USA > Maryland > Harford County > History of Harford County, Maryland : from 1608 (the year of Smith's expedition) to the close of the War of 1812 > Part 1
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HISTORY OF
ARFORD COUNTY
CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
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History of Harford County, Maryland : fr
3 1924 028 867 681 olin
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1865
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Cornell University Library
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HISTORY
OF
HARFORD COUNTY
MARYLAND
FROM 1608 (THE YEAR OF SMITH'S EXPEDITION) TO THE CLOSE OF THE WAR OF 1812
BY
WALTER W. PRESTON, A. M.
BEL AIR, MARYLAND
Happy he whom neither wealth nor fashion Nor the march of the encroaching city, Drives an exile, from the earth of his aocestral homestead.
1901
PRESS OF SUN BOOK OFFICE
BALTIMORE, MD.
KC
175-17.
Entered accordiog to Act of Congress in the year 1901 by Walter W. Preston io the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
The First View . . Smith Comes to the Susquehanna from Virginia . .. Maps the Shore and gives an account of the Indians . . . Giant Indian seen near Stafford . . . Pool's Island . . . Smith's Falls . . Climate . . Willoughby or Bush River . . . Clayborne ... Palmer's Island . . . Col. Nathaniel Utie . .. Treaty with the Indians . . . Harford a District of Baltimore County.
CHAPTER II.
Early Settlements . . . Thomas Thurston . .. Old houses . . Some tracts of Land of Jacob Giles, Col. White, Aquila . Paca, Daniel Scott, James Preston, John Stump, David Bis- set, Samnel Gover, John Hall, Wm. Bradford, Wm. McComas, John McComas.
CHAPTER III.
Old Court Houses ... Maryland Colony and England . . . Remote from events of Mother Country ... County Seat on Bush River . .. Some Old Minutes of Court . .. Wm. Os- borne . . . County Seat Removed to Gunpowder . .. To Joppa ... Growth and Decline of Joppa . .. Baltimore on the Patapsco.
CHAPTER IV.
Customs and Manners prior to Revolution . .. Slavery Primitive Conditions . . . The Lawyer . .. Doctor ... Schoolmaster ... Life of a Physician before the Revolution Domestic Customs.
iii
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-
CHAPTER V.
Organization of Harford County .. . Inconvenience on ac- count of Removal of County Seat to Baltimore . . . Petition for New County ... Henry Harford ... Act for Formation of new County.
CHAPTER VI.
Organization of County, continned ... First Records . Swearing in Lord Justices . .. Appointment of Clerk, Sheriff and State's Attorney ... Division of County into Hundreds, and Appointment of Constables. ... First Grand Jury ... First Petit Jury . .. County Seat at Harford Town or Bush.
CHAPTER VII.
. .
Bel Air Chosen County Seat .. . Other Places Voted for . Another Election called .. . Scott's Old Field or Bel Air wins again . .. Aquila Scott of James Conveys land in Bel Air to County . . . Court House at Bel Air . .. Orders for Opening Roads, &c. ... Harford the Chief Section of Balti- more County ... First two County Seats in Harford.
CHAPTER VIII.
Selections from Old Records ... Tavern Licenses ... Grand and Petit Juries . .. Luther Martin admitted to Prac- tice at Harford Bar . . . Tavern Rates . . . Road Supervisors Court House at Bel Air Occupied . .. First Judges Description of Building ... Burning of Old Court House and Construction of Present Building.
CHAPTER IX.
Old Records, continued ... Wm. Pinkney Locates at Bel Air . .. Basis of Assessment . .. Tax rate . .. Members of the Bar in 1796 . . . Juries ... Robert Amos, Jr., Sheriff . . . Judges of Election . .. John Lee Gibson resigns as Clerk . . . Henry Dorscy of Edward Appointed Clerk.
iv
CHAPTER X.
Signs of the Revolution . Importation Act . . . Stamp
Act . . . The Peggy Stewart . The American Association . . . Concord and Lexington . . Annapolis Convention of June, 1774 . .. Harford Representatives ... Convention at Bush . . . Resolutions . Association of the Freemen of Maryland.
CHAPTER XI.
Harford in the Revolution . . . People of New County alive to Public Affairs ... Favorable Location of County Seat at Bush . . . Great Men Passing Along . .. Harford Declaration of Popular Rights.
CHAPTER XII.
The Revolution Continued ... Enrollment of County Mili- tia . .. The Flying Camp . . . Alex. Lawson Smith's Har- ford Company at the Battle of Fort Washington.
CHAPTER XIII.
Lafayette's Expedition through Harford, 1781 . . . Officers of the Command . . . Lafayette Spends Night at House of Col. James Rigby, near Darlington ... Alex. Hamilton . . . Proclamation Against Desertion . .. Aquila Deaver ... An Anecdote of the Expedition ... Captains Greme and Gimat.
CHAPTER XIV.
Old Churches . Spesutie . . The Catholic Church. Bethel.
CHAPTER XV.
Old Churches Continued ... Presbyterian Church at Churchville . .. Cokesbury Methodist College and Church . Harford Baptist Church . . . The Friends in Harford.
.
V
CHAPTER XVI.
Biographical-
William Paca ... Dr. John Archer ... Col. Thomas White ... Benj. Bradford Norris.
CHAPTER XVII.
Biographical Continued.
Rev. John Coleman . . . William Bradford . . . John Stump, of Stafford . . . William Smithson . . . Aquila Hall . . . William Morgan . . . Col. Ignatius Wheeler .. . Col. John Streett.
CHAPTER XVIII.
The War of 1812 . . . National Conditions . . . Weak Fed- eral Government . . . Valuable Assistance from France .. . Fort McHenry ... North Point ... Captain John A. Web- ster, Col. Wm. Smith and Col. John Streett, all of Harford, Assist in the Defense of Baltimore . .. Sketch of Capt. Web- ster . .. British Attack Upon Havre de Grace ... John O'Neill ... Col. Smith's Forty-second Regiment.
CHAPTER XIX.
Havre de Grace. ... Origin of the Name . .. Early Description ... Organization as a Town ... First Town Commissioners . . . Proceedings . .. Returns of Election.
CHAPTER XX.
Miscellaneous-
Harford Pensioners from the Revolution . .. Solicitors of Subscription to Association of Freemen of Maryland Early Iron Works . . . Gov. Paca and Gov. Bradford . . . Harford Militia Companies . .. Harford Statistics, 1798 . Court Officers and Juries, 1800 . . . Same, 1803-1806 Nuncupative Will of Joseph Butler, Lieutenant in Smallwood's Regiment, Killed at Battle of Long Island .. . Marriage Cer- tificate of John Worthington and Priscilla Wilson, 1769 . . . My Lady's Manor . . . Bel Air Academy.
vi
APPENDIX.
Minutes of Harford Revolutionary Committees . . . Mem- bers of House of Delegates from Harford . . . Sheriffs Members of Congress . .. Registers of Wills ... Clerks of Circuit Court ... Constitutional Conventions.
vii
WILLIAM PACA
Chief Justice, twice Governor, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence. Born at Abingdon, 1740.
PREFACE
Acknowledgment is due to the following persons who have given assistance in the preparation of this work, viz: Mr. S. W. Bradford, Mr. J. T. C. Hop- kins, Mr. Charles W. Michael, Mr. P. H. Rutledge, Mr. J. M. Streett, Mr. F. E. Gorrell, Rev. Dr. Wm. F. Brand, Capt. C. A. Conner, the Bel Air Times, Mr. E. M. Allen, Mr. Thomas E. Bond, Rev. Father J. A. Frederick, Mr. Nathan Grafton, Mr. A. H. Hull, Mr. George Y. Maynadier, and others.
Numerous quotations are made from Scharf's and Bozman's histories of Maryland, and from Johnston's History of Cecil County. In many cases information could not be obtained for a proper narrative. For in- stance, the War Department at Washington will not permit copies of their records to be made, and for this reason, no full roster of Colonel Smith's regiment or Colonel John Streett's command in the war of 1812, could be given. The account of the old houses is very fragmentary and incomplete, as the records throw no light on them and tradition is meagre and always unreliable.
The sketch of Spesutie church is taken from the pamphlet history by Rev. S. W. Crampton; that of Bethel, from the historical paper by Rev. Andrew B.
Cross ; that of Cokesbury, from the article of Dr. Ber- nard C. Steiner, and the Churchville Presbyterian church from the history of Rev. W. T. L. Keiffer Father Frederick, of St. Ignatious church, Hickory, kindly furnished the data for the chapter on the Catho- lics of Harford.
Mr. Nathan Grafton assisted in the sketch of the Harford Baptist church. For the chapter on The Friends in Harford, I am indebted to Mr. A. H. Hull.
Although this work was intended to be brought only through the war of 1812, some of the subjects are car- ried further. In the collection of the data, in many instances, the information came down to this period, and having the material on hand, the whole is pub- lished. This is the case with the lists of county offi- cials, and in the sketches of some of the churches.
If this volume should be acceptable to the public, the author may at some future day publish a second vol- ume, bringing the narrative down to the present time. The illustrations were furnished by Mr. Wm. G. Hooker, of Abingdon.
INTRODUCTION
There has never been published a history of Harford county. Short sketches of particular events have been occasionally printed, but for the most part they have been lost in obscurity, and thus far no one has found it convenient to put the available material into book form. My purpose is to gather some of the earlier records into collective shape so that they may be accessible without an examination into original materials. As this is the pioneer work in this direction, the usual errors of a first publication are to be expected. It is to be hoped that these errors are not too numerous; at all events, an honest and conscientious effort has been made, at the expense of considerable time and labor, to render an accurate account of the doings of our forefathers in the early days, so far as it has oc- curred to me they would prove interesting. Numerous references will be made to the histories of Maryland heretofore published, but the reader will not be bur- dened with much of the general history of the State, except so far as it may directly concern the people of Harford county. Although the chronicles of this county are modest and unassuming, there are many things in the lives of our ancestors of which their de- scendants may be justly proud.
While it does not seem to me that any county is suffi- ciently pretentious for a very elaborate work on its his- tory, or much effort at literary effect, yet in this day of awakening historical interest, Harford is entitled to have drawn, if only in a slight degree, the veil which has enveloped the past, so that the example of her earlier sons may be a guide and inspiration for the present and the future.
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY
CHAPTER I.
THE FIRST VIEW.
SMITH COMES TO THE SUSQUEHANNA FROM VIRGINIA-MAPS THE SHORE AND GIVES ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS-GIANT INDIAN SEEN NEAR STAFFORD-POOL'S ISLAND-SMITH'S FALLS-CLI- MATE-WILLOUGHBY, OR BUSH RIVER-CLAYBORNE-PAL- MER'S ISLAND-COLONEL NATHANIEL UTIE-TREATY WITH INDIANS-HARFORD A DISTRICT OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
Harford was not organized into a county until the year 1774, in accordance with the act of the Legisla- ture which had been passed the year before. At that time the present territory of the county was fairly well settled ; the population, including blacks, amounted to thirteen thousand people; roads had been laid out, bridges made, churches built and our progenitors lived in a peaceful and well-governed section as citizens of Baltimore county. There are a number of buildings now standing that were constructed long before the county was organized, and there were many occur- rences of interest that happened prior to the time the territory had its present name. The county of Balti- more, comprising also the land contained within the
14
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
present limits of Harford, was formed in 1659, and the proclamation of June 6, 1674, declared that its south- ern boundaries should be the "south side of the Patap- sco river, and from the highest plantations on that side of the river due south two miles into the woods." This also included Cecil county, which was almost immediately (1674) separately organized and its boun- daries given as extending "from the mouth of the Sus- quehanna river down the eastern side of the bay to Swan Point, thence to Hell Point, and so up Chester river to the head thereof," which latter bounds were somewhat changed by the act of 1706, which declared that Cecil county should contain all the lands on the north side of the Sassafras River and Kent county. So it will be seen that both Harford and Cecil counties were formerly a part of Baltimore.
The boundaries, organization and first establishment of the government for Harford as a county in 1773-4 will be given in detail in a later part of this work. But before coming to that point, a sketch of the doings of the people who lived in the present limits of Harford in colonial days, and brought the land from a wilderness to a prosperous community, during the one hundred and sixty-five years from its discovery in 1608 by Capt. John Smith, to 1774, the date of its formation, cannot fail to prove interesting to all who care for Har- ford history.
DISCOVERY AND FIRST DESCRIPTION.
The first white man to visit the upper part of Chesa- peake bay and Harford county and make a map of the country, was Capt. John Smith, who made two voyages
15
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
in an open boat from Jamestown in Virginia. This was the same Captain Smith who was rescued by Poca- hontas in the romantic story related in all the histories of Virginia. Captain Smith had become dissatisfied with the dissensions in the Virginia colony and deter- mined to make a voyage of discovery further up the bay. On his first expedition, which lasted nineteen days, he did not journey further than the Patapsco, which he called the river Bolus, but on the 24th of July, 1608, he set forth from Jamestown with twelve men to make additional discoveries. The following is from the account of Smith's expedition on which he came to the upper part of the bay and Harford county :
The twenty-fourth of July, Captaine Smith set forward to finish the discovery with twelve men; their names were Nath- aniel Powell, Thomas Momford, Richard Featherstone, Mich- ell Sicklemore, James Bourne, Anthony Bagnell, Chir. Gentle- men.
Jonas Profit, Anas Todkill, Edward Pising, Richard Keale, James Watkins, William Ward, souldiers.
The wind being contrary caused our stay two or three days at Kecoughtan (now called Hampton, in Virginia) ; the king feasted us with much mirth, his people were persuaded we went purposely to be revenged of the Massawomeks. In the evening we fired a few rackets, which flying in the ayre so ter- rified the poor savages, they supposed nothing impossible we attempted; and desired to assist us. The first night we an- chored at Stingray Isle. The next day we crossed Patawo- meks river and hastened to the river Bolus. We went not much further before we might see the bay divide into two heads, and arriving there we found it divided into four, all of which we searched so far as we might sayle them. Two of them we found inhabited, but in crossing the bay we encoun- tered seven or eight canowes full of Massawomeks, we seeing them prepare to assault us, left our oars and made way with our sayle to encounter them, yet we were but few with our
16
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
captaine that could stand, for within two days after we left Kecoughtan, the rest (being all of the last supply) were sick almost to death, until they were seasoned to the country. Having shut them under our Tarpawling, we put their hats upon sticks by the barge's side, and betwixt two hats a man with two peeces, to make us seem many, and so we think the Indians supposed these hats to be men, for they fled with all possible speed to the shore, and there stayed, staring at the say- ling of our barge until we anchored right against them. Long it was ere we could draw them to come unto us. At last they sent two of their company unarmed in a canow, the rest all followed to second them if need required. These two each being presented with a bell, brought aboard all their fel- lowes; presenting our captain with venison, bear's flesh, fish, bowes, arows, clubs, targets and bear skins. We understood them nothing at all, but by signs, whereby they signified unto us they had been at war with the Tockwoghes, the which they confirmed by shewing us their green wounds, but the night parting us, we imagined they appointed the next morning to meet, but after that we never saw them.
Entering the river Tochwogh (Sassafras river, in Cecil county) the salvages all armed, in a fleete of boats, after their barbarous manner, round environed us; so it chanced one of them could speake the language of Powhatan, who perswaded the rest to friendly parley. But when they saw us furnished with the Massawomeks' weapons, and we faining the inven- tion of Kecoughtan, to have taken them per force; they con- ducted to us their pallizadoed towne, mantleled with the barks of trees with scaffolds like mounts, brested about with brests very formally. Their men, women and children, with dances, songs, fruits, furres, and what they had, kindly welcomed us, spreading mats for us to sit on, stretching their best abilities to express their loves.
Many hatchets, knives, peeces of iron and brasse, we saw amongst them, which they reported to have from the Sasquesa- hanocks, a mightie people and mortall enemies with the Mas- sawomeks. The Sasquesahanocks inhabit upon the chiefe spring of these four branches of the baye's head, two days journey higher than our barge could passe for rocks, yet we prevailed
I7
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
with the interpreter to take with him another interpreter, to perswade the Sasquesahanocks to come visit us, for their lan- guage are different. Three or four dayes we expected their returne, then sixty of those gyant-like people came down with presents of venison, tobacco pipes three foot in length, baskets, targets, bowes and arrowes. Five of their chiefe Werowances came aboard us boldly to cross the bay for Tockwhogh, leav- ing their men and canowes; the wind being so high they durst not passe.
Our order was daily to haue prayer, with a psalme, at which solemnitie the poore salvages much wondered, our prayers being done awhile they were busied with a consultation till they had contrived their business. Then they began in a most passionate manner to hold up their hands to the sunne, with a most fearful song, then embracing our captaine, they began to adore him in a like manner; though he rebuked them, yet they proceeded till their song was finished : which done with a most strange furious action and a hellish voyce; began an oration of their lones; that ended with a great painted beares skin they covered him: then one read with a great chayne of white beads, weighing six or seaven pounds hung it about his necke the others had 18 mantels made of diuers sorts of skinnes sowed together ; all these with many other toyes they laid at his feete, stroking their ceremonions hands about his necke for his creation to be their governonr and protector, promising their ayed, victualls, or what they had to be his if he would stay with them, to revenge and defend them of the Mas- sawomeks. But we left them at Tockwhogh, sorrowing for our departure, yet we promised the next yeare againe to visit them. Many descriptions and discourses they made us of Atquanachack, Massawomek and other people, signifying they inhabit upon a great water beyond the mountains, which we understood to be some great lake, or the river of Canada : and from the French to have their hatchets and commodities by trade. These know no more of the territories of Powhatan than his name, and he as little of them, but the Aquanachucks are on the ocean's sea.
The highest mountain we saw northward we called Pere- grines mount (Gray's Hill) and a rocky river, where the
18
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
Massawomeks went up, Willowbyes river (Bnsh river) in honor of the town our captaine was born in; and that hon- orable house the Lord Willowby, his most honored good friend. The Sasquesahanocks was called Smith's falles; the next point to Tockwhogh, Pising's poynt; the next poynt Bourne. Powell's (Pool's) and Smal's poynt is by the river Bolus; and the little bay at the head-Profit's poole; Wat- kins, Reads and Mumfords poynts are on each side Limbo; Ward, Cantrell and Sicklemore, betwixt Patawomek and Pa- munkee, after the names of the discoverers. In all those places and the further we came up the rivers we cut in trees as many crosses as we could, and in many places crosses of brasse to signifie to any, Englishmen had been there.
Thus having sought all the rivers and inlets worth noting. we returned to discover the river of Pawtuxant, these people we found very tractable, and more civil than any, and we promised them, as also the Patawomeks, to revenge them of the Massawomeks, but our purposes were crossed.
The explorer speaks of going up the Susquehanna several miles and coming to a stream flowing from the northwest. It is possible that Smith referred to Deer Creek as the small stream, and that he went ashore where Stafford now is, and ascended Deer Creek sev- eral miles. In this section lived the Indians of such unusual size, the calf of the leg of one of them meas- uring twenty-seven inches. Bozman thinks the creek here referred to is Principio's Creek in Cecil county, but from the direction indicated, it seems to me as likely to have been Deer Creek.
Thirtie leagues northward is a river not inhabited, yet navigable: for the red clay resembling bole armo niack we called it bolus. At the end of the bay where it is 6 or 7 myles in breadth, it divides itselfe into 4 branches, the best commeth northwest from among the mountains, but though canows may go a day's journey or two up it, we could not get two miles up with our boat for rockes. Upon it is seated the Sasquesahanocks, near it, north and by west runneth a
19
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
creeke a myle and a halfe: at the head whereof the Ebbe left us on shore, where we found many trees cut with hatchets. The next tide keeping the shore to seek for some salvages; (for within thirtie leagues sayling we saw not any, being a barren country,) we went up another small river like a creeke, 6 or 7 myle. From thence returning we met 7 canows of the Massawomeks, with whom we had conference by signes, for we understood one another scarce a word; the next day we discovered the small river and people of Tockwhogh trending eastward.
Having lost our grapnell among the rocks of the Sasque- sahannocks, we were then near 200 myles from home and our barge about two tuns, and had in it but twelve men to per- forme this discovery, wherein we laid about 12 weeks upon those great waters in those unknowne countries, having noth- ing but a little meale, oatmeale, and water to feed us, and scarce halfe sufficient of that for halfe that time, but what provision we got among the salvages, and such roots and fish as we caught by accident, and God's direction; nor had we a mariner nor any hand skill to trim the sayles but two saylers and myselfe, the rest being gentimen or them as were ignorant in such toil and labor. Yet necessitie in a short time by good words and examples, made them doe that which caused them ever after to fear no colours. What I did with this small meanes I leave to the reader to judge and the mappe I made of the country, which is but a small matter in regard of the magnitude thereof. But to proceed, 60 of these Sasquesahan- ocks came to us with skins, bowes, arrowes, targets, beads, swords and tobacco pipes for presents. Such great and well proportioned men are seldom seene, for they seemed like giants to the English, yea, and to the neighbors, yet seemed of an honest and simple disposition, with much adoe re- strained from adoring us as Gods. These are the strangest people of all these countries, both in language and attire; for their language it may well become their proportions, sounding from them as a voyce in a vault. Their attire is the skinnes of beares, and wolves, some have cossacks made of beares heads and skinnes, that a man's head goes through the skinnes neck, and the eares of the bear fastened
20
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
to his shoulders the nose and teeth hanging down his breast, another beares face split behind him, and at the end of the nose hung a pawe, the halfe sleeves coming to the elbowes were the necks of beares, and the armes through the mouth with pawes hanging at their noses. One had the head of a wolfe hanging in a chaine for a jewell, his tobacco pipe three quarter of a yard long, prettily carved with a bird, a deare, or some such devise at great the end, sufficient to beat out ones braines ; with bowes, arows and clubs, sutable to their greatnesse. These are scarce known to Powhatan. They can make neare six hundred able men, and are pallisadoed in their townes to defend them from the Massawomeks, their mortall enemies. Five of their chiefe Werowances came aboard us and crossed the bay in their barge. The picture of the greatest of the them is signified in the mappe. The calfe of whose leg was three quarters of a yard about, and all the rest of his limbs so answerable to that proportion that he seemed the goodliest man we ever beheld. His hayre, the one side was long, the other shore close with a ridge over his crown like a cockes combe. His arrows were five quarters long, headed with the splinters of a white crystal like stone, in forme of a heart, an inch broad and an inch and a halfe long, or more. These he wore in a woolues skinne at his back for his quiver, his bow in the one hand and his clubbe in the other as is de- scribed.
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