The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-03-19
Sketch of the Life of Hon. Judge Sseph, II
Hyland, of Cecil county.
By Bohemia" Corresponding Member Of ,e
Maryland Historical Society.

| troubles arising out OF the ttcllnlcllltleS OF
the "Land Grants " of his day, and by sup
| porting their claims before different tribu-
mails, such rs committees, etc, which We're
80 abundant in those days.
Col. John Hyland, the father Of the sub
| ,ject of our sketch, WIS n native OF Laba-
,een, England and :. distinguished Colonel
of the latter part of the sixteenth and the
| early part of the seventeenth century. Ow-
! ing To the difficulties arising from his Cont
! of Arms, he resigned his commission I'M
der the English Government, and through
the personal indurement of his friend Lord
! Baltimore came to Marylan with him, rs
lie said. $50 seek harmony" However,
upon his arrival. such was the disposition
of the English Crown towards the Propric-
tary Government of Maryland ut the time
that he was unable to get Il valid grant of
land.
In the meantime, Col II land settled in
PENNSYLVANIA. securing Il grant from the
Penns of 900 acres and acquiring addi-
tional property in New York State. The
ground on which the .\>tor House. in New
York City, is built, is one of the unclaimr,!
lots that Col. Ii land possessed ii that time.
He subsequently obtained grant of 1900
acres on the Elk river (now in Cecil county,
Md, } u location at that time most promi-
u-nt. His mansion was called " Harmony
Hail." from the fact that, upon the CON
graduation of Lord Baltimore upon his set
Element III Maryland, Col. Hyand replied:
! "Inur Lord>hip will perceive thar his hum
| BILE servant has found harmony and peace
since he settled on Elk river, iii your Lord
ships province" Tie mountainous loca-
! lion of the land suggested the name of
! / -
present day portions of this rracE still in
! the hands OF his descendants.
| Judge Hylaud ben" the eldest son, ac-
curcling IL the English law of rrimog-ni-
| fure, fell heir 10 the whole of This vast
| tate, and held the Sslne until his death.
| Dec. /, lI74, he married Miss Rrh"cca Til
| len of the old Tillrn family of Maryland.
| BY her born Il son, bearing the name uf
John Hvland (atrrr his grandtather) and
| nu the 10th day of the same month Mrs.
| Hyland died (nr. 10, Mo-. On the 20th
| lay of March, III, Judge Hyland married
| his second wife, Miss Araniuta llnnni,
daughter of DIR. Thomas Hamm, of Bohe-
| mia Manor, of distinguished family conner-
non, both in England and America. Her
| mother WAS an aunt of Governor BAssetr,
II Delaware, and Il niece Of Col. Augustine
! Herman, Proprietor of Bohemia Manor.
| After the death of Mrs. Judge HylIni',
! father, DIR. Thomas Ha,nm, her mot her mai
ried DIR. Thomas Biarl, who resided for
some time at Elkton, Md. Mrs. Biard,
| while on II visit To her nephew, Gov. Bi>-
>ett, at that time residing ON the Buhemia
Manor, was taken sick and died Il few days
| afterwards, and WAS buried i'll Coy. Bi>-
| Sttt'S private vault, i'll site OF his mansion
| Oh the Manor.
Judge IIyand, by his serond marriage,
! had seven chilhrrn-twn daughters and five
sons. One of his sons, Col. stephen Hyand,
| IT., gained many military honorS in the
War of 1872 His eldest daughter (Mary)
married Hon. William Craig, .Ir., of Bohe-
mia Manor who represented Cecil county
twice in the General Assembly of Mary
! land. and who died while in discharge of
| lis duties ut Il session held Drrefnber 1922.
Appropriate resolutions were passed by the
| General Assembly, and its members Wore
carts during the remainder Of the session.
Mr. Craig was buried at Annapolis with all
he honOrS on the part of the Legislative
| md State departments.
Mr.. Craig III his death, left several chill
lren. Among them WAS the late James l..
Craig, AT one time editor of the baltimore
Pilot. which was owned by the late General
Duff Green. He was mem Der of the ASSn-
GATED Press OF baltimore, and Il general
contributor to the newspapers. After his
removal to Cecil county, upon the place of
his birth, he became a contributor 10 the
county press, among them his historical
articles of :. Bohemia Manor" and his con-
rinue,l stories appearing III several ISSUES OF {
The Cecil Wing, entitled "Conrt House
| Point. Its Mysteries of the Past, are well
remembered tn The present day. After he
| coming prominently connected with the
I'D Wing party Of the county, he was elect
ii to- and chosen President OF, the Board of /
County Commissioners in 1862 Of which the
late David Scott and Charles III. HaineS
we're members. When Thomas &. Pratt |
VAS chosen ny the Wing party rs their can
l,late for Governor of the State of Mary
land, MIR. {. WAS nominated tor the General
Assembly on the county Wing ticket.
Judge Stephen Hylaud'S Youngest laugh-
ter married William \. Srhaeti,-r, promi
nent Balimoreun. Mrs. =. still survives I
MIN, and is the mother OF the present Cen I
Francis b. Scharfi'r, late Of the /. :. a,
now residing in Washington, II. c., Il re- /
nowned Mexican war hero. President Lin |
,,oln honored him with the appointment of
he Captaincy of the Select National Rifle |
men, stationed 1T Washington, ID. c.
Judge Hyland, at the outbreak of the
Revolutionary War, called together small
'ompany of citizens in his vicinity for the |!
protection Of Cecil county property This /
.ompany he held strictly private and paid
IL himself. After General Washington WAS !
Informed of Judge Hyland'S organization of
us company of private Soldiery, he sent
him several hundred men, and commits |
stoned him Colonel
AT the time of the expected arrival of the !
British fleet in the waters of he Chesapeake
Bay. Col. HyIand was stationed ON the east |
RI shore of the Su>Guelanna river, to keep !
he enemy from proceeding up il, with the
rave Gen. Smith on the western shore of
the river. While stationed ut this point, !
intelligence was received that the British
mad entered the Elk river and We're landing
II Court House Point. After this Informal
ion was received, Col. Hyland marched 10y
way OF CharleStowu. crussin. the North
EAST river with an additional one hundred
men from General Smiths command, and
gained the shore of Elk river opposite the
Bohemia river, but not until the British
we're leaving the river, after they had dis
.nvered that they had taken the wrong
curse. AT this time the county seat OF
Cecil county WAS destroyed However, AS
the British barges were leaving, "a it hal
peue,l opposite him, he formed his com
mand in line of battle and fired vOllev into
he British. Again, as if determined I"
.Xcite the courage of his command hy his
own example, he galioped out along the
,hore, waving his sword and calling upon
his men to follow, which they did. and tir-d
mother vOller fbulet>, which CAUSED many
III fall and desert the decks of the BrIii III |
harges of war Immediately after this Il
Wild fire Of cannon from the bargeS enslrd, |
which cause IL retreat i'll Colonel Hylind'> |
Command. Again they came to the front |
'nd held their former line, end a similar
iring followed. BY this time and the inter
vening of the retreat from the British can
non, the British found sufficient time To
gain the waters Of the Chesapeake Bay.
Du in this year, and while Hyland's com |!
maud was 4 tiou,d on the SuSQuehanua |
| river, Gen. Lafayette, with his fleet was
frozen up in the Elk river oppo-ite the Cole
u-l 5 mansion. During this time Col. Hy |
| land rendered military homer to the Marquis !
md honored him with banquet and dance. !
The ice being frozen ST. solid, Col. llyland |
orlere it to be carpeted from the boat toh's |
mans on. The large doors of Harmony
Hall" We're thrown open TO the diStin- |
guiShed guest at that day, while the lively |
| music of Il military band heightened the
general enjoyment. Mrs. Col. Hyland led
the promenade with Gen. Lafayette, while |
| wine and rich cordialS We're served the com
pany of distinguished American and French
| patriots during the course of the evening.
Sometime afterward that, Col. Hyiand, |
with hi command was ordered 10 Annapo
| lis at which station he remained nearly up
| to the close of the Revolutionary War.