Lauren, can you tell me how to get this book? Would I be able to read it via interlibrary loan? Can I buy it? Many Thanks, Janet Currie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lauren Brantner" <lrbrant@concentric.net> To: <MDWASHIN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2005 1:15 PM Subject: [MDWASHIN] Early Roads >I have been reading Millard Milburn Rice's, This was the Life, Excerpts >from the Frederick County Judgement Records for 1748-1765 and have found it >to be a valuable resource for viewing the colonial era and also for >visually seeing how the country developed. For example, this is one of >many road petitions in the volume It is from a Nov. 1760 court session and >gives you a good picture of part of Washington County. > "A long petition by 'sundry inhabitants of the lower part of Andietum > living between Shanon Dor [Shenandoah] and Elk Ridge' gives much > background concerning life in that area. In the petition they state that > 'ever since the first settling of the country they have labored under > great inconveniency for want of a road through our settlement....' They > state that they 'have never failed to meet and help clear all roads > through the hundred of no use to us as we have no road through our > settlement into any of the main roads other than small paths leading from > one plantation to another, which often meets with obstructions by clearing > of fields and moving of fences and turning the path into the most > mountainous insomuch that is has become almost impracticable for us to > pass with loaded horses to any of our mills which are all above us in the > Hundred and no conveniency of a durable stream to build amongst us; and > also our country product we can in no wise remove to any market for want > of a road; and further we are much debar'd from the communion of God's > Holy Worship as we have no road to our church which is fifteen miles > distant at least from the Lower part of our settlement and only on a bad > path thither that in the most seasonable time women and children can > scarcely be in time to hear the sermon.' They ask that 'a waggon road be > cleared from Frail Pain's on Potomac to the main road from Frederick Town > to Andietum Bridge near to the hickory tavern.' > The Court appoints Moses Chapline, Robert Turner and Nathaniel Robinett > to view and lay out the road prayed for." > > Later in the court documents, "From Frail Pain's to Harper's Ferry and the > new road when laid out from Pain's into the main road leading to > Conococheague - Thomas Hogg." Hogg was the overseers appointed for that > particular road. > Wage rates for this time: > 1 day's work was worth 2 shillings; 1 day's work with a man and horse was > worth 4 shillings. Many of the law suits were settled in terms of pounds > of tobacco and Virginia currency had a different value than Maryland > currency. > > There are many names in this volume and if you have people in Washington > County who started in Frederick County, you may want to examine it. > > Lauren Brantner > > > > > ==== MDWASHIN Mailing List ==== > Are your ancestors Pennsylvania Dutch?? Check out the Pennsylvania Dutch > Family History site at: > http://midatlantic.rootsweb.com/padutch/ > > ============================== > Census images 1901, 1891, 1881 and 1871, plus so much more. > Ancestry.com's United Kingdom & Ireland Collection. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13968/rd.ashx > >