Zadok Magruder
Encyclopedia
Colonel Zadok Magruder was a farmer
and Revolutionary War patriot
.
Magruder was a dedicated worker in the resistance against England
, as were many in the Magruder family. Most were farmers, merchants and mechanics
who had promised their fortunes in the quest for independence and for the cause of liberty.
. Zadok Magruder and his brother Nathan Magruder were the third generation of Magruders who were born in America
. Zadok and Nathan Magruder were the sons of John and Susanna Magruder, the grandsons of Samuel and Sarah Magruder, and great-grandsons of Alexander Magruder, a Maryland
immigrant. Alexander Magruder had arrived in Maryland in the year 1652. Alexander Magruder came to Prince George’s County in Maryland after he was deported from Perthshire, Scotland where he was an indentured servant
pursuing the Scottish Rebellion. As a young man, Zadok Magruder moved to Montgomery County, Maryland
.
on the topic of the British Tea Act
. Zadok Magruder also became a member of the Maryland Committee of Correspondence. When Zadok Magruder was in command of the "Home Defense Battalion of Lower Frederick County", which was part of the Maryland militia, he attained the rank of colonel
. Zadok Magruder was later appointed, along with his brother Nathan, as a commissioner
to organize and establish the government of Montgomery County when it became a separate county from Fredrick County in 1776.
A high school named after Colonel Zadok Magruder was later built in Derwood (Montgomery County), Maryland. Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School
's location is near the site of "The Ridge", the Zadok Magruder family home in Redland.
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and Revolutionary War patriot
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
.
Magruder was a dedicated worker in the resistance against England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, as were many in the Magruder family. Most were farmers, merchants and mechanics
Mechanics
Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
who had promised their fortunes in the quest for independence and for the cause of liberty.
Early life
Zadok Magruder was born in Prince George’s County in 1729 and died in 1811. The Magruder family was originally from ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Zadok Magruder and his brother Nathan Magruder were the third generation of Magruders who were born in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Zadok and Nathan Magruder were the sons of John and Susanna Magruder, the grandsons of Samuel and Sarah Magruder, and great-grandsons of Alexander Magruder, a Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
immigrant. Alexander Magruder had arrived in Maryland in the year 1652. Alexander Magruder came to Prince George’s County in Maryland after he was deported from Perthshire, Scotland where he was an indentured servant
Indentured servant
Indentured servitude refers to the historical practice of contracting to work for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities during the term of indenture. Usually the father made the arrangements and signed...
pursuing the Scottish Rebellion. As a young man, Zadok Magruder moved to Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
.
Farmer
In 1745, Zadok Magruder inherited six hundred acres of land near Norbeck from his father, John Magruder. Zadok Magruder built a house five years later in 1750 in Redland, a community which had a population of about fifty at the time. Four years later in 1754, he married Rachel Pottinger Bowie and they had eleven children, eight girls and three boys, one of whom, named Zadok, later became a doctor. Magruder later lived in an area known as Mount Pleasant, where there were many large family farms. This area belonged to Magruder and he is said to have built a house, named Mount Pleasant, in that spot in about 1807. After Magruder died, the region belonged to his son and heir, Robert Pottinger Magruder.Revolutionary War
Zadok Magruder and his brother Nathan Magruder were members of the General Committee to Annapolis in 1774 (as local representatives). The General Committee to Annapolis functioned as the state or colony level of government for Maryland. Zadok Magruder and Nathan Magruder also became members of a committee charged with carrying out the decision of the American Continental CongressContinental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
on the topic of the British Tea Act
Tea Act
The Tea Act was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. Its principal overt objective was to reduce the massive surplus of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses. A related objective was to undercut the price of tea smuggled into Britain's...
. Zadok Magruder also became a member of the Maryland Committee of Correspondence. When Zadok Magruder was in command of the "Home Defense Battalion of Lower Frederick County", which was part of the Maryland militia, he attained the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. Zadok Magruder was later appointed, along with his brother Nathan, as a commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
to organize and establish the government of Montgomery County when it became a separate county from Fredrick County in 1776.
A high school named after Colonel Zadok Magruder was later built in Derwood (Montgomery County), Maryland. Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School
Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School
Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School is a secondary public school located in Rockville , Maryland.Magruder is named for Colonel Zadok Magruder, a Revolutionary War patriot and farmer. He was colonel in command of part of the Maryland militia and helped establish Montgomery County's government in...
's location is near the site of "The Ridge", the Zadok Magruder family home in Redland.