The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-01-04
Copyrighted in 1878, By George Johnston ]
Historical Researches that Quilp
made as q Bohemian.

made rs bohemian.
General History Of the County from the
Aiddle Of the Last Century TIL the
Revolutionary War.
CHAPTER XXXIv.
HUNDREDS IN THE TY-CoSsTABLEs-
POPULATION. ORDINARY KEEPERs- RATES
AT WHICH LIQUORS WE'RE soLD-FERRIEs
-BoHEMIA MANOR.
Cecil county was at first divided into
five hundreds; of these, South Sassa-
fras, as its name implies, and Worien
creek were south of the Sasssfras river.
North Sassafras hundred included that
part of the county between the Sassa-
fras and Bohemia rivers. Bohemia hun
dred included the territory between the
Elk and Bohemia rivers, while that part
OF the county north Of the Elk river was
called Elk hundred. In the course of
time, when most of the land in the
county was taken up and the popula-
ton had increased, it became necessary
to divide these hundreds for the con-
venience of the inhabitants, for each
hundred had its constable, who, in addi-
ton to the business now done by Off
GERS Of that name, had TO make an an
nual return Of the taxables in his hun
dred and to collect the tax. The con-
staJle also had to look after the negro
slaves, and suppress any riotous or
tumultuous assemblages Of them that
came under his notice There is reason
to believe that each constable received
an annual allowance OF tobacco in con-
sideration of the services of this kind
he might be called upon to perform, for
there are several certificates 10 be found
among the papers apper:aining 10 the
levy of 1868 and other years, certify
ing that certain gentlemen who held the
Office, Ito the certain Knowledge of the
writers. had gone out of nights several
times to negro quarters aud other places,
in order to hinder and suppress their
tumultuous meetings" The constables
were appointed by that omuipotent tri-
bunal the Justices Court, and were
commissioned by the county clerk for
one year. The Justices Court Tor the
court Of many duties, as it might have
been properly called) also appointed
one or more overseers of roads in each
hundred, whose duty it was, under an
act Of assembly heretofore mentioned,
to make the heads o. rivers, creeks,
branches and swamps passable for horse
and foot" The overseers were COM
missioned for one year: and their COM
missions, like those of the constables,
contained clause requiring the holder
to return it to the justices at the next
annual meeting, and stating that, if they
failed to do so, they would suffer the
penalty Of being continued in Office an
other year. To the credit of most OF
the constables and overseers, their CON-
missions show that they returned them
with the names Of some of their neigh.
bors Endorsed on them, with a recon.
menda,ion that they be appointed as their
successors. II has been sptly remarked
by q modern statesmen, when speaking
of q certain class of officials, that none
OF them resigned and very few of them
died, and probably nothing so well illus.
trates the difference between the off.
GERS Of the present day and those of q
century ago than the curious clause
that we have just mentioned as being
in their warrants. That which was a
penalty then would now be considered
by most modern office-holders as a fee
simple deed or patent, and probably not
one of ten thousand commissions like
those issued a century ago would now
be returned.
We have been unable 10 find anv
record Of the bounds Of the other hun.
dreds in the county, or the time of their
erection, and we are Of the opinion that
none was ever kept, except in the min.
ute books Of the commissioners court,
very few of which are now TO be found
and these are SO dimmed by age that
the writing in them is not legiblc We
have learned, however, from papers in
the county commissioners Office, that
= in ITO. the county was divided into
thirteen hundreds, as follows: North
Sassafras, West Sssssfras, Bohemia
Middle Neck, Bohemia Manor, Back
Greek, North Milford, South Milford
North Susquehsnns, South Susque.
hanna, Elk, Chsrlestown and Octoraro
In INA. the taxables of the county
(uot including Elk and Octoraro hun.
dreds, the returns from which canno,
be found) were 1853 whites and s54
slaves. Adding l-5 to the number OF
taxables for the missing hundreds, and
multiplying the number by :, because
the taxables are supposed to have rep.
resented ene-half Of the population, We
find the result to be 6,62G, which proba
bly, approximates CLOSELY to :he popula.
ton Of the county in that year.
The keeping Of ordinaries, or hotels
as they are now called. was business
that seems to have possessed much at
traction for many of the people Of the
county in the last century, and many
OF the most respectable families were
engaged in it. The reasons given by
many Of them are curious and laugha
BILE. In ITO. Charles Rumsey pre