The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-02-22

lOtS uau Ue6u OCCu pleu anu lul proven
by the settlers. and they were given
the privilege of purchasing them
and making payment therefor in
three annual payments IN the wears
1889, 1890 and 1871. 1t was est-
mated that there were twenty four
hundred and twenty five soldiers
entitled to lots, and one hundred
were set apart for recruiting officers.
a part Of the remaining lots were
distributed to the officers of the
Maryland line and their families.
To each officer four lots were gwen.
Under these provisions all the lots
We're disposed of except those which
had been taken up under warrants
and locations in sight Of American
citizens, and actually paid for. At
tie time the awards were made the
land was comparatively valueless,
and so remained for q long time
thereafter. In later years, however,
as the territory was settled and the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad was
built through this section, the
lands gradually improved, became
valuable, and attracted the atten-
ton of settlers. In the mean time,
many of the old soldiers had passed
away and in many cases their tam
lilies seemed to know nothing what
ever of their lands or titles.
At this juncture a great many
lots were taken up under and in
cluded in escheat warrants, and
surveys made embracing large num-
bers of military lots in a single sur
vey. Upon these surveys patents
were granted by the State. | will
refer to some of the largest escheat
patents as follows: Garden Cor
rected' containing twenty-three
military lots or eleven hundred and
fifty acres, patented to Nourse and
| Templeman, December l, 1871.
Emancipation" seven thousand
one hundred and thirty-seven and
a half acres, patented to Oliver and
Cunningham, August 4, 1880, con-
tains one hundred and thirty-one
lots and vacancy Hunter" thirty
three hundred and siXty-four acres.
patented to Templeman and Stew
art, July 10, 1912. "Harrison."
has twentY-seven hundred and
nlnety-four acres. "'Internal I'M
proYements,' has five thousand
eight hundred and twenty-five acres
and was patented to Gen. Walker.
R. and John B. Armstead, April
"A, 1884. "Latent WORTH" has
ten thousand seven hundred and
sixty-One acres. "Medalpaded, -
| two thousand one hundred and
twenty-seven acres. "PotomaC
Manor" ten thousand seven hun
dred and ninety-four acres. "Tht
Green Meadows of Deep Creek
have fourteen hundred and eight
acres and "White Plains" foul
thousand one hundred and seventy.
i've acres. All these patents and
! hundreds of smaller ones were made
up Of military lots. In many cases
where these escheat patents were
granted there were descendants OF
the old soldiery still living and lie.
gally entitled to these. Some OF
these descendants subsequently un-
dertook to recover these lands, and
IN some cases they succeeded, but
in many instances they found occu-
pants fortified with escheat patents
coupled with twenty years actual
| possession and failed in their at
tempt to regain that which they had
neglected so long Here we find
the descendants of old soldiers and
those holding escheat patents with
paper titles claiming the same
lands.
| Owing to the fact that those who
located warrants upon military lots
did so because the land was consid-
cred valuable, they took possession
at once. In most cases when the
old soldier or his descendants I'M
dertook to assert title he or they
found somebody in possession,
armed with a patent who could sue
ceSsfully resist him. Some twenty
years ago one +. W. Cecil came to
this section armed with wagon
load of abstracts of title and powers
Of attorney and undertook to do Il
great business in assisting State
claims to military lots. He repre-
sented that his powers of attorney
had been executed by bona tide rep
resentatives of old soldiers. lie
operated III this county for several
years. He succeeded in deoeiying
a number of well meaning people
into paying him money, Some of
them paid him considerable sums,
others smaller amounts. There are
are some people IN the county who
perhaps still believe Cecil owned q
great deal of land, whilst the fact is
he never owned u foot in the county
'Ho Eo bic u,,rI- ,,, =, Al