I am not positive exactly who Sally Duckett was, though I am almost certain. We know from her grave inscription that she was the daughter of Thomas Duckett (unfortunately there were many Ducketts in Prince George's County named Thomas). I am, however, almost positive that she was the daughter of the Thomas Duckett who lived 1797 to 1849, and who was the son of Judge Allen Bowie Duckett (1775-1809, also buried in the Melford cemetery), and the nephew of the Judge's brother, Dr. Richard Duckett, who lived at Melford for most of the first half of the 19th century. This Thomas Duckett was married twice, and had at least two children, including one son Richard who was born in 1831, within a few years of the the birth of Sally (ca. 1828). This Thomas (1797-1849) became the part owner (after his father's death in 1809) of the Melford plantation, together with his uncle (brother of Judge Allen B. Duckett), Dr. Richard Duckett (1779-1854), who lived at Melford. As I said, Dr. Richard owned the plantation jointly with his nephew, Thomas, but Thomas died young (1849) leaving at least two sons, and so Dr. Richard and his wife, took over the raising of their two great-nephews, Thomas' two sons - Richard, born in 1831 and named for his great-uncle, and Thomas Allen Duckett, born circa 1842. (Richard was the son of Thomas Duckett's first wife, and Thomas Allen of his second.) My guess is that Sally was the sister of the younger Richard, daughter of Thomas Duckett and his first wife, Katherine; she died sometime before 1840, which was the year that Thomas married for a second time. Thomas Allen would have been a child of the second marriage. It was the second Richard (1831-1864) who inherited Melford from his great-uncle, and who continued to live there until his death in 1864. Melford was sold out of the Duckett family at that time. We do not have any information about the slave population at Melford (the Ducketts certainly did own slaves, and one of the surviving outbuildings is believed to have originally been a slave quarter). So you need to spend some time with tax assessments and the Federal Census Slave Schedule to determine more about the population of enslaved persons who worked at Melford. If you need guidance in this research, just let me know! Susan G. Pearl, Historian --Previous Message--
Prince George's County Historical Society
301-464-0590
: Does anyone know where I can find a record of
: all deaths in PG county around 1830?
: Im trying to find out more about Sally
: Duckett, who is buried at the Melford house.
:
:
:
: If anyone has any information about her, or
: the duckett family, there slaves etc, please
: reply or email me at fiona@van99.com
: thanks in advance.
:
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