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