The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1876-06-23
MI isc ella N g o u 9.
Hartford County A Hundred Years
Ago.

rama could be put on exhibition in this
community, giving in detail truthful re-
presentation of the events which took
place in this county during the memorable
struggle of '7G, what treat it would be
How we would throng in to get sight OF
the men who, in Hartford, so faithfully per-
formed their humble part in laying the
foundation of that liberty we, thor sons
now enjoy-how they looked, how they
acted--all the minutcst details would he
intensely interesting if now presented fol
inspection-their long and wearing strug-
gle with the disatfeCted who dwelt among
them, their nearest neighb0rs and once
their intimate friends, who now, in the
dark hour of trial stood ulOof and made
no part of them or of their doings; the
transient chickering's that rose among them
selves in the heat of debate, sprnging
often from degree of zeal that may some.
times have injured the cause it was hon
estly designed to advance their efforts to
relieve some sister Colony that was sorcly
oppressed by the powerful enemy, or to
mitigate the hardships of their heroes at
the front. Orifthose immortal men nay
even the humbest one Of them-could
was, to tell us of the part he took, what a
levec of glory and honor would he hold in
this our gallant community. All this we
may not do, or see. Let us, then, like them
do the best we can. Let us give as truth
full picture aa may he given at this late
day, OF those desperate times. And it is Il
melancholy fact that all we can do towards
this end is little indced-gather together
the few scattered records that are yet left
from the neglect of three generations, and
put them in permanent form; and the
more they are presented in detail, the more
striking and interesting they must appear
to us, the descendants of those worthless
IIer ce it is that many events arc preserved
in this paper, which, were the case an or
binary one, might well be thought tedious
beyond endurance.
The later history of the "Proceedngs, +"
&C., from which this paper was condensed,
is as follows: Some thirty years ago Capt.
A. L. Jarrett and Gen. Jas. j. Archer dis
covered, strewn about the floor of room
in the old Court House, in Bel Air, and
rapidly going to destruction, many MSS.
which had become loosencd from their
keeping places. On inspecting some of
them and finding one here and there that
related to the revolutionary period, they
went to work among the confused mass,
and selecting from it all such papers as re-
lated to that period, laid them carefully
away. Soon afterwards Col. II. II. Archer
had them neatly bound, and in 80 or go
deposited them among the archives of the
Maryland Historical Society. Within the
last few years he withdrew them from the
Society, they have been kindly placed
before our Association, and the above
named action has been taken respecting
them. G. w. ARCHER.
Having been appointed by this Society
to condense for publication in the county
newspapers, the MS. now in the Socicty's
possession, entitled minutes of the Pro
ceedipgs of the Revolutionary Committee
of Hartford county, l have the honor of
presenting the following.
1t is evident that one or more of the
first leaves of the MS. are missing; which
fact renders it impossible, until informa-
ton on the subject can he obtained from
other sources, to give the exact time and
manner of the Committees original forma-
ton, or the number of its previous meet.
ings and the proceedings thereat. The
first legible line announces that 1.-THE Com
mittee adjourn to meet on the 22d day al
[supposed to he December 1T74.n
Tie first meeting recorded in the MS was
a special one held at Hartford Town, now
known as Bush,) on the 9Th of Dec 1774
ut which only eight members were present
-Aquilla Hall in the chair. VIM. Young,
Of Hartford Town, one of the members in
attendance, answered the charge ofbuying
contrary to the resolves of the Continental
Congress, one hundred and fifty pounds of
tea, on which it was said had been paid
the "deteslable duty" levied by the British
Parliament, in which body America was
denied representation. Mr.. Young proved
to the Committees entire satisfaction that
the tea had been imported without the
payment OF the duty and he was not only
honorably acquitted, but was commended
for This fair, open, and candid behaviour
in the matter" 1t was in the previous
October that the owner of the brig Peggy
Stewart was compelled, at Annapolis, to
fire with his own hand that vessel and her
obnoxious cargo of taxed tea.
The. first recorded regular meeting, as by adj
journment, was held on the 22d supposed
to be December 1774. Present Capt. John
Matthews, Capt. John Paca, Amos Garrett
Aquila Hall, Benjamin Rumsey, William
Smith, (Baysde) Jeremiah Sheridan, Free
born Brown, DIR. Robert Lennon, Francis
Holland, Aquila Paca, Jacob Giles, DR..
James Harris, Edmund Bull, Isaac Web.
ster, Richard Dallam, John Beale Howard,
Thomas Johnson, Thomas Bond, (sor
Thos.) Benedict Edward Hall, John Tay
lor, William Smithson, Jacob Giles, ST..
DR.. John Archer, Edward Prall, William
Bond, (son joshua Jacob (O Bond, George
Bradford and Bennett Matthews. Capt
John Matthew'S was chosen chairman.