Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25

County,; and in 1777, the first
Montgomery County Court was
held at the house of Leonard
Davis.
Where were these taverns?
Were they the same buildings
: or different buildings? These
questions have never been
settled beyond doubt.
Before going into the matter
of the location of the taverns, it
will be well to fill in the back
ground.
Until 1776, what Is now Mont
gomery County was the Lower
District of Frederick County.
In it were two towns, George
town and Fredericktown, con-
: nected by the "Great Road"
The rest of the county was
frontier territory, scattered cul-
tivated tracts hedged in by
vast areas of woodland. Surely
any tavern would be located on
a well-traveled road.
British Acts Disapproved
Beginning with the Stamp
Act in 1868, local groups began
to form and hold meetings to
express their disapproval of
various acts of the British gov
eminent. Such local groups
would send delegates to Provin-
cial meetings, and these in turn
send delegates to inter- Colonial
groups, such as the Stamp Act
Congress and the Continental
Congress. In Maryland, the
delegates from local commune
ties organized into the Mary
land Convention which, without
any notable resistance, took
over in 1777 as the duly consti-
tuted government of the State.
On June II, 1774, one of these
local groups, inhabitants of the
Lower District of Frederick
County, met at Hungerfords
Tavern. Those who had been
active In such groups before
called the meeting, and those
now ready to resist the actions
Of the British government at
tended. Doubtless they recog.
nized in Henry Griffith a man
who had already been active in
other meetings, so he was
chosen moderator. The meeting
adopted the following resolu-
lions:
Resolved, unanimously, That
1t is the opinion of this meeting
that the town of Boston is now
suffering in the common cause
of America.
Resolved, unanimously, That
every legal and constitutional
measure ought to be used by all
America, for procuring a repeal
of the Act of Parliament, for
blocking up the harbor of
Boston.
Resolved, unanimously, That
1t Is the opinion of this meeting
that the most effectual means
for the securing of American
freedom, will be to break off
all commerce with Great
Britain, and the West Indies,
until the said act be repealed,
and the right of taxation given
VI, on permanent principles.
Resolved, unanimously, That
Mr.. Henry Griffith, DR.. Thomas
Sprigg Wootton, Nathan Ma
g uder, Evan Thomas, Richard
Brooke, Richard TIL ON Is,
Zadok Magruder, DR.. William
Baker, Thomas Cramphin, jr.,
and Allen Bowie, be a commit
tee to attend the general COM
mittee at Annapolis, and of cor
respondence for the lower part
of Frederick County and that
any six of them shall have the
power to receive and communi.
cate intelligence, to and from
their neighboring committees.
Resolved, unanimously, that
a copy of these our sentiments
be Immediately transmitted to
Annapolis and inserted in the
Maryland Gazette.
Signed per order,
Archibald Orme, clerk
Delegates from this and SINH
lar community meetings met at
Annapolis at various times as
the Maryland Convention.
This Revolutionary Legisla-
tive body on August Ia, IT'S,
provided that Frederick County
was to have three different
places of election and three diff.
ferent districts. The Lower Dis
trict ito be bounded with Po-
towmack to the mouth of Mono.
cacy, then with Monocacy to
Benefits Creek, and with the
Creek to the head waters of
Patuxent." The election for this
district were to be held "at Hun.
gerford's."
Frederick Divided
On September 6, 1776, the
Maryland Convention on Re-
solution of DR.. Thomas Sprigg
Wootton, passed Bill dividing
Frederick County into three dis
tricts; the Lower District al.
ready set up, became on Octo-
Der 1, 1776, new county,
named for General Richard