West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-06-12

| tsfther tuto the Wilderness, hoping for
be,,et fortune aud quicker returns. lie
obtained Maryland pa,en, for 500 acres Of
land. up the Susqaehanna. aud built stone
house. Here he expected to reside. But.
"'hr bss, laid plans of mice and men az,
gang agley"
The Kings OF England were exceedingly
ignorant of the geography of this country.
Much trouble aud sore distress To- the
Co'onis,s were the results of this ignorance.
They suffered from ''over tapping giants. :,
These were frequently given We will speak
only of the grants of Maryland aud Penn.
| sylvania. These 'sGrants" were full q.
high sounding phrases--aud the land granite d
was always worded- extending .,west 10
the Pacific Ocean, so generous (p) were the
kings, and so little did they know how far
of the Pacific nigh, be.
The original grant of hr,,ls1I had been
promised to George Calvert. first Lord Bal,i-
more. by James |, but it was really given to
Cecil Calvert, second Lord Baltimore, by
Charles l, in I6s,. The settlers were
brought in I645 by his brother, Leonard
Calvert. The title To the Province was
confirmed, after the restoration of the S,uar,s.
Ivy Charles III, July 5Is,. 1907, to Charles
Calvert, fifth Lord Baltimore twho.was Col.
Cresap's friendl aud the grant took in Mary
lands present boundary and the whole 81
the 30 degree of latiiute. This same
monarch ''who never said foolish thing,
and never did wise one," settled his in.
deb;edness to William Penn, by issuing
another grant 10 linn which included, a
large amount Of the territory already given
Lord Baltimore What a just and liberal
king AS Penn's grant was dated March
4ih, 1881, or 20 years later than Lord
baltimore's II does no, require "phila-
delphia lawyer" nor an Ohio one eiiher, 10
forsce the trouble and friction iha, would
follow. Thomas Crcssp's new stone house
aud his 500 acres of choice land, were
situated up the Susquehanna) at Wrights
Ferry, near the present town Of Coiumba,
PENN. and In the disputed territory claimed
| by the Penns
Our hero naturally aud warmly espoused
the cause OF his friend. Lord Blliimore
Certainly to the unprejudced eye of to-day,
Lord B. had the prior and the correct claim.
Cresap TO his latest day, said--"If the son
and successor of Lord Baltimore had pur-
sued the proper course, Maryland would
have been the richer, by large strip of
terriiory," perhaps one third Of Peunsyl.
vania Once when asked what he thought
OF Philadelphia lie answered promptly
"Whr, IL is the finest city in The State of
| Maryland F"
While the Baliimores and Penns were
settling their 'ntroversy, Cresap must he
about The busiaess of life. So at great
sacrifice "f house, land aud improvements, he
went West as far as An;ictam. There he
again took out patent for land OF 1900
acres. lie built another stone house, a kind
of fort. inelosing spring. for use in case of
trouble with the savages. This he sold
later To- his friend Daniel DuIany Another
friend Lord Baltimore persuaded him, then
20 so To the western frontier. Scharf gives
the reason "l'his Thomas Crcssp, usually
called the English Colonel was a much
trusted friend aud agent of the fifth Lord
Baltimore, was sent TO the west portion of
the Province to guard his interests against
Lord Fairfax. IL was another case of over
tapping grants. Thomas Crcsap is named
IN the "'Treaty of the Six Nations. with the
Province of Mary land. Dated June goth,
I744.) The family of Co'onel Cresap
writes the historisn), was therefore one of
the oldest Maryland families, and from The
time Of the English Colonel until the
present, have occupied his,f position of the
FRS, families of Maryland"
There, little above the junction cf the
North and South branches Of the Potomac.
Col Cresap made his permanent residence.
and there he acquired an immense estate on
both sides Of the Potomac, a part of which
still remains in the hands Of his descendants.
There lie bGl, his third stone house, rather
fort, rs he was then at the extreme outpa SIS
Of civilization. "IIere he renewed MS &C
/ quain,ance with the Washington family and
soon became one ~ the most distinguished
| pioneers Of the West his name was house
hold word, not only with the whites. but
also with the Indians" Scbarf calls him
"the guardian genius Of the western
frontier" and adds, that the settlers bull,
close around Cfesap's fort. and when
alarmed, fed into IT," Cresap called his
place "Skipion," from his birthplace in
! Yorkshire.
! In person, Cresap WAS not large. but was
firmly built, and possessed Of great muscular
strength. Jacob says: ''IIad Providence
placed Col. Cressp at the head Of an army.
state or Kingdom. lie would have been
more conspicuous character, for he was net
inferior to his contemporaries, Charles XII.
of Sweden, in personal bravery, nor to
/ Peter the Great, whom in many things he
much rcsembled. VIZ In GOODNESS and forli.
tude and in that particular talent of learning
wisdom from misfortune and levying a tax
/ upon damage and loss, to raise him To future
/ prosperity and success. Perhaps no trait IN
/ Colonel Cfcsap's character was mOre highly
estimated than his bencvolence and hospi.
iatty. 10 early times when hotels we're few
and Indifferent. Col. Cressps house was
/ OPEN to all respectable travellers, and they
were made welcome 20 his table at Skipion
o. Oidiown, as It was called later His
delight was TO give md receive useful in
formation. This friendly disposition and
warm hospitality was not limited to the
whites. The Indians called on him in large
pir'ies, IS hey passed and repsssed North
and south ou ,hcif expeditions. lie kept
very large kettle fDf their especial use and
gave them i'cef 90 Nil for themselves,
each time they called ior his hberality to
them, they gave him the honorable tile Of
! -.