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

flourished because there was no
other way for a man to invest
his profits, no stocks or bonds
or business enterprises for alb
sorbing capital existed. All a
man could do with his profits
was to buy land, negroes or sill
yer plate.
Such buyer was Arthur Mel
son, who, in. 1735 secured a
patent for 1920 acres of land
which he called Exchange and
New Exchange Enlarged" 1t is
on this tract that the original
Rockville, nucleus of the pres
ent city, was located.
In addition to- Exchange and
New Exchange E n / a r G e d,
Arthur Nelson patented and
purchased a number of tracts.
One of these was Valentines
Garden Enlarged, patented in
1720 for $50 acres. Nelson sold
this in 1923 to Ralph Crabb,
whose son, Henry Wright
Crabb, held it in 1757, in which
year he had it resurveyed for
2085 acres. At one point Valen-
tines Garden adjoined Ex-
change at which point the
earliest Rockville spilled over
onto Valentines Garden.
Crabb Family Active
Henry Wright Crabb and his
descendants lived on Valentines
Garden, north of Rockville, near
Derwood. He was a delegate to
the Provincial Assembly from
Frederick County several times
between 1749 ard 1758 and was
one of the Commissioners to lay
out town in ISL.
Henry's son, General jeremiah
Crabb,was one of the first Mem.
bers Of the United States House
of Representatives, servin G
1881. He was an Associate
Judge of the Circuit Court that
served Montgomery County in
the Maryland Convention OF
1777.
By his will, proved in 1764,
Henry Wright Crabb left prop.
erty to his wife, Ann, four sons
and a daughter. OF special in.
terest Is the bequest of $50
acres of the lower end of Re-
survey on Valentines Garden
so as to include the house
wherein Lawrence Owen for.
merly kept tavern" to Captain
William Williams and his heirs.
1t was this part of Valentines
Garden which became part of
Rockville.
Let us now return to Arthur
Nelson who had patented Elk
change and New Exchange En-.
larged for 1920 acres in 1735.
Although Nelson was such a
big dealer in real estate, we
know little or nothing about
him-not even where he lived,
except that we may infer he
lived In our area, since an
Arthur Nelson and John Mel.
son subscribed toward building
Rock Creek Chapel His wife
was named Valentine; he had q
son John and grandsons Arthur
and John. The senior Nelson
died about 1853.
Our Arthur Nelson seems to
have had an eye for desirable
real estate, for within ten years
he had sold off Exchange and
New Exchange Enlarged in
seven parcels.
The southwest 100 acres were
bought in 1877 by George Cor.
don, merchant who was the
Colonial factor of William
Black, merchant, of London "be
yond the seas" to whom the
property Is listed on the Debt
Books from 1883 to 1761. We
presume this was the same
George Gordon who was Justice
Of Frederick County in 1749
and Sheriff in 1750. In the lat
ter year he was ordered to have
stocks erected at the mouth OF
Rock Creek where he had q to
bacco Inspection House called
George Gordon's and his associ
ate George Beall fought bitter
ly, but could not prevent. 1t Is
not certain whether the result
ant Georgetown was named for
its recalcitrant owners or for
King George II of England.
Pressed BY Debt
Having his land taken over
for a town was not the only
thing to worry George Gordon
He was in debt. For this reason
he turned over the 700 acres OF
Exchange and New Exchange
Enlarged to James Dick, mer
chant, of Londontown in Anr
Arundel County, who had by
that time become the attorney
of William Black, the nominal
owner of the tract. Dick was to
sell it and turn the proceeds
over to Black. The land was
nut I'M for x.,.L1sa -aIo l.. T7,,ol