• aft March 1740 - “Was exhibited from Prince Georges County. Benjamin Thresher his Will & Test’y Bond in common form by Mary Thresher his executrix with John Bell and Nicholas Hocker of Prince Georges County her Sureties in one hundred and fifty pounds Ster & dated 3rd March 1740 Which preceeding Bond is ordered to be entered & the other Proceedings Recorded” (Folio 153 of an unknown Liber in the Maryland Hall of Records. The page is captioned “1740 Talbot County Returns Continued”.)102 103
•16 May 1741 - "Mary Thrasher, Executrix of Benjamin Thrasher late of Prince Gorges Co., deceased" presented the inventory of Benjamin Thrasher's estate to court. The appraisers were Jno Jackson, Ninian Beall, and John Robertson. James and Mary Lee signed as "near Relashion to the deseased" [sic]. (Prince Georges Co., MD Inventory Accounts 1741 - 1747. LDS Microfilm.)
• 21 March 1742 (OS) Mary Thrasher, widow, made a deed of gift to her children, naming them in the following order: Thomas, Mary, John, William, Sarah, Margaret, and Benjamin. Each received seven pounds except Benjamin who received ten pounds. All "to be paid at the common age". "And my dwelling plantation and the land thereunto called "The Benjamin" to my son Thomas after my decease, during his life, and afterwards to my son Benjamin and his heirs." (Prince Georges Co., MD Deeds, Liber Y, Folio 626. Maryland Hall of Records.)
• 4 August 1743 - William Beall and James Edmondston deeded to Mary Thrasher, for 800 pounds of tobacco, 25 1/2 acres, part of the “Labyrinth” at or near the NW corner of the “Benjamin”104 .
• 18 Sep 1752 - William Spires of the Province of Maryland, taylor, for a certain amount of money in hand, deeds to Charles Groom all his personal estate of Land goods and chattels which William Spires is at present possessed "and am entitled to by marriage to my present wife" . The deed was recorded 16 Oct 1752. (Frederick Co., MD Deeds, Liber B, Folio 630)
• 18 Sep 1752 - At the request of Mary Spiers, Charles Groom posted bond of 100,000 pounds tobacco to be paid if he or his heirs, etc. molested or disturbed Mary Spiers land goods or chattels.(Frederick Co., MD Deeds, Liber B, Folio 630)
• 17 Oct 1763 - William Spiers and Mary Spiers (his wife) deed to their children, Benjamin Thrasher and Eleanor Spiers, in consideration of love and affection, considerable property—slaves, horses, cattle and all their stock and household possessions. In particular, daughter Eleanor Spiers is given “one Negro Woman called Luck” and son Benjamin Thrasher is given “One Negro Child Named Pompay”. (Frederick County, MD Deed Book H, Folio 634).
• 9 Oct 1766 - Mary Spires deeds to John Trundle for thirty pounds current money two parcels of land, the Benjamin and the Labrinth "which will more fully appear as the Deed from John Beall Senior to Benjamin Thrasher for 100 acres called the Benjamin and Deed from William Beall & James Edmonson for twenty five and one quarter acres land to Mary Thrasher called the Labrinth". The right to have and to hold the property during the Mary Spires' natural life is all that is conveyed. (Frederick Co., MD Deeds Liber K, Folio 773,4)
• 18 June 1767 - Thomas Thrasher and his wife Martha deeded land in Frederick County to John Trundell for sixty pounds current money. This land was in two parts. The first part was called "the Benjamin" and was of 100 acres. The second parcel, the "Labyrinth". is described as being adjacent to the "Benjamin" "where the widow Thrasher lately lived".( Frederick Co., MD Deeds, Liber K, Folio 1328. Maryland Hall of Records)

Thomas Thrasher would have had no right to sell "the Benjamin" and "Labyrinth" in 1767 unless Mary had died by that time.

Mary's previous 1742 deed of "the Benjamin" to her son Benjamin, Jr. must have been either a) forgotten and ignored, or b) void because Benjamin, Jr. had died without issue before June 1767, or) superseded by another deed on the part of Benjamin, Jr. which has not come to light.

Many Internet web sites and family group sheets state that Mary Thrasher’s maiden name was Beall. This seems to be a rumor without any basis in fact. For thirty years, I have been asking people who list Mary as a Beall what the evidence is. The answer is always, “I don’t know. I heard it from somebody else.” Frances Dittmann of Atascadero, CA has spent years trying to find a Beall connection without success. So has Robert Beringer, an expert Hook Family researcher.

Chuck Hocker of Florida has presented the theory that Mary Thrasher was the daughter of Nicholas Hocker, a neighbor. A difficulty with this theory is that Mary, daughter of Nicholas and Sophia Hocker, was born on 19 Feb 1714 (NS) according to Queen Annes Parish records. According to Bible records cited in Dr. Marion Thrasher’s "History of the Thrasher Family", Mary Thrasher's first known son, Thomas, was born on 29 Oct 1725. Mary Hocker would have been 11 years 8 months old at the time of birth and Thomas would have been conceived when she was 10 years old. This does not seem likely. Another difficulty with Mr. Hocker’s theory is that it lacks any supporting evidence.

It seems likely that Benjamin Thrasher’s wife was the daughter of James Hook, Sr. and his wife Margaret - close neighbors. They had a daughter, Mary, born 17 Nov 1708 according to Queen Annes Parish records which makes her the right age. This would explain a) Why Benjamin Thrasher made a gift of a dark bay mare to James Hook, Jr. and b) Why Thomas Thrasher signed the settlement of the estate of John Hook as “next of kin” in 1762. (John Hook would have been Thomas’s uncle). Also notice that Benjamin and Mary Thrasher’s second son was named James and their third daughter was named Margaret.