<joslake@sbcglobal.net> wrote: >The premise (as more or less restated in the Lewes Hist. Society paragraph above): Colonial Americans in all states sometimes filed legal documents in the nearest county seat whether or not it was "their" legal county seat.  And in MD/DE with the border disputes and attendant confusion that tendency should have been even more prevalent. _______________________________________ I’m not clear on how you derived “nearest courthouse” as a criterion for recordation of deeds as being suggested by the Lewes site’s rundown. Deeds were recorded in the venue (county and Province) where people paid their taxes. This was in Maryland counties for those in the “disputed” parts of Delaware resolved by the Mason-Dixon survey, et al. The article says nothing different. You won’t find “Delaware” (Pennsylvania) residents (as they perceived it at that time) recording deeds in MD. That said, after 1750 or so, I do find a few (very, very few, like less than ten) cases of a “Marylander” recording his deed in both Worcester (or Dorchester) and Sussex. The deeds acknowledge the boundary issue, and are clear that the deed holder simply wanted to make sure his bases were covered for clear title, whatever happened to the border. These people clearly knew what was coming down. The above also said, I see no deeds at all by “then-Sussex” residents also (or instead) filing in MD counties because of any confusion. A small exception: in the early 1680s, some Penn warrants were granted south of the Indian River. Within a couple of years, though, Maryland just barged in and re-issued patents overlaying some of those (and the others just vanished into oblivion, it seems). All this is discussed in the “Breviate”, as explored a few months back in the thread on list here. The Penns took no further specific action except the continuing overall court cases against the Calverts on the boundary. Later on, I see nothing at all in which Penn surveyors and Calvert surveyors were unambigously fussing with any continuing effect over the same ground. The border was a "practical" agreement locally, no matter what was going on in the sky above where the Proprietors debated in their powdered wigs, sniffing their snuff. John