son of Jonas Green and Anne Catherine his wife-and was Christened a few days after by the Rev. Mr. Malcolm, Dr. Alexander Hamilton and Mr. Samuel Middleton and his wife being sureties.

Saint Anne Annapolis 20 Jany 1750/1."

Sometimes strange, and now unknown names appear among the baptisms, and we find the following:

"Born 6 Sept. 1716 Marylandia daughter to his Excellency John Hart Governor of this Province and Anne his wife and baptised 21 September 1716

Saint Annes Annapolis."

"Sabarent Dulany dau. of Mr. Wm Dulany and Mary his wife was born 7 February one Thousand seven Hundred and thirty

seven

Saint Johns, Baltimore County"

The earliest notice of the baptism of a negro slave is in 1698, but after that date they are quite frequent.

"Samuel Matthews a negro of Mr. James Sanders S was baptised the 22 January 1698/9 in the Parish of All Hallows by Mr. Coalbatch Minister

Ann Arundell Co"

What reason Mr. Goldsmith had for wishing to place on record the following fact is not known to the writer, but it was deemed of such importance that the Register made a special attestation to it:

"Wm Copeland Goldsmith son of Thomas Goldsmith and Lilly his wife was born, and his left ear growing more from his head than the other, the Parents of the said child thought proper to request the Clerk of the Register in the Parish where the said child was born, to enter the same on the Register aforesaid, he being born with his ear in the Form as above expressed. In confirmation of the Truth of this entry, I have hereunto put my hand this 7 October 1757

Signed John Roberts, Register

St Johns Baltimore County."

In days when distances were great and roads were bad, it was not remarkable that there should be some unpunctuality about the attendance at the meetings of the Vestry, and at a meeting of the Vestry of Durham Parish, Charles County, 9 October, 1779, the following Resolution was passed :-"That 12 o'clock be the hour of meeting, and to provide for punctuality that the Dial in the Church Yard is to determine the time of day and in case it is cloudy, the majority of watches which their owners on their honour think right."

Among the many duties of the Vestry was the nominating of persons who inspected the tobacco, which was shipped from different points in the Province, and the following extract from the Records of Durham show the indecision in the minds of some of those living in 1776, as to the Government of the Province:

"To the Governor for the time being, or the Convention, or the Council of Safety-The Vestry and Church Wardens have nominated and recommended as Inspectors &c. &c.".

Another reminder of the war is to be found in the same Record, where it is written :

"Invasion of the enemy prevented a meeting of the Parishioners to choose a Vestry on Easter Monday 1781."

We will give one more extract, which recommends itself, as the farewell words of a good man, who was Rector of Saint Anne's, Annapolis.

"John Humphreys late Rector of this Parish was born in the City of Limerick in the province of Munster, Ireland and aged this year of grace 1739, 53 years, in which he died.

"His parents were persons of repute and figure, his Father being a Practitioner in Physic, eminent for his skill and practice, born in Lincolnshire in England, married to a daughter of the N. family of Roper.

"He lost his parents very early never having known his Father nor had he at the age of 12 years one relation living in the Kingdom, nor has he seen one since, except one Hoddilow half-brother to his Father a good Citizen of London by profession a Drysalter.

He died in this Strange land among Friends who he hopes will say he did not displease them, nor offend by irregular or indecent living during sixteen years residence among them.

"He prays this may

with his Induction."

be recorded in the Church Register together

The early Parishes have been divided and subdivided, and Parish Registers are numerous, and kept with more system and regularity than in the early days, but they are lacking in the entries made at the will of the Clergyman or Clerk, which add so much interest to the old Parish Registers, whenever found.

NEW LIGHT ON SOME MARYLAND LOYALISTS.

BERNARD C. STEINER.

The newly organized Bureau of Archives of the Province of Ontario has published as the second report of its archivist, Alexander Fraser, two volumes of the evidence in the Canadian claims of the United Empire Loyalists given before Col. Thomas Dundas and Mr. Jeremy Pemberton, two royal commissioners who came to America shortly before the close of the Revolution. Other loyalists appeared before commissioners in England. This inquiry into the losses and services of these exiles, in consequence of their loyalty, throws interesting light upon some Maryland Tories. The work of the Commissioners began at Halifax in November, 1785, and there, on December 20, came Hugh Kelly,1 who was a native of Ireland and went to Maryland in 1774, meaning "to settle on the back of the Allegany Mountains." He purchased land near the mouth of the Cheat River, and built a house on a clearing he made there, but declared that he had been forced to flee in 1781 from Maryland where he then resided. He was made prisoner and had taken from him a horse valued at £25, a watch

11, p. 55.

worth £7.10, and £133 Pennsylvania currency in cash. The value of the articles confiscated from his wife and himself after his escape, was £117 Pennsylvania currency. During the earlier years of the Revolution, he always paid fines as a non-juror and for not going out as a militia-man and during these years "carried on a very beneficial business in the manufacturing of linen and woolen goods." At his flight, he went to New York City and remained there, until it was evacuated, when he came to Nova Scotia.

2

At Shelburne, on June 20, 1786, Charles Oliver Bruff1 swore that he was born in Talbot County, but resided in New York in 1775, as a silversmith. Three days later, Joseph H. Barton testified for Joseph Hill that he had known him many years and had frequently been on his place in Worcester County, where Hill kept a large store of wet and dry goods and had above 100 acres of cleared land. "He was reputed to be a man of large property and was a magistrate in Maryland." His sons continued "to live in the States."

At Halifax, on July 20, Hugh Dean testified that, a native of Scotland, he went to America in 1770 and in 1775 "was settled on the Eastern Shore of Maryland as a trader." From the beginning of the troubles, he declared his attachment to Great Britain and was, in consequence, molested and prevented from carrying on business." He engaged in the uprising of December, 1776, was wounded in the thigh and taken by the patriots and was then kept in jail for 11 months. During that time he made three attempts to escape, of which the last was successful, so that he got on board the Richmond frigate and went to New York. Remaining there until the peace, he then went to the Bahamas, where he resided in 1786. Henry Kelly and Anthony Stewart, formerly of Annapolis, testified in his behalf and Drs. Mathews and Stevenson sent certificates as to his loyalty. Dean stated that he had bought from Levin Gale in 1773, 500 acres of land in Somerset County, with buildings and improvements, paying 40s. sterling per acre for the property, on which he made improvements

1I, p. 139.

21, p. 148.

31, p. 173.

amounting to about £50. He had about 50 acres cleared corn land and the rest was chiefly woodland, valuable for lumber. All this land was confiscated, with stock and utensils valued at £100 stg., as well as 3 negro men and 1 negro woman, each worth about £40 currency. He did not owe a shilling, but left debts due him amounting to £2,500 currency.

Lt.-Col. Conolly,' who was taken prisoner in Frederick County in 1775, appeared before the Commissioners in London on February 2, 1784, but his examination yielded nothing of interest to students of Maryland history. Lt.-Col. James Chalmers appeared on February 11, 1784, in London and testified that he was a native of Scotland and went to the West Indies when about 13 years of age. About 1760, he removed to Pennsylvania and later to Maryland, where he had a large plantation. At the commencement of the war "he was offered a regiment in the Rebel army," but, as he continued loyal, he had to retire to New York in 1777, leaving his land and negroes behind him. He served throughout the war in the Loyalist regiments, while his wife remained on his property in the endeavor to preserve it. Rev. John Patterson, formerly his pastor in Kent County, and Richard Smyth, a native of Maryland, gave evidence as to his loyalty.

Thomas Rogers,3 a native of Ireland, came to Maryland in 1772, but left the Province for South Carolina in 1774.

Dr. Alexander Stenhouse, appeared before the Commissioners on March 6, 1784, in London. He was a Scotchman who came to America in 1756 and settled in Baltimore County in 1759. Thence he removed to Baltimore Town in 1764 and remained there until 1776 in the practice of physic. While he was a loyalist, he could not take "active part, being so much engaged in business. He was called upon by the Rebels to take arms and desired by his customers to take part, but constantly refused, by which conduct he was deprived of the exercise of his profession and treated with contempt by his former friends." In April, 1776, he left Baltimore and went to Philadelphia, whence he came in a vessel to Lisbon and landed in England in July, 1776. He 1II, p. 1125. 3 п, р. 1210. *II, pp. 1211, 1250.

2 II, p. 1164.