The Baltimore County union., 1886-04-03
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
II aRrY HISTORY OF BALTIC. COUNTY.
Dedicated to its Historical Society.
BY j. G.. d.

BY ]. G. d.
Fading into obscurity, but with outcroppings
enoueh as in a new geological formation to make
il hiehly attractive, remains unbured the history
of the border troubles between the provinces of
MARYLAND and Pennsylvania. Well it is that the
deepening shadows of time cover as by erosion the
seams and faults left in epochs OF early settle
ments. The descendants of those who first brought
civilization into the wilderness now pursue their
daily vocation in harmony, almost entirely uncon-
scous of the strife and bloodshed that character
lied the early days of their forefathers. Peace
fully as the origin of our State opened, still the
series of trials and dssensons in reference to her
boundaries exceed either of the original thirteen
colonies and that our county OF Baltimore mas
fpured conspicuousy will be shown in these few
parapraphs. 1t becomes necessary to sketch the
general events of the two provinces after that
shall dwell more particularly on the domestic
affairs of this county which are not so familiar to
the public. ~
Charles I, on the Goth day of June, 1882 grant
ed to Cecil Calvert tract Of land promised to his
father. which was called Maryland. The bounda-
rios included with certain provisions, all the land
between the Potomac river and the 4Oth degree of
| north latitude extending from the Atlantic Ocean
on the east to the headwateTs OF the Potomac river
on the west. The liberal terms offered by the
| founder and his heirs induced thousands OF emf
| grants to seek homes in this new province, there
| fore the province was rapidly settled But as the
northeastern portion did not comply with all the
provisions of charter, Charles II regranted it to
| his brother-the Duke of York-in 1864. Matters
moved smooth enough until the 4th OF March,
1851 when Charles III granted William Penn all
the territory between the 40th and Add degrees OF
north latitude, extending fromthe Delaware river
ON the east westward five degrees of longitude
The Duke of York now transferred to the same
Proprietary on the Oath day Of August, 1852, that
regranted portion of the Maryland province which
afterwards was called "he three lower counties on
the Delaware" When William Penn visited his
province in 1852 he delivered to Lord Baltimore
a letter from the King requesting him to mark his
northern boundary two degrees from the southern
canutng sixty. statnte. nj t&aamasglee Ieh
to sixty-nine and quarter statute miles to a de
gree as adopted By geographers. This was th'
germ of the dispute and from it arose the question
Was Charles III justified in annulng the charte
given by his father to Cecil Calvert and compe
him to submit to loss of strip Of territory eigh
teen and one half miles wide and extending along
the entire northern boundary of his province ?
Thus we see the true northern boundary of Mary
land extended northward beyond the present city
of Philadelphia and all the intermedi,te territory
nearly southwark to the mouth of the Slsquehanna
river was disputed. Penn had the inendship OF
Charles II, whose mercenary views were we'll
known, and basing his claim on the wo'ds "bither
to uncultivated and partly occupied by savages,
one of the provisions of the Maryland charter
soon won the monarch to his cause. 70 the close
of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth
centuries little done with the boundary, but
as each province grew in Importance tie titles to
property became conflicting. Parties would secure
patents from the opposing governments only to De
deposed after making settlewents. Sc each year
the struggle grew deeper and more bitter, but as
long as the colonsts confined to the EAST side
of the Susquehanna no open rupture occurred.
! Ralf
Cecil fifteen years later. As these two COUNTIES
were intimately connected with the dispute, the
former more so than the latter, the remainder Of
this paper will be devoted to it. Taking the Cal
verts' view Of Baltimore county it extended frou
the west side of the Susquehanna westward to {
range of mountains called Kittochtinny, known a
present as South Mountain, and comprised all tina
territory now occupied as Baltimore, Frederick
Hartford and Carroll counties in Maryland, ant
parts of rk, Adams and Franklin counties II
Pennsylvania The first settler from Pennsylva
MIA who entered Baltimore county for the purpoS
of settlement was ohm Gfist in the spring OF l12l
He came without warrant from the Land Com
missioner of Pennsylvania and was immedatel.
seized carried to Philadelphia and placed IL
prison awaiting trial. The trial resulted in bi
being ordered from his new home, and on the 81
of August, 1721, he entered bail to the amount 0
two hundred pounds sterling for the fultllment o
the sentence The next settler was Philip Syng
who, with a Maryland warrant for settlement, wa
also arrested, and on the 2Sth of May, l722, com
mitted for prosecution by the council of Pennsyl
vania.
In vain Gov. Calvert protested against such pro
ceedings and he now informed Gov. Keith, by let
ter dated the Goth of July, 1929 that with su1i
cient force he wenla appear on the 10th. llth an
10Th of September next and make observation
prior to surveying his northern boundary alon
the 40th degree of north latitude. Gov. Keith re
4 Il.
acton. Happily letter arrived from the Lor
Proprietary in England stating that on the 27t
of February, 1928, he had entered into terms {
agreement with the widow Of Penn that no dispr
I ted property should be surveyed until boundar
ns sGnA Ht be Cd gg
years before by Charles III Lord Baltimore
, However, it produced lull in the excitement fc
a time. On the 10th of May, 1882, articles {
. agreement were entered into by the Froprietarie
/ Of Pennsylvania that within two calendar month
from date each party should appoint seven com
missioners, whereof three or more should act
mark out the boundaries of the provinces some
time in October, 1872, to be completed and return
ed to the Proprietaries on or before the 25th da
of December, 1888 This report was to be record
ed in the public Offices Of the several province
and counties and recommended to the respectiv
Legislatures for ratification, the party defaultin
to forfeit six thousand pounds sterling.
s fOr q tune IL seemeu as tHouSu lne uouhudi
e question would be settled by peaceful arbitration
Commits toner's were duly appointed from eac
province. Those serving from Maryland wei
Samuel Otis, Charles Calvert, Philemon Lloyt
t Michael Howard Richard Bennett, Ben ami
: Tasker and Matthew Tilghman Ward. On tn
o 9TH of October, 1892, the commissioners met {
r Newtown, Maryland, but after parleyiug failed
e agree within the period required by the agree
e ment. Lord Baltimore, finding himself deceive
s by the charts, broke from the contract and pet
: toned the King in council August 9th, 1884. fC
T. relief. In December the Penns counter petitipne
g and on the 10th of May, 1875 toe King ordere
: the report adjourned that the Fenns could pr
o ceed in equity. After many delays decree wa
b obtained by the Penns on the 18th of May. l75
=, and the boundary was ordered to be settled
i the 31st of May, 1852, by new commission.
RUHL's SCHOOL, BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD.
= 70 be continued)
n He Won't Employ Beer Drinkers,