December 1739, Maryland

Image via Wikipedia

December 26, 1739- The following documents are filed concerning my sixth great granduncle, John Hanson. He had inherited land from his father, and acquired yet more for his business of growing corn and tobacco. He also held slaves.

Prince George's Land Records 1739-1743 - Liber Y - Land Commission. From Lord Baltimore To Messrs John Hawkins Sr, John Hawkins Jr, John Lowe Sr, and John Lowe Jr of PG, Gentlemen, Greeting. Whereas John Hanson of Charles County, Gentleman, seized of a parcel of land in PG called Clarksons Purchase, did, on the 4th Tuesday of last Nov, prefer his petition in writing to PG County Court held at Upper Marlborough Town, before Peter Dent, Gent, and his associates for Commission to examine witnesses to prove and perpetuate the memory of the bounds of sd parcel of land, know that we have given you (not being anyway related to the petitioner or any contiguous proprietor, nor interested in sd land) power to examine all witnesses which shall be nominated to you by the afd petitioner or other person concerned, touching their knowledge of the bounds of the land afd or the bounds of any other lands whereon and whereto the afd land depends or relates, and therefore we command you to call before you, on a day you specify, on the land afd, all witnesses. Signed Dec 26, 1739 - A Contee, Cl Cur. Feb 9, 1739/40. Messrs John Hawkins Sr, John Lowe Sr, John Hawkins Jr, John Lowe Jr, qualified themselves to execute the Commission before - Tho Owen.

On last Mar 18, we repaired to the sd tract of land, being at the mouth of Clast Cr, and took the following depositions:

Thomas Stonestreet, age about 57, says that about 18 years ago, this deponent was at the afd place with Colo Addison & several others and the sd Addison declared the beginning tree of Clarkson Purchase stood within a few yards of the sd place where now stands a locust post but something near the water.

On last Jul 16, we again repaired to the sd tract of land at a bounded white oak near Mr. Digges' Road that leads to Broad Cr near Clast Cr. We took the following depositions:

Robert Clark, age about 50 declares that 30 years ago, Capt. Geo: Athey came to the afd bounded white oak with this deponent and told him it was the 2nd bound tree of Clarksons Purchase. A true return. Signed Nov 24, 1740 - John Hawkins, Jno Hawkins Jr.

Related articles

• August 1739, Maryland (wildrhodes.blogspot.com)
• 1739, Maryland (wildrhodes.blogspot.com)
• March 1738, Maryland (wildrhodes.blogspot.com)
• May 1738, Maryland (wildrhodes.blogspot.com)

March 1736, Maryland

March 30, 1736- Richard Edelen gave "for the natural love I have for my son-in-law Benjamin Neale" 192 acres of "Lawrell Branch" which he had bought from Thomas Dent. (Deed O#2:140).
Benjamin was married to Richard's daughter, Mary.

(Benjamin Neale is my second cousin 7 times removed. Our common ancestors are Benjamin Gill & Mary Mainwaring and Oliver Mainwaring & Margaret Torbock.)

Related articles

• 1736, Maryland (wildrhodes.blogspot.com)
• 1735, Maryland (wildrhodes.blogspot.com)

March 1732, Maryland

Mattawoman Creek, off the Upper Potomac

March 29, 1732- A land transfer involving my fifth great granduncle, George Hardy:

Enrolled at request of George Hardy 29 Mar 1732:
Indenture, 29 Mar 1732; Between Ignatius Gardner, planter, and George Hardy, planter; for £70 and 2300# tobacco; a tract called Gardner's Meadow on Mattawoman main branch; bounded by land of Jeremiah Suell called Convenience and land taken up by James Gambell now belonging to Gabriel Burnham, Jr. in right of his wife; containing 266 acres; also part of a tract called Refuse on Tinker's Branch; containing 200 acres; /s/ Ignatius Gardner; wit. John Beall, Jr., Peter Dent; ack. 29 Mar 17 by Ignatius Gardner and Anne his wife
Prince George's Land Records 1730-1733 - Liber Q, Page 426.

Mattawoman appears on Capt. John Smith’s circa-1608 map as Mataughquamend, an Algonquian compound translated as “where one goes pleasantly.”
Mattawoman Creek was named for the Mattawoman Indians who had a fort and town in this locality.They were one of many sub-tribes of the Piscataway-Conoy culture that had been predominant in what is now Southern Maryland. Hunters and fishermen for the most part, the Mattawomans and their fellow Piscataways had a similar culture to other groups in the region—the Delawares, Nanticokes and Powhatans, for instance—and they spoke a dialect of the widespread Algonquian language. Like their neighbors, they also had frequent run-ins with tribes from the north, specifically the Susquehannocks, Iroquois and Senecas. And in the late 17th-century, it was one of these conflicts that brought the Mattawomans' demise—helped along, no doubt, by the insults of the European invasion, namely smallpox.
In 1670, Governor Charles Calvert presented to the Mattawoman king, Maquata, a medal with the likeness of his father, Cecilius, second Lord Baltimore, on one side and a map of Maryland on the other.

Related articles

• 1732, Maryland (wildrhodes.blogspot.com)
• Captain John Smith (time.com)