#marylandhistory

[weemsbotts]

The Promise to Not Misbehave: Traveling from Maryland to Virginia in the 1700s

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

Leafing through a person’s business ledgers can yield surprisingly rich information regarding a person’s societal networks and obligations. In 1982, Robert Hurry gifted The Lee Lansing Research Library with an annotated copy of his research and transcriptions on the papers of Hugh Pilkington and William Leake with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities Youth grant. Originally from St. Mary’s County working as a tobacco planter, William Leake emigrated to Dumfries hoping to engage in the thriving tobacco market driving Dumfries fortunes in the 18th century. Moving to Dumfries at such a peak time in the prosperity of the town (notably from the labor of the enslaved persons forced to work in the tobacco fields and warehouses), Leake provides an interesting perspective as he was never able to obtain the success of other wealthier families.

Reasons to change markets from Maryland to Virginia varied from soil exhaustion from tobacco farming in the mid-17th century to Maryland’s reputation of having worse tobacco as Virginia enacted and heavily regulated their crops. William Leake paid his first parish and county levy to Dettingen in 1747 after making a few trips to Dumfries. He obtained permission to travel on 08/23/1745, notable for the promise to behave himself:

St. Marys County The Bearer Willm Lake is a Marry’d Man in this County and No ways Indebt that I hear of but willing to remove into Virginia tis desired to be permitted to travail to Prince William County & back again unmolested he behaving himself well – Given und. My hand this 23d Day of Augt 1745 Gilbt Ireland       To all Christian Peoples to whom these presents Shall Come – Greetings

By 03/01/1747/8, him and his two sons worked for Philemon Waters, a local ordinary (tavern) operator and planter. Besides for beating out the barley (the grain from chaff with use of a flair or pole), plowing, helping with fodder, and digging wheat, Waters paid the Leake family for the various phases of preparing tobacco for market.

Philimon Waters Dr to Wm Lake

For my boys helpen to beat out Barley

To my Self and my two boys a day Strip:en

To my boy and Beast going with your man

To prizeing and filling up your houshed

To filling it up heading and fixing ye day that it was Rold

To Strippen of your Tobacco

And a quart of Rum

To 3 days work me an my two boys

To 1 day of mine and my two boys half a day

To 3 peck of Seed corn Lent

To 1 of my boys a day handing of Toba and plowing

To paking of 2hhh of Tobacco

To me a days work I an my two boys heaving your Cascks of Tobacco a bout an toting to the other house

To prizeing of 3 hhd of Tobacco an helping to fix them

To Roling of 1 hhd

Stripping was the process of removing tobacco leaves by hand from stalks of cured tobacco. To help maintain quality of tobacco during transportation, people prized/pressed the tobacco by packing it into a cask. Heading and fixing referred to the sealing of the cask while handling indicated the practice of gathering into small bundles cured, loose tobacco leaves, tying the ‘hand’ with a leaf. Although I omitted prices above, it is interesting to note that the amount paid for use of the two sons was equivalent to the beasts.

(Smith, Anthony. A New and Accurate Chart of the Bay of Chesapeake...1776, ink & watercolor on paper. Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, MESDA Collections, Ann P. and Thomas A. Gray MESDA Purchase Fund)

By 09/22/1760, Leake identified living near Cockpit Point. Based on the available records, Leake never owned land in Virginia, instead renting. Given the emphasis on the creature’s poor appearance and state of health, it is possible Leake wrote the below hoping no one would claim the animal. Virginia’s law required anyone finding and seizing stray livestock to give public notice before assuming ownership.

This is to Give Notice to all persons to whom it may Concern that I the Subscriber have taken up a middle Siz’d Grey mare Somewhat flea bitten Branded on the Near Buttock this LC She has A mark round her upper Lip which may be Supposed was cut with a line Shas Got a very Sore Back whoever owns the Said mare may have her by Applying to the Subscriber Living n Cockpit pint Neck near Dumfries

Leake also earned income for shoes, although this could be considered supplemental. Dumfries families hired him to craft and cobble shoes for the entire community, from planters to the enslaved. Other sources of income included squirrel heads. Officials and planters considered squirrels and crows to be nuisances and placed bounties on their heads and scalps. If the person did not meet a quota, they could be fined. Although not included in this blog, Leake paid and received settlements in fish and oyster transactions as well as coin and tobacco.

The 09/06/1761 record below referred presumably to William Lane’s enslaved person and a ‘young weaned pig’. ‘Coring’ can be read as ‘according’.

Mr William Leake I have Sent the Negro for that Shote and I Sent you Twenty Shillings a Coring to promise and you will much or Blige your friend

William Lane

Hurry believed Leake’s business papers were incomplete due to Leake’s possible illiteracy. He argued there should be more transactions, but Leake may have arranged them face to face without actual paperwork. Although considered a “small planter”, Leake’s papers indicate that fortunes could vastly differ in one historic label/category as Leake was unable to solely rely upon Dumfries tobacco market as his total source of income. Instead, he embraced as many opportunities as he could from seafood to scalps.

Note: This Saturday, 10/15/2022, is the Town of Dumfries Fall Festival! Starting at 11pm, you can celebrate the wonderful weather and enjoy treats and seasonal festivities in Garrison Park. From a beer garden to live music, the Town of Dumfries offers a variety of activities. Afterwards, scare yourself silly at our 9pm Ghost Walks – 5 tickets remain for this historic tradition that only comes once a year. Click here for more details!

(Source: Hurry, Robert. The Papers of Hugh Pilkington and William Leake: An annotated transcription of their surviving personal business and legal papers, 1982)

[pasthistoricalevents]

This Day Shook the World: Top 5 April 28th Bombshells! #viral

[amnglobalmedia]

[OUTREACH 🌍📍] United States (AMNG) Are you wondering how you could celebrate #Juneteenth? -🎁 Support a Black business -🏤Visit a Black History Museum -🏦 Donate to a Black organization -📙Read a book by a Black Author -❌ Help put an end to Racism -🇺🇸 Learn about the real history of America #htx #galveston #newyorkcityhistory #marylandhistory #restorativejustice #ushistory #collaboration #beautifultosee #building #goodfaith #workingtogether #reparationsmovement #movements #northamericahistory #emancipationproclamation #goodbuild #virginiahistory #beapartofthishistory #freedmanhistory #protectedclass #learning #causes #alabama #mississippi #atlanta #ga https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce69PdkvBrp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[leximercedesdesigns]

LexiMercedes designs photos

[cic2019]

Scenes of the season as I witnessed Spring turning an otherwise somber season into one of hope. Did you experience Spring in real life this weekend? Has your garden been revived with the rain? Blooms are bursting out all over. It is a season of hope! #allthingsbeautiful #allaboutthegardenlife #alwaysthinkingaboutthegarden #springspiration #montpeliermansion #marylandhistory #springbloomers (at Montpelier Mansion) https://www.instagram.com/p/CM_0xMohqgk/?igshid=angw3eeswsso

[bygonely]

Rare Historical Photos Of Old Baltimore From the 20th Century

[soolahhoopsllc]

#FrederickDouglass #unionville #talbotcounty #talbotcountymd #frederickdouglassdrivingtour #history #americanhistory #maryland #marylandhistory https://www.instagram.com/p/B8nScYKB8jO/?igshid=1du7dvtx94bne

[perfectalpacacollector-f543cd03]

The #genealogyphotoaday for the 26th of January was #military. This article appeared in the Baltimore Sun 25 May 1864 and republished by local papers around the state. It referenced a state held draft for the state Militia (akin to our current National Guard) not Federal military service. These units raised were called the Maryland Volunteers (Union forces). That is, the State of Maryland volunteered their services to the US Army. The individuals were not volunteers, they were drafted. If you look closely at the introduction here, it explains that those drafted and called up included “colored,” both “slave” and “free.” Maryland was a border state, it never seceded from the Union, but Maryland was also a slave-holding state (Southern sympathizers also raised volunteer units who headquartered outside Maryland, volunteering with the CSA armed forces). Emancipation in Maryland didn’t become law until 1 November 1864, six more months after this article was published. #civilwar #civilwarhistory #marylandhistory #africanamericanhistory https://www.instagram.com/p/B75d-FnpEkD/?igshid=qm5ef5vze8fd

[moonlitfirefly]

Maryland Rye and Sagamore Spirit Histories, the journey was lead by the most enthusiastic guide, Christine👯‍♀️. #dirtybloodymary #♦♦♦ #whiskeythief #straightryewhiskey #🥃🥃🥃 #portwhiskey🍷🥃 #marylandhistory #whiskeytasting #specialspecialsbirthday (at Sagamore Spirit) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx7qXDnnSOreoJBXGZLyrDxvgZZKJ8ccRNhWhU0/?igshid=nl1rxszilzba

[andrewmangum]

Today marks 50 years since H. Rap Brown, the minister of justice for the Black Panther Party in the 1960s, climbed on top of a car at the intersection of Pine & Cedar streets in the 2nd ward of Cambridge, MD. Today, two contractors are atop a roof at the same intersection, repairing the roof. After Brown gave a passionate speech, he was wounded from the buckshot of a police officers gun, & turmoil erupted in ward 2, where a fire started at the all black elementary school. The fire continued, burning 20 buildings to the ground because the white firefighters refused to put the fire out until it reached the white side of town. This image is an outtake from an on-going #photoessay about the civil rights movement in Cambridge, MD. Follow along the next few days for more outtakes & stories. #mamiya645 #m645 #mediumformat #documentaryphotographer #photooftheday #picoftheday #fujiphoto #fujipro400h #fujifilm #analogphotography #easternshoretourforsure #pro400h #cambridge #marylandhistory #civilrightsmovement #reflectionsonpine (at Cambridge, Maryland)

[carrollcountyhistory]

Did you know? This picture features C. Fisher Wantz posing with his brand new automobile on December 23, 1912. Less than a month later, on January 10th, he collided with a freight train narrowly avoiding serious injury to himself and his car. It wasn’t long before the average price of cars decreased, allowing them to become a staple of American life.

[jsingewald]

I'll miss this aisle. A lotta great stuff! #mdhs #bclm #baltimore #baltimorecitylife #pealemuseum #archives #negatives #historicphotography #storage #preservation #history #baltimorehistory #marylandhistory #changes

[amnglobalmedia]

[UPDATE 📍🌍] City of Baltimore (AMNG) Support the Preservation of Black History in Baltimore. #films #documentary #history #humanities #gentrification #filmculture #residential #neighborhoodassociation #marylandhistory #stories (at Maryland) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb2g1E8gpuf/?utm_medium=tumblr

[cic2019]

Sitting on a bench on the front porch of the overseers house, with the slave village behind. I stand, the eerie breeze embraces me, pausing, I am still. I am frozen in place for a moment. I lift my hands , my head, and utter words of appreciation to the ancestors. They endured, made do, and created beauty in the midst of the madness. That parterre...the buildings, even the slave village are skillfully created. I love history, don't you? Some of the trees...oh I bet they have stories to tell. In the meantime, I will head back to the big house and imagine coming back when it snows... Gardens everywhere have a story to tell does your garden have a story? #allthingsbeautiful #allaboutthegardenlife #alwaysthinkingaboutthegarden #gardenstories #marylandhistory #weneedtoknow #exploringthepast #redefiningthefuture (at Hampton National Historic Site) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGfnWVcAu2Y/?igshid=68ab2uyz9v48

[africandiasporaphd]

#Repost @ndize (@get_repost) ・・・ Posted @withregram • @hornbakelibrary #OTD in 1837 Daniel Harper, at 37 years old, was “released from slavery, liberated, manumitted and set free” by Alice Harper Extract of a manumission to board of managers, Frederick County Maryland, January 17, 1837 #freedom #americanhistory #africanamericanhistory #marylandhistory #archives #umdspecialcollections #free #19thcentury #iglibraries #archivesofinstagram #umd #hornbakelibrary https://ift.tt/2R6ilxf Follow #ADPhD on IG: @afrxdiasporaphd

[soolahhoopsllc]

Pearls of Wisdom start here.... #FrederickDouglass #loweswharf #stmichaelsmd #loweswharfmarina #loweswharfmarinainn #talbotcounty #talbotcountymd #frederickdouglassdrivingtour #history #americanhistory #maryland #marylandhistory https://www.instagram.com/p/B8nQvnIhLSL/?igshid=hctkp82cwct9