The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-08-25
Quilp's Diary, that He Kept as Bohemian.

Quilp's Diary, that He Kept as a Bohemian.
HE VISITS THE FOURTH DISTRICT IN SEARCH
' OF HISTORICAL INFORMATION.
We have wondered long and wondered
much why some body has not written the
history of Cecil county, and in order to see
if there was any information to be obtained
about the early settlers, or any reminis-
cences to be revived that would be useful
in the prosecution of an enterprise of that
kind, we visited the vicinity of Turkey
town and the old church at head of Chris
tiana.
While there we wandered round the old
grave yard for an hour or two, and copied
the inscriptions on some of the old tomb
stones. There has been house of worship
and probably burying ground there for
one hundred and fifty years, and forty years
ago, when we were a boy, the ancestors of
many of the old families of Elkton wor-
SHIPPED there, and some of them sleep their
last long sleep on the sunny slopes of the
quiet valley, in which the church is located
This church is not in Maryland, but in
Pennsylvania, that is to say, it is on the
triangular part of Pennsylvania that runs
down the line that divides the States of
Maryland and Delaware, over which the
State of Delaware has exercised jurisdic-
ton for long time, probably since the
location of Mason & Dixon's line. 1t is
about two hundred yards from the second
mile stone south of the northeast corner of
Maryland.
The Alexander family that took such a
conspicuous part in the convention that
originated the Mecklenburg Declaration of
Independence, have many generations of
its members buried in that old grave yard.
We found the tomb stone of Theophilus,
which was dated 1868, and of Mary, the
wife of Moses, who died ten years before;
also the grave of Amos, who died in 1880
Theophilus and Amos were brothers of
John McKnitt Alexander, the Secretary of
the convention that originated the Neck
lenburg Declaration.
We found, upon what was doubtless a
very tasty tomb stone when it was erected,
this strange inscription: "Here lyeth the
body of Jack, who departed this life June
18th, 1853, aged % years" And who was
he? Alas! tradition saith not. Perhaps
he was slave, and though he had no name
on earth, he may have one written in the
archives above, and though his memory
has persisted on earth, he may have a higher
station in the land above than those whose
titled grandeur, magnificent splendor, and
noble names will live on earth while history
lasts.
Southwest of the old church there was
about one hundred and fifty years ago the
marks Of an Indian village, and not far
from the site of the village an Indian
burying ground. The burying ground was
not plowed until within a comparatively
recent period, and we were told by an old
resident of the neighborhood that he had
seen it covered all over with a species of
wild thyme that the Indians were said to
plant on the graves of their dead He
showed US a stone implement or utensl
that he found on this ground. 1t was about
four inches long and triangular shaped,
sharply pointed and rounded at the apex,
and brought to sharp edge at the base.
We visited the Indian rock close by the
eastern side of Big Elk, on the land of
John Taylor, and just opposite the stone
placed at the beginning of the tract of land
called New Munster, which was originally
taken up by Dennis Dwire and fifteen other
Irishmen. This rock is about twenty feet
high and is in quiet and secluded place.
The people of the vicinity of Elk Forge
now Baldwin's factory, which is about a
mile and a half further down the stream,
secreted their property here when the
British occupied Elkton a hundred years
ago and made raid upon the forge. This
rock has in it large assure that is said to
open upon a cave. The old gentleman that
showed US the Indian utensil said he had
seen boys go into the fissure when he was a
BOY, and he thinks it has closed up since
then.
Tradition says that President Andrew
Indian village. And the tradition is by no
means unsupported by facts, and then there
is no reason in the world why he could not
be born there as we'll as anywhere else. So
we, accompanied by friend interested in
antiquarian matters, visited the locality
and made diligent search for indications of
the site of the Bendy House." for that
was the name tradition gave the house in
which the hero of New Orleans is said to
have been born. No trace of it is visible
now, not even aranker growth of vegetable
matter appears to indicate that a house or
garden was ever there. The place is near
Turkeytown, and we were surprised to find
a large flock of these birds quietly tramp
ing round in quest of grasshoppers, of
which they are very fond. The village was
called Turkeytown on account of the large
number of turkeys raised there fifty or
seventy-tve years ago, and judging from
the size of the flock we saw, the place
should be called by that name yet.
We were shown at Baldwin'S factory, a
head stone that loving hands had shaped
into the rude figure of human heart. 1t
was made of sand stone, and had on it the
initials G.. &. and the date t774. This
stone was found near an ancient burying
ground on the east side of Big Elk. There
was another one on the west side of the