The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-12-18
OUR NOBLE COUNTY.
THE GLORIOUS PART TT TOOK
DURING THE REVOLT.
TON.

torical Society of M aryla n d
Many Interesting Facts About
Our Early History and the Great
Deeds of Our Ancestors.
Representatives of the Maryland His
torical Society, of Maryland, gathered
together last Monday evening in Bal
timore, to listen to eloquent words
from able lips OH the part Maryland
took in the Revolution. DIR. Bernard
Steiner, formerly from Frederick, had
| the place of honor and chose for his
subject Frederick County During the
Revolution" DIR. Steiner is the libra
rian OF the Enoch Pratt Free Library,
of Baltimore, and a very learned aud
patriotic young man. His address was
mastery one and all who listened to
It admitted the fact, that Frederick
County contributed fully her share of
craftsmanship and honor to the cause
of freedom, and should keep before the
world her noble record during that ex-
citing and critical period. After brief
preamble of explanation and descrip-
ton DR.. Steiner said:
"The western frontier of Maryland
advanced but little beyond the head of
Underwater until the sturdy German
settlers coming down through the val
leys of the Blue Ridge settled the fer
tile valleys of Frederick and Washing
ton County. With their arrival, about
1875, opened new aud most important
era i'll Maryland history. Previously
there had been no doubt concerning
her alliance to the South in her eco
nomic, social and political life. This
new and alien influence tended to join
the province closer to Pennsylvania;
and as Western Maryland was settled
and became more and more populous,
! and as the city of Baltimore grew
in commercial Importance, largely
through the influence of the same Ger
man settlers, there came to be doubt
] in the minds of geographers whether
Maryland should be called Middle or
Southern State.
THE life on the Western Maryland
! farms was far different from that on
/ the plantations of the Chesapeake Bay
The people of the latter had many
! economic, commercial and.sentimental
ties to England of which the former
knew nothing. AFTER landing at Phil
adelphia the Germans passed down the
fertile lands of Lancaster and York
Counties and settled ali along the val
leys as far as Northern Georgia. So
many of them came that Western Ma
ryland could he made a county under
the name of Frederick in l74S. In this
county all Maryland west of Balti-
more, Anne Arundel and Prince
| Georges Counties, was contained until
the Revolution.
1.-THE County was not entirely inhab-
tied by Germans. Scotch-Irish had
also gathered there; scions of some of
the prominent Maryland families had
followed Berkely's star of empire to
carve out new fortunes for themselves.
| Quakers of steady habits were dwell
| ling in the eastern part of tue region,
| but outside of the lowest section,
which is now Montgomery County.
Frederick County was predominantly
German.
"Govern II Ede, in letter TO Lord
Dartmouth, said of these German set
tiers: "They are generally an indus
trious, labOrious people. Many of them
have acquired a considerable share of
property. This Improvement of will
derness into well-sIocked plantations,
and the example and beneficent effects
of their extraordinary industry, have
raised in no small degree spirit of enI-
uiation among the other inhabitants"
'Frederick, Eizabethtown or Ha-
gerstown, and Sharpsburg, in the
county, were largely German settle
mentS.
"The events we are about to narrate
proved that one of the most faithful of
l. l.
he said that these early German settlers
brought labor.Ous habits, virtuous
lives, truthful tongues, unflinching
courage and an intense longing to do
their duty to their families, the COM
munitv and the State With a strong
desire for freedom, and with no sociaI
connection with Great Britain, they
eagerly sprang forward at the call TO
/ resist the British commands. Few of
them were tories, and in all Western
Maryland we find comparatively few
who refused to join the Association of
the Freemen OF Maryland and enroll
themselves in the militia companies
! unless they were Quakers or Dunkers
| and SO had religious scruples. In the
i struggle between Governor Eden and
the popular party over The fee question
Frederick was heartily with the oppO-
nents of the proclamation.
''The county was growing so popu-
lous that it was becoming unwieldly
and was preparing itself for "a division
| into three parts. The lower part met
first at Hungerford's Tavern on June
IL, IVA, adopted resolutions and APP
pointed a committee of correspondence
of ten members. The middle district
gathered at the Court House in Fred
erick on June 20, under the chairman
ship of John Hanson, followed with
resolutions of stringent non-IntercOurse
and with the appointment of "a COM
mittee on Correspondence of fifteen
members. The upper part of Frede-
rick County waited until July 2, when
800 of its principal Inhabitants assem-
bled at HagerstOwn, made John Stull
moderator, chose committee of cor
resp0ndence Of eleven members and
adopted resolutions not only agreeing
with what the other parts of the coun-
ty had done, but also.approving of the
plan for Continental Congress and
promising to adhere to any measure
that may be adopted by them for the
preservation OF our liberties
collections were taken up through
out Frederick County for the families