John S. Lloyd

Old Bailey Courthouse before the 1737 remodeling (www.oldbaileyonline.org)

Our Lloyd's of London

There are a lot of stories concerning the Lloyds, allied family of the Martins.  Much of them are from stories and letters passed down from generation to generation, so accuracy is questionable.

John S. Lloyd was the first of our Lloyd ancestors to come to America.  He was sent to America as an indentured servant, his crime being simple grand larceny, his sentence being 14 years.  Above is what John would have seen as he was taken to court.  He was tried at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court.  At the time of his trial, defendants were not allowed representation.  They were able to represent themselves, but they had to build their case while in prison awaiting trial.  Until the actual trial, they were unaware of the specific evidence that would be presented against them, they had to respond spontaneously to what the witnesses said.  This was thought to be the best way to get the truth from them.  Because of this, many innocent people were found guilty.  Luckily for us, John's punishment was transportation.  following is trial summary for John's case.  there is a lot of speculation that he was set up because of the perfect, respectful, religious life he led after coming to America.  From what I've read, I tend to agree.

Information provided by Old Bailey Online

John S. Lloyd in America

John landed in Baltimore, Maryland March 10, 1727 aboard the Rappahannock, under the command of Charles Whale.  Nothing more is known about John until his marriage to Prudence Emrey in Orange County, Virginia in 1742.  The 1750 census shows him residing in Frederick County, Virginia.  He was an indentured servant for 14 years.

A seventh generation descendent of John and Prudence, John W. Lloyd claimed, on the basis of family tradition, that the family originally came from Cardiff, Glomorganshier, Wales.  John's father was from Wales hence the reason of using the "LL" in the spelling of our name.  He had two older brothers, Joseph and Phillip, one a watch and clock maker, the other a printer.  John was bound, at a young age, as an apprentice to a boot and shoe maker and aspired to become a master craftsman in this trade.  he married without permission of his employer, to whom he was bound as an apprentice, and therefore could not become a master craftsman but would work his life as a journeyman.  He had a child by this marriage; however his wife and child died suddenly. 

After marrying Prudence, John served in the Frederick County Militia in the 1750s.  At a Vestry meeting in November 1767, John was appointed "Reader" of the parish of Frederick of the Church of England at McKays Chapel.  His salary was 6 pounds per year.  He served in that capacity again in 1768 and 1769.  A Vestry of November 27, 1772, John Lloyd was exempted from payment of parish levies, which might indicate that he was too old or too feeble to work.  John would have been 68 years old in 1772.

All of John Lloyd's five (5) sons served either in the Continental Army or the Minute Men Militia during the Revolutionary War.  While the manner of his coming to America is questionable, he is thought to have been a productive and respected member of the Frederick County community, living most of his adult life there.  His appointment as reader at McKays Chapel is indicative of the esteem in which he was held by the community, and shows that he was a devoted member of the Church of England.

Most of what is known about John and Prudence (Emrey) Lloyd has been preserved in a letter written by their youngest son, Joseph, when Joseph was seventy-seven years old, the letter having been written in response to an inquiry from Joseph's nephew, James McCracken Lloyd.  The full text of Joseph's letter can be found here.