The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1903-05-02
)ohnstOn's History
Of Of Cecil County.
CHAPTER NN.

The pcopl" of Cecil County wrr,.
among the most patriotic in the State.
and the heroic part they took in the long
and bloody struggle of the Revolutionary
war fully attrsts their bravery. They
Stunned no danger. and Shranli from no
duty, however unpleasant il may have
been, that the eXgcncicS of the times i'm
posed upon them. There were a few
tories in the county, but they were very
rev, and such was the alacrity with
which the others embraced the cause Of
their country that the tories found il hest
to seek safety lay joining the royal aImy
upon the first favorable opportumity.
The QuakcrS of Nottingham. refused t.
perform military duty; but there were
many reasons that imprl"d them 10 do
so. Their ancestors had obtained that
township from William Penn. and had
considered themselves as being resident,
Of PENNSYLVANIA until til" location of
Mason ana DiXonS line had demonstrated
that the Nottingham lots were in the
province of Maryland. The colonial leg
1slature OF Maryland seems to have been
so much occupied with the consideration
Of the hostile legislation of the British
parliament and the other causes that lcd
to the war. that it had neglected To take
any steps towards conriliating these l,ro-
PIE ny providing the means for them f"
obtain ttIr~ t" thcir land from the lord
proprietary of Maryland. In consequence
Of this neglect. the land owners Of Not
dngham presented the singular anomaly
Of being citizens Of Maryland and holding
their farms by virtue of the patents their
ancestors had obtained thrcr-uuultcrs of
q fam hs,f. |
Pennsylvania. Probably tn" question of
allegiance had little Ia iu with their re-
fusal to join the army. for most of them
Were too rigid HdhcrcntS to the pacti"
principles and tcn"ts of their society to
bavc taken any part in the war
1t is not within the scope of this work
TO recount the history of the various bat
ties in which the gallant soldiers from
this county participated. nor is it nrcrs-
Sary to Ito So. Their history may be-
found III that of the old MARYLAND line
OF which it forms n conspicuous part. II
sutiiccS to say. that they won impcriSh-
able fame and have left Il record of
noble achievements. the luStrr of which
the lapse of century has not dinmci
and that rs the circling ages pass away
is only made brighter by their flight,
The aSgreS~iunS of the mother country
had aroused the spirit of opposition in
the breasts of the proplc Of MARYLAND
long before TIA" PRONUNCIATION of the De-
caratiOn of Independence, and the free.
men of the State met in the counties and
appointed committees to represent Them
i'll convention that met in AnnapoliS
On the 22d Of June l774 Cecil County
was represented in this convention hy
John Neazey, .Tr. William Ward. and
Stephen Hyand all of whom were mem,
berS Of families which both prior and
subsequent t. this time took an active
part in public affairs. At this time very
few of the Americans had conceived the
idea of armed resistance against the on
forcrment Of the obnoxious measures the
mother country was trying to impose
upon them; he'lre this convention did
nothing more han BASS A series of re.
solutions denouncing the Boston Port
Bill. and protesting against the paSsage
Of certain other obnoxious laws then
pending before the British Parliament
The next convention that the cxircncies
of the times called FORTH the members
of which wcr,. called Deputies, met in
the December following. and wen, much
further in their oprnsition TO the en-.
croachmcntS Of the mother country. This
convention recommended 1o thr farmers
to increase tn, number of sheen in fine
province, and to engage moro extensively
in the cultivation OF flax and hemp. ana
recommended to tn" people of the PROV
incc to organizes themselves into military
Companies and provide themselves win
arms and equipments and to learn how
to use them. They also recommended
that the committees of observation in the
Several counties should raise nv volln
tary subscription or in other WAYS more
agreeable +" them. the sum of tlO OuO for
the purrha>" Of arms and ammunition
OF this sum Cecil County was to raise
t4CO This convention held two other
sessions III Annapolis. in the months of
May and July. 17T5. but owing 10 tbr
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