Luke Barber/Barbier is my 9^th great-grandfather.  He was born in 1615 in Yorkshire, England.  He was a surgeon, a member of the Cromwell Court.  He immigrated on the Gold Fortune in 1654, bringing his wife, Elizabeth Young, children Luke, Edward, Thomas, Elizabeth and Mary.  It is possible the girls were born in Maryland.

I descend from his son Edward, who married Sybil Groome; from their son Edward who married Sarah Myvert; from their son Edward who married Rebecca Chunn.  From Edward and Rebecca I descend from two of their daughters – Mary Rebecca Barber who married William Moran; and Sarah Barber who married Jonathan Edwards.  William Moran and Mary Barber’s daughter, Elizabeth Lyon Moran married William Linton, son of my Captain John Linton and Ann Mason.  Jonathan Edwards and Sarah Barber’s son, Edward Barber Edwards, married Nancy Linton, daughter of Captain John Linton and Ann Mason.  William Linton and Elizabeth Moran’s son, Edward Linton, married Catharine Elizabeth Taylor, granddaughter of Edward Barber Edwards and Nancy Linton through their daughter Susan Clark Edwards who married John Compton Taylor.  Their daughter, Frances Barber Linton, was my great-grandmother.  She married Robert E. Lee Montgomery, their eldest child, Alice, was my grandmother.

Luke Barber was gifted 1,000 acres of land by Lord Baltimore, which Baltimore called Barber’s Quarter.  Luke Barber later renamed this Lukeland. This property remained in the Barber family from the 1650’s to the 1950’s.  The name Lukeland later became Luckland, now the area where Luckland Cemetery is located.  In addition to the gift of 1,000 acres, Luke Barber bought the following property during his lifetime:

St. Annes 2/18/1658 – 55 acres.  Location:  West St. Mary’s Manor.  St. Mary’s County on the St. George River adjoining the town land of Margaret and Mary Brent.

Micham Hills 5/26/1662 – 1,000 acres.  Location:  West St. Mary’s Manor, St. Mary’s County, on the east side of the Wicomico River, beginning at a marked Oak standing by the mouth of a creek.

Unnamed Patent 5/26/1662 – 300 acres.  Location:  West St. Mary’s Manor in the woods on the east side of the Wicomico River at the head of Chaptico Bay.  Adjoins Thomas Hatton’s tract of land.

Micham Meadows 6/17/1665 – 300 acres.  Location:  Beaver Dam Manor.  St. Mary’s County on the west side of the Western Branch of the St. George’s River beginning at a bound Oak standing by the path from Bretton’s Bay to the said river.  Other person’s mentioned:  Barber transported John Vaughn, Vaughn’s Welsh maid Alice, John Newman, Stephen Davies, Alice Lee and Anthony Mettfort into this Province here to inhabit as appears on record.

Eastham 11/15/1665 – 400 acres.  Location:  St. Mary’s County in the woods four or five miles from the area commonly known as The Wading Place beginning at a marked Oak standing by Eastham Branch of Chaptico Bay.

Westham 11/15/1665 – 1,200 acres.  Location:  St. Mary’s County in the woods on the west side of the main branch of Chaptico about five miles from The Wading Place beginning at a marked Oak standing by Westham Branch.

I love that almost every piece of property sold in Maryland was named – so much easier to see how it went down the generations, or sold into other hands.

Following is the will of Luke Barber.  Don’t you love the beautiful penmanship?  What was the voyage mentioned in the first paragraph to England?

The 100 pounds sterling given to Luke Barber’s daughters would be worth $21,348.61 in today’s money.

Will of Dr. Luke Barber

Wills Vol. No. 1 1635-1674

In the name of God, amen.  I, Luke Barbier, of Micham Hall in this province of Maryland, being I praise God in good health and memory, yet considering my mortality and intending a voyage, do make and declare this to be my last will and testament in manner and form following, and which I intend not to alter unless by some accident I make or add a codicil.

Imprimis.  I give and bequeath my soul unto almighty God and my body to be laid in the vault at Micham Hall, in the orchard or another to be made fifteen-foot square at the discretion of my executors hereafter named in with my will.  Also is that my most dear loving and respectful wife, Elizabeth Barbier, with my children be also after their funeral deceases laid or any friend who out of love to any of us shall desire the same.

Item.  I give and bequeath to my said wife the use of Micham Hall and the land thereto belonging with all the rest of my estate in general for and during the term of her natural life.

Item.  I give and bequeath to Luke Barbier, my eldest son, the half or five hundred acres of land at Chaptico called Luke Land and after his mother’s decease Mitcham Hall with the land thereto belonging for and during the term of his natural life, and after his, the said Luke, his eldest son or heir male and for want of such I give to his brother Edward Barbier for his natural life and after to his the said Edward his eldest son or heir male and for want of such issue to his brother Thomas Barbier for his natural life and after his to the said Thomas his eldest son or heir male and for want of such issue then to the heir or heirs females of my own body for term of their lives and after to heirs female of my eldest son Luke for their lives and after to the heirs females of my son Edward for their lives and after to the heirs females of my son Thomas for their lives and for want of such issue or heir then to the next of my kin and bearing the name Barbier or Barber and for want of such to the next that shall claim it whose name is as aforesaid and for want of such and until such a one shall claim it then the whole reversion with the profits to revert and be converted yearly to the use and behoof of the Governor and Council for

the time being to be equally divided and delivered to them and to the governor, to the governor two shares in what they please in remembrance of their respectful friend, the testator, who desires them to take notice that this provision is wholly and only to bar every heir or heirs for the time being from disposing of or alienating in the least of what they possess by virtue of this testament for more than their lives, it giving them only an estate for life and no more.

Item.  I give and bequeath to my son Edward the other five hundred acres of the land at Chaptico called Luke Land for term of his life and after to his eldest son or heir male for term of his life then to Luke and his heirs male so to Thomas and his hers male then to my heirs female so to Edward’s, then to Luke’s and Thomas’ and to the entail to be exactly as of Mitcham Hall, nobody to have more than an estate for life only.

Item.  I give and bequeath to my youngest son, Thomas, the land at Chaptico called Mitchem Hills for term of his natural life and after to his eldest son or heir male, then to Luke and his heirs male to Edward and his heirs male then and for want of such I give to my heirs female then to Luke’s son, then to Edward’s and Thomas’ and so exactly as the entail of Mitcham Hall.  Everyone as their turn shall come to have but an estate for life only.

Item.  I give and bequeath unto my eldest daughter Elizabeth one hundred pound sterling and to my youngest daughter Mary one hundred pound sterling to be paid upon the day of her marriage out of my money in England, or in case I make use of it in my lifetime then out of their brother’s estates, viz., one hundred pounds to be paid by Luke Barbier and fifty by Edward Barbier and fifty by Thomas Barbier, unless they marry in my lifetime.

Item.  I give and bequeath all the rest of my goods and chattels after my wife’s decease to be divided into four parts and my eldest son Luke to have two parts and Edward and Thomas the other two.

I give to my dear and loving friends Captain Richard

Banker and Mr. Randall Hinson, both of Poplar Hill to each ten pound sterling and whom I do by these presents make my absolute executors, desiring them to see this my will and testament exactly performed and in case of mortality then to the survivor to act and in case of his death then my will is that the governor and council for the time being be pleased to nominate one or more as they think fit, to see it performed and that this is my last and absolute will and testament.  Witness my hand and seal this 31^st of July one thousand six hundred and sixty-four.

Luke Barbier

January 4, 1673

Examined by Philip Calvert

Came Walter Hall of the Cross Manner and being showed three sheets of paper said to be written with the hand of Luke Barbier, late of Micham Hall in Saint Mary’s County, sealed together and signed with the hand of the said Luke Barbier and sealed with a seal imprinted upon hard wax did make oath that he had formerly been well acquainted with the said Luke and had used to see his handwriting and that he did verily believe this instrument of the last will and testament of the said Luke was written, signed and sealed by the said Luke and that he was present when Elizabeth, the widow of the said Luke did produce the said writing shortly after the decease of the said Luke, she the said Elizabeth being at that time very sick and in danger of death and for fear that her children might suffer after her death did make her own testament at that time as near as she could after the manner at least in substance like this testament of her husband’s, appointed Col. Lewis Stockett her executor and that he doth verily believe the full intent of the said Luke was that his land should come to his several sons according to the settlement made in this his said last will and testament.                Walter Hall

Sworn before, Calvert

Whereupon the judge considered that the said will being found amongst the writings of the said Luke and by Elizabeth the widow and relict of the said Luke delivered into his the said judge’s hand in presence of the said Hall and as the said judge supposeth in the presence of George Beckwith he the said judge pronounced for the validity of the said will.