USA > Maryland > Talbot County > History of Talbot county, Maryland, 1661-1861, Volume II > Part 51
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Before proceeding further in this account of the school it may be well to call attention to that provision of the plan that regards the education of colored children. This enlightened man, it will be seen, was antici- pating by more than one hundred years that work which we have but lately commenced. It is proper to say, in this connection, that this attempt to ameliorate the condition of these people was but one act of his benevolence to them, but one evidence of his sympathy for them among many. He delivered sermons at his church to them, regularly, and some of these have been published. He delivered other sermons to their masters and mistresses upon their duties to their slaves. These two were printed and have been reprinted. His name should be ever held in grateful memory, by the colored people of Talbot.
The first assistance of which there is any record in carrying out the project of Mr. Bacon was derived as was natural from his own parish. Among the vestry proceedings of St. Peter's Parish for July 3, 1750, (Record Book, p. 272) may be found the following minute:
They [the vestry] agree that what money is now in stock of the col- lection money or what shall hereafter be collected at the offertory, shall be applied towards the support of a charity school in this parish.
It will be perceived this action of the vestry antedated the issuance of "the subscription roll." It therefore not only was a pledge of pe- cuniary support, but a sanction and confirmation of Mr. Bacon's pur- pose. He, from this time, was active in securing private or individual pledges. He did not confine himself to his own immediate parish or county but he extended his solicitations for aid into all parts of the province, and even to England itself. In the sequel it will be seen that citizens of the sister commonwealth of Virginia gave him assistance. He appears to have had immediate and substantial encouragement to prosecute his beneficent work. Gentlemen of almost every county on this Shore, and of several counties on the Western, and some of the mother country itself, recorded their annual subscriptions or their
482
HISTORY OF TALBOT COUNTY
direct benefactions. Flattered by this success he felt justified in calling a meeting of the subscribers for the purpose of due organization. This meeting was accordingly held in the parish church-then, as now, called, "White Marsh"-on the 29th of September, 1750, and on this occasion Mr. Bacon had the pleasure of reporting annual subscriptions amounting to 284 dollars, and donations amounting to 164 dollars.
At this meeting a board of Trustees and a Treasurer were elected. The gentlemen who consented to assume the duties of these offices were men of the first respectability and influence in the county. Their names will appear in the sequel.10 On the 14th of October, in accord-
10 The following list of the names of the annual Subscribers and Benefactors, with the sum affixed which they severally bestowed, is still extant. Its date is not precisely known, but it was of about Oct. 1st, 1750.
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
IN TALBOT COUNTY
£
SD
Rev. Thomas Bacon.
5 00
William Goldsborough.
5 00
John Goldsborough.
5 00
James Dickinson.
5 00
Robert Goldsborough.
5 00
Henry Callister
5 00
Rev. John Gordon.
00
Dr. Mitchell Hackett.
5 00
Matthew Tilghman.
5
00
Hon. Saml. Chamberlaine 4 10
Saml. Bowman. 3 00
Jere Nichols. .. 3 00
Tristram Thomas.
2 10 0
Peter Denny
2 00
Dr. Edward Knott.
2 00
Daniel Manadier 1 10 0
Capt. Richd. Bruff
1 00
Thomas Bruff.
1 0 0
Will. Thomas (sheriff)
1 10 0
Peter Comerford.
1 00
Thomas Barnett. 1 00
1
00
Jacob Bromwell.
1 00
Will. Mullikin. 1 00
William Martin.
1 10 0
IN QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY
Robert Lloyd.
5 00
Henry Cassan. 3 00
Will. Nichols
Jno. Hanmer 5 00
483
THE SCHOOLS OF TALBOT
ance with his published plan, Mr. Bacon preached the first of his charity sermons at the parish church for the benefit of the school. This sermon at the request of the vestry, was subsequently printed in London, in a pamphlet of twenty-eight quarto pages, and it is the same that is referred to in the article from the Maryland Gazette which follows, and in the letter of Bishop Wilson, to whom the manuscript was sent for publication. This sermon is still extant, but not within the reach of the writer of this contribution.
Before a year had elapsed, from the date of Mr. Bacon's circular, the project had been so favorably received, and had met with such sub- stantial encouragement both at home and abroad, he was prepared to announce publicly that there was no longer doubt of its accomplishment.
IN KENT COUNTY £SD
James Nichols.
1 10 0
· IN DORCHESTER COUNTY
Henry Ennalls. 3 00
John Gaile. 3 00
Will. Fishwick. 2 00
IN SOMERSET COUNTY
Capt. Henry Lowes (or Lewis) 5 00
IN WORCESTER COUNTY
James Mien (?)
2 00
William Allen. 1 00
IN BALTIMORE COUNTY
Rev. Andrew Lendram (?)
2 10 0
IN ANNAPOLIS
Dr. Alex. Hamilton.
2 00
Capt. Edward Barnes
1 10 0
BENEFACTIONS
Mr. Jacob Hindman 0 60
Capt. Jno. Coward. 1 00
James Edge (Talbot) 1 00
Henry Lewis (Talbot) 0 10 0
Levin Gale.
1 60
Tabman Lowes or Lewis (Talbot).
1 00
Capt. James Williams (Somerset) 2 10 0
Mr. Potts (Dorchester)
1 00
Rev. Mr. Glasgow (Worcester). 1 10 0
Rev. Jno. Hamilton (Dissenter) 2 70
For this list of subscribers, and for much else in this paper, the compiler is indebted to the inedited "History of the Parishes of Maryland," by the Rev. Dr . Ethan Allen, lately deceased.
IN LIVERPOOL
484
HISTORY OF TALBOT COUNTY
In the Maryland Gazette for June 12th, 1751, the following communi- cation may be found, which although not signed was almost certainly from his pen:
The proposal for erecting a Charity school in St. Peter's parish, Tal- bot county, meets with vast encouragement, not only in this Province, where many worthy gentlemen and ladies have generously contributed towards it, but in England where upwards of £100 sterling have been collected by the pious care and application of the Reverend Dr. Wil- son,11 sub-almoner to his majesty, and the Reverend Stephen Hales, who are considerable benefactors to this excellent design.
The plan has already been published in this paper, No. 282, and is reprinted, together with an account of the subscriptions and benefac- tions to 30th, Oct. last, at the end of a sermon preached on the occasion by the Reverend Thomas Bacon, rector of St. Peter's parish, and is to be sold for the benefit of the intended school, of which public notice will be given in this paper, and where they may be had. [No such notice was given, as far as could be discovered.]
[Here follows a paragraph of thanks to donors, and an invitation to others to imitate them. This need not be copied.]
It may be proper to observe that the sums already subscribed and given, are too considerable to admit the least doubt of a failure in the execution of this good design; and the trustees are of such unexcep- tionable fortunes and characters that the benefactors may depend on the due application of their charities in the best and most prudent manner.
The Trustees are:
MR. WILLIAM GOLDSBOROUGH, THE REV. MR. JOHN GORDON
MR. JOIIN GOLDSBOROUGH, MR. ROBT. GOLDSBOROUGH
MR. MATTHEW TILGHMAN, MR. ROBT. LLOYD.
And the Treasurer is:
MR. JAMES DICKINSON, of Dover, on Choptank, Merchant.
An annual account will be published of the benefactions and prog- ress of this charitable scheme, in which every subscriber or contribu- tor will see the application of his pious contributions.
The scholars are to be employed in useful labor and inured to early industry, as well as taught to read, write and account; and are to be supplied with clothing, lodging, diet, and all the necessaries of life, during their continuance in the school, and afterwards are to be put out to apprenticeships, or service, as may best conduce to their own benefit and the good of the Province.
This article, evidently written by Mr. Bacon, concludes with an invocation of the divine blessing upon the scheme, and other pious expressions, which need not be copied, as they contain no important information of the school.
11 This was good Bishop Wilson, of Sodor and Man, who ordained Mr. Bacon. Of Mr. Hales, it is regretted, nothing is known.
485
THE SCHOOLS OF TALBOT
Although an organization has been effected, it was not deemed pru- dent to attempt the establishment of the school until further con- tributions to the fund and annual subscriptions had been obtained. During the years 1751 and 1752 Mr. Bacon devoted himself earnestly to the work of securing a proper endowment. He not only succeeded in enlisting the people of Maryland in his benevolent enterprise but those of Virginia also. In the Maryland Gazette of June 11, 1752, he publishes a list of the contributors residing in that province, and at the conclusion of his card of thanks he adds "To the gentlemen and ladies who attended a concert of Music in the College Hall, for the benefit of the School, for 23 pistoles and a half." It would thus seem that the citizens of Williamsburg, Va., the seat of William and Mary College, had become sufficiently interested in the scheme to aid Mrs. Bacon's efforts to realize funds. It is not at all unlikely Mr. Bacon was one of the performers at this concert, for he is known to have been an accom- plished musician, playing expertly upon the violin and violincello. He was also a composer of music. A concert was held in October of the same year at Upper Marlborough, in Prince George's county, Maryland, for the same purpose. It may be well enough to say here, that in the Maryland Gazette, of Dec. 19th, 1754, Mr. Bacon published a second list of contributors from the province of Virginia. It is to be regretted that no list of subscribers of Maryland, other than that given above, has been preserved.
On the 23rd of August, 1752, Mr. Bacon delivered another sermon in his church in behalf of the school, which also was published. It was dedicated to Lord Baltimore. A copy of the sermon and of the plan and rules for the organization of the school, with a letter dated Dec. 23rd, from the author, was sent to the Proprietary. A letter with like accompanying documents, was also sent to his Lordship's sec'y the Hon. Cæcilius Calvert. These resulted most advantageously to Mr. Bacon. At a meeting of the clergy of the province at Annapolis, in August, 1753, upon which he was attending, he received from Gov. Sharpe, who had just arrived from England, through Mr. Ridout his secretary, the following communication:
His Lordship desires his best compliments to the Rev'd Thomas Bacon, Rector of the Parish of Saint Peter's, in Talbot County, and desires he may be assured that his Lordship will ere long send a testi- mony of his approbation and real good will by money for setting up and carrying the plan of the Charity working school to be set up in St. Peter's parish, into execution with respect to his and the trustees
486
HISTORY OF TALBOT COUNTY
pious and charitable designs; with this priviso that the master which is intended to be sent from England be appointed by the Lord Pro- prietary; and that the future master of the said school for the time being, if sent from England, be first approved of by the Lord Proprie- tary or his heirs, and if an inhabitant of Maryland, be first approved by the Lord Proprietary's Lieut. Governor or Commander in Chief, then for the time being; and that such master be also removable on misbehavior by such Lieut. Governor or Commander in Chief. I desire you would acknowledge his Lordship's and Mr. Secretary Calvert's receival of Mr. Bacon's letters to them dated 23rd Dec., 1752, copies of which acknowledgement will be sent to them.
Although the letter and the accompanying copies of the sermon and plans of the school were thus acknowledged through Governor Sharpe, the direct reply of the Lord Proprietary was not forwarded until Jan. 5, 1754, when the following letter from the Hon. Cæcilius Calvert, Secretary of Lord Baltimore, was despatched:
SIR: I had not been so long deficient in the acknowledgment of your first12 but by reason, the Governor was by my Lord advised in relation to your request, viz .: for the benefit of a Charity Working School, to be set up in the parish of St. Peters, Talbot county. The Lord Pro- prietor has directed me to inform you, he has perused and considered the general plan, with the proposals and rules relating to the school. The advantages that may arise from such a scheme give him happiness; the tendency being to promote religion and industry among his tenants under his government. And as a peculiar mark of his favor and pro- tection, with the means to forward so pious, humane and public a bene- fit, he has given instruction to Mr. Edward Lloyd, his agent and re- ceiver general to pay into the hands of the Treasurer of the school, by virtue of a note or order drawn on him, signed by the Trustees of the school elected, of which he desires you will inform them, viz .: the sum of one hundred guineas sterling as a free gift, to be laid out as you and the Trustees shall think most meet; and the sum of twenty pounds a year, together with five pounds a year from Lady Baltimore, making the sum of twenty-five pounds a year, to be paid by two equal, half yearly payments, to commence from date of instruction, and so to con- tinue to be paid by the present agent, and all succeeding ones, unless his Lordship's heirs or assigns, as Proprietors, shall think fitting to signify to the contrary, with other reservations in reference to his Lord- ship's instructions to Mr. Edward Lloyd. Your request of the boys of the school called nominal Baltimore boys, and by the title of his Lord- ship, you have here his direction and leave to sytle them so, and as an
12 The second was probably that which accompanied an address of the clergy of Maryland, drawn up at the meeting in Aug., 1753, Mr. B., was one of the com- mittee appointed to prepare this address to the Lord Proprietary. He was also the secretary of the meeting.
487
THE SCHOOLS OF TALBOT
additional token of his favor and approbation, he sends you his thanks for your obliging dedication and edifying sermon, preached on the occasion of the Charity School at St. Peters parish, 23rd Aug., 1752. Your true friend and
Humble Servant, CŒECILIUS CALVERT.
P.S. I have desired Mr. Lloyd, my Lord's agent, and Receiver Gen- eral to pay annually five pounds sterling, for the benefit of the Charity School of St. Peters Parish, in Talbot county, in two equal half yearly payments, to commence from the date of his Lordship's instruction relative thereto; and to be paid to the elected Trustees by note or order, on my account, which I desire you will advise them of, and which, with pleasure, I desire their acceptance.13
Before this letter from Lord Baltimore had been received Mr. Bacon and the Trustees had made one other important step towards establish- ing the school. Encouraged by the handsome donations and sub- scriptions which had been made, they resolved upon the purchase of land, upon which the school should be located.
That it might be under Mr. Bacon's immediate and constant super- vision, it was determined to place it near the parish church, and not remote from the residence of the rector, which at this time was at Dover, a town which has now now entirely disappeared but which, was near to the place yet known as Dover Ferry. Negotiations were open- ed with Mr. David Robinson, of Oxford Neck for the purchase of a tract of land lying upon the main road leading from the parish church to the port of Oxford, then the principal port of entry upon the Eastern Shore. The result of these negotiations was the purchase of one hundred and forty-three acres of land, made up of 70 acres of "Hull," 50 acres of "David's Folly," and 23 acres of "Part of Chance." The sum paid for this was one pound of the currency of Maryland per acre, or one hundred and forty-three pounds currency for the whole. This was said to be paid to Mr. Robinson by Mr. Bacon "out of the fund of money already received towards setting up and supporting a Charity School in the parish of St. Peter's in Talbot county aforesaid, for the maintenance
13 The Lord Baltimore who thus became the patron of Mr. Bacon's school, was Frederick, the seventh and last of the line. He affected letters, and was an author of several books. Their merit was not equal to their numbers. He was proud to be considered a patron of learning. His fortune was immense. His life was disreputable. His lady was Diana Egerton, daughter of the Duke of Bridgewater. Cœcilius Calvert was son of Benedict Leonard, fifth Lord Balti- more, and therefore the uncle of Frederick. He died without issue .- Morris' "Lord's Baltimore."
488
HISTORY OF TALBOT COUNTY
and education of orphans and other poor children." The deed was made "to Thomas Bacon, his heirs and assigns forever, in Trust, as aforesaid for the use and benefit of a Charity School intended to be set up, etc., etc, to the only proper use and behoof the same Charity school forever, and to no other use, intent or purpose whatsoever." The deed was acknowledged before Mr. John Goldsborough and Mr. William Thomas, two of the Justices of the Peace for the county, on the 13th of Feb. 1753.
Very soon after coming into possession of the land thus purchased. Mr. Bacon and the Trustees entered into a contract for the erection of a proper building for the use of the school. In the Maryland Gazette of April 12, 1753, may be found an advertisement of Mr. Bacon inviting "proposals to build a house for a Charity school, sufficient to accommo- date twenty pupils." The phraseology of the advertisement is such as would seem to indicate the school had already at that date been lately opened. Other information however renders this interpretation doubt- ful. At what time precisely the erection of the building was commenced is not known, but it is certainly known that it was not completed and delivered over by the contractors to the Trustees until 1755.
The following extract from a letter of his old and constant friend, Bishop Wilson, of the Isle of Man, will serve to indicate the progress of the work, and be otherwise interesting as showing the solicitude of that worthy prelate for the success of the school, and especially for the wel- fare of the blacks, for whose advancement in civilization Mr. Bacon had shown himself laboriously earnest:
LONDON, Jan. 10, 1754.
As for the school you will find the noble present of 100 guineas by L'd Baltimore, besides 20£ from myself, and 5£ from his Lady and 5£ from Mr. Calvert annually. So you see by God's good blessing the design flourishes beyond what you ever thought. Go on briskly. Get the house finished. Enlarge your views. Fear nothing. The reason why I do not print and publish the accounts that are to be annexed to your sermon was this: I thought they would come out with much more eclat and figure when the house was near finished, and when we could tell the world that Lord Baltimore was a patron of it. Furnish me therefore with every thing necessary for a proper appendix to your last sermon. We must not multiply things of this kind, for the printing of such long accounts are very expensive, and it had better be done when the school house is near finished. In the mean time you may publish how the design is going on in your pa- per. Nothing will please me more on this side the water than pushing on the school and making it a great thing. The 50£ for the instruction
489
THE SCHOOLS OF TALBOT
of the negroes may certainly be laid out in the purchasing a boy and a girl, who may be taught, and make useful servants for the school, and it is ready for you.
These fifty pounds mentioned in Bishop Wilson's letter may have been the gift of the Bishop himself, or they may have been given by some of his wealthy friends upon his solicitation. His suggestion for the expenditure of this donation is certainly curious. The whole tone of this communication indicates that he had warmly espoused the cause of the school, and was laboring for its success.
Upon Mr. Bacon's arrival at Oxford in 1745 he was warmly welcomed by Mr. Henry Callister, a merchant at that port, and also a compatriot of his from the Isle of Man. He had become one of the trustees of the school. Mr. Callister subsequently moved to the Head of Wye. A volume of the correspondence of this gentleman has been preserved. In a note of Mr. Bacon to him, dated May 13th, 1755, which appears to have been one of form, he was invited to attend a meeting of the Trustees of the Charity Working School to be held on the Saturday following, for the purpose of receiving from the builder the house then completed, "to agree with a Master and House Keeper, and to settle the children at their habitation." This therefore may be regarded as the date of the opening of the school, for which Mr. Bacon had been laboring for four years most assiduously. His gratification on the success of those labors may readily be conceived. The building which was thus taken possession of and occupied, was built substantially of brick, two stories in height, with a frontage of -feet, and a depth of -feet. It is still standing, and constitutes the western part of the House which is used for the accommodation of the Poor. Of its transfer to the county authorities, an account will presently be given, in substance the same as that presented in the article mentioned at the beginning of this contribution.
From this time onward records are wanting of the operations of the school. Mr. Bacon in the year 1758 without, at first, resigning his rectorship of St. Peter's Parish, removed to Frederick county on the Western Shore, where he for a while acted as reader but afterwards was inducted as rector of All Saints' parish, which was considered the most valuable living in the Province. How long the school continued to be maintained is not known. It was certainly in operation in 1764 as in that year its mastership was offered as an inducement to a clergy- man to become the Rector of the Parish, and thus unite the offices of priest and teacher, a not unusual one in the latter part of the past
490
HISTORY OF TALBOT COUNTY
century, in this county. It is supposed the troubles preceding and during the Revolutionary war, caused the withdrawal of the annual subscriptions, and occupied the minds of the patrons of the school to the exclusion of its interests; and that then the pupils were dismissed, and the teachers ended their labors in the Charity Working School of Talbot county forever.
Mr. Bacon after a life of great usefulness, but of much suffering, both bodily and mental, died in Frederick county, May 24th, 1768, some years, probably, before the dispersion of the school. It would seem there was no one having sufficient interest in the property to look after it, so it appears to have been taken possession of, with or without the consent of the surviving trustees, by private persons, who used it for a very considerable time for their own purposes and benefit, until it was disposed of for a public charity of another order. Under an Act of Assembly of the year 1786 the County of Talbot was authorized to buy land and erect buildings for the care of its poor. It was suggested that the property held in trust for the use of the Charity school might be obtained for that purpose. The legal title rested in the heirs of the Rev. Mr. Bacon. The two surviving members of the Board of Trustees of this school were the Hon. Matthew Tilghman and the Rev. John Gordon. These gentlemen took measures to have the title transferred by the heirs to them; and accordingly we find recorded among the land records of the county two deeds, bearing the dates of Jan. 21st and 28th of March, 1787, from Rachel Harwood and Mary Passapae, daughters and only surviving heirs of Mr. Bacon, conveying to the Hon. Matthew Tilghman and Rev. John Gordon, all their right, title and interest in the property purchased by their father in 1723, and held in trust by him for the Charity school. The interest of the husbands of these ladies, was at the same time transferred. The deed expresses that the transfer was made to Mr. Tilghman and Mr. Gordon in trust for the same charity school, but its unexpressed purpose was to enable them to make the property over to the Trustees of the Poor of Talbot county. At the April session of the General Assembly of 1789, a memorial dated Feb. 13th was presented by these gentlemen to this effect: Where- as Matthew Tilghman and John Gordon, trustees of the Charity School in Saint Peter's parish, in Talbot county represent
that by an instrument in writing, bearing date the 13th day of Febru- ary, 1753 a certain David Robinson conveyed unto Thomas Bacon, in trust, for the use and benefit of a Charity school in Saint Peter's parish in Talbot county, all that part of a tract of land called Hull,
491
THE SCHOOLS OF TALBOT
also all that tract or parcel of land called David's ly, and also all that part or tract of land called Chance, situate in Talbot county, as by reference to the said instrument of writing will more fully appear; and that by the death of the said Thomas Bacon, the trust aforesaid de- volved to the co-heirs of the said Thomas Bacon, the one named Rachel, who has married Risden Bozman Harwood, the other named Mary, who was married to Moses Passapae; and that by an instrument of writing, the one bearing date the 21st day of January, 1787, the other the 28th of March, 1787, Risden Bozman Harwood and Rachel his wife, and Moses Parapoe and Mary his wife, have conveyed in trust unto said memorialists the land mentioned in the above instrument of writing, and all the right and title in the trust aforesaid, acquired by the said Risden Bozman Harwood and Rachel, his wife, and Moses Passapae and Mary, his wife; and the said memorialists further set forth that although the intention of the trust aforesaid to the said Thos. Bacon was for the use and benefit of the Charity school aforesaid, that notwithstanding the said intention, the lands aforesaid have not, for a considerable number of years been applied to the intended pur- pose, and are now, and have been for sometime in the possession of a certain Sarah Howard, who does not claim any title thereto, the memo- rialists have therefore humbly prayed that they may be empowered to convey the trust aforesaid to the Trustees of the poor of Talbot county, and their successors, for the benefit of the poor of said county.
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