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Welcome
to Maryland American
History and Genealogy Project
we are in the process of
building new State and County pages for the states where
the coordinator has moved on to other projects. Somerset County is looking for a new Coordinator would you
be interested? If so please contact
Webmaster.
Many of the present coordinators are always willing to give help and
suggestions to newcomers, you can learn, I did and that was after 60!!
Read our
About Page and see what our requirements are,
pretty easy!
Court House at Princess Anne
Somerset County was erected August 22, 1666, by an order
of the Provincial Council, and embraced, "all that Tract
of land within this our province of Maryland bounded on
the South with a line drawn from Wattkin's point (being
the North point of th't bay into wch the river Wighco
formerly called Wighcocomoco afterwards Pocomoke & now
Wighcocomoco again doth fall exclusively) to the Ocean
on the East, Nantecoke River on the North & the Sound of
Chesipiake Bay on the West;" which was erected in the
name and as the act of the Lord Proprietary "into a
county by the name of Sommersett County in honor to our
Deare Sister the lady Mary Somersett." The
commissioners, Stephen Horsey, William Stevens, William
Thome, James Jones, John Winder, Henry Boston, George
Johnson and John White were empowered "to enquire by the
Oath of good & lawful men of all manner of felonies,
Witchcraft enchantments, Sorceries, Magic Arts,
Trespasses, forestalling engrossing & extorcons" and
"all & singler other misdeeds and offences."
The order appointed "Edmond Beachchampe Clark and Keeper
of the Records," and the Council issued the same day a
commission to Stephen Horsey to be "Sheriff of Somersett."
The first effort to settle the long standing boundary
dispute with Virginia resulted in Scarborough's line
depriving Somerset of 23 square miles of territory.
Like Dorset, Somerset has jurisdiction over several
islands, one of which, Deal's Island, was celebrated
early in the last century for its Methodist " Parson "
Thomas, who, tradition says, foretold the death of Ross
in the attack on Baltimore and preached to the British
on his island. The southeastern corner of Somerset is
separated from Accomac, in Virginia, by the Pocomoke
River, and the division line continues through Pocomoke
Sound. The Western Shore is washed by Tangier Sound and
the Bay. The area of Somerset is 362 square miles, and
it heads the list of oyster counties, half its
population being engaged in that industry.
The value of the annual oyster yield from Somerset
waters is $2,000,000, and the packing houses along the
southern and western shores utilize from one to one and
a half million bushels yearly. In summer oystermen find
employment in the crabbing industry, and these shellfish
are shipped in enormous quantities to city markets,
250,000 dozen going from Crisfield alone in a single
season. Terrapin are more plentiful in Somerset than in
other counties, and "diamond-back farming" is
successful.
Agriculture is profitable in the interior, and truck
farming is carried on along the lines of the New York,
Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad. Crisfield, near the
mouth of the little Annemessex River, with a population
of 3,165, is a port of entry for hundreds of vessels,
and has extensive industrial and commercial interests.
The county seat. Princess Anne, was founded in 1733.
Other towns are Fairmount, Oriole, Mt. Vernon, Dame's
Quarter, Kingston, Costen, Hopewell, Marion and
Westover.
Online Here or Other Sites
Maryland
AHGP
Source: History of Maryland, by
L. Magruder Passano, Wm. J.C. Dulany Company, 1901.
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