The Minor Family of Somerset

Young John Ogle early became aware of the difficulties which hi
s family werelikely to experience after the Restoration, and h
e undoubtedly had heard tales of adventures in the New World; an
d so when the opportunity was presented to him him, John Ogle jo
ined Colonel Nicolls' expedition, bound for America.
In March 1664, the whole of the territory in America occupied b
y the Dutch on the Atlantic seaboard was Granted by Charles II t
o his brother, the Duke ofYork, on the plea that it was Britis
h soil by right of discovery. On 25 May1664, Colonel Nicolls, w
ith four ships, 300 soldiers and 450 men, sailed fromPortsmouth
. The expedition arrived at New Amsterdam, and without firin
g ashot, Governor Stuyvesant surrendered the town on 29 Augus
t and promptly changed the name to New York.
Delaware had been origanally settled by Swedes, whoquarrelled w
ith the Dutch, who built Fort Casimir 6 miles from the Swedish F
ort Christiana. In 1654 Governor Rising brought a large number o
f colonistsfrom Sweden; he took Fort Casimir, renaming it For
t of the Holy Trinity, inhonor of the Day of capture. Governo
r Stuyvesant, who later came down from New Amsterdam and recaptu
red the fort, renamed it New Amstel.
John Ogle, whohad served under Captain Carr in Delaware, becam
e a permanent resident of White Clay Creek Hundred, named from t
he deposits of white clay found along itsbanks. John Ogle firs
t resided at New Castle, where he was a large land-buyer; he aft
erwards lived at various sites on his extensive holdings. He com
menced acquiring land at an early date, probably as soon as th
e confusion of theconquest and the settlement of Indian trouble
s permitted it.
The first Grant that John Ogle received was in February 1666, fr
om Governor Nicolls, who had empowered the officers of Delawar
e to dispose of 'implanted' land there for the best advantage o
f the inhabitants. The parcel known as Muscle Cripple was Grante
d to Sgt Thomas Wollaston, John Ogle, John Hendricks and Herma
n Johnson. It consisted of a part of 300 acres and was bounded b
y a creek at theHead of Bread and Cheese Island and also by th
e plantations of Hans Bones andJames Crawford. Sgt Wollaston ha
d been a comrad in arms, as had James Crawford of the adjoinin
g plantation. James Crawford, having gained some knowledgeof me
dicine in the army, was known as 'Doctor' on the early assessmen
t rolls. His daughter Mary was later to marry into the Ogle fami
ly. Crawford was one of the heroes of the Nicolls expedition, hi
s Grant specifically stating that it was given 'in consideratio
n of the good service performed by James Crawford, a soldier'.
The story of John Ogle is closely bound up whith that of hisfri
ends Thomas Wollaston and James Crawford, who took a liKing to y
oung Ogle and formed a friendship which continued throughout the
ir lives.
The three friends settled on nearby plantations in New Castle Co
unty, where their wives survived them. The Records of the Cour
t of Newcastle give a picture of their lives after 1676.
The three are the foundation of the Ogle genealogy. JohnOgle'
s son Thomas married Mary Crawford, daughter of James. Wollastao
n connections appear in the fourth and fifth generations. Josep
h Ogle married Priscilla Wollaston, and their son Samuel marrie
d Deborah Wollaston.
An eye-witness account of the events of June 1675 has revealed s
omething of the character of John Ogle of that period - swashbuc
kling, rash and reckless, with an amount of courage appropriat
e to the rough and tumble frontier environment. Hewas not one t
o be imposed on, especially by one of the Dutch who certainly di
d not amount to much in the eys of His Majesty's soldiers. Unde
r order of the Governor-General, the magistrates met at New Cast
le on 4 June 1675, and decided that it would be necessary to bui
ld a road across the marsh and to build a dyke in the marsh nex
t to the town. Another