Abraham Markoe was an American capitalist and patriot.
Background
Abraham Markoe was born on July 2, 1727 on the island of Santa Cruz (or St. Croix), one of the Virgin Islands, then subject to the Crown of Denmark. His grandfather, Pierre Marcou, a Huguenot, had accompanied Count Crequi from France to the Danish West Indies before the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. There he acquired one of the largest sugar plantations on the island of Santa Cruz, and became colonial governor of that settlement. His son Pierre, who seems to have been the first to change the family name to Markoe, married Elizabeth Farrell, and Abraham Markoe was their son. Abraham inherited the rich plantations, traded with Europe and the American colonies.
Career
From the first rumblings of the Revolution he took the side of the Patriots, and was the founder of the first volunteer military association in what is now the United States. This was the Philadelphia Light Horse, now known as the First Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry, which was organized November 17, 1774. It was composed of gentlemen of fortune, who provided all their own equipment and paid for their own maintenance. The first active duty of the Troop, of which Markoe was the first captain, was to escort General Washington as far as New York, when, on June 21, 1775, he started for Cambridge to take command of the Continental Army. The standard of the Philadelphia Light Horse was presented to it by Markoe, and although there exists a bill from John Folwell for "drawing and designing the colours for the Light Horse, " dated September 16, 1775, Markoe is generally credited with having suggested the design. In the upper left-hand corner of the flag, in what is known as the canton, are thirteen stripes of alternate blue and silver, supposed to be the "earliest instance of the thirteen stripes being used upon an American banner". Markoe resigned his command early in the year 1776 because the government of Denmark, of which he was still a subject, had issued an edict of neutrality, and disobedience on his part would have imperilled his family and rendered his estates in Santa Cruz liable to confiscation. He never lost his interest in the cause of the colonies, however, and was present at the battle of Brandy-wine in October 1777. During the British occupation of Philadelphia he retired to Lancaster, Pa. , but returned to the capital in time to witness the evacuation of that city by the King's troops. In 1782-83 he acquired by patents from the state of Pennsylvania a block of ground now bounded by Ninth, Tenth, Market, and Chestnut Streets, in Philadelphia. Upon this ground he erected a mansion, which was one of the wonders of the city being the first house to use marble lintels over its windows. He died in Philadelphia and was buried in Christ Church graveyard.
Achievements
Connections
In 1751 married a widow, Elizabeth (Kenny) Rogers, who bore him two sons, Peter, and Abraham. About the year 1770, his wife having died a few years before, he went to Philadelphia, where he established a residence. On December 16, 1773, he was married in Christ Church to Elizabeth Baynton, daughter of John Baynton, a Philadelphia merchant. Seven children were born to this union.