HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY MARYLAND FROM 1608 (THE YEAR OF SMITH'S EXPEDITION) TO THE CLOSE OF THE WAR OF 1812 BY WALTER W. PRESTON, A. M. BEL AIR, MARYLAND Originally Published Baltimore, 1901 DMK Heritage converted this historic book into a digital format for in-depth research for genealogist and historians with limited time and resources. The book was converted into an Adobe PDF format and is searchable with Adobe Acrobat Reader (a free program from Adobe). A new complete index was created of last names for quick identification. To maintain the integrity of this historic book, images of each page of the book are provided on a separate PDF file to resolve any questions concerning the conversion to an electronic format. Both PDF file are placed on one CD for your convenience. Price: Price $25.00 plus $3.00 shipping Total $28.00 DMK Heritage 12303 Indian Mound Austin, TX 78758 You can contact us at: dmkheritage.austin.rr.com Or visit us at http://www.dmkheritage.com/store/ CONTENTS CHAPTER I. The First View . . . Smith Comes to the Susquehanna from Virginia . . . Maps the Shore and gives an account of the Indians . . . Giant Indian seen near Stafford . . . Pool's Island . . . Smith's Falls . . . Climate . . . Willoughby or Bush River . . . Clayborne . . . Palmer's Island . . . Col. Nathaniel Utie . . . Treaty with the Indians . . . Harford a District of Baltimore County. CHAPTER II Early Settlements . . . Thomas Thurston . . . Old houses . . . Some tracts of Land of Jacob Giles, Col. White, Aquila Paca, Daniel Scott, James Preston, John Stump, David Bisset, Samuel Gover, John Hall, Wm. Bradford, Wm. McComas, John McComas. CHAPTER III. Old Court Houses . . . Maryland Colony and England Remote from events of Mother Country . . . County Seat on Bush River . . . Some Old Minutes of Court . . . Wm. Osborne . . . County Seat Removed to Gunpowder . . . To Joppa . . . Growth and Decline of Joppa . . . Baltimore on the Patapsco. CHAPTER IV. Customs and Manners prior to Revolution . . . Slavery . . . Primitive Conditions . . . The Lawyer . . . Doctor . . . Schoolmaster . . . Life of a Physician before the Revolution . . . Domestic Customs. CHAPTER V. Organization of Harford County . . . Inconvenience on account of Removal of County Seat to Baltimore . . . Petition for New County. . . Henry Harford . . . Act for Formation of new County. CHAPTER VI. Organization of County, continued . . . First Records Swearing in Lord Justices . . . Appointment of Clerk, Sheriff and State's Attorney . . . Division of County into Hundreds, and Appointment of Constables . . . . First Grand Jury. . . First Petit jury . . . County Seat at Harford Town or Bush. CHAPTER VII. Bel Air Chosen County Seat . . . Other Places Voted for . . . Another Election called . . . Scott's Old Field or Bel Air wins again . . . Aquila Scott of James Conveys land in Bel Air to County . . . Court House at Bel Air . . . Orders for Opening Roads, &c . . . . Harford the Chief Section of Baltimore County . . . First two County Seats in Harford. CHAPTER VIII. Selections from Old Records . . . Tavern Licenses . . . Grand and Petit Juries . . . Luther Martin admitted to Practice at Harford Bar . . . Tavern Rates . . . Road Supervisors . . . Court House at Bel Air Occupied . . . First Judges . . . Description of Building . . . Burning of Old Court House and Construction of Present Building. CHAPTER IX. Old Records, continued . . . Wm. Pinkney Locates at Bel Air . . . Basis of Assessment . Tax rate . . . Members of the Bar in 1796 . . . Juries . Robert Amos, Jr., Sheriff. . . Judges of Election . . . John Lee Gibson resigns as Clerk . Henry Dorsey of Edward Appointed Clerk. CHAPTER X. Signs of the Revolution . . . Importation Act . . . Stamp Act ... The Peggy Stewart . . . The American Association Concord and Lexington ... Annapolis Convention of June, 1774 . . . Harford Representatives . . Convention at Bush . . . Resolutions . . . Association of the Freemen of Maryland. CHAPTER XI. Harford in the Revolution . . . People of New County alive to Public Affairs . . . Favorable Location of County Seat at Bush . . . Great Men Passing Along . . . Harford Declaration of Popular Rights. CHAPTER XII. The Revolution Continued... Enrollment of County Militia . . . The Flying Camp . . . Alex. Lawson Smith's Harford Company at the Battle of Fort Washington. CHAPTER XIII. Lafayette's Expedition through Harford, 1781 ... Officers of the Command . . . Lafayette Spends Night at House of Col. James Rigby, near Darlington . . . Alex. Hamilton . . . Proclamation Against Desertion . . . Aquila Deaver . . . An Anecdote of the Expedition . . . Captains Greme and Gimat. CHAPTER XIV. Old Churches . . . Spesutie . . . The Catholic Church. Bethel. CHAPTER XV. Old Churches Continued ... Presbyterian Church at Churchville . . . Cokesbury Methodist College and Church . . . Harford Baptist Church . . . The Friends in Harford. CHAPTER XVI Biographical‑William Paca . . . Dr. John Archer . . . Col. Thomas White . . . Benj. Bradford Norris. CHAPTER XVII. Biographical Continued. Rev. John Coleman . . . William Bradford . . . John Stump, of Stafford . . . William Smithson . . . Aquila Hall William Morgan . . . Col. Ignatius Wheeler . . . Col. John Streett. CHAPTER XVIII. The War of 1812 . . . National Conditions . . . Weak Federal Government . . . Valuable Assistance from France. . . Fort McHenry . . . North Point . . . Captain John A. Webster, Col. Wm. Smith and Col. John Streett, all of Harford, Assist in the Defense of Baltimore . . Sketch of Capt. Webster . . . British Attack Upon Havre de Grace . . . John O'Neill . . . Col. Smith's Forty‑second Regiment. CHAPTER XIX. Havre de Grace .... Origin of the Name . . . Early Description . . . Organization as a Town . . . First Town Commissioners . . . Proceedings . . . Returns of Election. CHAPTER XX. Miscellaneous‑ Harford Pensioners from the Revolution . . . Solicitors of Subscription to Association of Freemen of Maryland . . . Early Iron Works . . . Gov. Paca and Gov. Bradford . . . Harford Militia Companies ... Harford Statistics, 1798 Court Officers and Juries, 1800 . . . Same, 1803‑1806 Nuncupative Will of Joseph Butler, Lieutenant in Smallwood's Regiment, Killed at Battle of Long Island . . . Marriage Certificate of John Worthington and Priscilla Wilson, 1769 . . . My Lady's Manor ... Bel Air Academy. APPENDIX. Minutes of Harford Revolutionary Committees . . . Members of House of Delegates from Harford . . . Sheriffs . . Members of Congress . . . Registers of Wills . . . Clerks of Circuit Court . . Constitutional Conventions. 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