The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-10-27
FOR me Cecil wing
Historical Researches THAT Quilp Made
as Bohemian.
CHAPTER VII.

and founder of Cecil county, the ilustrious
and enterprising Augustine Herman. The
character of this man was, in many re-
spects, similar to that of his celebrated
cotemporary, John Smith. He was not so
bold and daring as Smith, but more in
clined to engage in peaceful pursuits and
enterprises. Some account of this man,
who took such an active part in the early
settlement of Cecil county, indeed who was
the founder of the county and obtained one
of the first grants, if indeed not the very
first grant of any magnitude within its
present limits, will perhaps be interesting.
His history is so closely connected with the
early history of our county that we shall
have to refer to him frequently.
Augustine Herman was Bohemian by
birth, but came from Holland to New Am
sterdam New York. in or before 1647, in
which year he was appointed by the direc-
tor and council of New Netherland, one of
the "nine men," body of citizens to as
sist the government by their council and
advice. He came over to this country as
a clerk to John and Charles Gabry, of Am
sterdam. He attained high degree of eff
cheney as draughtsman and surveyor, and
made map Of Maryland and Virginia,
which has recently been republished, we
believe, under the auspices of the commits
sion appointed to settle the boundary be-
tween Maryland and Virginia. This map
may be seen at the rooms of the Maryland
Historical Society," in Baltimore. 1t was
the first map of these provinces ever pub
lished, and is very accurate and authentic.
He was, we believe, a member of the Re-
formed Dutch Church, which was then the
established church in New Amsterdam, for
we find that his five children were baptized
in infancy. His first wife was Janneken
Verlett, of Utrecht, whom he married at
New Amsterdam, December 10th, 1850.
At what time his first wife died we have
not been able to learn, but it was some
time previous to 1879, for Slaytor and Dan
kers, the agents of the Labadists, speak of
his second wife in their journal of that
year, and say that she was an English
woman. They give bad account of his
second wife, and the last years of his life
seem to have been embittered by domestic
affliction.
He obtained large grants of land in Cecil
county and also upon the Delaware river.
| St. Augustine's Manor, of which he was
the owner, extended from the mouth of St.
| Georges creek southwark along the Della
ware river, to the mouth of Appoquini-
mink creek, and west from the Delaware
river to the ancient boundary of Bohemia
Manor, and included the country east of
Bohemia Manor from the Chesapeake and
Delaware canal to the head of Appoquini-
mink creek, and from the ancient eastern
boundary of Bohemia Manor eastwardly to
the Delaware river.
A canal to connect the waters of the
Chesapeake and Delaware bays was al
ready talked off. and Herman no doubt
selected this land because his knowledge of
the topography of the country led him to
think the canal would be made through
this part of the Peninsula, and he wished
to receive the benefit that would follow its
construction.
He was a man of much ability, and was
member of the Governors council, also
a magistrate, and was appointed commits
sioner in connection with Jacob Young to
treat with the Indians, who, it appears,
were in the habit of stealing the settlers
hogs in those days.
JJo ;Sc 70 hon i,,
New York, when he returned there some
time after he came to Maryland, and to
have made his escape from the Dutch au-
thorites there, and swan his horse across
the intervening streams between New York
and Delaware, where he arrived in safety.
The horse is said to have persisted from
overexertion and fatigue consequent to his
flight. There is no donbt that Herman or
his descendants bad painting at one time
which seemed to be commemorative of some
thing of this kind. This painting was de-
stroyed by fire, but q copy of it is yet ex
tant and in the possession of one of his
descendants now living in Kent county,
Maryland.
Owing to the dispute between the Dutch
and English about the country on the west
side of the Delaware, which had been 60
ing on for some time, Stuyvessant, the
Dutch Governor of New York, appointed
Augustine Herman and Resolved Waldron
ambassadors to treat with the English on
the Chesapeake. Whether Herman then
lived on the Delaware is uncertain. We
find nothing to lead us to think he lived
there, though some late writers are of the
opinion he did.
On the 30th of September, 1863, the two
ambassadors set out from New Amstel
now New Castle on their journey to the
Chesapeake. They kept Journal during
this journey, in which they state that they
were accompanied by some guides, mostly
Indians, and conveyed by few soldiers.
They travelled by land, taking the first day
course west northwest from New Castle
They continued this course for four and
half Dutch miles (about thirteen and quar-
ter English niles, when they took due
west course, and after travelling three more
Dutch miles, the Indians refusing to pro-
coed any further, encamped for the night.
Ga the first of October they continued their
journey, going west by south, and then
directly south. The country at first was
hilly and then low. They soon. arrived at
stream, which the Indians informed them
flowed into the bay of Virginia-the Chesa
peake Bay. They followed this stream
until they found boat hauled upon the
shore and almost dried up. Diminishing
four of their guides and retaining only
man named Sandy Boyer and his Indian,
they pushed off, but were soon obliged to
land again, as the boat became full of water
whereupon they turned the boat upside
down and caulked the seams with old linen.
They thus made it little tighter, but one
was obliged to sit continually and bail out
the water. Proceeding down this stream,
they soon reached the Eli river. They so