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 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22
On the east side of the bay is the river Tockwhogh, and upon it a people that can make 100 men, seated some seaven myles within the river : where they have a fort very well pal- lisadocd and mantelled with barkes of trees. Next them is Ozinies with sixty men. More to the south of that east side of the bay, the river Rapahanock, neere unto which is the river Kuscarawaock. Upon which is seated a people with 200 men. After that is the river Tanto Wighcomoco, and on it a people with 100 men. The people of these rivers are of little stature, of another language from the rest and very rude. But they are on the river Acohanock with 40 men, and they of Accomac 80 men doth equalize any of the territories of Pow- hatan, and speake his language, who over all these doth rule as king.
Southward wc went to some parts of Chowanock and the
21
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
Mangoags to search for them left by Mr. White. Amongst those people are thus many severall nations of sundry lan- guages, that environ Powhatans territories. The Chowanocks, the Mangoags, the Atquanachukes, the Tockwhoghs, the Sus- quesanocks, the Powhatans, the Monacans, the Mannahokes, the Massawomeks, and the Kuvearawaocks. All these not any one understandeth another but by interpreters .*
Smith made a fairly accurate map of the head waters of the bay, the islands and adjacent shores, and called the river now known as Bush river, which lies wholly in Harford county, "Willowby's river," in honor of the town in which he was born in England. The bay shore of Harford county, starting with Pool's Island, then coming to the mouth of Bush river, Abbey Island Point, along the shore to Taylor's Island at the mouth of Rumney Creek, then along by Spesutie Island past Oakington to Havre de Grace, is beautiful at all times and particularly so in summer, and no wonder Smith said that "heaven and earth seemed never to have agreed better to frame a place for man's commodious and delightful habitation."
The island now called "Pool's," belonging to Har- ford county and lying in the bay off the Harford shore, between the mouths of Bush and the Gunpowder rivers, was named by Captain Smith "Powell's Island," after Nathaniel Powell, one of his party on the voyage, and it is supposed the original name has been preserved, only that Powell's has in the three centuries since its discovery developed into "Pool's," by which latter name the island is now known. The name of "Smith's Falls" in the Susquehanna, is still preserved, this des- ignation having been given them on the same expedi- tion.
*Scharf's History of Maryland.
22
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
As to the climate of Maryland, Smith says :
The sommer is hot as in Spaine; the winter cold as in France or England. The heat of sommer is in June, July and: August, but commonly the coole breesas asswage the vehe- mency of the heat. The chiefe of winter is halfe December, January and halfe March. The cold is extreme sharpe, but here the proverb is true, that no extreme long continueth .*
Captain Smith, as above stated, found a race of In- dians calling themselves the "Susquehannocks," inhab- iting the country now comprising Harford and Cecil counties, and on Willowby, or Bush, river, a tribe he called Massawomeks, who were at war with and in great fear of the Susquehannocks, and who appear later to have been subdued and absorbed by the latter, as at a later date, in a treaty between the settlers and the Susquehannocks, that tribe asserted title to the land from the mouth of the Susquehanna to the Patuxent.
The Susquehannocks belonged to the famous Iro- quois, or Five Nations tribe of Indians, the seat of which tribe was further north in the States of Penn- sylvania and New York. The Massawomeks, which was the name of the other tribe inhabiting Maryland at the time, probably belonged to the same general stock, though the two tribes were contending with each other at the time of the coming of Smith and his party. Massawomeks is said to be another name for the famous Mohawk tribe of Indians, whose seat was fur- ther to the north.
It is certain that Indians occupied and hunted over the entire territory of Harford, for there is scarcely a farmhouse in the county which has failed to preserve Indian arrow points and stone axes found on the place,.
*Scharf's History. Bozman.
PALMER'S ISLAND, SUSQUEHANNA RIVER
23
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
and in some sections of the county these are to be found in great abundance.
The first settlement at the head of the bay is sup- posed to have been made by Edward Palmer, a culti- vated Englishman, on Palmer's, or Watson's Island, at the mouth of the Susquehanna. Palmer's Island is in Cecil, but it lies between the two counties, and it may be assumed that the settlers there extended over into Harford, a few hundred yards away. The date of this settlement is uncertain, but Neal, the historian, states that the letters of John Pory, secretary of the Virginia Company, which bear date previous to Clay- borne's settlement on Kent Island, say that he and others had made discovery in the great bay north- ward, "where we left very happily settled nearly a hun- dred Englishmen, with a hope of good trade in furs."
When Palmer's Island was taken possession of in 1637 by Lord Baltimore's agents, four servants were found and some books, indicating that Palmer him- self had resided there. In a petition to the King of England by Capt. William Clayborne, protesting against interference by Lord Baltimore's people who came over in the "Ark" and the "Dove" in 1633, it is declared that the petitioner, previous to the coming of the Calverts, had discovered and settled a plantation and factory upon a small island in the mouth of the Susquehanna river. The petitioner refers to the years 1627-8-9, so it is certain white men were familiar with the shore of the Susquehanna at that time .*
Clayborne was for many years a thorn to the Mary- land colonists, and the history of the colony contains many incidents of their clashing and contention. Lord
*Johnston's History of Cecil County.
24
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
Baltimore had great difficulty in maintaining his posi- tion, because the country contained within the limits of his grant was claimed by both Virginia and Penn- sylvania, and Clayborne took advantage of Virginia's claim to make a great deal of trouble.
In 1652 a treaty was made where Annapolis now stands, between the Susquesahanocks and the English, and then and there the present territory of Harford was rightfully acquired from its lawful owners. This treaty was signed by Richard Bennet, Edward Lloyd, Thomas Marsh, William Fuller and Leonard Strong, commis- sioners on the part of the English. About five miles below the city of Havre de Grace, and belonging to Harford county, lies Spesutie Island, its name being derived from Col. Nathaniel Utie, its first owner.
The man for whom the Island of Spesutie and the church at Perryman's takes its name was one of the pioneers in the settlement at the head of the bay, and was a very prominent man in his day. It is probable that Colonel Utie made his settlement on Spesutie Isl- and soon after the Indian treaty of 1652, although the exact date of his coming is unknown. The word Spesutie means Utie's Hope. It is also probable that Nathaniel Utie was a Virginian and a relative of John Utie, who was prominent in the affairs of that colony from 1623 until 1635.
In the year 1634, John Utie, with ten others, pre- sented a petition to the King of England with refer- ence to affairs in Virginia. Although at that time he was a member of the Council of Virginia, his prop- erty was afterwards confiscated on account of political troubles. The records state that on May 6th, 1658, he was councilor. Then he was licensed to carry on
25
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
trade for beaver and other furs with the Indians in the province.
He was made a councilor on account of "the great ability and affectionate service done in the assembly by him." His license gave him authority to arrest all persons in his section trading with the Indians with- out license. On July 12, 1658, Nathaniel Utie was ap- pointed captain of all the forces between the "coves of the Patuxent river and the Seven Mountains." His own company was to be made up of all the forces from the source of the Seven river to the mountains above named. These seven mountains are not known with certainty, but the designation was for some of the highlands at the head of the bay, of which Bull's moun- tain, in Cecil county, is the most prominent. Utie had been a member of an assembly which met at St. Clem- ent's Manor in 1659, in the time of Fendall's rebellion, which assembly had been rebellious as to the authority of Lord Baltimore. He accordingly presented his peti- tion to the council to "add a further act of grace that his former offences be not prejudiced to him here- after." His petition was granted, and he was restored to favor. He was a member from Baltimore county in the Provincial Legislature of 1665, and in the fol- lowing year was appointed on the commission to con- sider the question of increasing the price of tobacco in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina by not plant- ing for one year.
Colonel Utie, besides Spesutie Island, owned a large area of land near the mouth of the Gunpowder river and land on the Sassafras river, in Cecil county.
George Utie and Richard Wells were ordered to be summoned before the provincial court in 1661, "for not
26
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
sending letters down to the Governor according to the acts of Assembly, and for contemptuously nailing up a letter of the sheriff, directed to the Governor." They probably lived on Spesutie Island, and the former was no doubt a relative of Nathaniel Utie. It seems from his treatment of the sheriff that he was as stubborn and courageous as Nathaniel. He represented Baltimore county in the Legislature in 1661, and was also com- missioned sheriff of Baltimore county in 1666."*
The residence of Colonel Utie, on Spesutie Island, was distinguished by a meeting of the Council of Mary- land on May 13, 1661, for the purpose of investigating certain complaints made by and against the Indians, and making treaties with them. At that meeting Robert Gorsuch testified touching an engagement with the Indians on the Gunpowder river, in Harford county. He stated that the Indians came to his house on the IIth of April, 1661, some dressed in blue and some in red match coats, who killed his wife and plundered his house, and about four or five days after came to his house again and killed some five cows and a steer, and some hogs, "as he supposeth."t
John Taylor said that upon Easter eve, in the after- noon, there came two Indians to his house, but, he, not understanding their language, pointed at them to be gone ; he not having heard before of a murder com- mitted upon Robert Gorsuch's wife, and they accord- ingly departed. The next day these same Indians re- turned with seven more and one woman, who, coming near his landing, shot off a gun to give him notice, as he considered; whereupon he went to the landing to them, and they asked him for some tobacco, which he
*Johnston. +Johnston.
27
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
did give them, and upon sight of another canoe of Indians, bid them begone; one of them understanding and speaking a little English, upon which they went away and steered, as he thought, to a plantation hard by, where two bachelors lived, named Edward Foster and John Foster ; that John Foster, coming in a canoe towards the Indians, shot at said Indians and came immediately away to this informant's house; where- upon said Indians shot three guns at said Foster, and immediately went and plundered his house and came around about two weeks afterward and plundered his tobacco house, where his goods then lay for want of room in his dwelling house, to the value of one thou- sand pounds of tobacco; that upon notice given of this plunder, William Wigwell, John Fouster and Edward Swanson went forth after the said Indians, to know why they plundered the said tobacco house, and coming up to them in the woods, where they were sitting around a fire. They immediately surrounded the said English and discharged a volley of ten shots, killing the said John Fouster, and at a second volley wounded William Wigwell, notwithstanding which shot, they fought them three hours and made their retreat good, since which time the said Indians have killed eleven head of cattle and twenty head of hogs. Demanding who they were, they answered that they were all Susquehan- naughs, as all Indians used to do that come to his house."*
As a result of the meeting of this council on Spesutie Island a treaty was made with the Indians in the fol- lowing words :
Articles of peace and amity concluded between the Hon.
*Johnston's History of Cecil County.
28
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
Philip Calvert, Esq., Governor ; Henry Coursey, secretary, and John Bateman, councilor, on behalf of the Lord Proprietary of this province of Maryland, and Pinna, king of Picthanom- icta, on behalf of the Passagonke Indians on the other part :
Imprimis : That there shall be a perpetual peace betwixt the people of Maryland and the Passagonke Indians.
Second: It is agreed between the above said parties that, in case any Englishman for the future shall happen to find any Passagonke Indian killing either cattle or hogs, then it shall be lawful for the English to kill the said Indian.
Third. It is agreed between the above said parties that, in case any Indian or Indians shall happen to kill any English- man (which God forbid) then the said Indian, with all that company of Indians with him which consented to the said mur- der, shall be delivered to the English, there to be proceeded against according to the laws of this province.
Fourth. It is further agreed betwixt the above said parties that, in case any Englishman shall happen to run amongst the Passagonke Indians, the said Indians bring them to Peter Meyers; and then for every Englishman that they deliver, they shall receive one match coat.
THE MARK (M) OF PINNA. and this treaty vitally affected all the people at the head of the bay.
CHAPTER II.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
THOMAS THURSTON-OLD HOUSES-JACOB GILES' LAND-SOME TRACTS BELONGING TO COLONEL WHITE-AQUILA PACA- DANIEL SCOTT-JAMES PRESTON-JOHN STUMP-DAVID BIS- SET-SAMUEL GOVER-JOHN HALL-WM. BRADFORD-WM. M'COMAS-JOHN M'COMAS.
From this time for a number of years, nothing of especial interest occurred to those who came to settle here, different from that concerning the people of the colony generally. We find from the records that the land was rapidly taken up and patents from the Lord Proprietor and his governor were numerous, indicating a large number of settlers. These first took up the land along the water courses, but gradually extended up into the forest, and at the time of the Revolution, which commenced three years after the formation of the county, the population of Harford, as above stated, was about thirteen thousand. The writer's own people obtained a patent at the end of the seventeenth cen- tury for a tract of land at the head of "Bush River" (Bynum's Run), which is still in the possession of a member of his family.
Thomas Thurston was one of the earliest settlers in this section. Although belonging to the Society of Friends, his career entitles him to be called a "fighting Quaker." He came to Virginia from Massachusetts and afterwards took up his abode in Maryland, where
30
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
he acquired large tracts of land, and in 1659 settled in Bush river neck, where he owned many acres and about one thousand acres near the present site of Bush. He also owned land near Stafford and in the vicinity of the present location of Bel Air. His homs is said to have been at old Baltimore, on Bush river, in the year 1686. He was a colonel and was appointed to command the military of the county. In 1692 he was superseded in the command by Captain Thomas Richardson, but the former declined to relinquish his authority, and Thurston was left in possession. For this he was brought to trial, but by reason of a general amnesty granted by the King on account of a great naval vic- tory over the French, nothing further was done in the matter. His son sold a part of this land to John Mor- timer, who was an ancestor of the present Archer fam- ily in Harford county.
At the date of the Revolution, while the most thickly settled portion of the country was in the necks along the water courses, nevertheless patents had been taken out, even to the Pennsylvania line, and the county was well settled throughout.
About that time were built some of the largest houses of the county that still remain. In 1768 Aquila Hall built the brick house on the Dairy farm. Colonel Thomas White married a daughter of Capt. John Hall, of Cranberry. John Hall left to his daughter Sophia, wife of Colonel White, a tract of land called "Sophia's Dairy." Their daughter, Sophia White, married her cousin, Aquila Hall, who built the "Dairy" house on the land derived from his wife's mother. The "Dairy" house was built, it is said, by the hands of five redemp- tionists, two of whom were masons, two carpenters and
3I
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
one a laborer, and bricks imported from England were used. The redemptionists received their freedom as their reward for the building .*
In 1774, the year of the formation of the county, William Smithson built the "Homestead," near Bel Air, which is even now one of the best in the county. In 1786 William Wilson, who had married Pallmela Bond, built, of bricks made on the place, the large house near Emmorton, now the residence of Mr. R. L. Wilson, his grandson. About this time was built also the old rec- tory of Spesutie church, which is the long frame build- ing at Harford Furnace. A little later, Bernard Pres- ton, who had married Sarah, daughter of Jacob Bond, built the large stone house, which is still in good repair, situate between Bel Air and Hickory, now owned by Mr. J. B. Wysong, a direct descendant of the first owner. Part of the residence of Mr. G. Smith Norris, near Bel Air, was built early in the eighteenth century by John Norris, one of the progenitors of Mr. Norris. In 1790 William Hall built the dwelling house on the "Constant Friendship Farm," in Abingdon district. Before this date the large house belonging to the heirs of Dr. Thomas E. Bond, on the Little Falls, near Falls- ton, was built.
The old church at Priestford, now the residence of Mr. R. Harris Archer, was built in 1747, as stated herein under the heading "The Catholics in Harford." The old Baptist church, between Jarrettsville and Up- per X-Roads, was erected about 1760. The house at the corner of Main street and the Baltimore pike, in Bel Air, was built before 1780. Rock Spring church was erected in the year 1805. The stone and brick
*Proceedings of meeting of descendants of Col. Thomas White.
32
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
house at "Shandy Hall," in the second district, was built by John Hall, of Cranberry, in 170I.
The present dwelling of Mr. J. Lawrence McCor- mick, near Bel Air, was erected by Philip Henderson in the year 1787. Buckler Bond built the Fulford house, near the tollgate, one mile west of Bel Air, about 1732. Two other Bond houses were situated in the same neighborhood and built about the same time. One of them is the residence of the heirs of Mr. Henry Richardson, and the other was on the site of the present overseer's house of the almshouse. The new portion of the house on Ruff's Chance, the farm of Judge James D. Watters, near Thomas' Run, was built in 1760 by Henry and Martha Watters, the great grandfather and mother of Judge Watters. A portion of this house is even older, and is built of logs, which are yet in a fair state of preservation. Ruff's Chance was one-half a square mile in area and was patented in 1714 by Rich- ard Ruff. Part of the house near Upper X-Roads, now occupied by Mr. John Randolph Rutledge, was erected before the time of the Revolution, when the property was purchased by Abraham Rutledge, the father of Ignatius Wheeler. The house was built by a man named Jacob Rutledge, who married Monica, daughter of Col. Chalk. The large stone residence of Mr. Frank H. Jacobs, on the Churchville road, was built in 1809, by Archer Hays, an ancestor of Mr. Jacobs.
Jacob Giles acquired the following named tracts in the following years, viz :
1732, Upton Court, 200 acres.
1734, Brothers Discovery, 50 acres.
1735, Neighborhood, 734 acres; part of Stone Hill, 352 acres ; part of Giles and Webster's Discovery, 195
33
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
acres ; part of Stone Hill, 352 acres ; part of Giles and Webster's Discovery, 919 acres ; part of Brothers Dis- covery, 134 acres.
Jacob Giles and Isaac Webster sold most of these tracts together.
174I part of Triple Union, 100 acres.
1742, Bond's Hope, 69 acres.
1745, Triple Union, 50 acres.
1754, part of Gittings' Choice, 50 acres.
1749, part of Rigbies Hope, 30 acres.
1749, Jenkins' Range, 247 acres.
1754, part of the Conveniency, 261 acres.
1754, part of the Conveniency, 25 acres.
1754, Nova Scotia, 121 acres.
1766, Benjamin's Choice and James Park, 500 acres.
1768, Land of Promise, 712 acres.
Between the years 1735 and 1747 Jacob Giles ac- quired, by many conveyances, large tracts in the fifth district, all of them being part of Arabia Petrea. These conveyances make an aggregate of more than four thousand acres.
In 1776 and for some years thereafter, Jacob Giles, John Bond, Isaac Webster, John Lee Webster and James Webster were the owners and proprietors of The Bush River Iron Works, land, mills and other improve- ments. Col. Thomas White was also connected with this company.
In 1730 Col. Thomas White acquired Polecat Neck and Leaf Junior.
In 1731, Sophia's Dairy, The Fork, 150 acres ; Fow- ler's Chance, 98 acres.
In 1739, Hazard and Fraternity, 200 acres ; also Eaton, 400 acres.
34
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
In 1744, Delph's Island, Gilmore Marsh and Gibson's Ridge, Monserado, 275 acres ; also Isaac's Enlargement 270 acres, and Isaac's Addition, 150 acres.
In 1746 part of Arabia Petrea, also Ah, Ah, the Cow Pasture, 194 acres ; Itrap, 208 acres ; Skipton Increase, 310 acres; Convenience, 200 acres, and Scrutiny, 380 acres.
1747, Hathaway's and Hazard's and Jones' Addition, 204 acres.
1748, Hammond's Hope, 200 acres ; also Hall's Rich Neck, 510 acres ; Paradise, 490 acres.
1750, Lyne's Addition, 600 acres ; Howard's Range, Keyton's Range, 146 acres.
1754, Aquila's Inheritance, 67 acres ; Gravell Hill, 50 acres ; Gilbert's Pipe, 37 acres; Loyd of Luloe's Lot.
1760, Jones' Addition, 70 acres.
1761, part of Constant Friendship, 261 acres ; part of Bradford's Barrens.
1764, Sedgely and Best Endeavor.
1765, Abbott's Forest, 238 acres ; Hammond's Hope, 15 acres ; Thomas' Beginning, 180 acres ; Clark Park, 26 acres.
1766, Come by Chance.
Colonel White was a large land owner and the above are only some of his tracts. The above properties are for the most part situated in Abingdon district, but extend nearly to Bel Air, and some lie in the second election district.
Aquila Paca acquired the following land in the fol- lowing years :
1707, Prosperity, 140 acres.
1709, Gibson Park, 800 acres.
1717, Collett's Point, or Neck, 200 acres.
35
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
1724, Moale's Success, 400 acres.
1729, Delph, 600 acres.
1715, Chilberry Hall.
1741, Maiden's Bower, 300 acres ( from Daniel Scott, Jr.).
1761, Islan, 48 acres.
In 1747 Martha Paca purchased from Jacob Giles 100 acres, part of Arabia Petrea, a very large tract in the fifth district, most of which was owned by Jacob Giles.
Daniel Scott acquired the following named proper- ties on the following dates :
1682, Oliver's Reserve, 150 acres.
1693, Kindness, 30 acres; also Swallow's Bill, 216 acres.
1700, Scott's Lodge, 150 acres; Stanhacket, 190 acres ; Chestnut Neck, 100 acres.
1702, Harmans Hope, 100 acres.
1713, part of Beale's Camp, 300 acres.
1724, part of Chestnut Neck, Harman's Hope and Hunting Ridge, 490 acres.
1725, part of Beale's Camp, 400 acres.
1730, Burr, 100 acres.
1741, Scott's Close, 100 acres.
In 1699 Gilbert Scott purchased Dunkeele, a tract of 500 acres on Winter's Run, the Whitaker Mill prop- erty retaining the name to this day.
James Preston acquired the following named tracts, among others, on the following dates :
1709, James' Choice.
1715, Dennis' Choice.
1718, Everly Hills (includes farm at present owned by Hon. Herman Stump).
36
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY.
1741, The Vineyard.
1748, Preston's Chance.
1753, Hog Neck.
1756, Mate's Addition.
1758, Robinson's Chance.
1761, Plumb Point.
The above tracts cover about fifteen hundred acres, and stretch, with intervals from Winter's Run, near the Bel Air pike, up toward Hickory and Forest Hill. The Vineyard, purchased in 1741, and other tracts, are now owned and occupied by a descendant of James Preston.
In 1749 John Stump purchased Durbin's Chance.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.