Jim, Thanks so very much for the suggestions. I will check borh Paradee and Paridis. I've been looking for years so I realish any suggestions. Thanks, Clare ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Blackwell" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 9:49 AM Subject: Re: [LDR] Christopher Paradise - Parradice - Pardice - Paredise -PARADEE??? > There is another family on the shore with what appears to be a corrupted > French spelling of the same meaning. Paradee would be an English phonetic > spelling of the French word Paridis. Just a slim chance of a connection, > but it wouldn't be the first time that a slim chance gave a clue to a > family > history. > > *************************************** > QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? > Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: > http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Sylvia- I noticed an "Oneita" spelling in an undated newspaper obituary for her father, William Clarence Dayton. It is also spelled Oneita in the obituary of her brother, Carlton William Dayton. I will go back and check what documents I have with the Oneida or Oneida spelling. What do you have that features the Oneita spelling? Something official? I'm pretty sure now that the Oneida spelling is probably incorrect. My grandmother's first child was named Mildred Oneita Stewart. William Clarence Dayton " He died in his home in Gay Street, Cambridge after a prolonged illness. On June 25, 1901 he married Miss Ida F. Adams of Crapo and they resided their earlier married life at Andrews. In 1936 the family moved to Cambridge where he resided till his death. Mr. Dayton had followed the water his entire life and was well known throughout the tidewater sections of Maryland, especially in lower Dorchester County. He was a life long member of Wesley Methodist Church in Andrews. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Ida Adams Dayton of Cambridge, two daughters, and six sons, Mrs Clara Dayton, Mrs Oneita Bramble, Roy E., W. Carlton, C. Raymond, Mowbray L., James A. and Leonard W. Dayton all of Cambridge. two sisters, Mrs Martha Andrews and Mrs Ada McCready . He is also survived by 20 grandchildren, eight great grand children ad nieces and nephews. Internment will be in the Dorchester Memorial Park." Becky, Mom's records have Thomas Dayton as coming from Eliott's Island. But no source or any notes about where/how she got that information. She corresponded with many people about the Dayton Family, and it was probably information she got in that way. But I have not been able to track down the note or letter where someone specifically said he was from Eliott's . Thanks very much for the information on Millard F. Dayton! Mom had absolutely nothing about him but his name. He really did get away from the family! If you could spare the information about his wife and children's name, I'd really appreciate it. Nancy ________________________________ From: Miller's Choice <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thu, April 29, 2010 2:10:51 PM Subject: Re: [LDR] Charles T. Bramble and Oneita E. Dayton Nancy, My greatgrandfather, Millard F. Dayton (1858-1908), was a first cousin to William Clarence Dayton. Millard moved from Elliott's Island to Mt. Vernon, Somerset County after meeting his future wife at a camp meeting and apparently had little to no contact with any of his siblings, except his sister Lucy who also moved to Mt. Vernon with her husband, Sam Scott. My grandmother was born after her paternal grandparents passed away so she did not have stories to tell and was in contact with only two of her cousins who lived in Salisbury, Claude Dayton and Blanche Dayton Rounds, neither of whom had issue. I would be very interested in any stories your mother may have had (just to have a clue!) about where Thomas Dayton came from. He seems to have oozed up out of the marsh by 1820 already married with children. I've ruled out the Daytons in Allegeny County, MD and have been unable to make a connection with the Daytons of New Jersey. Becky

There is another family on the shore with what appears to be a corrupted French spelling of the same meaning. Paradee would be an English phonetic spelling of the French word Paridis. Just a slim chance of a connection, but it wouldn't be the first time that a slim chance gave a clue to a family history.

The 1723-1759 Somerset household tax lists is what you're looking for. These are rare survivors; almost none of these lists still exist for other MD counties. See the intro and explanation at: http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/coagser/c1800/c1812/html/c1812_intro.html The annual lists by Hundred are at: http://guide.mdsa.net/series.cfm?action=viewSeries&ID=C1812 John -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] It is not a census, but a tax list (in fact, several of them). The easiest way is to google "early Somerset tax lists", but they are concealed somewhere at the Maryland State Archives website. ___________________________ In a message dated 6/16/2010 3:42:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Where do I find the MD Early Census?

It is not a census, but a tax list (in fact, several of them). The easiest way is to google "early Somerset tax lists", but they are concealed somewhere at the Maryland State Archives website. At least, I cannot ever find them, even though I know perfectly well they are there. Elizabeth In a message dated 6/16/2010 3:42:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Where do I find the MD Early Census? Thanks. Wi9th love in Christ, George ----- Original Message ----- From: "Clare Pebworth" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, June 06, 2010 1:29 PM Subject: [LDR] Christopher Paradise - Parradice - Pardice - Paredise > The MD Early Census states that in 1723 a Christopher PARRADICE lived in > Mattaponie Hundred, Somerset Co., MD. > > Christopher PARDICE was Test for the 1718 Will of John Jones of Mattapany, > Somerset Co., MD. > > 18 Sept 1761 in Worcester Co., MD a Christopher PARADISE/PAREDISE wrote a > will listing his wife as Hannah. > > Does anyone know the names of any of his children or his parents? > Clare > *************************************** > QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? > Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: > http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Where do I find the MD Early Census? Thanks. Wi9th love in Christ, George ----- Original Message ----- From: "Clare Pebworth" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, June 06, 2010 1:29 PM Subject: [LDR] Christopher Paradise - Parradice - Pardice - Paredise > The MD Early Census states that in 1723 a Christopher PARRADICE lived in > Mattaponie Hundred, Somerset Co., MD. > > Christopher PARDICE was Test for the 1718 Will of John Jones of Mattapany, > Somerset Co., MD. > > 18 Sept 1761 in Worcester Co., MD a Christopher PARADISE/PAREDISE wrote a > will listing his wife as Hannah. > > Does anyone know the names of any of his children or his parents? > Clare > *************************************** > QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? > Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: > http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Same reasons you aren't. Money, time, volunteers etc. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 1:34 PM Subject: Re: [LDR] MSA records > Why isn't a historical/genealogical society onto this? > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Sent: Tue, Jun 15, 2010 9:37 am > Subject: Re: [LDR] MSA records > > > Possibly the Church of Latter Day Saints might be interested? > Genealogy > and records seem to be a huge priority with them. > > Elizabeth > > > In a message dated 6/15/2010 9:04:15 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > > > Good morning all; > > After having read the messages about the records that are decaying at > our > illustrious archives I had to weigh in on this. I have gotten the > "original" records from chancery cases for Dorchester County that I > needed for > research. They had to come from the archives because when the > courthouse in > Camberidge was remodeled they "took custody" of all of the court > records. Now > they are packed away with all of the other records that need to be > scanned > and preserved but never will be. We are fortunate to still h ave > access to > the probate records here in Dorchester due largely to the fact that > the > Register of Wills refuses to let them be transfered to Annapolis > because she > knows that they will never be digitized for public access. I wish > someone > had done the same with the chancery cases. It never fails when the > budget > gets tight, the first things to be cut are programs and departments > that deal > with Archeology and History. When that happens projects never get > finished > and if and when money gets fluid again they never get the funding > back. I > know that there are mountains of records that are housed in the > archives, > but there are also mountains of records in the Library of Congress and > the > National Archives. They are able to deal with them and I know that > someone > will write and say that they have other means of fundings.....so why > can't we > work toward something like that with the State Archives and get these > records preserved and made available to the public. > > > > > > Tom > *************************************** > QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? > Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: > http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without > the quotes in > the subject and the body of the message > > *************************************** > QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? > Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: > http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the > body of > the message > > *************************************** > QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? > Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: > http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Why isn't a historical/genealogical society onto this? -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Tue, Jun 15, 2010 9:37 am Subject: Re: [LDR] MSA records Possibly the Church of Latter Day Saints might be interested? Genealogy and records seem to be a huge priority with them. Elizabeth In a message dated 6/15/2010 9:04:15 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Good morning all; After having read the messages about the records that are decaying at our illustrious archives I had to weigh in on this. I have gotten the "original" records from chancery cases for Dorchester County that I needed for research. They had to come from the archives because when the courthouse in Camberidge was remodeled they "took custody" of all of the court records. Now they are packed away with all of the other records that need to be scanned and preserved but never will be. We are fortunate to still h ave access to the probate records here in Dorchester due largely to the fact that the Register of Wills refuses to let them be transfered to Annapolis because she knows that they will never be digitized for public access. I wish someone had done the same with the chancery cases. It never fails when the budget gets tight, the first things to be cut are programs and departments that deal with Archeology and History. When that happens projects never get finished and if and when money gets fluid again they never get the funding back. I know that there are mountains of records that are housed in the archives, but there are also mountains of records in the Library of Congress and the National Archives. They are able to deal with them and I know that someone will write and say that they have other means of fundings.....so why can't we work toward something like that with the State Archives and get these records preserved and made available to the public. Tom *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Good morning all; After having read the messages about the records that are decaying at our illustrious archives I had to weigh in on this. I have gotten the "original" records from chancery cases for Dorchester County that I needed for research. They had to come from the archives because when the courthouse in Camberidge was remodeled they "took custody" of all of the court records. Now they are packed away with all of the other records that need to be scanned and preserved but never will be. We are fortunate to still  h ave access to the probate records here in Dorchester due largely to the fact that the Register of Wills refuses to let them be transfered to Annapolis because she knows that they will never be digitized for public access. I wish someone had done the same with the chancery cases. It never fails when the budget gets tight, the first things to be cut are programs and departments that deal with Archeology and History. When that happens projects never get finished and if and when money gets fluid again they never get the funding back. I know that there are mountains of records that are housed in the archives, but there are also mountains of records in the Library of Congress and the National Archives. They are able to deal with them and I know that someone will write and say that they have other means of fundings.....so why can't we work toward something like that with the State Archives and get these records preserved and made available to the public. Tom

Dear John (and the List): Here are two references to my 5x great grand dad, Benjamin Hitch (1738-1814), that one would think would be relatively easy to track down. John - you'll like this cuz they relates to land records, too! I have looked high and low at all the usual hiding places but to no avail. With the discussion of the "lost records" that are not really lost - of this thread - I am wondering if it might be worth my time to dive into them? Any words of wisdom as to where I might look would be most helpful (Note: I have checked extant land and court records already). This land is on the present-day Meadow Bridge Road and Ben Hitch's land is on the east side thereof - since the road straddles the Somerset/Worcester line, the majority of Ben's land was on the Worcester side. The fact that the land tract, called MOUNT PLEASANT, straddled the county line seemed to have caused issue over the years - it is located maybe about a mile or mile and a half southeast along Meadow Bridge road from where the three present day counties of Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset meet (there is a little bridge there today spanning Passerdyke Creek - the bridge that I believe was once called "meadow bridge"). Record 1 (Som Co Judicials) below indicates that judgement was granted to resurvey MOUNT PLEASANT but no survey is found (by me). Record 2 is more intriguing and calls for a survey of the county road through Ben's property but, again, I find no such follow-up records...any ideas? Records: 1. On Oct 23 1790, the court records show: "Benjm Hitch commifson & affidavits... to Gillif Polk, James Bennett, Robert Dashiell and John Harris Hayman of Somerset County Gentlemen..." commissioners agree to examine evidence on behalf of "a certain Benjamin Hitch of the County in relation to the bounds of a tract of land called Mount Pleasant." Deponents Revel Hayman "of lawful age" and William Hayman, age 22. Judgment was granted to Benjamin Hitch. (SoJ-1788/91:302, 303). 2. The following is found in the Archives of Maryland, Volume 192 , page 120 for Session Laws Nov 2 1801 to Dec 31 1801: An Act for changing part of the Divisional Road between Somerset and Worcester Counties. (Liber JG4:5). WHEREAS it is represented to this general assembly, by the petition of Benjamin Hitch, of Somerset county, that he is possessed of a tract of land lying and being in Somerset and Worcester counties, through which the divisional road of Somerset and Worcester counties now runs, to the great injury of the said Benjamin Hitch: And whereas it appears that changing the said road will be beneficial to the said Benjamin Hitch, and promote the convenience of the public; therefore, 2. BE IT ENACTED, by the General Assembly of Maryland, That Ebenezer Handy, James Bennett, William Pollitt of Thomas, David Cathell and Thomas Fookes, be and they are hereby appointed commissioners, or any three or more of them are hereby authorized to change, lay out and open, at the expense of the said Benjamin Hitch, in the most convenient manner, a public road, leading through the lands of the said Benjamin Hitch, in the direction the divisional road of the said counties now runs, from Salisbury to Steven's Ferry, so far as the said Hitch's land extend, if necessary; and the said road, when so laid out and completed at the expense of the said Benjamin Hitch, shall be recorded in the records of Somerset and Worcester county courts, and shall be deemed and taken for ever thereafter as the divisional line of said counties, and as a public road, and shall be kept in repair as other public roads are kept up in said counties. Best to you, Mike -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 12:48 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [LDR] Records at MSA Yep. You found your way into the hidden stacks that will never see the light of day by virtue of the quantity of such materials that actually has survived. To what end the survival, in that there's just too much to make accessible? Alas. In Somerset, this includes both deeds and court papers, maybe millions of pages (not much of an exaggeration). Some years ago on list here I discussed this "embarrrassment of riches", for which there's simply no budget even to scan (or film, in the old days). much less to index. Few of the strings or ribbons binding the bundles have ever been untied since the bundles were bundled two to three centuries ago. Some of the items, too, are not just originals of things that have been otherwise transcribed, but really unique/different, especially among the Court Papers: e.g., depositions for cases before the court, petitions, even some special sessions of County Court, other things. Unimaginable depth, but lost in plain sight, as it were. An, as you say, much is just slowly crumbling into dust in place. I think of The Dead Sea Scrolls. The problem is insoluble with finite resources. The Archives just barely has enough budget to keep its doors open, much less this. John -----Original Message----- From: Roy C. Pollitt To: [email protected] Sent: Tue, Jun 15, 2010 12:26 am Subject: [LDR] Records at MSA John, Your comments on that "collection" of original deeds points out something that I have mused over for years. Back in the early 1980's I "discovered" a possession of the then HofR --- a box of late 18th Century Somerset County court records ... rolled up pieces of paper each tied with ancient "string", actually some sort of cloth shoelaces is what they looked like! *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi Tom, The Probate Records for Dorchester County are digitized. I purchased 3 CDs that cover 1852 to 1931 from the Archives for $40 a CD. Note some of the Wills that were destroyed in the 1852 fire were re-recorded after 1852. The records that were moved from the Dorchester County Courthouse are primarily found under the "Transferred" heading at the Archives. Here is the link: http://guide.mdsa.net/transfer.cfm?action=viewSeriesList&qualifier=T&type=county&county=DORCHESTER%20COUNTY A small number of these "Transferred" records have been scanned (digitized) and area available at the Archives. One example is the equity papers from 1820 to 1842. Other "Transferred" records can be requested. Depending on the condition of the records and where they are stored (warehouse/archives), the archives may choose to scan the records or have the records brought over from the warehouse at a future date. No doubt that the Maryland Archives needs more funding, but we do have access to their collection of records. It would be helpful to have volunteers index what is contained in all of these "Transferred" records. Kate Clifford Larson, author of "Bound for the Promised Land: Harriett Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero" is currently working with the archives regarding the transferred records for Dorchester County. http://www.harriettubmanbiography.com/ Frank On Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 9:04 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Good morning all; > > After having read the messages about the records that are decaying at our illustrious archives I had to weigh in on this. I have gotten the "original" records from chancery cases for Dorchester County that I needed for research. They had to come from the archives because when the courthouse in Camberidge was remodeled they "took custody" of all of the court records. Now they are packed away with all of the other records that need to be scanned and preserved but never will be. We are fortunate to still  h ave access to the probate records here in Dorchester due largely to the fact that the Register of Wills refuses to let them be transfered to Annapolis because she knows that they will never be digitized for public access. I wish someone had done the same with the chancery cases. It never fails when the budget gets tight, the first things to be cut are programs and departments that deal with Archeology and History. When that happens projects never get finished and if and wh! en money gets fluid again they never get the funding back. I know that there are mountains of records that are housed in the archives, but there are also mountains of records in the Library of Congress and the National Archives. They are able to deal with them and I know that someone will write and say that they have other means of fundings.....so why can't we work toward something like that with the State Archives and get these records preserved and made available to the public. > > > > > > Tom > *************************************** > QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? > Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: > http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

What I am about to say is not a slam to the hardworking people at the MSA, but rather a pat-on-the-back to the State of North Carolina. Caveat ---- I have not been to the Archives at Raleigh for several years now, so therefore attitudes up there may have changed for the worse ..... but I doubt it. (1) The Archives in NC is a serious priority at the funding trough. The attitude down there is that they want the Archives to preserve the records it possesses, and to make them fully available to the researching public. MSA, in theory, does that too ... but, for what I could determine, pound-for-pound, the Archives at Raleigh is funded significantly above the MSA. (2) I was told, quite proudly by the folks up there, that ALL records in the State of North Carolina, by law, property of the State, before a certain date, MUST be sent to the Archives for housing and research. You don't have to go to the courthouses for anything before that date (I think it was 1906, but don't quote me) ... a visit to the Archives is all that you need to do. I have other comparisons but they are more of a personal nature and I will not say them here since I have not been to the MSA (then HofR) in years. BTW ---- is there a Friends of the Archives type of organization at the MSA that raises money for specific archival projects, etc. .... ? There is in Raleigh. And they do great work. Comments to LDR and/or to me offline are most welcome. Roy C. Pollitt

Possibly the Church of Latter Day Saints might be interested? Genealogy and records seem to be a huge priority with them. Elizabeth In a message dated 6/15/2010 9:04:15 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Good morning all; After having read the messages about the records that are decaying at our illustrious archives I had to weigh in on this. I have gotten the "original" records from chancery cases for Dorchester County that I needed for research. They had to come from the archives because when the courthouse in Camberidge was remodeled they "took custody" of all of the court records. Now they are packed away with all of the other records that need to be scanned and preserved but never will be. We are fortunate to still h ave access to the probate records here in Dorchester due largely to the fact that the Register of Wills refuses to let them be transfered to Annapolis because she knows that they will never be digitized for public access. I wish someone had done the same with the chancery cases. It never fails when the budget gets tight, the first things to be cut are programs and departments that deal with Archeology and History. When that happens projects never get finished and if and when money gets fluid again they never get the funding back. I know that there are mountains of records that are housed in the archives, but there are also mountains of records in the Library of Congress and the National Archives. They are able to deal with them and I know that someone will write and say that they have other means of fundings.....so why can't we work toward something like that with the State Archives and get these records preserved and made available to the public. Tom *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Mike: When you say "I have checked extant land and court records already", I assume you mean just "the deeds [and maybe whatever shows up in plats.net] and the Judicials", and not the series of Land Records Papers and Court Papers of this thread. When you say "worth your time to delve into...", well, my boy, that all depends on how much time you have and your own value system. You will have to search your own heart... Seriously, these things are as close to a bottomless pit as befits the description of "bottomless pit". I'd put it this way: when these materials were recovered from the courthouse and sent to Annapolis, they were obviously simply in whatever order or disorder they had found themselves stored in, in their basement in Princess Anne. That is, contents of each ribbon-bound little bundle seem to have been each from about the same year, but two bundles side-by-side in the basement may have been years or (sometimes) decades apart. That is, there was just no guarantee as to chronological coherence. When Archives staff arranged them for accessioning, they did not open the bundles, each of which contained N pieces of paper, to ascertain what epoch of the geologic strata they came from. Rather, they (rationally, with only finite time) placed what seemed to them to be roughly chronologically connected in a clamshell, sometimes in individual jackets within the clamshell, and labeled the box something like "Court Papers 1785-86", but with no real guarantee as to that i.d.'s validity for each item, most of which have not been looked at to this day. Opening one of the clamshells is an adventure in pure serendipity. Just the mechanics and "thrill" of untying an ancient ribbon to unravel twenty or so coiled documents takes time - a lot of it. Going through a single clamshell can take a day. There are many hundreds of clamshells. With what I could call a pretty deep understanding of the Judicials and Deeds in hand, on a very few occasions I was able to narrow a search down to a single clamshell, and actually find a specific item. I'd call this proof-of-concept, but don't recommend it as part of an operational strategy. For this sort of trolling, you need to take up residence at the Archives. You have to want something pretty badly to take up this sort of quixotic quest. John -----Original Message----- From: Mike Hitch <[email protected]> Dear John (and the List): Here are two references to my 5x great grand dad, Benjamin Hitch (1738-1814), that one would think would be relatively easy to track down. John - you'll like this cuz they relates to land records, too! I have looked high and low at all the usual hiding places but to no avail. With the discussion of the "lost records" that are not really lost - of this thread - I am wondering if it might be worth my time to dive into them? Any words of wisdom as to where I might look would be most helpful (Note: I have checked extant land and court records already). <snip>

In our county, Matagorda, Texas, a Mormon couple spent several months filming the old records. The courthouse had given them to the museum, due to lack of storage room. This is a wonderful service that they do to help preserve records. Maybe they would be interested if someone contacted them.   Freda Kilgo Daniel --- On Tue, 6/15/10, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: [LDR] MSA records To: [email protected] Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 8:04 AM Good morning all; After having read the messages about the records that are decaying at our illustrious archives I had to weigh in on this. I have gotten the "original" records from chancery cases for Dorchester County that I needed for research. They had to come from the archives because when the courthouse in Camberidge was remodeled they "took custody" of all of the court records. Now they are packed away with all of the other records that need to be scanned and preserved but never will be. We are fortunate to still  h ave access to the probate records here in Dorchester due largely to the fact that the Register of Wills refuses to let them be transfered to Annapolis because she knows that they will never be digitized for public access. I wish someone had done the same with the chancery cases. It never fails when the budget gets tight, the first things to be cut are programs and departments that deal with Archeology and History. When that happens projects never get finished and if and when money gets fluid again they never get the funding back. I know that there are mountains of records that are housed in the archives, but there are also mountains of records in the Library of Congress and the National Archives. They are able to deal with them and I know that someone will write and say that they have other means of fundings.....so why can't we work toward something like that with the State Archives and get these records preserved and made available to the public. Tom *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Yep. You found your way into the hidden stacks that will never see the light of day by virtue of the quantity of such materials that actually has survived. To what end the survival, in that there's just too much to make accessible? Alas. In Somerset, this includes both deeds and court papers, maybe millions of pages (not much of an exaggeration). Some years ago on list here I discussed this "embarrrassment of riches", for which there's simply no budget even to scan (or film, in the old days). much less to index. Few of the strings or ribbons binding the bundles have ever been untied since the bundles were bundled two to three centuries ago. Some of the items, too, are not just originals of things that have been otherwise transcribed, but really unique/different, especially among the Court Papers: e.g., depositions for cases before the court, petitions, even some special sessions of County Court, other things. Unimaginable depth, but lost in plain sight, as it were. An, as you say, much is just slowly crumbling into dust in place. I think of The Dead Sea Scrolls. The problem is insoluble with finite resources. The Archives just barely has enough budget to keep its doors open, much less this. John -----Original Message----- From: Roy C. Pollitt <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tue, Jun 15, 2010 12:26 am Subject: [LDR] Records at MSA John, Your comments on that "collection" of original deeds points out something that I have mused over for years. Back in the early 1980's I "discovered" a possession of the then HofR --- a box of late 18th Century Somerset County court records ... rolled up pieces of paper each tied with ancient "string", actually some sort of cloth shoelaces is what they looked like!

John, Your comments on that "collection" of original deeds points out something that I have mused over for years. Back in the early 1980's I "discovered" a possession of the then HofR --- a box of late 18th Century Somerset County court records ... rolled up pieces of paper each tied with ancient "string", actually some sort of cloth shoelaces is what they looked like! Bless the MSA for the records that we can use ... but what secrets lie buried in the records that most of us will never see in our lifetimes. Maybe the missing wife of my 3-gr grandfather is identified, or clues as to what happened to some of the children of my 6-gr grandfather .... etc etc etc. And, sadly, as each day passes more and more of the old documents, brittle from age, draw closer to decaying and crumbling beyond recognition. Roy C. Pollitt

How quaint that you should come across this. This particular (exact) item is from a series of loose papers (*original* deeds) from which I indexed one set at the Archives myself about eight years ago. It is not available on-line, but the exact same pages as entered in the Somerset Deeds (Land Records) are on-line at mdlandrec.net. If you have or get an account for mdlandrec, you can obtain it at Somerset Volume H, folios 290-291. And that's how you can read that deed. The "Somerset Land Record Papers" are themselves just a vast collection of loose-leaf originals from about 1722 (or so) though sometime in the 19th century (or later), unindexed and seemingly endless. For a specific purpose at that time, I took a box of these and identified each item, getting a sense of just how scattered across the decades they were. The one nice aspect of them is that they do contain original signatures of the sellers, etc., but actually using this collection is and always will be almost impossible, as there are hundreds of thousands of items that no one will ever scan and catalog individually. John -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, Jun 14, 2010 11:29 pm Subject: [LDR] how do I find this record Is this record available online? If so would someone please explain how would I get to read this deed? Series Information SOMERSET COUNTY COURT (Land Record Papers) 09/26/1787 C1777 ____________________________________ Date: 09/26/1787 Description: Deed, Jonathan Bunting and Rose Evans, heir of Ephraim Evans, to Jonathan Milbourn for Handys Hall. Dated 1787/08/27. Recorded: H, pp. 290-291. Location: 01/45/04/056 MdHR Number: 16,828 MSA Citation: MSA C1777-210 *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Is this record available online? If so would someone please explain how would I get to read this deed? Series Information SOMERSET COUNTY COURT (Land Record Papers) 09/26/1787 C1777 ____________________________________ Date: 09/26/1787 Description: Deed, Jonathan Bunting and Rose Evans, heir of Ephraim Evans, to Jonathan Milbourn for Handys Hall. Dated 1787/08/27. Recorded: H, pp. 290-291. Location: 01/45/04/056 MdHR Number: 16,828 MSA Citation: MSA C1777-210

The only possibility I can think of is Sol, as a nickname, and then add in the spelling peculiarities. Saul is actually a separate and distinct name, but since everyone was more or less illiterate..... Elizabeth In a message dated 6/14/2010 10:57:37 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Does anyone have any knowledge of the name Saul being used for Solomon? I am looking for Saul Shockley b.abt 1730 with no success. I am able to find Solomon's born at the right time. I was told by a couple of people that the names Saul and Solomon were sometimes interchanged. Thanks for any info/help anyone might be able to give. Thank you in advance. Cathy Hudson *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message