The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1878-12-28

veneration by her children, and til
ic naturally becaZse christian n,.v ait. a. de-
scendants. Among these there many Graf
tons, but this would not be worth mentioning ex-
cept for the fact that the name seemed t. strike
the popular taste in the region of the "Valey and
| was freely adopted by all conditions andcolors.-
This is the true origin of the Grafton" or "Graf"
so common in this quarter Of Baltimore county
Such lawless appropriation of family property
| once vigorously protested against BY the late
Grafton l.. Dulany of Baltimore, who, when boy,
encounterng one of these outside Grsftons," de-
manded TO know "How dare he have that name 2"
and could hardly be restrained from Instant assault
and battery, so great and righteous was his indig
| nation.
The correspondence referred to of Ms Fitzhugh,
which has been preserved, consists ola few letters
of the most intimate and informal character adj
dressed to her mother sister, but il affords
| elusive evidence of superior intellect One let
ter may be rhymed throughout; another will be
written in the negro dialect; third filled with the
phrases of her country neighbors; bat all showing
rollicking fun which might perhaps be attribu-
ted to her Irish descent. They are hardly quota
Bile, but sentence two exhibiting her sense of
humor may be excused In one, evidently soon
after her marriage, she writes to her mother: II
have tength got my long wished-br little house
keeper. She seems to be careful little lady and
| always busy, but am afraid she is rather too
much in the lack daisy way to have much infu-
| eHce VIII inc servants. however, hOPo WHEN
Mr.. Fitzhugh kills the little "hell-cat and one
| two more (which he often threatens) it may be
good a wThIng to those he SPACES that thesMnayf
| be induced to do their business with little or no
trouble" In the same letter she alludes to love
affair that appeared to be going in her house.
| 81 am pretty well acquainted with the gentleman
| and have really high opinion Of him, however
| Eighty he may have been. | am very sure he is
attached to her; at least have the best reason to
| think so, for he has courted and cried at me by
| the hour for her. Little Bennett too, | fancy is
| fairly taken in, and as | am fond of giving the
lads fair play, have sent them over to neighbor
Cuttings together in the shay. 1t is charming,
shady romantic road, nicely adapted for court
| ing as possible, and think if he has any such
thought he will certainly pick his opportunity this
evening" In another to her sister Kitty she de-
scribes "a yurdigious smart beau. amt a going
to name no names, but shall just tell you part of
his dress which you may like to hear, as it is
something out of the common road. long red
cardinal with hood to it and trimmed with mock
ermin. This is absolutely fact, and moreover |
am firmly convinced it put on in downright
sober earnest, as it appeared much too large to
belong to any woman Further "Nancy,
Jacky and Tommy are all in fine health and spirits.
Do not think have taken leave of my senses be-
cause You may not recollect these names in my
family. You must know that ! am so weary of
saying BE done Polly don't Billy be easy Wat
w. tNat nave Iallen on IillS eApeulenI Dy way VI
a little variety | mean to change their names
every two three days at fathers so that you
may live in hopes that in course Of time you may
be aunt to a Nebuchadnezer and perhaps a Bfa8,
when every other name in the worlds exhausted.
There are probably many persons yet in Bati-
more county who remember Daniel ID. Fitzhugh,
the son Of the pair to whom ! have devoted so
much space. He was man of so extremely
modest and retiring character that he was but
IN Those
home circle. lie was nevertheless a person of
first rate sense and wholly unblemshed character
who was regarded with degree Of reverence by his
poorer neighbors, to whom he was a true friend.
In person he was robust and powerful, with mild
and handsome countenance His wife Miss
Maynadier, of Talbot county, Md, lady in every
way worthy of so excellent a husband. | do not
remember the precise date Of his taking charge of
Windsor, bat in the year 1918, having from mo
tives of conve nience and economy built smaller
dweng-a part Of the present homestead of Mr..
Pane-he abandoned the old mansion on the hill,
which thenceforward was never occupied by any
of the family. A few years after his death, which
occurred in lS4l, but four months later than that
of his wife, the whole property had passed into
new hands. That portion of it lying to the west
of the York road was sold to DR.. g. Washington
Wilson, and the remainder to Mr.. David Long
necker, of Lancaster county, Pa. Another por
ton of the original Windsor estate had been pre-
viously disposed of--that lying near Meredith's
Ford-now, believe, in the possession of the
heirs of Frederick Smith. Upon the death Of
George Fitzhugh l2j acres of the grant to his wife
were sold at public vendue to Mr.. Anon Bosey,
from Of whose heirs it passed to Mr.. Smith,
who erected the buildings now upon it.
1t may be of some interest to recall the prices
obtained at these sales. As well as | remember
Anon Bosley paid S45 per acre for the l25
bought by him at public sale, and $jOper acre for
20 acres adjoining at private sale, of D. D. FitE
hugh. This in 1896 and the land was then
wholly without wood or buildings, under poor
fence and much run down. 1t was always re-
garded, however, in natural fertility as the best
part Of the Windsor tract. In 1874 II. NJ. Fitz-
hugh, the only son of D. d. Fitzhugh, sold l2G
acres to DR.. Wilson for about 81 600, and in 1916
the homestead tract Of 200 to David Long
necker for 500 per acre. These were cash sales
and regarded as fair prices at the time. An adj
ditional % tract of Windsor was in the same
year sold to Mr.. Longnecker at sac per acre. The
latter was unimproved, but with fine body of
wood, With these data it may be seen what has
been the advance in real estate in the VALLEY" in
fbo, o-4 bi,t, fnrfv