Report15Weishaarp1134

THE

GERMAN ELEMENT

—

MARYLAND

UP TO THE YEAR 17OO.

THE GERMAN ELEMENT IN MARYLAND

UP TO THE YEAR 17OO.

BY REV. J. A. WEISHAAR.

WHETHER Germans were among the 200 colonists, who, as

followers of Leonard Calvert, landed here in the Fall

of 1633, cannot be ascertained. Such may have been the case,

as Germans participated also in the foundation of the colony

of Virginia. It is however worthy of note, that only in one

single instance in the history of Maryland, up to 1700, is

the nationality of a German expressly mentioned. This we

find in connection with the religious troubles in the colony,

which led to the memorable "Battle of the Severn."

Many names of Germans in the period spoken of, were

undoubtedly adapted to English pronunciation; and the muti-

lation was carried to such an extent, that it is now impossible

to make out their original spelling, and then, too, Germans

were generally termed "Dutch." As a matter of fact, how-

ever, there was no real Germany at that time; there were

Bohemians, and Hessians, and Palatines, even Palatines who

emigrated from Holstein (!) but seldom Germans.

It is accordingly impossible to determine with accuracy

how far Germans helped to make the early history of our

State. It is nevertheless proved beyond all doubt, that Germans

settled here in the very beginning of the colony. But the

greater part came here as indentured servants; that is to say,

after having landed they were sold to cover the expense of

their passage over. This was, however, until far into the 18th

century, the case with most of the colonists who helped swell

the population of Maryland.

Although servants were distinguished from slaves and al-

though in general their lot may have been bearable, yet it

occured frequently that indentured persons sought to escape

from servitude by flight. In the North of Maryland, on the

Delaware, were situated the Dutch settlements, where fugitives

were received with open arms, and in Virginia they found pro-

tection and encouragement. This state of things caused the

colonial government to enact laws for preventing the desertion

of servants. These laws were rigorously enforced, but did not

prove of avail to materially lessen the evil. Success was only

possible when the contiguous colonies united for mutual action.

Virginia gave the first impulse in the matter, by requesting

the government of Maryland to reject all foreigners, i. e. serv-

ants, who should come to the province from Virginia, on the

ground that such illegal emigrations would deprive the land

of useful artisans and laborers. The negotiations thus initia-

ted led to good results, as a resolution of the General Assembly

of the year 1669 will show. It reads as follows:

"The freemen of the General Assembly do pray that it

may be enacted and be it enacted by the Rt. Hon. the

Ld. Prop. with the advice and consent of the upper and

lower House of this present General Assembly and the

authority of the same, that there be a logg house prison

twenty foot square built at Augustyne Herman's, in Bal-

timore County, for the surety and safe keeping of run-

aways and fugitives, as well such as shall come to us

from our neighboring colonies."

It is worth mentioning with reference to this act, that at

the first court session in Maryland, dealing with desertion from

service, or rather with enticing to desertion, Germans were

active, and that they also took a conspicuous part in the above

mentioned communication from Virginia, and finally in build-

ing the first prison for deserters.

On the 12th of December 1642, that is to say only nine

years after the foundation of the colony, a case was brought

before the provincial court of which we have the following

account:

"Came afore the court Thomas White, Thomas Allen and

Francis Stoure, by warrt. to answer to such things as

should be obiected agst. them, and Michael = (a) Hacker

spinster aged 20 years (maid servant of Jane Cockshott

widd.) being sworne to give true evidence, said upon her

oath, that upon wednesday evening last, this deponent

being in her maistresses house at St. Iniges, Thomas

White came to this dept. and asked her whether she would

see her brother in Virginia and she asking him, how she

might do so, he told her that he and Francis Stoure and

his wife were to go soon to Virginia she might go with

them and that he would carry her downe, and she might

be freed from this service."

Upon this testimony White was sentenced to thirty lashes

and was compelled to furnish security in a thousand pounds

of tobacco, to "keep him from seducing others." Stoure and

Allen were released, which shows that they were free citizens.

Stoure very likely was a German, his name having originally

been spelled Stuher or Stauer.

This petition from Virginia, which led to a species of

treaty between the two colonies, claimed for its justification

that the following persons had left Virginia to settle in Mary-

land : "Augustyne Herman, born in Prague, Bohemia; Eph-

raim Georgius and Casparus Herman; Anna Margarethe, Judith

and Franciska, daughters, born in New York; Anna Hack, born

in Amsterdam; Georg and Peter Hack, born at Accomacke, in

Virginia; and John Jarboe of Dijon, France, which have for

many years lived in this Province."

All these were naturalized in Maryland by act of Legisla-

ture in 1663, and they are, as far as known, the only persons

who obtained naturalization in Maryland in this particular way.

It is unfortunately impossible to say, from which part of

Germany the Hacks came. One John Hack appears already as

a witness at the Provincial Court at St. Mary's on the 30th

of September 1647. He traded with the Indians, and though

living in Virginia, he was well known in Maryland. He was

probably the father of George and Peter Hack of Accomacke.

He must have died before 1663. His widow and sons followed

Augustin Herman to Maryland; the latter being brother-in-law

to George Hack. About their life subsequent to their emigra-

tion very little is known. The most prominent among them

was George Hack. He was one of the subscribers to the so-

called "Engagement of Northampton" of the 25th of March

1651, by which the county took the part of the Parliament,

that is of Cromwell and the Republic. Like his father he was

a merchant, and besides that a physician; for in the archives

of Maryland we find under date of June 11th, 1662, the notice

"That Dr. George Hack is permitted to export twenty barrels

of corn." The name "Hack's Point," in Cecil County, indi-

cates where the Hacks settled.

Other families left Virginia at this time and emigrated to

Maryland. In this connection a tragic occurence must be re-

lated, which occured in 1661. Two Germans: Severin Hack

and John Norden, together with some others, were murdered

by Indians on their way to Cecil County. It is probable that

Severin was a son of George or Peter Hack. As the event just

mentioned characterizes the state of things in the colony at

that time it may be related according to the account given in

the archives of Maryland. On the 20th of April 1661 Captain

Utie received the following letter from William Hellingsworth,

who had settled at Sandy Point:

"These lynes of myne I am afrayd will be the intelligence

of sad tidings. The 17th day of this month there de-

pted. from hence three Englishmen, one Dutchman, their

names I have not, William —, John Norden, Mr. Hack

a Dutchman, and a cooper, which persons we fear are

murthered by the Indians in their journey home. The

Indians say their bodys lay at a place called Saquasehum."

Investigation was made immediately, which proved the in-

telligence to be correct. The dead bodies were found, and it

was ascertained to which tribe of Indians the murderers be-

longed. The chief of the tribe was summoned before the court

to be held at Appaquimmin, September 19th, 1661. He ap-

peared and by his cleverly conducted defense secured the acquit-

tal of his men. The result of the trial shows also the equity,

moderation and prudence of the colonists towards the Indians.

The procedings are recorded as follows:

"Came before the Court Pinna, King of Tickhattomitta

in Delaware Bay showing that whereas there had been

divers men slayne by the English belonging to the Pas-

sajonke Indians now under his command; and amongst

them his owne brother, in revenge of which divers Eng-

lish had been slayne by those Indians. Yet as did be-

lieve, all these outrages were committed by the English

without order from Governor and Conncell soe he did

assure the Governor and Councell that those revenges were

taken by his Indians without his or any of his greate

men knowledge, therefore did desire that all might be

forgotten and that from henceforth the Indians might

live in peace with the English. — To which the Governor

answered that as he did desire peace, so he did desire

Justice alsoe, and provided, that they would deliver

up those Indians, that had killed John Norden and Se-

verin Hack with his companions to be proceded against

according to our Justice, he would come to articles of

peace with him.

Whereunto the said Pinna answered, that the English

had begun the warre and first killed one of his men,

as he was peaceable coming by their plantation, oversett

the canowe, out of which the lost three guns. Afterward

they pursued them into the woods and there shott at

them, that as his Indians fled, in their way home they

met the said Norden and Hack and companions, and

contrary to the advise of an old man of the company

that stood weeping by and perswading them to speake with

the great men of the English first, did kill the said Nor-

den and Hack and company, saying that the English

would have warre. But that since that tyme the English

had sett upon two canowes of Indians and killed five

of them, and amongst them his own brother; all which

notwithstanding he was willing and desirous to make a

peace between us and his Indians, forgetting the blood

of his owne brother."

This statement did not fail to make an impression upon the

court, the more so as the truth of it could not be denied. The

murder of the two peaceable Germans remained judicially un-

avenged; for as things then were the Government could not

avoid accepting the proposition of the astute Indian. The

articles of peace between the two parties were signed by the

English and Pinna, September 19th, 1661.

In the conflict between the religious and political factions,

which checked the healthy development of the colony for years,

mention is made of an unfortunate German who became the

victim of party-rage. In the "Battle on the Severn" the Puri-

tans had gained a decisive victory over the Catholics. But

these pious conquerors were not satisfied with this success; hav-

ing tasted the blood of their enemies they thirsted for more.

Ten of the prisoners captured in the battle were condemned to

be shot, a sentence which would undoubtedly have been exe-

cuted, had not sundry good-hearted wives of the Puritians saved

six from the hands of their cruel husbands. Three officers,

however, and a common soldier, the latter being a German,

were shot. John Pedro, as the name of the German is writ-

ten, was the servant of Lieutenant Eltonhead, and had come

from England with his master only a few months previous to

the battle. He devoted himself with his master to the cause

of Lord Baltimore, and suffered death at his side. What con-

demned just these two to the fate of those who found no mercy

from the Puritans, was the fact that Lieutenant Eltonhead had

brought letters from England from which Governor Stone had

learned that Lord Baltimore's patent was yet in force. This

knowledge led Governor Stone to send the expedition against

the Puritans. They therefore regarded Eltonhead as the real

originator af the conflict. While executing him they thought

fit to make his brave servant share his master's fate and shot

him. also.

Till 1700 the emigration of Germans into Maryland was

insignificant. The colony was the private property of a Catholic

Lord, while the main contingent of German emigrants consisted

of oppressed Protestants, who, nothwithstanding the liberties

granted by Lord Baltimore, preferred to settle rather in New

York, Pennsylvania or Virginia, than in Maryland.

Just because Maryland was no crown-colony, it received

no benefit from the exportations en masse of Germans (Palati-

nates) which were made by England mainly to New York at

the close of the seventeenth and at the beginning of the eight-

teenth centuries. Yet like single swallows announcing the com-

ing spring, a number of Germans settled in Maryland during

that period. They either came direct from Europe or emigrated

from the neighboring colonies. The most prominent among

these was the famous map-maker and Surveyor Augustine Her-

man, from Prague, Bohemia.

One of the first German emigrants into Maryland was

Cornelius Commegys from Vienna, who settled in Cecil County.

The circumstances connected with his coming here lead one to

think that he had previously settled in the Dutch colony on

the Delaware, where he had married a Dutch wife. On July

30, 1666, he received a patent for 150 acres of land, that is,

for himself, his wife Wilhemintye, and his son Cornelius, 50

acres respectively. There is no record of him as having been

"transported" and he was accordingly entitled to take poses-

sion of his land immediately. When in 1679 the two Labadists

Danker-Schilders and Sluyter-Vorstmann visited Maryland, they

found Commegys in possession of a large farm, and his son

Cornelius was about to buy a-farm for himself. His first wife

Wilhemintye, however, had died, and he was married again to

an English woman.

With Commegys four other Germans had arrived in Mary-

land, namely: Andreas Kornelius, Arian Harman (Hermann),

Alice, Christian and Magdalena Henner. About the later life

of these nothing is known, but Danker in 1679 met a "High-

German" on the farm of Captain Miller, in Cecil County, where

he lived as a Proctor or Advocate. This person was probably

either Herman or Kornelius.

At Annapolis, then called "Port of Severn," John Beck

landed in 1668. He was sold to a man in Baltimore County.

It took him 20 years to become a landowner, for it was not

until the 12th of June 1688, that a hundred acres were sur-

veyed him in the newly formed Cecil County.

John Best and Margareth Braune landed in 1671. In

the same year John Hacker with wife and four children ar-

rived at Annapolis. The ship came from London and had on

board, besides this family, a number of indentured persons.

The Hackers were sold to a certain Bryan in Talbot County.

and had to struggle even longer than Beck, until they were

able to accomplish something for themselves. On November

16th, 1696, Hacker received 250 acres in Talbot County. Eleven

years later there were surveyed in the same county 200 acres

to another John Hacker, probably the son of the former.

No other names of Germans, landed here before 1680, are

contained in the lists of passengers preserved at Annapolis.

There occur, however, a number of names which were, probably,

originally German, but wear a decided English look. Where

the following persons landed, whether at Annapolis or at

Alexandria, Va., cannot be stated:

Martin Faulkner, September 23rd, 1680, received 150 acres

in Anne Arundel County. He called his land "Martin's Rest"

and had to pay six shillings tax "in gold or silver"; Nicklas

Gross made application for. and received in the same year 40

acres.

Further settled: Daniel Hast, August 30th, 1680, in So-

merset County; Robert Knapp, September 22nd, 1681; Chris-

toph Geist, August 10th, 1684, in Baltimore County; William

Gross, October 24th, 1684, in St. Mary's County; Richard

Schippe, the same; John Leniger, October 10th, 1683, in Balti-

more County; Rudolph Brandt, June 12th, 1686, in Charles

County. The latter must have been here some time before and

must have become well acquainted with the colony and its laws.

A certain Smith, whose land lay adjoining to Brandt's settle-

ment, claimed 115 acres of Brandt's land as belonging to him.

Thereupon Brandt had the deeds in the land office searched,

and these proved Smith to be in the wrong. Subsequently the

land was declared to be Brandt's property. The same process

was repeated in the case of 169 acres, some years later.

Ann Gross and Thomas Rigge received land in 1685; both

in Baltimore County.

There are recorded the names of two Germans, who seem

to have been exceptions among their less fortunate countrymen.

William Blankenstein is termed a "Gent," that is to say, he

had paid for his passage and possessed some fortune after hav-

ing arrived. He must have arrived about 1685 and remained

for some time at St. Mary's, the residence of Lord Baltimore.

His warrant dates from that year. He probably was a noble-

man from Germany. In 1687 he received 400 acres in Cecil

County. John Falkner was one of the few who bought their

land. On June 1st, 1685, there were sold to him in Charles

County 200 acres for 5000 pounds of good and merchantable

tobacco." Why this was done is not mentioned. It is strange

however, as there was plenty of land, which could be had with-

out paying for it.*)

Up to the close of the century the following persons

received land in the ordinary way: Thomas Faulkner, June

12th, 1688, in Talbot County; William Gross, May 2nd, 1689,

in the same County; William Lange, November 10th, 1691;

Robert Sadler, April 4th, 1689, both in Baltimore County, and

finally Francis Spermann, July 1st, 1700, in Kent County.

The emigration of Peter Sluyter, the founder and leader

of the Labadist settlement on the Bohemian River deserves

special mention. Sluyter was from Wesel in the Rheinland,

his original name having been Vorstmann. But before his

immigration hither he substituted the name Sluyter, more

properly spelled Schluter. He was a theologian, but with his

brother had joined the Labadists at Amsterdam. Whilst his

brother soon left the sect, he remained and became one of

their prominent members. In 1679 he and Jasper Danker

(Schilders) were sent to America by the mother-colony at Wie-

werd to look for a suitable place for the foundation of a daughter-

colony which was then in contemplation. The two emissaries

left Wiewerd on the 8th of June, 1679, and returned after a

most successful voyage on the 12th of October, 1680. A suit-

able situation had been secured, and besides that a goodly

number of adherents to the sect had been gained. Among

these was Ephraim, the oldest son of Augustin Herman.

The description of the voyage, written by the learned wine-

racker Danker in the form of a Journal, has been preserved and

contains many interesting notes on contemporary conditions in

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

On the 27th of July, 1683, Sluyter and Danker again

arrived at New York, and further succeeded with the aid of

Ephraim in obtaining a large tract of land from Augustin Her-

man on the Bohemian River. Old Mr. Herman even promised

to erect the necessary buildings for the colony. The deed of

conveyance of the land was executed by Augustin Herman on

*) The simple and natural explanation is that this was improved land. H.W.

the 11th of August, 1684, to Peter Sluyter and Jasper Danker

from Friesland, Petrus Bayard from New York, John Moll and

Arnoldus de la Grange from Delaware.

Moll and de la Grange immediately released their interest

in the land to Sluyter and Danker, Bayard did the same in

1688, which indicates, that they had allowed their names to be

used for the purpose of deceiving Augustin Herman. (More

particulars of the mutual relations of Herman and the Labadists

are given in connection with the short account of the life of

Augustin Herman.)

Sluyter and Danker were naturalized on September the 21st,

1684; the name of the former being given in the act as Slayter,

and of the latter Dauntrees,—a fine specimen of the way in

which names were adapted to the English Language.

After the possession of the land was secured, the two

Labadists took measures to provide shelter for the expected

colonists. Soon a company of men and women, including

several families arrived from Wiewerd, and the commuity was

inaugurated according to the rules of Labadic. Danker how-

ever returned to Holland and there conveyed his interests in

the possession on the Bohemian River to Sluyter. Thus this

man became sole proprietor of the whole tract, and supreme

leader of the community as well. He declared himself "Bishop"

under Yvon the "Archbishop" at Wiewerd, and kept his flock

under the most rigorous discipline.

His wife was installed as a kind of an abbess over the

female members of the community, and as far as keeping her

inferiors well in hand was concerned, she seems to have been

as much feared by them as was her husband by the men.

The whole enterprise however, unsound as it was in its

first principles, never became flourishing. But Sluyter himself

evidently liked his position as "Bishop" and proprietor not so

badly, for when Yvon requested him to return to Wiewerd, he

preferred to disobey his "Archbishop" and to stay where he

was. In the course of time he deviated farther and farther

from the statutes of Labadie. He became a successful tobacco-

planter and a regular slavetrader; and he has been charged

with having been exceptionally cruel towards his slaves.

The community, governed by him, never exceeded the

number of a hundred members, and in a comparatively short

time most of these had dispersed. In 1698 besides himself only

eight male members remained, whose names were: Herman van

Berkelo, Nicholas de la Montaigne, Petrus de Koning, Derick

Kolchman, John Moll, jr., Hendrick Sluyter and Samuel

Bayard.

Hendrick Sluyter was a cousin of Peter Sluyter, and must

have emigrated shortly after the foundation of the community;

for he shared with the others, when in 1698 the whole posses-

sion was divided among the surviving members.

Peter Sluyter was a wealthy man when he died in 1722.

He left by will "all his estate, the plantation and land belong-

ing to it, negroes, horses, cattle, household-stuff, and what had

been belonging to his apothecary shop and chemistry" to his

son-in-law, Petrus Bonchell, which indicates that he had no

descendant of his name.

He had a brother living at the time of his death; but

when his brother had emigrated is not known, probably after

the year 1700—.

As has been mentioned before, none of the Germans who

settled in Maryland in the Seventeenth century became as

famous as Augustine Herman, the founder of Cecil County.

In the archives of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and

Virginia, there is sufficient historical material on hand to give

in some degree a complete account of his life.

Bohemians, Hollanders and Germans claim him as theirs;

German and Czech-Bohemians still wander to his ancient settle-

ment on the Bohemian River to gaze with reverence on the spot

where he lived and died, though neither the time of his death

nor the place of his burial are known.

Augustine Herman was of German nationality and was

born at Prague, Bohemia, 1631. The year of his birth is

erroneously given by others as 1605. But in his last will,

written September 27th, 1684, subscribing his name, he gives

his age as follows: "Augustine Herman, Bohemian, aetatis 63.

The time of his arrival in America can only be approximately

estimated. What we can say with certainty is that he lived

sometime in Amsterdam, Holland, and in the service of the

Dutch-Westindia Company arrived at New Amsterdam (New

York). Here he soon gained a reputation in political affairs,

although in a contemporary register of citizens he is classified

as belonging to the second or smaller citizen-class. When the

Dutch colonists on the Hudson despatched nine delegates to

Holland to complain against the Governor and the above named

Company, Herman was one of the nine men. He never reached

Holland, however, but married in 1650 Janekin Verlett, the

sister of a wealthy merchant and a relative of Governor Stuyve-

sant.

Herman made common cause with the discontented col-

onists and thus incurred the hostility of Stuyvesant; the autocrat

even cast him into prison as a traitor. Yet in the course of

time circumstances must have brought the two into friendly

relations again, for in 1659 we find Herman as Stuyvesant's

Ambassador to Governor Fendall of Maryland. A dispute had

arisen concerning the Dutch Colony on the Delaware. Captain

Utie had in brutal language declared that a part of the colony

in question belonged to Maryland, and he demanded with threats

of the alarmed colonists, that they should either leave the

district or subject themselves to the authority of Maryland.

Stuyvesant accordingly sent a military expedition to the Dela-

ware with strict orders to seize Utie as a spy. But when the

Dutch arrived there, Utie had repaired to a safe place, having

gone back in time to Patuxent. Notwithstanding the failure

of his military expedition, Stuyvesant hoped to accomplish his

purpose by sending an embassy. But the negotiation conducted

by his delegates failed also to lead to an agreement; this, how-

ever, must not surprise us since in the council, which had to

decide the matter, the same Utie, who was the real originator

of the whole trouble, was sitting as a member.

This was on October the 6th, 1659.

After the delegates had been answered by a refusal, Her-

man instructed his collegue Resolved, (or Rosevelt) Waldron to

return to New Amsterdam and to deliver there the unpleasant

message, whilst he went to Virginia, pretending to ask the

advice of the Governor of Virginia, as to how an agreement

between the Hollanders and Marylanders could be arrived at.

But in reality he seems to have become utterly tired of living

among the heavy and sluggish Mynheers on the Hudson and

desirous of acquiring a new homestead.

After visiting George Hack, his brother-in-law at Accomacke,

he returned to Maryland in the Spring of 1660 and decided to

settle here.

He was documented as a Denizen already on January 14th,

1660, but his naturalization dates from September 17th, 1663,

and was ordered by an act of the Upper House of Maryland,

the following being a literal copy of the document:

"Then was read the pet'n of Augustyne Herman for an

Act of Naturalization for himselfe, children, and his

brother-in-lawe George Hack.------

Ordered likewise that

an Act of Naturalization be prepared for Augustyne Her-

man and his children and his brother-in-lawe, George

Hack, and his wife and children."

Besides this there is extant a notice under date of 1666,

which declares that the naturalization of Herman was affirmed.

This circumstantiality is explained by the fact that Herman

was afraid of being claimed by the Dutch as a subject of theirs;

and we may well believe that he never returned to New York

as long as that place was a Dutch Colony.

A legend that has long been in circulation in the upper

part of Cecil County, however, seems to point to the contrary.

After having settled in Maryland, Herman is said to have

returned to New York to arrange his affairs, but for some

unkown cause was soon imprisoned. In order to gain an opportu-

nity for escape he feigned madness, and begged to be allowed

the company of his horse, a fine gray charger. This peculiar

petition was granted; but no sooner had the horse been brought

to him than he mounted and took his way through the windows

of the prison, twenty feet from the ground. Closely pursued

by his enemies he reached New Castle on the Delaware. The

horse swam the river with his rider and died from over-exer-

tion after he had brought his master in security to the further

shore.

This legend may be based upon a real occurence, for Her-

man possessed a painting, commemorating a similar event. Of

this picture two copies are yet extant.

These very disputes about the Colony on the Delaware had

taught Herman how valuable a good map, comprising the whole

section of the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, would be. He

offered his services to Lord Baltimore to make a map of the

colony, if His Lordship would grant him a certain amount of

land with the privilege of a manor. Lord Baltimore gladly

accepted the offer and in a letter of September 18th, 1660, he

instructed his Governor to assign to Herman 4000 acres of land.

Herman was now entitled to select the land where he

deemed best; the only stipulation being that it should not

comprise tracts which had already been surveyed for other

colonists. This he carefully avoided. He chose his land on

the Elk River, where scarcely the foot of a white man had

ever trod. There the silence of the dense primeval forest was

disturbed only by the music of nature: the sigh of the wind,

the lively call of the wippurwill or mocking bird and the rustle

of the dry leaves under the foot of the roe or bear. Unmolested

by the plough and the axe of the white settlers, there yet stood

the wigwam of the red man, and the chief with his warriors

held council about the next deerhunt. The land belonged to

the wild and warlike tribe of the Susquehannocks, and, as it was

dangerous to wander within their domain, the 4000 acres were

superficially estimated, and Herman was left to come to an

understanding with the savages. But Herman on his voyage

as Ambassador had already taken a view of the land and had

probably even smoked the peace pipe with the chief of the

Susquehannocks.

In the early days of 1661 he started for his intended new

Homestead and on January 14th bought from the Indians the

whole complex lying east of the upper part of the Chesapeake

Bay. After the conclusion of his treaty with the Indians,

Herman communicated his success to Lord Baltimore, who was

highly pleased with the intelligence and promised Herman in

a letter of September 18th, 1661, every privilege he should

need; His Lordship having understood the communication as

though it were the intention of his new vassal to build a town,

he decided as a special favor that the place should be called

Cecilton, and the country around it Cecil County. But this

was far from Herman's purpose: he rather wished to keep his

Manor solitary, and like the barons in Europe, to make his life

as independent and distinguished as possible.

Though Lord Baltimore was somewhat disappointed in his

expectation, yet from the above named letter originates the

formation and name of Cecil County, Herman planted his new

Home in the forest wilderness, and having things settled fairly,

he betook himself to the work of making the promised map

of Maryland.

About this time must have occurred the death of his wife,

his Janekin; for in the act of his naturalization all the mem-

bers of his family are mentioned, except Mrs. Herman, which

would not have been the case if she had been still living at

that time. The name of Mrs. Herman is likewise still missing

in the first will of Herman, made May 24th, 1661; and a dis-

position concerning his grave and burial, dated 1665, gives

undisputable evidence that Herman was a widower at that time;

he wrote:

"I do appoint my burial and sepulcher if I die in this

Bay or in Delaware, to be in Bohemia Manor in my

garden by my wife Johanna Varlett's, and that a great

sepulcher stone shall be errected upon our graves three

feet above ground like unto a table with engraven letters,

that I am the first seater and beginner of Bohemia Manor,

A. D. 1660 and died............

While at work on his map, Herman was chosen Represent-

ative of Baltimore County to the General Assembly. This is

shown by a resolution of that body in the month of October

1663. There was ordered:

"That every County shall satisfye unto their Representative

Burgesses All their necessary Expenses for meate, drinke

and lodging for themselves and charges of Boate and hands

for this ensuing cropp, As also one hundred pounds of

Tobacco unto Lieutenant Coll. Jarboe

------one thousand

pounds of Tobacco to Mr. Augustyne Herman."

In a comparatively short time Herman was able to

complete his map of Maryland. Besides the territory now

included in that State, it comprised also the whole section

between North Carolina and the Hudson River. After the

fashion of the time he embellished the map with his own

portrait. This picture is the only one we possess and has been

published in several historical works. The map, athough in

some respects deficient, was a fine specimen of workmanship

and obtained ample recognition and praise.

In 1670 he sent his proud work to Lord Baltimore, who

was at that time residing at London, England. In a letter

accompanying the map he stated that in addition to his own

labor he had incurred about 200 pounds Sterling expenses, but

history is silent as to whether he ever received any further

compensation. In a flattering letter addressed to him, however,

it was stated:

"That His Lordship had received no small Satisfaction by

the variety of that mapp, and that the Kings Majesty, His

Royall Highness, and all others commended the exactness

of the work, applauding it for the best mapp, that ever

was drawn of any country."

Herman had gained a prominent position in the political

affairs of the Colony. It has been previously mentioned that

the first prison for the accommodation of fugitives and runaways

was erected on his plantation. He also filled the office of a

sheriff in Baltimore County. Under date of March 6th, 1669,

we find among the proceedings of the General Assembly the

following passage:

"Upon reading of the Act preventing Servants and Criminal

persons from running out of this province, the House

thought fit to add this Provisoe in it: Providing always

that til Seals from each Several and respective County Court

Can be had to seal passes As is aforesaid, that all passes

sealed with the Seal of Augustine Herman, aforesaid and

signed by him, which he is hereby authorized, from time

time to sign and seal for the fee of one Shilling for

each pass."

Further, on July 4th, 1665, he was sworn in as one of

the Lieutenants who were to be at the disposal of Captain

Sibrey, Commissioner of public security.

In building the "logg house prison" and in keeping pris-

oners he believed himself to have lost money (that is to say

tobacco) and in a "remonstrance" of the 8th of April, 1671,

he petitioned for a further subvention by the Government. He

did not succeed, however, for the Lower House resolved as

follows:

"This house having perused this Remonstrance and de-

manded An Account of Augustyne Herman for 10,000 lbs.

tobco. raised by Act, and what tobco. he hatt received

of and for Prisoners and he having sent the same as

inclosed: This House not being therewith Satisfyed have

thrown the same out of this house as not conceiving the

Remonstrance or the Proposals herein necessary ore reason-

able. They judging his Prison a Charge to the County."

This resolution was submitted to the Upper House, which

quite naturally approved it, leaving Herman to come to an

understanding with the county authorities of Baltimore County.

It would appear that in all Herman did for the public

good, he acted upon the principle of looking out first for his

own welfare, and in the administration of his office as County

Commissioner he was never over-scrupulous. Some years after

the affair of the "Remonstrance" he became involved in a far

more serious case, which was brought before the Legislature on

May 19th, 1676. On that date a certain Mr. Frisbe appeared

before the Lower House as plaintiff against the County Com-

missioners of Cecil County. From the decision then