The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-05-05
Celebrating Maryland's BIRTHDAYS

vert's right to Kent Island and sent
as their new representative an agent
committed to friendly relations with
st. Mary's City. Claiborne replied
holly that his own hackers had been
misled.
Yet without expecting at this late
day to find in the Admiralty records
evidence any clearer than the Admir-
atty itself recognized at that time in
clearing up the fine point of the dis
pute which kept both Claiborne and
Baltimore in fury for many years, it
is possible to regain the vivid picture
of the scene here three centuries ago
when life on the great island in the
Chesapeake and life on the mainland
at st. Mary's must have been pretty
much alike.
Experience at jamestown and at
Plymouth had taught England a good
deal about settlement problems in
the new world. No longer were there
illusions about wealth to be suddenly
acquired, but realization that profits
would come only by patient toll. Thus
when Cloberry & Co. sent forth their
adventures upon the ship African in
the spring of 1881, they gave Captain
Claiborne not merely soldiers but ar
tisians and humble workmen.
There was "mayd servant to wash
our linnen" and group of four men
designated as kitchen help and house
workers. There was one Thomas Bag
well, who, identified as a trader, was
no doubt man of special experience
deemed adequate for dealing with the
willy redskin. There were smiths and
carpenters and one John Parr, hag-
keeper, this 1851 notation offering
/ fresh evidence of the realization that
pioneering was not all romance; by
1882, indeed, Claiborne had two desig-
mated swineherds, as well as two
designated gardeners. One of the
latter was appropriately named Mole,
undoubtedly selected for that purpose
by the same sardonic authority who
assigned Thomas Cakebread to duty
as a cook and Thomas Woodhouse to
duty as carpenter. And among extra
ordinary pioneering carpenters must
be listed Cuthbert Percy; what would
a 1882 carpenter do with that name
In the early roll is encountered
Richard Popeley, no doubt the pope
ley who owned Popeley Island (Which
later became Poplar Island and now,
split in three sections by the ravages
of tide and storm, is known as Jeffer-
son Islands), also Richard Thompson,
who became Claiborne's most active
aid and figured largely in the "war"
with the Calverts.
| Aboard the African, too, was "Hen-
ry Pincke, reader of prayers; he
breake his legg and was unservi-
ceable." We know that he was put
ashore and his duties as minister ia
ken over by that Richard James,
MINISTER" who conducted the first
religious services on Kent Island. A
1852 entry records an expenditure for
"Bibles and bookes for prayers in the
howse and boates"; and another for
"a blacke velvet cushion and blacke
cloth for the pulpit" Later it ap-
pears that "wee framed the church"
and made further expenditure "for
pewter dishes for the house of ].
Christ and for glass in the windows"
There are repeated references to
tithes for Parson James and to pay
ments to his successor, Parson Cot
ten, "for his panes with us this year"
Religious worship went hand in hand
with the work on the defenses, for
scattered among these devout nota-
lions are mentions of moneys paid
out "for paire of create hinges for
the Fort gate," and "for murther-
ers and chambers bought for our
defense"
The best of defenses did not avert
disaster. Hardly had the goods been
brought ashore from the African and
laid in storehouses hastily erected
near the shore of the bay than fire
broke out in the night, almost COM
pletely destroying storehouse and
nearby huts and also the goods, so
Claiborne reported to his London
associates. Nor did Claiborne feel
sure that it was an accident, for his
list of indentured personnel includes
a note that
Richard Haulsey was thought by
the men to have fyred the houses
willingly and therefore they
would not endure him. Where
upon sold his TYNE, being very
untoward youth.
Unhappily it was too late to help six
of the original ships company who
being the ablest men dyed within
8 or a months after our arrival
whereof create cause was the
hardness they injured by loose of
our goods and cloathes by tyre.