RELEASE DATE: JUNE 13, 2021
KINSEARCHING
by
Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
Experienced genealogists are well aware that many court records have been lost through the years for various reasons. Fortunately, a few have eventually been found or returned, such as two volumes of early Maryland legal records that were probably confiscated by the British Army during the American Revolution. John F. Polk brings one of the volumes to the attention of researchers with his new book, PETITIONS AND JUDGMENTS, CECIL COUNTY COURT, 1717-1732: ABSTRACTS WITH SELECTED TRANSCRIPTIONS.
Polk’s work contains formal petitions made by individuals or groups in the years 1717-1732 and the court’s decision in each case. As a result, the proceedings provide a fascinating glimpse into the lives and concerns, both public and private, of colonial people during the early part of the eighteenth century—a period when Cecil County’s basic infrastructure and organization were being organized.
The topics of cases presented to the court covered a wide spectrum, ranging from routine to petty to significant. Many petitions focused on establishing or rerouting of roads and paths, operating ferries, and licensing public houses for the convenience of travelers and commerce. Possibly the most frequent petitions concerned the formation of a commission to investigate the boundaries of a property whose corner markers had eroded or disappeared over the course of time.
Common cases often pertained to personal or private affairs. For example, Joseph CLERK asked that his stepson, Kelly WARREN, be removed from indenture while Jane BARRY wanted to have her son returned from a questionable indenture. Actions regarding guardianships also arose, such as the case of Neal COOKE requesting to be made the guardian of the orphan, William RUDLEDGE.
Sometimes the petitions were for tax relief. Mary PARSONS, for instance, asked that two old slaves be made tax free. Joseph YOUNG wished that Benjamin CLARK, an ailing man in his care, also be made tax free.
As individuals aged and became infirm, they made pleas for charitable assistance. In 1730, Solomon BOWEN, who became blind, asked for assistance as did Matthew WALLACE, “near eighty years of age,” who had lived in Cecil County for many years and had no “certain habitation.”
Other cases demonstrate how wide a range of interesting subjects were brought to court. John DYE, for example, requested payment to Sarah DYE for cleaning the courthouse. Elinor WARE needed the court to compel the father of her child to provide support. Sheriff John HACK petitioned for help in hanging a convicted prisoner. Benjamin ALLEN and Cornelius McCORMACK wanted the bounty owed to them for squirrel heads.
To assist family historians with obtaining copies of the original material, Polk furnishes for each entry the folio number from the original volume. Since the volume is held by the Historical Society of Cecil County and has been digitized, he also supplies the number of the digital image as it appears in the society’s digital copy.
Polk’s publication includes abstracts of all court actions as well as a collection of full transcriptions of selected cases. These chosen documents serve as representative vignettes that capture and depict the colonial environment and personalities in their own words, making the material of interest to both family researchers and social historians. PETITIONS AND JUDGMENTS, CECIL COUNTY COURT, 1717-1732: ABSTRACTS WITH SELECTED TRANSCRIPTIONS will be a valuable addition to libraries’ genealogical holdings.
The 179-page paperback has an introduction, an illustration of a court document, and a full name index. Priced at $23.00, the volume may be ordered from Heritage Books, Inc., 5810 Ruatan Street, Berwyn Heights, Maryland 20740.