonial America. She used her inheritance to help set up her own home with her new husband Thomas Job.

Brick Meeting House of Calvert, Maryland
where Elizabeth Maxwell Job worshipped

Elizabeth was one of the first persons in this part of our ancestry to become a Colonial American Quaker when she joined the Job household of East Nottingham, Pennsylvania in 1718. Quaker records show that she was accepted into the Nottingham Monthly Meeting of Quakers in the 1720s. 

Elizabeth Maxwell Job and husband Thomas Job went on to have a family of 12 children in Cecil County, Maryland as they did their part to help populate the new American frontier. They lived much of their lives near the Brick Meeting House of the Quakers in Calvert, Maryland, an historical structure which still stands today. She and husband Thomas, along with many other family, are buried in the Brick Meeting House Cemetery there.

It is with humble gratitude that we remember the life of Elizabeth Maxwell Job, a brave young immigrant from whom we are directly descended. May the fortitude and stamina she displayed in all that she experienced be duplicated in us, and the foundation upon which our lives are built. She is one more reminder that we carry within us the genes of greatness. 
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Steve Shepard
(he/him/his)