USA > Maryland > Washington County > Hagerstown > A history of Washington County, Maryland from the earliest settlements to the present time, including a history of Hagerstown > Part 4
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A considerable number of "Redemptioners" or Indented Servants also became citizens of the valley. Redemptioners were assisted emigrants- persons who wished to find a home in the colonies but not having sufficient money to pay their pas- sage across the ocean sold themselves for a term of years for the necessary amount. The captain of the ship brought them over and then sold them for a sufficient sum to pay the passage. The practice was so extensively engaged in that it was regulated by an Act of Assembly passed in 1715, A servant being under fifteen years of age had to serve until he was twenty-two, if between fifteen and eighteen, seven years, if between eighteen and twenty-two, six years and five years if above twen- ty-five years of age. Usually their treatment was mild and they became freemen upon the expiration of the term of servitude; many of them, as well as of the convicts, became highly respected eiti- zens, and the progenitors of influential families ; and a few are mentioned as having become dis- tingnished. One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was a Redemptioner.
A much less desirable class of immigrants were the convicts. Thousands of the inmates of
British prisons were transported to America and no less than three or four thousand found their way into Maryland each year. We cannot doubt that many of these were brought to our County. The people of the colony indeed protested loudly against this invasion and complained that it would introduce all the dreadful diseases then prevailing in the jails of England among our people. But they were powerless to remedy the evil. Pennsyl- vania did put a poll tax or tariff upon such im- portations and the Maryland Assembly attempted to do the same, but were met by an act of Parliament which authorized the business, and the Attorney General, afterwards Lord Mansfield, gave an opinion that the Colonial Assembly had no right to levy such a tax. The Colonial Assem- bly, however, persisted in collecting it, but it did not prevent the evil. Private parties made con- tracts with the government to ship these convicts to America and sell them for the benefit of the shippers. These transactions were a source of great profit to those engaged in them.
The first settlement made in this County was "Conococheagne," a name which is spelled in con- temporary documents and books in many entirely different. and original ways. Governor Sharpe wrote it "C'onogsgee" at one time and "Conego- chegh" at another. In the Maryland Gazette it was generally printed as at present. General Brad- dock spelled it "Connogogee" and later in the same week "Conogogec." In fact, every writer spelled it to suit his own views and whenever he had another occasion to write the word forgot how he had spelled it the last time. The name and place were the occasion of a considerable amount of pleasantry in the United States Congress. as we shall see farther on. The settlement itself was situated on the Potomac, or Cohongoruton, as the Indians called that river above the mouth of the Shenandoah, at the mouth of Conococheague creek just about where the present town of Williamsport stands, or possibly on the opposite side of the creek. The first resident of the settlement who acquired a legal or documentary title to his land was Charles Friend. who in 1739 obtained a grant from the proprietor of 260 acres which he called "Swced's Delight." It is situated on the west side of the Conococheague almost down to its mouth. Two years later, he was granted an addi- tional tract of 25 acres adjoining "Sweed's De- light" which he called "Dear Bargain." It is likely that Friend had lived at this place five or
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
six years before he received the deed for it. The deseendants of this pioneer are still living in this county, a well known and highly respected family.
Conoeocheague soon became important as being the outpost of eivilization in the provinee. A block house was built here, and it beeame a trading post of considerable importance. A mill was erected at an early date, and before many years regular communication was established and maintained with Frederiek town, with which place it earried on trade. As early as 1:63 supplies and provisions were dispatched eastward from this post. Later, as we shall see, it became more important as the terminus of the Potomae river boats plying between it and tidewater at George- town. A large magazine of stores was gathered here for General Braddock's army, and remained after his defeat. What finally Beeame of it is not known, but it is not unlikely that when the inlab- itants of the settlement fled aeross the mountains, this supply fell into the hands of the Indians. It may well be supposed that there was a consider- able settlement at this point before any of the settlers took steps to secure legal titles to thie lands they elaimed.
In the year 1739, Jeremiah Jack obtained a grant for one hundred and seventy-five acres near "Sweed's Delight" which he called 'Jack's Bottom.' Before many years all the lands in this neighbor- hood had been claimed and taken up, until in 1780 Jacob Friend seems to have gotten the last, which he signifieantly called "None Left." This tract contained only three acres and a quarter. The second settlement of any consequence was "Long Meadows" -- the settlement which took its name from the grant of 500 aeres made to Thomas ('ressap in 1739. This settlement was situated about three or four miles from Ilagerstown, on the Leitersburg road, and being a most beautiful and fertile country, was speedily taken up-part of it, as elsewhere in the County, probably by land grabbers or speculators. Daniel Dulany, a non-resident, obtained in 1751 a grant adjoining ('ressap's traet for 2131 acres which he called "Long Meadows Enlarged." The same name was given to a tract of 4163 acres granted to Henry Bouquet in 1765.
This Henry Bouquet never lived in this County. The centre of his tract is the farm for so many years owned by Mr. Frederick Wilms and the old house which he occupied and which is still standing, is one of the oldest and quaintest in the
County. The owner of this great tract was a remark- able character in his time. He was born in 1:19 at Rolle, a small town on the northern bank of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. In 1736, he entered the military service of the Duteh Republie. Short- ly afterwards he served as a petty officer in the army of the King of Sardinia and distinguished himself in the war with Franee. In 1756, the year after Braddock's defeat, Henry Bouquet sailed for America, and obtained a commission as eolonel in the Royal serviee. His command was composed of the Swiss settlers of our valley and the Cum- berland Valley, of Pennsylvania, most of whom could not understand the English language. He was conspicuous in the campaigns around Fort Duquesne and he opened the road and established the route through Western Pennsylvania to Pitts- burg.
In his expedition against the Indians in 1764 Col. Bouquet had in his command two companies of Maryland troops, mostly volunteers from Wash- ington County. After the expedition the conduet of these troops was highly commended by their Colonel. One of the companies was offieered by Captain, Wm. M. MeClellan; Lieutenants, John Earl and James Dougherty ; Ensigns, David Blair, John Moran, Edmund Moran; Sergeants, Joseph Hopewell and Henry Graybill. The officers of the other Maryland Company were : Captain, John Wolgomott; Lieutenant, Matthew Nicholas and Ensign John Blair. For his distinguished ser- vices in the Pontiae war, Col. Bouquet received a vote of thanks from the Colonial Assemblies of Virginia and Pennsylvania. After peace was es- tablished Bouquet determined to settle down in the Colonies and at that time he was naturalized in Pennsylvama, having two years previously obtained a grant of "Long Meadows Enlarged" from Lord Baltimore above referred to. The same year he received from the King a commission as Brigadier General and was ordered to Fensa- cola, when immediately upon his arrival he was smitten with yellow fever and died. Frederick Holdumand, his executor, was directed in his will to sell "Long Meadows Enlarged." This great tract of magnificent land contained in 1765 a saw mill, tan yard and a number of houses.
One of the oldest land grants in the County was "Chew's Farm" of 5000 acres granted to Samuel Chew, Jr .. in 1763. "Chew's Farm" or "Chew's Manor," as it is frequently called, is in the south- ern part of the County lying near Mount Moriah
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
Church and Bakersville. As it was first granted, the lines ran across the river and into Virginia and so there was a re-survey. Connected with this grant is a tradition that the Proprietary Gov- ernor, (it must have been Ogle, for he was Gover- nor at that time), was exploring this valley. The Governor and his party were overtaken by night near the house of. Samuel Chew, and asked for hospitality. Mr. Chew received them courteously, but informed the party that his household was rather disarranged and they must make due allow- ances. During the night, the host became the father of a fine pair of twins who afterwards received the names of Samuel Chew and Bennett Chew. Shortly after the Governor returned to Annapolis, the patent deed for five thousand acres of land for Samuel Chew, Jr., one of the twins, was received.
One of the oldest buildings now in Washington County, is a substantial stone dwelling house in the same settlement with General Bouquet's prop- erty-the "Long Meadows" settlement. This stretch of country is the choicest portion of our valley and was eagerly taken up by settlers and speculators before any other settlements were made other than Conococheague. The building referred to is now owned by Daniel Scheller and stands upon a part of a tract known as "The Pesurvey on Downin's Lot," which was owned for many years by William Ragan. The house was erected in 1750 by J. S. Downin, and a stone in the gable end bears this date and the initials of Downin. At one side of the chimney place an enclosed chamber was discovered which has been supposed to have been intended as a hiding place from Indians. But at the instance of the author it was carefully examined ,and then it was discov- ered that the fire place had been too enormously large for modern ideas and a wall had been built up to make it smaller. It is not far from this house that the remains of Cressap's Fort are still to be found.
The first town regularly laid out into lots in Washington County was Hagerstown. in Decem- ber 16, 1739, Jonathan Hager obtained a patcut for two hundred acres of land which he named "Hager's Choice." One of the boundary lines of this tract is described as beginning at "a bounded white oak standing on the side of a hill within fifty yards of said Hager's dwelling-house." This shows that Hager was residing near the present site of Hagerstown at that early date and that the
settlement at Hagerstown was nearly as early as those at Conococheague and Long Meauows. In 1753, he obtained a patent for another tract which he called "Hager's Delight." This latter tract contained 1:80 acres. In 1762 the Proprietary gave him two other grants, one of a hundred and eighteen acres, which he called "Stony Batter," and another for twenty-four acres, which he called "Exchange." In 1763 he obtained three more grants, "Brightwell's Choice," "Addition to Stony Batter" and "Found it Out," containing respect- ively fifty, eighty and sixty-two acres. In 1765 he obtained "New Work," a tract of seven hundred and fourteen acres. He thus became possessed of two thousand four hundred and eighty-eight acres of magnificent land.
The main body of the town is situated on "New Work." Hager's dwelling was about two miles from the town on the Mercersburg road, on the farm recently owned by Henry Zeller. It was a large log house, a fine building in those days. There were two large log pens far enough apart to constitute a ball. Near the house was a burial vault, and in it the body of Hager was laid after his tragic death, but it was afterwards removed to the graveyard of Zion Church, in Hagerstown, where his ashes now lie.
The Southwestern portion of Hagerstown is upon "The Land of Prospect" and was added to the town by Jacob Rohrer who obtained the grant. This Rohrer was the progenitor of a large and in- fluential family in this County. At the period of Hager's settlement in the valley almost the whole country was unoccupied and he probably had his choice. It is reasonable, therefore, to suppose that there was some especial attraction to the par- ticular spot which he made his home-either in the character of soil, the beautiful prospect or the neighborhood of several gushing springs. It is probable that this latter consideration influenced most of the early settlers. Of this important set- tlement, which developed into the present beauti- ful town, the seat of the County, and of its founder, more will be said in a subsequent chapter.
Among the carly settlers, few invested so largely in land as Joseph Chapline. We have at hand the records of no less than nineteen different grants from the Proprietary, transferring to him 13.400 acres. The greater part of this land was in the neighborhood of Sharpsburg, although some of it was in Pleasant Valley. The Antietam Iron Works was included in his grant for 6352 acres
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
which he called "Little I Thought It." On July 9. 1,63. Chapline laid out on his tract "Joe's Lot," the town of Sharp-burg in lots and named it in honor of Governor Horatio Sharpe, who was at that tune the Proprietor's active representative at Annapobs. Chapline, who came from England -along with twa brother -. Moses and James, must have been one of the earliest settlers in the County, for he had a grant of land in 1153. about eighteen years after the very first settlement. In 12?> he had settled in Boston. He was a distin- gui-hed citizen of the County and was several times a member of the Assembly. He was a sol- dier in the French and Indian war, and the muster roll of his company, in which he was lieutenant. was recently discovered in his house hy John P. Smith who preserves it. His farm, Mt. Pleasant, was on the Potomae river about two miles from Sharpsburg, and there in a private graveyard his body lies buried .*
When Chapbne laid out Sharpsburg, which is next to Hagerstown the oldest town in the County. there were four houses in it. One was a log house used for years as an Indian trading port, another stood by the present Methodist Church and was torn down in late years. The other two are still standing-the log house, now brick cased. lately owned by Samuel Michael, and a portion of the house owned by the heirs of Jacob Miller. Living near Welsh Run at this time was a Welsh muni-ter named William Williams. He Was a Presbyterian missionary to Virginia and after the death of his wife he emigrated to Amer- ica and settled in Frederick County, Virginia. Here he was indicted and tried for performing a marriage ceremony. which under the laws of the
Province could only be done by a elergyman of the established church. He then came to Mary- land with his three daughters. One of them,' Ruhannah. married Chapline; the second, Jane, married William Price, a lawyer in Hagerstown, after it was made the county seat ; and the third, Sarah. married Colonel Chambers. the founder of the town of Chambersburg, Pa. All three were runaway matches. From Joseph Chapline and his wife. Ruhannah, who had nine children, Mrs. Julia Alvey. the wife of Hon. Richard H. Alvey, formerly Chief Justice of Maryland, is deseended on her father's side, and she has a eurious ring which her father, Dr. Hays, inherited. It is in- scribed.
"William Williams is my name
('hrist and His glory is my aim."
William Williams' wife owned a large prop- erty in Caermathonshire, Wales. and her daugh- ter. Mis. Chambers, went to Wales and obtained her portion. The other two daughters never did. Joseph Chapline's oldest son. Joseph. inher- ited the Mt. Pleasant estate. He was a man of great consequence and an officer in the Revolution- ary War-leading a large body of volunteers to the army. He died at Mt. Pleasant in September, 1821. aged 75 years.
A log church was built in fulfilment of the condition of a deed from Chapline. and was used by the congregation until the battle of Antietam in 1862. when it was so shattered by Federal shells that it had to be taken down and a new one built. Before its destruction. it was used as a hospital by the Federal troops. In 1866. a new church was built. but not upon the same lot. In 1775, a Reformed Church was built in Sharpsburg, and
*In 1768 Joseph Chapline and Ruhannah Chap- line his wife, executed the following deed: "This Indenture, made this 5th day of March, 1768, between Joseph Chadline of Frederick County, Province of Maryland, on one part, and Christopher Cross, Mat- thias Need, Nicholas Sam and William Hawker, ves- trymen and church wardens of the Lutheran Church in the town of Sharpsburg, in the County aforesaid, of the other part:
Witnessoth, that the said Joseph Chapline, for and in consideration of fee religious regard he hath and bweareth to the said Lutheran Church, and also for the betler sopport and maintenance of the said Church, hath given, grundted, aliened, and onfeoffed and confiniged and by those presents doth give, grant, alion and enfeoff and confirm to the said Christopher ('rnAs, Matthias Need, Nicholas Sam, and William Hawker, vestrymen and church wardens, and their
sllecessors, members of the above church, for the use of the Congregation that do resort thereto, one lot or portion of ground. No. 149, containing one hun- dred and fifty-four feet in breadth and two hundred and six foot in length with all profits, advantages and appurtenances to the said lot or portion of ground belonging or appertaining, to have and to hold to them the said Christopher Cruss, Matthias Nowy], Nicholas Sam and Wm. Hawker, vestrynen and church wardens and to their successors forever to them and to their own use, and to no other ise, intent or purpose whatever, yielding and paying to the said Joseph Chapline, his heirs and assigns, one pepper corn, if demanded, on the 9th day of July, yearly. And if the above named vestry do not bul d a church on said lot in a term of seven years, then the above lot to revert to the said Joseph Chapline, his heirs and assigns."
non
MONROE
George Washington Monument. The First Ever Erected to His Memory, and was Built by Citizens of Boonsboro, in 1827.
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
then no others for many years. The Methodists organized a congregation here in 1811 and the Episcopalians in 1818, by the Rev. Benj. Allen, of Shepherdstown. Christopher Cruss, one of the grantees in the deed given above, was a German chemist, and among the first persons who became eitizens of the new town. It is claimed that he was interested with Rumsey in his steamboat enter- prise, the trial of which took place in the Potomac River, near Sharpsburg. There is a mill now standing near Sharpsburg, owned by Jaeob A. Myers, which was built in 1983 and the dwelling near it forty years earlier. This was the home of Christian Orndorff the father-in-law of Jonathan Hager, Jr. It will thus be seen at what an early period the water power of the Antietam was util- ized.
Another proof of the rapidity with which the lands of the valley were "taken up" after the tide of emigration began to set this way, is the carly date of the settlenrents in the Western part of the County and notably the one at Green Spring. The most conspicuous person connected with this
settlement was Lancelot Jacques. He was a French Huguenot who canie to America as a ref- ugee. Ile fell in with Thomas Jolnison, then a rich provineial of Frederiek County, a leading eit- izen of Maryland, a friend of Washington, and afterwards the first Governor of the State of Maryland. Jaeques, soon after his arrivai in this country, became associated with Johnson in many enterprises. Together they became patentees of large traets of land with a view, not merely of speculating, but of improving the country and developing its resourees. With this view they obtained a large grant of land in what is now Frederiek County, and upon it construeted and operated the Catoetin Furnace. Later, they ob- tained a patent for fifteen thousand aeres at Indian Spring, and here Jaeques came to reside not far from Fort Frederick, and here his house still stands. The discovery of exeellent iron ore sug- gested a smelting furnace. The pig iron manu- factured in this furnace was pushed down the river on flat boats by a crew of trusty negroes owned by Jaeques .*
*The following is the deed from Lord Baltimore conveying the Furnace property to Johnson and Jacques, which is here given nearly in full as show- ing this early enterprize and as also showing the character of most of the land grants in our Valley:
Maryland, ss .- Frederick, Absolute Lord Propri- etary of Maryland and Avalon Lord Baron of Balti- more, &c.
Whereas: Lancelot Jacques and Thomas John- son, Jun., of the City of Annapolis, have obtained out of our High Court of Chancery within our said Province, our writ of ad quod damnum, directed to the Sheriff of Frederick County, commanding him by the oath of Twelve honest and lawful men of his county, by whom the truth of the matter might be better known, he should diligently enquire if it would be to the Damage of us or others if we should grant unto the said Lancelot Jacques and Thomas Johnson, Jun., one hundred acres of land lying on a run of water called Green Spring Run, otherwise called Lick Run, in the County aforesaid, about two miles below Fort Frederick, as might be most conve- nient for setting up a Forge Mill and other conve- niences, as shall be necessary for carrying on an Iron Work, and if it should be to the Damage and Prejudice of us and others, then to what Damage and Prejudice of us, and what Damage and Prejudice of others and of whom and in what manner and how and of what value, the same land was then be- fore any other improvements of the said one hundred acres of land, and who were the possessors of the said one hundred acres of land, and who had the Fee Simple thereof, and what lands and Tenements remained to the Possessors over and above the said One Hundred Acres of Land, and if the said Land
remaining to the Possessors over and above the said One Hundred Acres will suffice to uphold their Manor, vizt. the sixth part of their Manor allotted them by the condition of Plantation for the Demesne as before the alienation aforesaid in default of the pres- ent possession more than was wont might not be charged and grieved, and that the Inquisition there. upon openly and distinctly made to us in our. High Court of Chancery under his seal and seals of them by whom it was made he should without delay send and whereas the aforesaid Sheriff, at the instance and request of the above named Lancelot Jacques and Thomas Johnson, Junr., hath returned into our said Court a certain inquisition Indented and taken in Frederick County on the said Run of Water called Green Spring Run, otherwise called Lick Run, on the 23rd day of December in the year of our Lord 1766, 'by the oath of twelve honest and lawful Men of the County, who upon their oath did say that if we should grant unto the said Lancelot Jacques and Thomas Johnson, Jun., the said One Hundred Acres of Land lying on the said Run of Water, beginning at a locust post set up near the south easternmost corner of the Coal House (here follow the courses and distances) containing One Hundred Acres, and which is fit and convenient for building an Iron Work for running of Pigg Iron, it would not be to the dam- age of us, the said One Hundred Acres or any part thereof not being a Manor, or any part of a Manor, and that the same One Hundred Acres is of the value of One Hundred Pounds current money without any further Improvement and no more that the Possess- ion and Fee Simple of the said One Hundred Acres is in the said Lancelot Jacques and Thomas Johnson, Jun., in undivided Moietys as Tenants in Common
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
In 1126 Johnson and Jacques dissolved part- nership, the latter retaining as his portion of the property, the Green Spring Furnace estate. In addition to his other enterprises, Jacques acted as agent for a number of English owners of Maryland plantations, and indeed it was in this capacity that he first came to America. His de- scendants have in their possession some of lis account books of the plantations.
It is somewhat remarkable that Boonsboro was not settled earlier than it was, for it is a beautiful and attractive situation, and it is likely that most of the settlers from the eastern part of the State came to the valley through the gap, where the National road now passes. Here, at the foot of the mountain, Boonsboro lies. The land upon which the town is situated and that all around it, was granted to George and William Boone in about 1774. These men lived in Berks County, Pa. The latter came to his property in Maryland and resided there until his death in 1798. He and his wife are both buried in the Reformed Churchyard in the village. His wife, Susanna, survived him forty-six years, dying in 1844 at the age of eighty-eight years. The daughter of this couple, Sarah Boone, dicd at Keedysville in September 1874. The town did not grow rapidly. In 1796 there were only five houses and in 1829, Henry Nyman and Betebanner bought the Boone property, and laid out the town in lots. At that time there were only twenty-nine houses in the place.
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