Montgomery County sentinel., 1956-11-01

l7O0S when we find Caleb Let
ton being granted 81 acres called
st. Mary's. This tract patented
in 1925, began at bounded white
oak standing in the head of a
glade of a branch of Rock Creek
and adioined Easy Come BY"
and Mill Land" Evidently Let
ton lived in the area, as he was
one of the Church Wardens of
Prince Georges Parish in 1925,
and in 1923 joined his neighbors
in a petition to build Chapel
Of Ease in the upper part of the
Parish.
In 1854 Caleb Letton and his
wife Grace decided st. Mary's and
part of another tract called "Oat-
ry'' to Thomas Allison. In 1859
Allison had the tract Resurveyed
to include some vacancies, bring
ing his holding to 300 acres. The
next year Thomas divided his
land into three parts. He gave
113 acres to his son Richard, 68
acres to his son Benjamin and
kept the rest himself. The vari-
Gus AllisonS lived on their land.
Thomas died in 1774, leaving
all his property to his wife Sarah.
Before 1779 she married Zacha-
riah Thompson and in that year
they decided "Resurvey on st.
Mary's" e that is, the part kept
by Thomas - to William Mag
rath who resided on the property.
Sometime later Mary Ann
O'Neale got a judgment against
Magrath, to satisfy which the
land was sold, and bought in 1929
by Adam Robb who in turn sold
about 10 acres of it in 1843 to
Richard Johns Bowie. The ac-
QUESTION of this strip brought
Bowie's property out to the Rock
ville-Baltimore Road.
Benjamin Allison sold his part
of "ResurVey on st. Mary's" to
Robert Peter. That was in 178S.
His brother Richard sold his 113
acres in 1906 to Richard X. Watts.
Rock Spring
A few years after receiving 113
acres of "Resurvey of St. Mary's"
from his father, Thomas Allison,
patent for 20 acres which he
called Rock Spring was Sc
cured in 1862 by Richard Allison.
This land adjoined mill Land'
and was said to be near Rock
Creek Chapel Richard gave
Rock Spring" together with
parts of Easy Come By" (or
"Burgundy") and "Resurvey on
Martha's Delight" to his son,
Elisha Allison, who had it resur-
veyed into "Rock Spring Resur-
veyed'; this was in 1893 and the
tract then contained s. acres.
These Allisons were wonderful
husbands. We have seen how
Thomas left all his property to
his wife. Now his grandson,
Elisha Allison, left a will devils
ing all he had to his wife, Ann.
At her death, one-half of the es-
tate that should be remaining
was to be returned to Elisha S
fathers family "as she shall di-
rect; "the other half unto whom
she will" Elisha was buried on
March %, 1893, and on March IA,
1893, his widow married James
B. Crafford. But Ann was faith
full to the trust imposed in her
by her former husband. For soon
after her second marriage, the
Craffords turned over to John B.
Allison, brother of Elisha, half
of the latter's property-which
the widow might have kept until
her death under the terms of
Elisha's will. The whole property
of Rock Spring" was then sold
by John b. Allison and the Graf
fords to William Magrath, owner
Of adjacent acres. In 1918, Ma
grath sold the property to Henry
Lansdale. Henry's property was
later sold by the sheriff and pur-
chased by DR.. James Anderson.
In 1899 it became the property
of Richard Johns Bowie.
Thus by 1848 Bowie had ac-
uuired parts of "Rock Spring" F."
"Mill Land,' "St. Mary's" and
Burgundy" and consolidated
them into one tract known To-
cally as Judge Bowie's farm" 1t
is impossible to say whether Mr..
Bowie made use of a house al
ready on his property. Be that as
it may, he established a comfort
able home in which he and his
family lived until the turn of the
century.
It is too bad that the early own
ers Of the land cannot speak and
tell us of their lives, struggles,
pleasures, and accomplishments.
Caleb Letton Bigger Head, the
Allisons, William Magrath and
Henry Lansdale are to US merely
names on mUsty deeds. But it