Existing comment:
The DeButts Family Comes to Maryland
Samuel DeButts was born in Ireland in 1756. He began a career as a doctor in England and there met and married his wife, Mary Welby, in 1785. Samuel's medical practice was difficult, unprofitable, and kept the couple apart for weeks at a time. Like hundreds of thousands of other European families, Samuel and Mary DeButts decided to immigrate to the United States.
They arrived with their two children, Richard and Mary Ann, in 1791. They lived in Baltimore, then Washington County [which is where Harper's Ferry is], and for a time with Samuel's brother, John, in St Mary's County. Mary gave birth to their third child, John Henry, in the United States.
Samuel and Mary had inherited some wealth and land from their families. In the early 1800's, Samuel decided to add to his income by farming on this land while practicing medicine in Washington DC. With this comfortable house and productive farm overlooking the Potomac River, the DeButts family established itself in the society of well-to-do families in the Chesapeake. |