USA > Maryland > Anne Arundel County > Annapolis > Annals of Annapolis : comprising sundry notices of that old city from the period of the first settlements in its vicinity in the year 1649, until the war of 1812 ; together with various incidents in the history of Maryland, derived from early records, public documents, and other sources ; with an appendix, containing a number of letters from General Washington, and other distinguished persons, which letters have never been published before > Part 3
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'We have been but one month here : the remainder must consequently be reserved for another voyage. I can, however, assert that the soil is especially rich. The earth, soft and black to the depth of a foot, is overspread with a fat and reddish coloured clay, co- vered every where with widely spreading trees, of great value and surpassing beauty, except here and there a small patch of cultivated ground. The land is also refreshed by abundant springs of excellent drink- ing water. The only quadrupeds we have seen, are the deer, beaver, and squirrels which equal in. size the European rabbit. The flocks of birds are innumera- ble, such as eagles, herons, swans, geese, ducks and partridges. Hence, you may suppose there is nothing wanting here which may minister to the necessities or the pleasure of its inhabitants.'
The town of Saint Mary's became the capital of the province ; and the first legislative assembly of the pro- vince was called and held there, about the commence- ment of the year 1635-(to wit, on the 26th of Febru- ary, 1634-5, old style.)
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Having stated these preliminary facts of the settle- ment of St. Mary's, and not intending to connect the history of the province with the 'Annals of Annapolis,' further than what may appear to be necessary, we will now turn to some of the causes which eventuated in the settlement of the present capital of the state.
1642. In this year, the assembly of the province of Virginia, passed an act to prevent dissenting ministers from preaching and propagating their doc- trines in that colony. Under this act, the governor and council of Virginia issued an order that all such persons as would not conform to the discipline of the church of England, should depart the country by a certain day.
Notwithstanding the laws against the puritans in Virginia, they continued to keep up a conventicle of their members for some years, which had in the year 1648, increased to one hundred and eighteen members.
1648. At this period the government of that colony caused a more vigorous execution of the laws to be enforced against them.
Their conventicle in Virginia was therefore broken . up, and the members of it being driven out of that colony, were dispersed in different directions. The pastor (a Mr. Harrison) went from thence to Bos- ton, in New England, in the latter end of this year-and the elder (a Mr. Durand) took refuge in Maryland.
1649. This is stated by one of their own members, to have taken place in the year 1649, but at what time of the year, we are no where informed. Most probably they did not leave Virginia in a body, but gradually in small numbers, in the course of the
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spring and summer of this year. It is stated by Mr. Leonard Strong, in his 'Babylon's Fall,' &c. that they were not invited into Maryland by governor Stone ; but by a friend of the governor's, that they were only 'received and protected.' These people seated them- selves at a place by them called 'Providence,' but afterwards 'Proctors,' or ' The Town Land at Severn.' Later still, 'The Town at Proctors;' then 'The Town Land at Severn where the town was formerly.' After that, 'Anne-Arundel Town,' which was subsequently changed into 'The Port of Annapolis.' And finally, under its charter in 1708, was established as the 'City of Annapolis,' as will be shewn hereafter in its proper chronological order.
It is alleged by the advocate of the puritans who thus settled at Providence, (Leonard Strong, before re- cited,) that 'an oath to the Lord Baltimore was urged upon this people soon after their arrival, which if they did not take, they must have no land, nor abiding in the province.' The oath here alluded to was the oath of fidelity, as prescribed by his lordship, and annexed to his 'Condition of Plantations,' of 1648.
They were made acquainted by captain Stone be- fore they came here, with that oath of fidelity, which was to be taken by those who would hold any land " here from his lordship; 'nor had they any objection to the oath, till they were as much refreshed with their entertainment there, as the snake in the fable was with the countryman's beast; for which some of them were equally thankful. But it was deemed by some of these people, too much below them to take an oath to the Lord Proprietary of that province, though many pro- testants of much better quality, had taken it.'
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Although these people had thus with the permission of the Lord Proprietary's government, seated them- selves within the province of Maryland, yet it does not appear that they had immediately thereon subjected themselves to the proprietary government at St. Mary's.
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The peninsula or neck of land whereon Anna- polis stands, was probably uninhabited by any Euro- peans before their arrival ; and, thus secluded from the rest of the inhabitants of the province, it is probable that, according to the usage of the congregational church of New England, a branch of which church they were, a sort of hierarchical government was esta- blished by them, similar to that which had been prac- tised by the first colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Neither does it appear that any grants of land or ter- ritory were made to these people, either collectively or individually, either prior to or subsequent to their arri- val in Maryland, until the latter end of July, 1650, when their settlement was organized as a county, under a commander and commissioners of the peace, as the Isle of Kent had been before.
In this year, (1649) when Charles the First was be- headed, Mr. Thomas Greene, who was now governor of Maryland, in the absence of governor Stone, caused the Prince of Wales to be proclaimed in the province, as 'the undoubted rightful heir to all his father's domi- nions,' on the fifteenth day of November of this year.
Another proclamation was also issued of the same date, 'to further the common rejoicing of the inhabi- tants upon that occasion,' declaring a general pardon to all the inhabitants of the province, for every offence before committed.
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·. It appears, however, that the puritan's who had just settled on the Severn, did not join in the 'common rejoicing ;' but preferring the rule and dominion of the commonwealth of England, just established in the mother country, to that of the declared succession of their late sovereign, Charles the First, desired to be exempt from the common privilege of causing the shores of their beautiful Severn to re-echo with their 'rejoicings' on this occasion.
1650. In January of this year, governor Stone having returned to the province and resumed the func- tions of his office, convened the legislature by procla- mation, to meet at St. Mary's on the second day of April ensuing.
On the day appointed the assembly accordingly con- vened-but as no returns were made, nor any appear- ance of the freemen or burgesses, from Providence, 'the governor adjourned the house till Friday next, the fifth day of the same present month.'
In the meantime it appears that governor Stone visited the new colony at Providence ; probably with a view of reconciling in an amicable way the refrac- tory puritans to the proprietary government. For it seems that they consented to send two burgesses to the assembly, and the governor himself made the return thereof as follows :
'By the lieutenant, &c. of Maryland. The freemen of that part of Maryland, now called Providence, being by my appointment duly summoned to this present as- sembly, did unanimously make choice of Mr. Pudding- ton and Mr. James Cox for their burgesses, I being there in person at that time.'
Accordingly, on the 6th of April the assembly met,
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and after choosing Mr. James Cox speaker, and Mr. William Britton their clerk, proceeded to business. We may remark here, that this choice of the speaker seems to indicate the growing strength and influence of the infant colony that had settled at Providence.
The puritans who had founded Providence, formed, at this early period of their settlement, a considerable population. And having sent, and been represented by their burgesses or delegates at this last assembly, and so far submitting to the proprietary government, an act was passed at this session, entitled, 'an act for the creating of Providence into a county, by the name of Anne Arundel County.' The tenor of this act was, 'that part of the province of Maryland, on the west side of the bay of Chesapeake, over against the Isle of Kent, formerly called by the name of Providence, by the inhabitants there residing, &c. shall from hence- forth be erected into a shire or county, by the name of Anne Arundel county, and by that name be ever here- after called.'
It was probably so called from the maiden name of Lady Baltimore, then late deceased-Lady Anne Arun- del, the daughter of Lord Arundel of Wardour, whom Cecilius Lord Baltimore had married.
No boundaries were assigned by this act to the county. As the population of that part of the pro- vince was detached from the other inhabited parts, and like Kent Island, was insulated from the rest of the province, such population constituted its limits in fact, until in process of time other counties being erected adjacent thereto, defined its boundaries.
This detached colony had its inconveniences and difficulties to contend with, incident to all newly-set- 4
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tled places. It became thereby not only more ob- noxious to the Indians, but more liable to alarm, and more easily assailed by these aborigines.
Some acts of assembly, made at the last session of assembly, indicated considerable uneasiness existing at this period among the colonists, on account of some recent murders and captures committed upon them by the natives. It appears that two of the inha- bitants of Kent and Anne Arundel counties had been lately murdered in a most cruel and barbarous manner by certain Indians.
It is most probable, that the Indians who committed the above-mentioned murders, were the Susquehanocks, a powerful and warlike tribe, who inhabited all that part of Maryland which lies between the Patuxent and Susquehanough rivers, on the western shore, and all that portion of country from the Choptank to the Sus- quehanough, on the Eastern Shore. 1
This assembly, in addition to this cautionary mea- sure of preventing a repetition of such murders by the Indians, thought it necessary that some more effectual remedy to check such conduct of the natives, should be applied, and accordingly enacted, 'an order pro- viding for a march upon the Indians,' as follows : 'Whereas, certain Indians, this last year, have most wickedly and barbarously murthered an English inha- bitant of the county of Kent, and another inhabitant likewise since, in Anne Arundel county, Be it therefore ordered, That the governor, with the advice of the council, or the major part of them, shall have power, in case such Indians, who have committed such bar- barous and wicked murthers, shall not be sent in, after demand made of them, to the government here, to re-
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ceive such punishment as is due for such offence, to press men, and to appoint such allowance for their pay, and to make war upon these nations of Indians refusing to deliver up those offenders as aforesaid, as in his and their best discretion, shall be thought fit ; the charge of which war to be laid by an equal assessment on the persons and estates of all the inhabitants of this province.'
It would appear, however, notwithstanding all this preparation for an Indian war, that a considerable trade was still carried on, either with these hostile Indians, or more probably with some other tribe or tribes, who remained in a state of peace with our colonists,
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CHAPTER II.
Tranquility of the Province-Governor Stone visits Providence-Ap- points Mr. Edward Lloyd commander of Anne Arundel county- Appoints Commissioners-The Puritans at Providence again re- fuse to send Delegates to the Assembly-Bennett and Claiborne reduce the Colony of Maryland-Governor Stone retained in office by them-Is soon deprived of his office by them-The Colony sub- mits to the Commonwealth of England-Governor Stone rein- stated-Cromwell proclaimed in the Province-Governor Stone declares the Puritans at Providence to be enemies of Lord Balti- more-The Province again reduced-Governor Stone rebuked by Lord Baltimore for resigning his Government-Governor Stone re-assumes his office and powers as Governor-Organizes a Military Force-Seizes the Provincial Records-Secures the Arms and Ammunition of the Province-Governor Stone makes prepara- tions to reduce Anne Arundel to submission, and marches towards the Severn-Arrives at Herring Creek-Appears in the River Severn-The Golden Lion-Governor Stone's party land on Horn Point-Captain Fuller, at the head of the Puritans of Providence, marches to meet them-Battle on Horn Point-Governor Stone condemned to Death-The Soldiers refuse to execute him-Others executed -- The Property of Governor Stone and his party seques- tered-Lord Baltimore restored to his Rights by the Lord Protec- tor-Appoints captain Josiah Fendall Governor-The Puritans ac- knowledge the authority of Lord Baltimore-Acknowledgement.
AFTER this last session of assembly, the affairs of the province seem to have subsided into apparent peace and quiet. The puritans of Providence appear to have acquiesced in, and submitted to the proprie- tary government at St. Mary's.
In July of this year, governor Stone visited the set- tlement at Providence for the purpose of organizing it into a county ; and while there, he issued a commis- sion directed 'to Mr. Edward Lloyd, gent.' appointing him 'to be commander of Anne Arundel county until the Lord Proprietary should signify to the contrary,' and to
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Mr. James Homewood, Mr. Thomas Meares, Mr. Thomas Marsh, Mr. George Puddington, Mr. Mathew Hawkins, Mr. James Merryman, and Mr. Henry Cat- lyn, 'to be commissioners of the said county, with Mr. Edward Lloyd, for granting warrants and commissions, and for all other matters of judicature,' &c.
This commission bears date on the 30th of July, 1650, at Providence.
Mr. Puddington had been one of the Delegates at the last session of assembly.
The names of these gentlemen, thus commissioned, are given principally with a view of gratifying the reader, who may be a native of Maryland, that he may know the names of those who were the principal men among the puritans who first settled on the Severn, and from whom many respectable families in this state now deduce their descent.
1651. Governor Stone, it seems, agreeably to annual usage, had called an assembly, to meet at St. Mary's, in March of this year. But from strong cir- cumstances, it is to be inferred that the puritans of Providence (or Anne Arundel) refused or neglected to send any delegates or members to attend this assem- bly ; and Mr. Lloyd, as it appears, acting most proba- bly in conformity to the wishes of those over whom he presided as commander, returned some message 'to the general assembly then sitting at St. Mary's,' which gave considerable displeasure to the government there, or at least to Lord Baltimore, in England, when he came to be informed of it, who expressed his resent- ment at the message somewhat warmly in a letter to the assembly.
What this message was, is not now to be exactly 4*
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ascertained, no copy of it remaining on record. We are authorized, however, in collecting from what his lordship wrote upon the subject, that the purport of Mr. Lloyd's message was, that the inhabitants of Anne Arundel county, which they themselves called Provi- dence, had come to the resolution of not sending any burgesses or delegates to the general assembly at St. Mary's, notwithstanding the summons for that purpose.
This stand was, without doubt, taken with a view to the expected dissolution of the proprietary government, and was probably meant by them as a prompt mani- festation of their willingness and desire, that Maryland should be reduced to the obedience of the common- wealth of England.
1652. As soon as the triumph of the commonwealth cause was consummated by the death of the king, and the results which followed it in the mother country, the Parliament directed its attention to the subjugation of the American colonies which had been disaffected to that cause.
Governor Stone, having contended against the au- thority assumed by Bennett and Claiborne, commis- sioners appointed by the parliament for the reduction of the province of Maryland, but finding any oppo- sition useless, at length effected an arrangement with the commissioners ; by which he was permitted to retain and exercise his official powers, which appear to have been administered with fidelity to the com- monwealth. Yet, notwithstanding these acts of sub- mission, and professions of allegiance, he was soon after charged by the commissioners above named, with disaffection to the protector's cause.
They demanded of governor Stone the Lord Balti-
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more's commission to him, which he showed them ; thus getting the commission in their hands, they detained it, and removed him and his lordship's other officers out of their employment in the province under him, and ap- pointed others to manage the government of Maryland, independent of his lordship.
Thus was the province of Maryland completely re- duced to obedience to the parliament of the common- wealth of England, and all authority and power of the Lord Baltimore within the colony which he had planted at so much cost, and reared with so much care, entirely taken out of his hands, with the probable pros- pect, that it would never again be restored to him.
After the commissioners had made a temporary set- tlement of the government in Maryland, they returned to Virginia, of which province Bennett was made the governor, and Claiborne the secretary of state.
Bennett and Claiborne having thus provided for themselves honorable, and perhaps profitable stations in Virginia, returned to Maryland about the latter end of June, to make a more satisfactory settlement of the government of that province also. Finding that governor Stone had acquired, by his highly cor- rect conduct in his office, great popularity with the in- habitants of the province, and moreover that it was the manifest 'desire of the inhabitants, that governor Stone should re-assume his former place of governor ; ar- rangements were accordingly made, and he was rein- stated by proclamation of the commissioners, bearing date the 28th of June, 1652.
1653. Contrary to the common usage of the colonial trade to the Chesapeake, 'no English shipping,' it seems, had arrived within the province of Maryland
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during the spring and summer of this year. Conse- quently, as governor Stone states, he had received no instructions or intelligence to direct him in the govern- ment of the province, no act by the colonial govern- ment was passed, directly affecting the interests of the settlement at Providence.
1654. In 1654, receiving certain intelligence of Cromwell's elevation to the protectorate, go- vernor Stone recognized and proclaimed him as pro- tector, on the 6th day of June, in this year.
This same year, governor Stone, by proclamation, charged the commissioners, Bennett and Claiborne, and indeed the whole puritanic party mostly of Anne Arundel, with 'drawing away the people, and leading them into faction, sedition and rebellion against the Lord Baltimore.'
Induced by this proclamation, the commissioners again returned to Maryland, and with the assistance of the puritans at Providence, by force of arms, turned out governor Stone and the Lord Baltimore's other officers, and put others in their places.
After a short resistance, governor Stone, in July of this year, again submitted to the authority of the com- missioners' government.
1655. Early in 1655, it appears that governor Stone received written instructions from Lord Balti- more, in which he blames him for 'resigning up his government into the hands of the lord protector and commonwealth of England, without striking one stroke.'
Being thus instigated by the Lord Proprietary, to attempt the recovery of the proprietary government, he now re-assumed his office of governor under his , former commission.
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After such a rebuke from his lordship, governor Stone determined to resist the authority set up by the commissioners; and to make one more struggle for that power and authority which he had held from, and exercised under the Lord Proprietary's commission.
In virtue of his official authority, he proceeded to issue military commissions to officers, and tò or- ganize an armed force in the county of St. Mary's, for the purpose of taking possession of the govern- ment.
Of these he despatched a party to the house of Mr. Richard Preston, situated on the river Patuxent, where the provincial records had been deposited on the revolution in July last, and caused them to be seized and brought to St. Mary's. On the information of this seizure of the records arriving at Providence, (now Annapolis,) captain Fuller and his council, in whom the government of the province had been invested, sent two messengers with letters to governor Stone, 'in a way of peace and love,' desiring him to make it known by what power he surprised the records, and desiring an answer thereto. Governor Stone returned only a verbal answer-that ' he would shew no power, but affirmed that he acted by a power from Lord Balti- more; and that the Lord Protector had confirmed the Lord Baltimore's power.' The messengers were there- upon dismissed and went home.
Soon after this, governor Stone issued a proclama- tion for the purpose, it would appear, of quieting the minds of the people of Patuxent, on his resuming the government of the province, and his seizure of the records, protesting therein, that it was not his intention to use any hostile proceedings either against them or
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the people at Providence. As Mr. Preston's house on the Patuxent had been used since July last, as the seat of government for the province, where the provincial records had been kept, a considerable quantity of arms and ammunition, as it appears, had been there also deposited. Governor Stone, as a further precautionary measure, thought it proper to secure these arms and ammunition, and accordingly sent an armed party of twenty men for that purpose, under the command of William Eltonhead and Josias Fendel. They seized upon such arms, &c., as they could find, not only in Preston's house, but in others in the neighborhood, which it is stated they searched, and brought the same to St. Mary's.
Soon after these transactions, governor Stone began to make preparations for reducing the puritans of Anne Arundel to a submission and obedience to Lord Balti- more's government. Having collected together and armed about two hundred of the yeomanry of St. Ma- ry's county, who were willing to follow him, he set out with his little army, about the 20th of March, 1654, O. S. towards Providence. He had collected, also, about eleven or twelve vessels, probably such as are now called bay craft, for the transportation of some of his forces, part of them marching along the bay coast, and the vessels serving to ferry them across the mouths of the rivers.
Before they had arrived at Herring creek, (sometimes called Herring bay,) in Anne Arundel county, they were met by messengers in a boat, who had been sent by the government at Providence with a letter to governor Stone, remonstrating against his proceedings, and de- siring to be informed not only of his authority and power
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in so doing, but whether 'he were resolved to come to no parley or treaty,' protesting, in the said writing, 'that, by the help of God, they were resolved to com- mit themselves into the hand of God, and rather die like men, than live like slaves.' No answer to this message appears to have been given by the gover- nor, as may be inferred from the fact that 'these mes- sengers were apprehended, and their boat seized ;' but three out of the six persons on board the boat, con- trived to make their escape, and carried back to the government at Providence the intelligence that Stone and his army were on their march towards them in hostile array.
On the arrival of governor Stone and his troops at Herring creek, they found there, it seems, one of the commissioners, to whom the government had been in- trusted in July last, by Bennett and Claiborne. This gentleman they caused to be kept under guard : and either at this place or at a little further on his march, governor Stone deputed Doctor Luke Barber and Mr. Coursey to go on before them to Providence, with a proclamation addressed to the people of Anne Arundel. Of the contents of this proclamation, thus sent by Doc- tor Barber, we are not informed, except so much of it as is given by Doctor Barber, subsequently, to wit : that, 'in the end of this declaration, the governor did protest, as in the presence of Almighty God, that he came not in a hostile way, to do them any hurt, but sought all meanes possible to reclaime them by faire meanes, and to my knowledge, at the sending out of parties, he gave strict command that, if they met any of the Ann Arundel men, they should not fire the first gun, nor upon paine of death, plunder any.'
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