Early Settlers of Old Somerset
A Revision and Expansion of Bogerternorton Hundred and Surrounding Areas
of Old Somerset County,Maryland. Volume 1, Inventories, 1665-1700.
Transcribed, compiled and revised by G. Ray Thompson, PhD.
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Please select one of the following links or scroll down for a list of probate inventories
in this collection, sorted alphabetically by estate owner.
About This Volume
Preface to the Revised Edition
Acknowledgement
Appendix B: Samples of Colonial Clerks' Handwriting
A Note About Spelling and Terminology
Acknowledgement
The publication of this work has been undertaken for two audiences. First, it is intended for use in introductory classes in United States History as a springboard for student research. Faculty teaching introductory U.S. history courses are encouraging students to understand the historian's craft and to discover how historians-from simple building blocks such as these inventories-begin to formulate concepts which result in the writing of history. Through a "hands on" approach, it is hoped that students might come to have a greater appreciation for the interpretation of documents and the creation of historical narratives from such "building blocks". This work is intended secondly as a research aid for the many "armchair historians" in the local, regional, and national communities who have come to enjoy local and family history during recent years.
The inventories format should be considered a "work in progress". As further transcriptions of documents are completed, this work will be more nearly complete. Errors, which inadvertently find their way into any work such as this, will be corrected in future publications. Wherever possible the original spellings found in the inventories have been maintained. Often a word might be spelled in a variety of ways in one single inventory. During the seventeenth century there was no "one" correct spelling of a given word. Webster's Dictionary was still far in the future.
At times, there are lacunae in the original documents themselves, indicating that already by the time a copy of the original document was made, whether at the time of recording it or in the early eighteenth century, the original had been damaged in some fashion. At other times, the document is so faded or worn that an accurate interpretation can not be made. In yet other cases, the handwriting might be so illegible that words can not be deciphered. In such cases, in this transcription, brackets are ordinarily used where the missing word(s) would have been located.
The documents in this work have been transcribed from microfilms at the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture at Salisbury University. The following records were consulted in the creation of this study.
- Worcester County Inventories, Liber JW 15, 1688-1742
- Somerset County Inventories, Liber EB 14, 1685-1752
- Somerset County Judicial Records, Liber BW. 1689/90
- Somerset County Judicial Records, 1690/91
- Somerset County Judicial Records, Liber AW, 1691/2
- Maryland Prerogative Court Inventories and Accounts, volumes 1-21, 1666-1701
- Maryland Prerogative Court Testamentary Proceedings, volumes 1-5, 1657-1678
- Accomack County [Virginia] Deeds, Wills, and Orders, 1664-1671
The transcriber and compiler is indebted to Peggy Genvert, Barry Neville, and Edward Jones, instructors of history at Salisbury University for their continued support and assistance in this work. Pamela Collins, then a graduate student at the Center, was kind in assisting me in the preparation of this work and in making thoughtful suggestions about correct "wording" in particularly difficult inventories. Also Rebecca Miller, Director of the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, and her capable and ever-helpful staff, Donna Messick, Iris Powell, and Rebecca Brooks were ever-present and ever helpful in the formulation of this monograph. Andy Chance, graduate student in history offered his considerable knowledge of computers in helping format this lengthy and temperamental document. Mia Vye, executive assistant in the history department, whose kindly words actually allowed this work to see the light of day, was a never-failing source of encouragement and a true angel.
G. Ray Thompson, PhD.
Professor of History
Salisbury University
Salisbury, MD 21801
April 18, 2004
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