USA > Maryland > Biographical sketches of distinguished Marylanders > Part 6
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To my officer at Potomack, 6,000 pounds of tobacco.
To my officer at Annapolis, 3,000 pounds of tobacco.
To my officer at Oxford, 3,000 pounds of tobacco.
Mr. Anthony Neale, 3,000 pounds of tobacco, a gift or token of respect.
Mr. Robert Brooke, 8,000 pounds of tobacco, for him and his brethren, being eight in number.
Mr. James Haddock, 1,000 pounds of tobacco.
Mr. George Mason, 1,000 pounds of tobacco.
To yourself, 12,000 pounds of tobacco, for your advice and trouble about my law concerns.
Mr. Cecil Butler, 4,000 pounds of tobacco.
Mr. James Carroll, 10,000 pounds of tobacco, for keeping my rent-rolls in order.
" I hereby grant a hundred acres of land to William
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Richardson, in Anne Arundel county, in lieu of a cer- tificate of a former grant, which his father alleges to have received of Heathcott, but which never appeared.
"I also impower you, the same as I impowered my late agent, Col. Henry Darnell, upon the Crown Secretary and Chancellors, taking for their own use the fees prop- erly belonging to my land office, order and direct that an addition should be made to the price of warrants so as to make up for the difference taken by the said Sec- retary and Chancellor, and to take and receive to, and for his and your own proper use and behoof.
"You are to grant Cecil Butler a warrant for five hun- dred acres of land; you are also to grant him a lease for the plantation of St. John's, near the city of St. Mary's.
" You are to grant Henry Wharton one hundred and forty-six acres of land. You are to grant Henry Sewell two or three hundred acres of escheat land. You are to grant Gerard Stye five hundred acres of escheat land, in consequence of a piece of five hundred sold by Charles Calvert to his father, which was in my Manor, but for which I have given Capt. Richard Smith a compensation. I do hereby also confirm a grant passed by Col. Henry Darnell, to yourself, of two hundred acres of land near the city of St. Mary's."
In the same order is noticed the petition of Robert Goldsborough, and his wife Elizabeth, for an additional grant of lands. The order terminates thus: "When the land that Sir John Oldcastle formerly held, shall be adjudged mine, I order Col. William Digges may have a patent for the same as a gift of
C. BALTIMORE."
The business talent and capacity of this first Charles Carroll, is made evident, and was handed down as a precious inheritance for two generations at least. Ilis
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son, Charles Carroll, was born in the year 1702, succeed- ing to the rich estates of his father, which he retained by his energy and wise management. He married Elizabeth Brooke, and was residing at Annapolis, when Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, their son and only child, was born. This event occurred on the 20th day of Sep- tember, 1737. With the customary zealousness of a Catholic, Mr. Charles Carroll sent his son, the subject of this sketch, to the College of Saint Omer, in Flanders. The boy, then eight years of age, remained for about six years under the immediate instruction of the Jesuit Fathers of that Institution. He was afterward placed with the French Jesuits at Rheims, for the purpose of continuing his classical studies. Here, however, he did not remain long; he entered the College of Louis le · Grand, at Paris, in the following year. Two years were spent at this Institution ; the young man then proceed- ing to Bruges, remained there awhile, engaged in the study of the civil law. He afterward returned to Paris, where he remained until the year 1757. The influence of wealth upon the common order of men was as great in the past as in the present. By those people who were blind alike to virtues and talents, Mr. Carroll was sought and flattered, and courted as a young man of wealth and fashion. The French "society" morals belonged - to the French-school of morality,- - and Paris, with its thousand fascinations, was a danger- ous eddy to be caught in. Seen through the hallowing radiance of distant time, the virtues of those whom we have elevated to the ideal-standard of heroes, seem, in their sublimity, to have been proof against the common assaults of the " flesh and the devil."
That our heroes succumbed occasionally, however, to the powers of evil, is beyond a doubt. According to his own statements, Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, 7
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yielded to the seductive teachings of the times, and im- bibed, though not to an ineradicable degree, the poisonous doctrines of Voltaire, in opposition to his earlier train- ing. In this respect Mr. Carroll merely adopted the skeptic tone of the circle in which he moved. It must, however, be remembered that a deeply implanted faith does not easily perish. His faith was only sullied and dimmed by the corrupting dust of infidelity.
Many years before his death he sought to make amends, by every means in his power, for the sins of his youth and ignorance, while in the frivolous city of Paris. In 1757 he went again to London, where he remained, devoting his time to the study of the civil law, at the Temple. In the year 1764 Mr. Carroll returned to his native land.
The heavy taxation demanded by England of her struggling colonies, now caused a universal murmur from every quarter of the land. In the common trouble the tie between the Colonies was strengthened ; religious differences seemed for the time almost forgotten, as side by side they ranked themselves against the mother-land. The feeling that had been long growing was fully de- veloped and matured by the Stamp Act of 1765. From Ridgely's Annals of Annapolis, the following extract is made :
" On the 27th of August, in this year, a considerable number of people, * Asserters of British American prix- ileges,' met at Annapolis, to show their detestation of and abhorrence to some late tremendous attacks on lib- erty, and their dislike to a certain late arrived officer -- a native of this province !
"They curiously dressed up the figure of a man, which they placed in a one-horse cart, malefactor like, with some sheets of paper in his hands, before his face ! In that manner they paraded through the streets of the
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town till noon, the bell at the same time tolling a sol- emn krell, when they proceeded to the hill, and after giving it the Mosaic Law at the whipping-post, placed it in the pillory, from whence they took it and hung it on a gibbet, there erected for that purpose, and set fire to a tar-barrel underneath, and burnt it till it fell into the barrel. By the many significant nods of the head, while in the cart, it may be said to have gone off very penitently."
This stern resistance was carried on in so defiant a manner, that newly arrived vessels, fully freighted with valuable goods, were forced to return to England with their cargoes untouched. The Stamp Act was repealed and quiet was restored for the time.
In the year 1768 Charles Carroll was married to Miss Mary Darnell, whose family name graces the earliest pages of Colonial history. She was the daughter of Henry Darnell. Mr. Carroll is said to have loved, be- fore this, a Miss Cooke, of Maryland, to whom he would doubtless have married had she lived ; she died, however, in 1766, and he married in 1768, which might lead us to suppose that he was as susceptible as he was attract- ive. He is described as a man of medium height, of pale and intellectual countenance, penetrating grey eyes and delicate features. His manner was dignified and courtly.
On the 9th of May, in the year 1769, a meeting was called at Annapolis for the purpose of forming non-im- portation associations. The call was duly responded to by representatives, in large numbers, from all of the counties. The resolutions were passed and carried into operation, and for a while the rules were strictly adhered to, but gradually, owing to the want of general co-oper- ation, the work was rendered ineffectual, and finally abandoned.
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At this time the State of Maryland was thrown into agitation by two leading questions, which were debated with all the warmth of eloquence that could be brought to bear in their behalf. These questions were: "The Proclamation Act," and the " Vestry Question." The colonists had, for a considerable time, complained of the exorbitant fees of some of the Colonial offices, the abuses in their collection, and the uncertainty of commutation. Before this time the Assembly had usually regulated the fees by temporary acts, thus retaining a power over the office-holders whose appointments were held under the Proprietary.
These acts were allowed to expire about this time, consequently Governor Eden issued a proclamation de- claring that the fees should be regulated according to the expired acts. This caused an indignant outburst from the people, whose representatives were numbered among the men distinguished for intellectual attain- ments. Daniel Dulany, the eminent lawyer, Mr. Ham- mond, and other men of note advocated the Act as strenuously as it was opposed by Charles Carroll, of Carrolton, Samuel . Chase and William Paca. The fiercest resistance was made against the reduction of fees by those most interested as office-holders-amongst them were Daniel Dulany, Secretary of the Province; Walter Dulany, Commissary General, and the Land Officers, Calvert and Steuart. Their opponents, how- ever, proved as strong in eloquence, and more effective in other respects. The people were sustained almost universally by the lawyers of the State, whilst the Governor was supported by the officers, the Episcopal clergy and those who adhered to them or their cause. Yet as the imposers of unjust taxes are not apt to be enshrined in the affections of the people, it is not sur- prising that many who had hitherto been staunch up-
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holders of "the established church " should take this opportunity to right their wrongs if possible.
Injustice it was that aroused the ire of Charles Carroll, of Carrolton. Rights infringed and compacts broken, warned the faithful young sentinel of further danger; and but for the tyrannous conduct of the British government, Charles Carroll might have proved himself as faithful and valuable a royalist as he was afterward a dangerous rebel. The sword had not yet been resorted to; yet the pen, that mighty arbiter in behalf of the weak against the strong, the protector of the oppressed and avenger of wrong, did its work. As mighty needs require mighty remedies, strong souls are raised up in the hour of a Nation's trouble to battle in its defence. The questions of the hour were discussed in public print, through the means of pamphlets and in the columns of the Maryland Gazette, which was a leading journal in its day, and served as a battle or dueling ground, as the case might be, where learning and wit were the formidable weapons brought into use.
As it was not hatred to England, but to some of its laws, that induced the people of America to resistance, as is the case when we oppose the wrongs of those whom we love, their opposition was fiercer and stronger than would have been evinced toward a foreign foe. Full many a Colonist who opposed bitterly the taxation laws could have, if questioned, answered from his heart in the words of dear Sir Walter's hero:
" My manors, halls, and bowers, sball still Be open, at my sovereign's will, To each one whom he lists, howe'er Unmeet to be the owner's peer. My castles are my king's alone, From turret to foundation stone."
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Under the signature of the " First Citizen," Mr. Carroll contested in the public prints with Daniel Dulany, who took the name of " Antilon." The First Citizen, however, proved himself the more efficient of the two combatants, though Dulany's was acknowledged to be the master-mind of Maryland. On every side rose new foes who cast upon him the name of "Jesuit," " Papist," and whatever other epithet might arouse the indignation of the people. They failed, however, in their designs, and although he was taunted with the reminder that as a disfranchised man he was unable to " cast his puny vote," his resolve was unshaken.
From this time, 1770, to the year 1774, there was a continual agitation of the tax question; during which time Mr. Carroll's talents were brought into constant use in behalf of his country. On the 14th of October, 1774, the brig Peggy Stewart arrived at Annapolis. In its cargo were a few packages of tea consigned to Thomas Williams and company, the duty having been paid by the owner of the vessel, Mr. Anthony Stewart. The indignation of the people was loudly expressed, nor was it southed by the humble apologies of the de- linquents. By the advice of Charles Carroll, of Carroll- ton, Stewart was forced to set fire to his vessel, and in the presence of a multitude of people, the vessel was burned to the water's edge. The actors in this and other dramas of the kind were the leading citizens of Maryland ; undisguised and with the full light of day shining upon their faces, they resisted oppressors and oppression ! In their resistance they were even more determined than the people of Charleston, South Caro- lina, who stored the tea in " damp cellars, where it was quietly permitted to rot."*
On the Sth of December, 1774, the Convention re-
*Alexander II. Stephens' History of United States.
.. "
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assembled for the purpose of preparation for "an armed resistance to the power of England." Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, having triumphed by the might of right, sat as an honorable member in the Convention. At this meeting full provision was made for the exer- cise of authority by the newly-formed government which had risen silently, yet surely, as a tower of strength by the side of the royal government. In the shadow of these two heads the people moved onward to death and glory! On to the grave! Soldiers for song and story, loving and brave! Let it not be forgotten that at this convention a resolution was adopted to give to Massachusetts all the aid in their power should Eng- land attempt to force that State into submission.
Among the distinguished men chosen upon this occa- sion to act in behalf of the people was Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, whose title of Carrollton from the family estates in Frederick county, was adopted in contradis- tinction to Charles Carroll, barrister. The last-named gentlemen was also a native of Annapolis, and said by some to be remotely related to the Carrolls of Carroll- ton in the "old land." He was a gentleman of learn- ing, refinement and honorable position, yet not so well off in the matter of lands and goods as the subject of this sketch.
On the 12th day of December the Convention ad- journed to meet again at the city of Annapolis, on the 24th of April, 1775. The Revolution, however, broke into war before the Convention met.
On the 28th of June, 1776, the delegates, in behalf of the Province, met for the purpose of declaring their intention of proclaiming the Colonies free and indepen- dent, "reserving to the State complete internal sover- eignty."
Previous to this Mr. Carroll bad been sent as a dele-
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gate to Canada, together with Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and the Reverend John Carroll. Their mission was for the purpose of persuading the Cana - dians, if possible, to join the Americans against England. From this fruitless mission he had just returned, when the great subject of our national independence was being discussed. Proceeding immediately to Annapolis he argued, with forcible eloquence, the canse for which his soul was armed. Greatly owing to his efforts were the first steps taken in this important decision on the 28th of June.
On the 4th of July, 1776, Independence was declared at the State House, in Philadelphia. Mr. Carroll was appointed as delegate to Congress from Maryland, and took his seat on the 18th of July, 1776. On the follow- ing day the Article was engrossed, and on the 2nd of August the members were called upon to sign their names.
Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, assisted in forming the Constitution of Maryland in 1776. Mr. Carroll, having retained his seat in the Maryland Convention, was chosen as Senator to the First Senate of Maryland, under the Constitution in 1776, and in 1777 reappointed delegate to Congress. In 1778 he resigned. the office, but was re-elected in 1781. During his public career his various talents were frequently brought into play, and served well the country for whose good he strove so nobly.
Joined to a judgment, clear, calm and generons, his profound study and extensive learning served him in good part. He was remarkable for elegance of manner --- an advantage procured for him through his travels as well as familiarity with the best society at home and abroad. In writing, as in speaking, his style was full, without being diffuse; always logical, marked by ex-
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treme dignity and sparkling throughout with the orna- mental beauties of literature.
About the year 1784 he took an active part in a con- ference " upon the subject of opening and improving the navigation of the river Potomac, and concerting a plan for opening a proper road between the waters of the Potomac and the most convenient Western waters." Thus early was introduced the subject of the Chesa- peake and Ohio Canal, in which General Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette were deeply interested.
In 1788 he was elected to the Senate of the United States, where he served faithfully until 1791. During this time he took an active part in the support of the Federal party at New York, with Jay and other noted men of the period.
In 1791, he was sent again to the Senate of Maryland, where he remained until 1801.
In the year 1797, he was chosen as one of the Com- missioners to settle the disputed boundary line between the States of Maryland and Virginia. In 1801, the Democratic party having gained the ascendancy, he re- tired from public life, being then in the sixty-fourth year of his age. A life of excitement and care was ex- changed for one of domestic peace. In this sweet tran- quility, he was blest by the pure love of his children who surrounded him. He was the fortunate possessor of great wealth, and in the full possession of his facul- ties. Easy and affable in manner, and in conversation judicious and elevated, he was usually regarded as the leader in whatever circle he found himself; few were his superiors, and he won the respect of all classes of citizens. While he had struggled manfully in behalf of the young Republic, his old political antagonist had been wrestling against fate on the opposing side. Daniel Dulany, however, had, by the misfortunes of his party.
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been forced into the quieter walks of life early in the day, and when he departed, the glory of a brilliant star faded from view. As a power among the intellects of Maryland, his name is honored, and his memory cher- ished. An ancient lady, whose face brightened at the mention of his name, recalled to mind, with reverential tone, the great old man "who walked across the hills of Maryland, his long camlet cloak fluttering in the breeze, his silvery hair hanging about his shoulders, and the high oaken staff held as a support in his withered hands." Though occupied principally with his family, his social cares and joys, after the year 1801, Mr. Carroll was still frequently called upon to take part in the affairs of general public interest. In the year 1828, he, the only signer of the Declaration of Independence living, laid the first stone of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. With spade in hand, he broke the earth for the great iron rails that were in the coming time to bear from Maryland, to all portions of the Union, the triumphs of enterprise : success, wealth, fame! The inauguration of the railroad took place on the 4th of July. Its com- mencement was at the western limit of the city of Bal- timore.
The North American Review of 1829 contains the following with regard to this giant work of civilization :
"The general direction of the route of the railway, as thus described, is, from Baltimore to the 'Point of Rocks,' a little south of west; thence to Hancock, ap- proaching northwest. From Hancock to Cumberland, the general direction is very little south of west, though there is a great circuit in consequence of the direction of the river. Beyond Cumberland, by way of the Cheat, to the western base of the Laurel Ridge, the course, though winding, is included between southwest and west. Thence to the Ohio, the direction is nearly west.
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Should the route by Casselman's river and the Yough- agany be adopted, the general direction from Cumber- land to the mouth of Casselman's river, and thence by the Youghagany to Pittsburg, would be northwest.
"From this necessarily brief description of the three regions through which the railroad is to pass, our read- ers will have perceived, however, that in its whole extent, its practicableness is beyond doubt. In the western division, extending from the base of the Laurel Hill to the Ohio, there is, on any of the routes, so little serious difficulty to be apprehended, that the ground, on the contrary, is in a high degree favorable. The character of the Allegany, and the other ridges forming with it the height of land between the eastern and western waters, is certainly very different. But of the two principal routes across it, one is by no means impractica- ble; the other is expected to afford much greater advan- tages. Of the eastern division, the examinations are already so accurate as to evince the perfect facility of its construction. We shall here add some particulars of this last section of the route, embraced between Cum- berland and Baltimore, as it has received a more minute examination than the others, and as an actual com- mencement has been made on a part of it, the twenty- four miles between Baltimore and the fork of the Patapsco above Ellicott's Mills."
And from the same interesting pages we read :
"The contractors have commenced work on the sec- tion between Baltimore and Ellicott's Mills, and are rapidly advancing. A part is already finished for the reception of the rails, and there is every reason to expect that the graduation and masonry of the whole of it, together with some farther portions, will be completed by the first of June next. The contracts, notwithstand- ing the shortness of the notice, were readily taken, at
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fair prices ; and the improvements already introduced in the performance of the work, such as temporary railways for the removal of the earth, with others, will not only reduce the cost to the contractors, but will be beneficially felt in future contracts. Meanwhile, surveys are in pro- gress, in order to a final location of the road. These have already been made on the principal points, as far up the valley of the Potomac as Cumberland.
" The localities, through which the above surveys have been conducted, are found, so far as the surveys are complete, highly favorable to the structure of the road. The natural surface in the immediate vicinity of the route, is generally firm, and well adapted to its support. Quicksands never occur; the hills are never so abrupt as to require tunneling; and though the course of the road, in order to preserve a level, is necessarily serpen- tine, the distance on the most favorable routes is far less augmented than might be supposed. Cliffs and preci- pices sometimes present themselves; but none of such extent or difficulty as not to be overcome at an expense comparatively moderate. The necessary timber is found in most parts beyond the immediate vicinity of Balti- more; but locust, though it abounds in some places, is not generally near at hand. The valley of the Potomac, frequently bounded indeed by rugged precipices, passa- ble only by means of artificial roadways, cut into the cliff's, or supported by walls reared from the bed of the river, is for the most part, nevertheless, easy of passage. The rocky debris at the base of the river hills not only afford a foundation, but supply the materials for con- structing the bed of the road at a cheap rate, as also for the numerous small bridges and culverts that will be required. Good building stone is found almost univer- sally. Stone rails can be delivered on the route at the moderate price of eight cents the running foot; locust
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sleepers for the same purpose, at twenty-five cents each."
In January, 1829, the stock of the company was four millions of dollars, of which the State of Maryland and the Corporation of Baltimore held each half a million. Philip E. Thomas, Esq., of Baltimore, was the President of the road. Their board of Engineers consisted of Col- onel Long, J. Knight, Esq., and Captain McNeill. Dr. Howard, of the United States' Engineers, was engaged in the reconnaissance and preliminary surveys on which the first report of the Engineers is founded; and the Engineer Department liberally gave the assistance of a number of the officers of the army. The Superintendent was Casper Weaver, Esq.
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