The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1922-09-29

self confidence in their superiority,
no effort was made by the people ut
this part of our State to record their
achievements; while other sections
wrote of their deeds, they were salts
fed to let their work speak for them.
Thus it becomes necessary for us TO
take a general view of the settlement
of this section of the State, of the re-
ligion of its people, of the planting Of
/ Methodism, in order that we can
understand and truly appreciate the
building of this Church.
! The Settlement OF Maryland.
Maryland was originally settled by
Englishmen, by that race of men who
have usually held what they Seized
and never amalgamated with an i'll
/ ferior stock. It's Charter was liberal
! in its religious stipulationS, yet in
/ the nature of a compromise, hayinG
been granted by Protestant King to
Catholic subject, and provided not
! for Catholic churches, but for the
establishment of Churches Ito be
dedicated and consecrated according
. to the Ecclesiastical Laws of our
Kingdom of England" (Sec. a and -
! leave no doubt that the Protestant re
ligion was to be protected. it provides
| further that no Interpretation shall
be placed on it whereby Gods Holy
and True Christian Religion NAV
suffer" (Sec. 22). This naturally in
duced many people to seek refuge OH
/ its shores and its rich soil and genial
/ climate convinced them of the wisdom
of adopting it for their home. All
creeds who were prosecuted in
Christs name for their beliefs, found
here a sanctuary, and though settled
| by Catholics, yet SO rapid was the
influx of Professionals that in 1649 they
were instrumental in having The
federation Act" enacted.
The first colonists settled upon the
bays and rivers, the highways of the
State, and they spread upwards into
the interior gradually coming in con-
tact with the followers of William
Penn, who were pushing down from
the North and occupying our land.
You will recall that the original lines
of Maryland went practically to
Lancaster, but Penn pushed his Ger
man settlers towards the Chesapeake
and the apparent Indifference of the
Calyerts living at ease in Southern
Maryland, allowed him to set up n
claim of possession which resulted
in principally being lost to the
State, the present boundary called
Mason and DXon's" line being
established by compromise in the
year 1868.
The Forks.
About the year 1740, our part OF
Maryland began to be settled. Its
people came up from Baltimore and
Annapolis, not down from Pennsyl-
yania like those around Taneytow'l
Manchester and Westminster, and
their religion was that of the Church
of England. This section was known
as THE Forks" meaning the land
that lay between the West and North
Branches of the Patapsco. They
were not extensive land owners, re
presenting the yoemanry, rather than
the aristocracy of England, but they
were substantial, had their slaves AM
built their houses of stone or logs
| presume they were unlettered, theil
dress of buckskin, and their habit;
rude, but they rapidly grew in wealth
and culture and the only Representa-
tives in Congress who lived in thu
territory now comprising Carol
county (before 1880 were from thi,
immediate neighborhood, Elias Brown
! and Col Peter Little who is buried
here.
S No doubt Indians occasionally
# roamed through the land and will
beasts lurked in the woods, for /:
Q 1856 (Bacon's Laws 1856 Oh. 81, wa
e enacted an Act of the Assembly whicl
= allowed no Indian to go more thai
n ten miles from his town without
e pass, and in 1928 (Bacon's Laws II