Every once in a while, genealogists have a "eureka discovery" that makes all of the searching worth it. I don't speak German, but the Germans (not surprisingly) have a word for it: "Aha-Erlebnis" is an "aha experience" after a period of struggle or confusion. So I apparently had one of those.
As I near completion of writing Wathen's Adventure: The Genealogy & History of John Wathen of Southern Maryland, I'd still been struggling to confidently piece together some of the Montgomery County Wathens/Warthens. A handful of Wathens moved from Southern Maryland to Montgomery County, Maryland at the end of the 1700s, where the last name eventually became "Warthen." Despite extensive effort, I'd been unable to conclusively figure out exactly how the Warthens of Montgomery County today connect to the Wathens of Southern Maryland.
The biggest challenge is that the family used the same names over and over again. In just half a century, the Montgomery County Warthens included three Ignatiuses, three Leonards, two or three Edwards, two Gabriels, and (believe it or not) two Aquilas. The modern-day Warthens of Montgomery County are known to descend from one of these Leonard Wathens, but I hadn't been able to definitively trace this Leonard's ancestry back to Southern Maryland.
I'll share more details in my upcoming book, but a visit to the Maryland Archives in Annapolis today provided the final clue I needed to solidly connect this Leonard Wathen to Southern Maryland's John, the original local Wathen. In the 1831 tax list in the 2nd district, this Leonard Wathen - situated right next to his brother William - is listed as "Leonard Wathan (of Igs)," i.e., Leonard Wathan [son of] Ig[natiu]s."
Figuring out the ancestry of this Ignatius Wathen presents another puzzle, but I found an important hint a few months ago in an 1810 list of debts due the Estate of Zadok Magruder Jr.: This Ignatius Wathen - listed near his known family member Joseph - is identified as “Ignatius Wathan (of Js W.),” i.e., Ignatius Wathen, [son of] J[ame]s W.
James W. Wathen - or James Wearing Wathen - is one of the sons of Ignatius Wathen Sr., son of the colonial John Wathen. Based on the evidence, then, we can conclude that Leonard Warthen was the son of Ignatius Wathen, who was the son of James Wearing Wathen, who was the son of Ignatius Wathen Sr., who was the son of John Wathen of Southern Maryland.
I'll be presenting additional details and evidence in my upcoming book, but I'm so thrilled by my recent discoveries! While I'm not the first to trace this family line - I've seen others propose the same connections online - it's still incredibly exciting to find solid evidence that confirms it.
As a reminder, Wathen's Adventure: The Genealogy & History of John Wathen of Southern Maryland is available for pre-order, and those who order before October 1 will receive a free Memorial Page listing in the opening pages of the book!