The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1889-05-31
miscellaneous.
Hartford Historical Society.
Address by Rev. Mr.. Fitzgerald.
HOW HISTORY SHOULD DE WRITTEN.
The Importance of Preserving Family
Records and Maintaining Historical
Societies.
DONATIONS TO THE LIBRARY.
A Paper by DIR. Archer.

The meeting OF the Hartford Historical
Society, in the Court House, last Friday
evening, was well attended. DIR. w. Stump
ForwoOd, President, was in the chair.
DIR. David Harlan, David E. Thomas and
Jeremiah L. Silver were elected active men,
bers, Hon. Hugh j. Jewett corresponding
member of the society. An amendment to
the constitution was offered to change the
title of the society to "The Historical Society
of Hartford County"
Rev: d. B. Fitzgerald, of Darlington de-
livered bright entertaining and excellent
address. He said:
Every age is Indifferent to itself and una
ware of lis own Importance, imagining that
in the ages OF the past there was vast activity
and movement among the people. We see
the romance of those old times, but we for.
get that if those people lived in castles
they had no carpets if they spent their time
in knightly pageants they had no brass bands
to head their procession; if they sat down to
big suppers the bread on the table wasn't as
good as they serve out to convicts in our
penitentiaries, and if fellow wanted to
write letter to his sweetheart he had to
send an armed guard along with it to pre-
vent 1t falling into the hands of the bandit
great-grest grandfather the railway postal
CLERK. To our view those were exciting times,
but to the people who lived in them no doubt
they looked like awfuly dull times-so dull
that no one ever dreamed of writing an &C.
count of them. This indifference which men
have always shown TO their own tme-has
been the cause OF many grave historical
omissions. We know that Attila conquered
the powers of the ancient world and founded
great empire. OF his armies, his marches
and his battles we know absolutely nothing
But that is small thing. The gravest oms-
sion which history makes is overlooking the
masses-the life and customs of the people.
But for all our commonplace peace, and
quietude and prosperity in Hartford, we are
making history which is part of the grandcst,
most progressive social, intellectual and con-
stitutonal movements the world las ever
seen. We are experimenting with unrestrict-
ed franchise, with popular education, with
legal equality and other questions which,
once decided, will determine the future pol
icy of all government and societies. VIII
any one venture to say, then, that we do not
live in an eventfu period? The history of
Hartford county is in miniature, the his
tory of the State of Maryland and of the
United States. Standing thus at the crisis of
vast human progress the people of a hundred
or of five hundred years hence will be anxious
to know who we were, how we lived, what
we thought How will they find out
What leafiDg over old documents, what
patching up of musty letters, what coming
of old ledgers and after all, how meagre will
be the result We owe 1t 10 ourselves, to
our time, TO humanity, to put ourselves and
these times on record.
The files of county newspapers would do
something in this way, but the future will
want more information than these will supply.
What shall we record? What will the men
of the future care to know about us They
will care to know our people, our surround
ings and our times
Mr.. Fitzgerald strongly advocated the
keeping of family records, traditions and an
cestral names, which the average American
disreeards. The speaker had seen men who
owned horses with longer family re-
cords than their own. While ut Prince
ton College he knew japanese stu.
dent who told him his family record
ran back without a break for over
1000 years. One great reason for keeping
records in the family is that thus an element !
of precision is thrown into the course of
events. Whatever we write let IL be accu-
rate and outside of family records it makes
little difference what we write about. 1t will |
be interesting hundred years hence We
may write about the houses we live in, the |
food on our tables, the stock in our barns,
the crops in our fields, the roads we drive
over, the ownership of farms, the social events |
in which we participate. However common
place anything may appear 10 US, time will |
add flavor of interest to the account and |
make 1t valuable.
This is the importance of such an organi- |
zation as this Hartford Historical Society. Its
object is to direct our attention to our own time
and people and TO give practical bearing TO |
hist oripol investigation IN gather I'M thu his |
tory of this section of the State and 10 see
that detailed account is kept concerning all
important men and events of the county |
This work can not be done in largest and
best sense until every intelligent man and
woman of the county is q member or an nd |
herent of the society.
Let every one begin to investigate those
historical questions which seem to be nearest |
TO him or his family, and mine into the |
memories of the older Inhabitants and write |
their recollections down. Search garrets, |
investigate all the old bundles of letters, news
papers and documents. Any thing which |
has bearing upon the earlier life of Mary
land, its customs or people, should be en-
trusted TO this society. Let us begin with |
the small things near ut hand and with the
people who are most intimately associated |
with us and let US at least leave on record
something which will show that our lives
had some significance.
DR.. George w. Archer presented num-
Der ofinteresting papers, &c, including the
Bible of the late Mrs. Mary Richardson, of
Hartford county, 1907, presented by Mr.. j. W.
Bond old newspapers and pamphlets left by
the late DIR. Robert II. Archer.
Among these papers were receipts show
ing that the BOndef Union, as has beensup-