Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-04-11
~ WILLIAM FRANCES cREeAR.

The following interesting paper
was read before the Arundel His
torical Society at its last meeting, by
William Francis Cregar, a practi-
cal genealogist of Philadelphia,
which is worthy of::a place in the
historical scrap book of our read
ers.
Your contributors paper will be
devoted to the Records of the High
Court Chancery of the Province of
Maryland, now lodged in the Office
OF Colonel j.. Thomas Scharf, the
Land Commissioner, under whose
able administration of the affairs Of
the Land Office much has been done
t, increase the value of your i'm
mense collection Of Provincial and
State records, unequaled by those
OF any other State in this country.
Some account of the exceedingly
valuable data TO be found in these
records can hardly fail to be of in
terest to the members of the His
torical Society Of Anne Arundel
county, who are particularly fortu-
nate in having for your librarian
Mr.. George IL. Shafer, Chief Clerk
Of the Land Office, gentleman
whose thorough knowledge, both of
the records and their value, renders
him the best authority on the docu-
mentary history of this State.
The Chancery Proceedings are
embraced in a series Of volumes
covering the period from 1868 to
1851, having separate endices of a
very limited character. which un-
fortunately are of little service in
any search of an historical or genoa
logical nature, making a page by
page examination absolutely neces-
sary, as great mass of information
on those subjects lies buried in the
copies of the dispositions of the wit
nesses who were summoned in the
different suits. This, however, your
contributor is endeavoring to amend,
with the kind permission of Colonel
Scharf, by the preparation Of a Sc
ries of short abstracts of the deposit
tons and an index to the historical
and genealogical Information now
concluded to the year 1854.
In most cases the witnesses gave
their age, residence and rank or &C.
cupation and in many instances refer
to the place of their nativity, their
family connections, or some event
now of historical importance.
AS examples of the first may be
mentioned eight dispositions of Col.
Ninian Beale, of Prince Georges
County, which establish the date of
his birth some time in the year 1925
or 1926. The last of these deposit
tions was taken in IT'S. Also q de-
position of Daniel Dulany, Esquire,
Of Annapolis, the first of the name,
who was born in 1858.
As examples of the second class
may be cited the deposition Of
Compton Gayther,' a native of
Wales, who was twenty-one years of
age in 1863 and that of Samuel
Guichard, who in I'LL deposes that
he was born at Geneva in Switzer-
land.
The deposition of Wealthy Ann
Hammond, daughter Of William
Hammond, by his wife, a daughter
John Merriam, Senior, of Anne
Arundel county, and second cousin
to Ann, daughter Of Charles Ham
mond, Esquire, and wife of William
Govane, merchant, who was a half
brother TO the deponant's Father
She was born in 1888.
The deposition of the Reverend
John Andrews, of Fairfax county
IN Virginia. who had been for six years
employed as tutor in the family Of
Charles Hammond, Esquire, of An
ne Arundel county at salary of
f25 per annum, throws some light
on the manners and customs of the
period and refers to dancing
school at Annapolis IN 1744 con-
Quoted By Mrs. Rozoline. Some de-
positions OF an earlier date establish
the fact that Patrick Allison, 4
Pennsylvania Of rather Indifferent
character taught the art of dancing
at the houses Of Captain John Scott
and Messrs. Hugh Porter and George
Bound and at the Court House in
Somerset county as early as 1874.
The deposition Of Mrs. Mary
Eagle is interesting to so far IS it
refers to tho Reverend Clement
Davys, q reputed clergyman Of the
church OF England. who the Rever-
end Dir. Allen in his Historical
Sketch Of 81 -dnne's Parish calls