Abraham Lemaster born 1636 on the
Isle of Jersey (Channel Islands, France)
and died December 6, 1722 at Betty's Delight in Charles County, Maryland.
He was the son of John Lemaster/LeMatre and Sarah(?)
He married Alice Cooksey in 1658.
The children of Abraham Lemaster and Alice Cooksey were:
Mary Lemaster b. 1663 married Richard Barron
More about the Lemaster family:
The name Le Maistre or La Maistre is French and means "The Master". Le is masculine and La is feminine. De La Maistre descended from the ancient house of Brittainy, Sieurs de la Garlaye, in the parish of Derval, in the Diocese of Nantes, in France. The first records are of Arthur Le Maistre, Sieur of Bois-Vert, who was Chamberlain to John II, Duke of Brittainy 1286-1312. John Le Maistre was President of the Parliament of Paris under Henry IV. Henry IV ruled from 1589-1610.
The mother of Antoine Le Maistre (1608-1658) was the daughter of Antoine Arnauet who was a Jansenist. The Jansenists were a religious group which started about 1650 in France, They were persecuted and many fled to the Netherlands. Many of Le Maistres were French Huguenots. This religious group of French Protestants were founded about 1512. In 1661 they were prohibited from preaching, and a religious war followed. In 1572 the Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day was carried out and many Huguenots were murdered. In 1598 the Edict of Nantes was issued by King Henry which gave the Huguenots religious freedom. In 1685, Louis XIV repealed the Edict, and again many Huguenots were put to death. They fled France by the thousands, going to Germany, England, Netherlands and America. Many settled in Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, Massachusetts, and New York. Among some of these were Le Maistres. As the name LeMaistre became nationalized, it gave rise to such names as: Delamater, DeMaster, LeMaster, Limaster, Leymeister, MacMaster.
The name LeMaster became reagionalized into varations like: LaMaster, Lamasters, Lemasters, LeaMaster, Leamaster, LeeMaster. One of the Le Maistres was Claude Le Maistre who went to Holland then came to America in 1652. He settled at Flat Bush, Long Island. His wife was Hester Du Bois and they had 6 children: John born 1653; Abraham, born 1656; Isaac, born 1658; Susanna born 1660; Hester born 1662; James born 1665. In Memorials of the Huguenots, under the list of the French Nobility, families of Patrician Rank from Nobility of Normandy is listed Le Mastire immigrants as coming to America in 1688. Under the general list is John William Le Maistre, born 1690, and came to America in 1748. A second group of Le Maistres was Abraham Le Maistre born about 1637 in Ste. Marie's Parish, the Isle of Jersey in the Channel Islands to John and Sarah Le Maistre. He came to Maryland before 1669, and settled in Charles Co. in 1700. He patented Le Master's Delight, Betty's Delight, and a number of other tracts. Between 1740-1752, three Lemaster brothers came from Nancy France. However, their names are not known. They had plantations in Virginia and later on the Ohio River near the Ohio and Indiana border. One of this group, Frank Le Master, moved to Johnson Co., Kentucky. He had brothers John R. Le Master; Jessie Le Master; and Eli Le Master (1770-1775)..
A third group came to Pennsylvania before 1750. The name of the father is not known, but he came to Philadelphia County from Germany. He was a blacksmith and carried on his trade near the city. He had 2 sons, of whom Andrew Lemaster was the younger. Andrew was born in Philadelphia Co. Feb. 26 1750. After his father died, Andrew followed the blacksmith trade while his elder brother took the farm. With his share of the estate, Andrew bought a few acres of ground near Philadelphia and built a house and blacksmith shop. Later he moved to Franklin Co., Pa., married Barbara Heck, had eight children. Their son, Jacob Lemaster, was born July 8, 1775. Jacob bought land where the village of Lemaster, Pennsylvania, is now located. The village was started in 1876 by Samuel Plumb, who purchased 11 acres of land from Jacob Lemasters (Lehmasters), and built a work shop. The village of Lemaster, Pa. still exists. A fourth group of Lemasters are descended from a Lemaster who is said to have married an Indian Princess. This was probably a son of one of the early groups.
A fifth group seems to be settled in Virginia. It is known that Lemasters were in Virginia as early as 1700, when a John Lemaster came to Virginia. Wills, deeds, land grants, etc., may be found in Virginia in the early 1700's. We do not know who the first Lemaster was who settled there. The sixth group of Lemasters settled in South Carolina. Some Lemasters living there now say they are descendants of Lemasters, came as a body guard for La Fayette; other say their families came to South Carolina from Virginia. The Lemasters in Virginia seem to have moved to Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. From these states on into Missouri and Arjkansas. From this movement Lemasters can be found today in practically every state in the USA. The names appears in many historical transactions, including the list of voters in the first presidential election; Knights of the Golden Horseshoe; on the Battle Monument of Point Pleasant, West Virginia (first battle of the American Revolution); land grants signed by King George III; in the Blue Book of New York City; many are listed as taking the Oath of Allegiance before and during the Revolution; Nicholas LeMaster was a seaman in Coligny's 2nd expedition to Canada in St. John's River Colony, sailed April 22, 1564 (the entire colony massacred by Indians); Le Maistre family of Orleans, France is listed as French Huguenots; some served at Valley Forge under George Washington; and a coat of arms was issued to the family. There are also many LeMasters listed as soldiers in the Revolutionary war.
Thomas, George, Richard, Benjamin, John, James, Abraham, Hugh, Isaac, Jacob are all listed as serving from Virginia, Abraham, Hugh, Isaac, and Richard are listed from Maryland. John and Frank are listed from South Carolina.