Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Nicholas Greenberry (circa 1627December 17, 1697) was the 4th Royal Governor of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and Commander of the Military Forces of

Anne Arundel Anne Calvert, Baroness Baltimore (née Hon. Anne Arundell; c. 1615/1616G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, G ...

and

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Counties.

Early life and family

Nicholas Greenberry was born in about 1627 to unknown parents. One possibility proposed by Charles Francis Stein, who studied the

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

that Nicholas Greenberry used: There is also a Nicholas Greenberry who was baptised in 1640 at Irnham, South Kesteven, Lincolnshire,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. This Nicholas was the son of Nicholas and Catherine Greeneberrie née Hawkins of Irnham, Lincolnshire, England. A Nicholas Greenberry also shows up in the state papers of Charles II: Sometime between 1666 and 1671, Nicholas Greenberry married Anne (surname unknown). Nicholas and Anne Greenberry had at least four children, two born in England: Charles, born in 1672 at Holburn, London, Middlesex, England and Katherine, born in 1674 at Holburn, London, Middlesex, England, and two born in Maryland: Anne, born in 1676 and Elizabeth, born in 1678. English burial records show two children of a Nicholas Greenberry were buried in England between 1667 and 1671: Anne, buried 6 Aug 1667 at St Giles, Goudhurst, Kent, England, and Elizabeth, buried 19 Mar 1671 at Hoborn, London, Middlesex, England. Nicholas Greenberry arrived at Patuxent, in the Maryland Colony, aboard the sailing ship ''Constant Friendship'' in 1674. He was accompanied by his wife, two children (Charles and Katherine), and three servants. On 9 July 1674, Capt. William Wheatly, master, claimed rights due for transportation of 43 passengers on board, including "Mr Greenberry his wife & two Children."

Land ownership

According to Maryland Land Warrants, Annapolis Land Office, Liber 15, folio 837, Greenberry was granted a warrant for of land located in "Providence" (now

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

) on July 29, 1674. Later, in 1680, Nicholas bought another

tract Tract may refer to: Geography and real estate * Housing tract, an area of land that is subdivided into smaller individual lots * Land lot or tract, a section of land * Census tract, a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census ...

of land near "Providence" called "Fuller" from Colonel William Fuller. This land was resurveyed and renamed "Greenberry Forest." Greenberry called the home "Whitehall," a name it retains to this day. In later years, this home became the residence of

Horatio Sharpe Horatio Sharpe (1718 – November 9, 1790) was the 22nd proprietary governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768 under the restored proprietary government of Maryland. Early life Horatio Sharpe was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England in 1718 to ...

, governor of the Maryland Colony. Sharpe had a Georgian mansion built on the site. In 1685, Colonel Nicholas Greenberry bought 250 acres (1 km²) of land called "Towne Neck." This is located at the mouth of the Severn River and became known as "Greenberry Point." The colony's Deputy Governor, Governor Notley, was forced from office for

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

two

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

s for rebellion against authority. He was replaced by a committee of twenty citizens. Greenberry was one of the gentlemen justices chosen as a member of that committee.

Revolt

On July 27, 1689, the Protestant Association, under John Coode, seized St. Marys, the capital of the colony, in a revolt against the proprietary government. This same year, Nicholas was captain of foot in the

Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, whi ...

Militia. He was promoted to

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in 1690. He then quickly received a commission of

, and was appointed Commander of the Military Forces of Anne Arundel and

Counties. The proprietaryship was disallowed on June 27, 1691. Sir

Lionel Copley Sir Lionel Copley (1648 – September 12, 1693) was the 1st Royal Governor of Maryland from 1692 through his death in 1693. He was the first official royal governor appointed by the British crown after the colony was removed from the propriet ...

took the office as governor, and quickly appointed Greenberry as a member of the council. Copley died in September 1693, at which time Greenberry was appointed by Sir

Edmund Andros Sir Edmund Andros (6 December 1637 – 24 February 1714) was an English colonial administrator in British America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. At other times, Andros served ...

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

, as President of the Council, Acting Governor of Maryland, and Keeper of the

Great Seal of Maryland The Great Seal of the State of Maryland is the official government emblem of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its official service is to authenticate acts by the General Assembly of Maryland (state legislature), but it is also used for display purpos ...

. Greenberry served in this capacity until he was replaced on July 26, 1694, by

Francis Nicholson Lieutenant-General Francis Nicholson (12 November 1655 – ) was a British Army general and colonial official who served as the Governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. He previously was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1712 to 1715, the ...

by a commission from the King dated in February 1694.

High court appointment

On 2 March 1695, Nicholas Greenberry was on the high

Court of Chancery The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the Common law#History, common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over ...

of Maryland. Here is the way it reads verbatim:

Death

Nicholas Greenberry died at the age of 70 on December 17, 1697, at Whitehall. His wife Anne died April 27, 1698, at the age of 50. Both are buried in St. Anne's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland.St. Anne's Episcopal Church Cemetery
/ref> The inscription on Nicholas' tombstone reads: Nicholas Greenberry's will mentions his wife Ann and his four children, Charles, Katherine, Anne, and Elizabeth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenberry, Nicholas Colonial Governors of Maryland 1627 births 1697 deaths Burials in Maryland British colonels People from Lincolnshire English emigrants