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Sketches of the eight ironmaster Mayburys
of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey


The following chart will serve as a quick reference to the relationships of the eight "ironmaster" Mayburys, whose biographical sketches are found below. Thomas Maybury I: was probably born in England by 1690 where there were numerous Mayburys who were "forgemen" or "hammermen" going back at to at least about 1600 in Shropshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, and later in Wales. We believe that his wife was named Elizabeth and that they were probably married in England. Thomas Maybury I came to Pennsylvania at least by 1716 when he was granted 10 acres out of the "vacant land in the townstead of Newton, in the County of Bucks," for a settlement to carry on his trade.

Like many ironmasters of his time he went to Virginia where land was cheaper and conditions favorable to the iron business. There, on 10 May 1742, "Thomas Maybury hammerman of Orange County, Virginia" signed a contract with William Vestal, John Traden, Richard Stevenson and Daniel Burnett to build a bloomery for making bar iron on William Vestal's land on the Shenandoah River in Frederick County, Virginia. This site, not far from Harper's Ferry, is now in Jefferson County, West Virginia. The contract called for Thomas Maybury I to be paid £400 current money of Pennsylvania to build the bloomery and have it ready to operate eight months later, on January 1, 1743. The contract also provided for Thomas Maybury's expenses during the construction period and gave him one share in the company. The Vestal contract called for Thomas Maybury to be paid in "current money of Pennsylvania".

After he finished constructing the Vestal Furnace, Thomas Maybury I seems to have continued to live in Frederick County, Virginia where he may have operated the furnace for Vestal and company. But in the fall of 1749 he was back in Pennsylvania, at least temporarily. On 5 October 1749, Thomas Maybury I, described as, "late of Newton in the County of Bucks in Pennsylvania, Blacksmith but now residing in the County of Frederick in Virginia", signed a performance bond with Thomas Potts, ironmaster, which bound him to Potts in the amount of £100. As collateral for the bond Maybury used the land that he and his son had purchased in 1732.

Less than three weeks later, on 24 October 1749, Thomas Potts signed a one year lease for two parcels of land in Newtown, in the County of Bucks, from Thomas Mayberry (sic). The following day, on 25 October 1749, Thomas Potts purchased the two parcels on Newtown Creek in Bucks County from "Thomas Mayberry, blacksmith, late of Newtown". The purchase price was £85 and Potts is noted on the indenture as already processing the property.

It seems likely that Thomas Maybury I then returned to Frederick County, Virginia, where, in 1755, he received a Fairfax grant of 400 acres near the mouth of the Shenandoah River. While we cannot be certain, this may be an indication that he continued to manage the Vestal Furnace and needed additional land to supply the charcoal. No other records of Thomas Maybury I have been found.


Thomas Maybury II: was probably also born in England. Whether he came to Pennsylvania with his father by 1717 or later has not been determined. It is possible that he was the Thomas Mabrey (sic), "finer and hammerman" who came to the Principio Company in England in 1725, "to offer himself to goe in ye service of ye Comp. to America...." [Robbins, Michael W., The Principio Company : Iron-making in Colonial Maryland, 1720-1781, New York: Garland, 1986, p. 105]

On October 1742, Thomas Mayburry of Marlborough township in the County of Philadelphia, Hammerman", purchased for "one thousand pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania" from William and Margaret Allen of Philadelphia, a tract of land, "situated on a branch of Rich Valley Creek part in the said county of Philadelphia and part in the County of Bucks". On this land, later to be known as "the thousand acres", Thomas Maybury II soon built the Green Lane Forge. He also built the Hereford Furnace on land in Berks County.

This historical marker is near the location of the Hereford Furnace. The marker implies that Thomas Maybury, who established the furnace, also produced the first cast-iron cooking-stove in America in 1767. That is not the case because Thomas Maybury II who built the furnace died in 1747. The cooking-stove was almost certainly built by his son, Thomas Maybury III, who later owned and operated the furnace. Thomas Maybury II also rented the Mt. Pleasant Forge from fellow ironmaster, Thomas Potts.

Thomas Maybury II probably died early in 1747 without leaving a will. His administration was opened on 2 March 1747 in what at the time was still Philadelphia County. Surviving him were his widow, Sophia, and four children: Catharine, William, Dorothy and Thomas. Because three of his children were minors, Thomas Maybury's property, including the Hereford Furnace and Green Lane Forge was tied up in proceedings of the Orphans Court of Philadelphia County until 1762 when his eldest son, William Maybury, purchased the interest of his siblings and became the next ironmaster.


William Maybury, son of Thomas Maybury II, was born about 1734. He married Anne Brockden. He was still a minor when his father died in 1747. Twelve years later, on 27 January 1755, William applied to the Orphans Court of Philadelphia County, to have his father's land valued. On September 4th the land was officially valued at £3,000, saving and reserving a widow's dower for William's mother, Sophia Maybury. This valuation was set aside by the court for the reason that part of the land was in Bucks County and therefore outside it's jurisdiction. Finally, on 8 June 1757, a jury of inquest returned a valuation for the 1230 acres in Marlborough Twp. and 331 acres, part of the 1000 acres on Rich Valley Creek, for a total of £2,193, subject to the widow's dower. Subsequently, William Maybury entered into agreements with his brother and sisters to purchase their respective shares, not only in the land lying in Philadelphia County, but also in the remainder of "the thousand acres" which was in Bucks County. His siblings, Catherine, Thomas and Dorothy gave his a release to this land on 10 September 1762 for which they were paid £1,672. William then ran the forge until he died on 10 February 1764. He left his widow, Anne, and five children: Thomas (age 8), Charles, Andrew, Elizabeth and Margaret. Anne Maybury then married Richard Tea on 6 November 1764. A few weeks later, Thomas Maybury III, the uncle of Anne's children petitioned the court to have guardians appointed for William and Anne's children. In September 1783, after all the children had reached their majority, a partition was presented to Philadelphia Orphans Court to divide of value the lands of William Maybury. According to the record the real estate consisted of: a forge for making iron in Marlborough Twp., a tract of 103 acres and another of 80 acres with several buildings on it, a building and 400 acres of land in Upper Salford Twp., and four buildings with about 895 acres of land in Frederick township. The inquest was awarded by no return was ever filed with the court, apparently because the family itself was deciding how to divide the estate. William and Anne's son, Thomas Maybury (called "the younger") purchased from his mother, Anne Tea, and her husband, Richard, her widow's dower share of William Maybury's real estate along with at least some of the shares of his siblings. At this point the settling of the estate of William Maybury became even more complicated. Thomas Maybury III (called "the elder"), brother of the deceased William Maybury, executed a judgment of £3,300 that he held against his nephew, Thomas Maybury "the younger". This resulted in Thomas Maybury III obtaining the widow's dower and two undivided fifths of the estate which had been purchased by his nephew.


Thomas Maybury III "the elder": was a minor when his father, Thomas Maybury II, died in 1747. On 8 Dec 1766 Thomas III married Rebecca Warder, daughter of Jeremiah Warder and Mary Head, at Philadelphia Meeting House. Although he had been operating Green Lane Forge for some time, he became its sole owner on 1 May 1784 by purchasing the shares of his brother William Maybury's estate from William's widow, Anne Tea, and her five children. That same year, 1784, Montgomery County was created out of Philadelphia County, so that the forge and its lands became part of the new County. Thomas Maybury III continued to own the forge until his own death in April or May 1797 in Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania. Like all of his recent ancestors, he died intestate and once more the forge and lands were tied up in court proceedings. Thomas left his widow, Rebecca, and nine children: William, Mary, Willoughby, Sophia (wife of Charles Jolly), Rebecca (wife of John Jolly), all of full age, and four minors, Lydia, Ann, Thomas and Jeremiah. While Thomas Maybury III left a large amount of property, he was also heavily in debt and the forge suffered from neglect and decay. Accordingly, the administrators had to sell much of the property to settle the pressing debts. The Forge was not sold and on 14 May 1798, William Maybury, eldest son of Thomas Maybury III, applied to Orphans court for partition of the Forge its associated properies, comprising in all 1150 acres of land. An inquest of seven men reported to the court that the property could not be divided without prejudice and spoiling of the whole but appraised it at £4,367. On 29 June 1798 William Maybury appeared in court and accepted the 1150 acres at the appraised amount, subject to the widow's dower and the payment of shares to the other heirs. His solution to the problem of the shares belonging to his siblings was to sell a one-half interest of the property to his brother, Willoughby Maybury, which he did on 25 October 1798. William and Willoughby Maybury thus became co-owners of Green Lane Forge and proceeded to execute a mortage on it in order to pay the shares of their mother and their siblings. Fifteen years later, on 9 March 1813, Willoughby Maybury and his wife, Susanna, of Frederick County, Maryland, sold their half interest in Green Lane Forge to Willoughby's brother, Thomas Maybury IV. The forge thus became the property of the brothers William and Thomas Maybury IV. Nine months later the two brothers put Green Lane Forge up for sale:

PUBLIC SALE - Will be sold January 11th 1814, at public sale Green Lane Forge with 270 acres of land on the Perkiomen Creek, 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia on the main road to Mascatawny and Kutztown, about 90 acres woodland, 40 or 50 prime meadow, __ story stone mansion house, large stone barn, coal house, smith shop and a saw mill, all of which with the dam, race and forebays are in complete repair. The water of the Perkiomen Creek affording excellent water power. The Forge would afford materials for any man's establishment. -- WILLIAM AND THOMAS MAYBURY, Green Lane Forge, December 18th, 1813.
On 4 April 1814, Green Lane Forge, passed out of the Maybury family when it was sold to Jonathan Willis and William Yardley for $46,500.


William Maybury, the oldest son of Thomas Maybury III, was born 3 Oct 1768. We believe that he married Anna Hockley on 13 February 1796 at the Reformed Church at Falkner Swamp. Anna was daughter of James Hockley and Ruth Savage. Shortly after the marriage, William became the owner of Green Lane Forge in Montgomery County. In October 1798 he sold a half-share of the forge to his brother, Willoughby Maybury. William was living in Marlborough Twp. in 1806 and was called "Iron Master". He and Willoughby ran the forge until 1813 when William moved to Virginia where he was involved in several other ironworks. William returned to Montgomery County where he wrote his will on 8 January 1819. He died on 16 August of the same year and his will was proved 27 May 1820 at Norristown. He left a large estate which mentions his children William, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Anna and Thomas. His will specifically mentions the fact that his son, William Maybury, was a son of Catharine Zink, with whom William had lived after the death of his wife, Anna. Catharine Zink is also named in the will and received a large share of William Maybury's property.


Willoughby Maybury, son of Thomas Maybury III, was married 2 May 1799 to Susanna Eckhardt, daughter of Valentine Eckhardt, at the Reformed Church, Reading, Pennsylvania. He lived in Marlborough Twp. in 1806 where he and his brother, William Maybury owned the Green Lane Forge until 1813. In 1811 Willoughby Mayberry (sic) and his brother, Thomas Maybury IV, bought the Catoctin Furnace in Frederick County, Maryland from the heirs of Baker Johnson. Willoughby Maybury moved to Maryland where he is found in the 1820 census. Willoughby Maybury died in 1830.


Thomas Maybury IV, son of Thomas Maybury III, was probably born about 1780-85. He was named as a "minor" when his father died in 1797. By 1806 he was known as "a merchant in Philadelphia". About 1809 Thomas and his brother, Willoughby Maybury, went to Virginia with the idea of purchasing an ironworks there but did not do so. Instead Thomas and Willoughby bought the Catoctin Furnace in Frederick County, Maryland in 1811. In 1813 Thomas Maybury IV bought his brother Willoughby's half interest in the Green Lane Forge, thus becoming co-owner with his brother, William Maybury. The following year, in Philadelphia, Thomas Maybury IV met another ironmaster, William Weaver, and the two decided to form a partnership to purchase one or more iron furnaces in Virginia. At the same time Thomas and his brother, William, sold Green Lane to Willis and Yardley. On 30 July 1814 the firm of Mayburry & Weaver (sic) was established as the two purchased several properties from William Wilson in Rockbridge County, Virginia. These included the Union Forge and the Retreat and Etna Furnaces. Union was soon renamed as Buffalo Forge. The partnership was precarious from the beginning. The Retreat Furnace failed for lack of water and they had to rebuild the Etna Furnace. There was difficulty in purchasing slaves for labor and Weaver spent most of his time in Pennsylvania attending to family matters. By 1817 the partnership was suffering financially. When Weaver finally came to Virginia in 1823 there was a dispute over the ownership of some of the slaves ad well as other matters. In 1825 Weaver filed suit against Maybury and the case dragged on until it was finally settled out of court in 1836. Meanwhile, in 1828, Thomas Maybury bought the Gibraltar Forge in northern Rockbridge County and built a new blast furnace which he named Vesuvius. Maybury's partner in the Gibraltar Forge was his brother-in-law, Thomas Jolly. About 1838 Maybury began buying property along Contrary Creek in Louisa County, east of the Blue Ridge. Over the following year he bought additional property there and began the building of a new blast furnace which he named Victoria Furnace. In 1839 Gibraltar Forge was sold and Thomas Maybury settled in Louisa County. By July 1840, just as Victoria Furnace came into full operation, Thomas Maybury died. Some years earlier, in Virginia, he had married a widow with children of her own. We know her only as Eleanor. Thomas had no children of his own.

[Those interested in Thomas Maybury IV should consult, Charles B. Dew's, "Bond of Iron: Master and Slave at Buffalo Forge", published in 1994 by Norton and Company. ]







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