
What was life like for the settlers in Maryland?
The first people to settle in what is now Maryland arrived more than 10,000 years ago. These American Indian groups lived a nomadic lifestyle, hunting and gathering. Around 1,500 years ago, they began growing squash, beans, and tobacco. In time, American Indians in this area began staying in villages for most of the year or even year-round.
What were the motives for settlement in Maryland?
Maryland began as a proprietary colony of Lord Baltimore and served as a refuge for Roman Catholics. Maryland was established through the efforts of George Calvert and his son Cecilius Calvert. George Calvert served in the House of Commons from 1609 to 1611 and again from 1620 to 1625.
What was the reasons for settling in Maryland?
What was the reasons for settling in Maryland? The forces of social and economic change transpiring in England and the New World during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries effected the development of colonial Maryland. Maryland's success as a colony was dependent upon voluntary and involuntary immigration.
Who was responsible for the settlement of Maryland?
The territory was named Maryland in honor of Henrietta Maria, the queen consort of Charles I. Before settlement began, George Calvert died and was succeeded by his son Cecilius, who sought to establish Maryland as a haven for Roman Catholics persecuted in England.

Where was the first settlement in Maryland?
The first colonists to Maryland arrive at St. Clement's Island on Maryland's western shore and found the settlement of St. Mary's.
Who settled first in Maryland?
The first inhabitants of Maryland were Paleo-Indians who came more than 10,000 years ago from other parts of North America to hunt mammoth, great bison and caribou. By 1,000 B.C., Maryland had more than 8,000 Native Americans in about 40 different tribes. Most of them spoke Algonquian languages.
Who first settled in Maryland and why?
English settlers, led by Leonard Calvert, set sail on Ark and Dove from Cowes, England, for Maryland. Calvert had been appointed Maryland's first Governor by his brother, Cecil Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore, following grant of Maryland Charter by Charles I, King of Great Britain and Ireland.
What colony settled in Maryland?
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1778, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of Maryland. Its first settlement and capital was St.
How old is Maryland today?
MarylandAdmitted to the UnionApril 28, 1788 (7th)CapitalAnnapolisLargest cityBaltimoreLargest metro and urban areasWashington–Baltimore (combined) Baltimore (metro and urban)47 more rows
Who named Maryland?
Maryland's name honors Queen Henrietta Maria (1609-1669), wife of Charles I (1600-1649), King of Great Britain and Ireland, who signed the 1632 charter establishing the Maryland colony. Queen Henrietta Maria was the daughter of Henry IV of France (1553-1610) and his second wife, Marie de Medici (1573-1642).
What were 3 reasons why settlers came to Maryland?
Immigrants came to Maryland for three main reasons: religious freedom, economic opportunity and involuntary servitude as a result of forced migration. to practice their religion without social and economic repercussions. The first colonists arrived in Maryland in 1634 on two ships named the Arc and the Dove.
Is Maryland named after Mary?
Officially the colony is said to be named in honor of Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I. Some Catholic scholars believe that George Calvert named the province after Mary, the mother of Jesus. The name in the charter was phrased Terra Mariae, anglice, Maryland.
When did the Ark and Dove land in Maryland?
The Landing of the Maryland Colonists from the Ark & the Dove, St. Clement's Island, March 25, 1634.
When was Maryland settled?
July 4, 1776Maryland / Date settled
When was the Maryland Colony settled?
1607Province of Maryland / Date settled
What was the first settlement and first colonial capital of Maryland?
St. Mary's CityNot only was St. Mary's City established as the first Maryland colony, it was also the birthplace of religious freedom in North America and the first seat of Maryland's colonial government.
Who immigrated to Maryland Colony?
By about 1740, English, Scottish, and Scotch-Irish immigrants began moving into the Appalachian section of western Maryland. From 1611 to 1776, more than 50,000 English and Irish felons were sentenced to deportation to American colonies over the centuries.
What is the oldest city in Maryland?
St. Mary's CitySt. Mary's City is the historic site of the founding of the Colony of Maryland (then called the Province of Maryland). The original settlement was also the fourth oldest permanent English settlement in the United States....St. Mary's City, Maryland.St Mary's City, MarylandCountySt. Mary'sFoundedMarch 27, 1634Founded byLeonard CalvertArea28 more rows
When was Maryland settled?
July 4, 1776Maryland / Date settled
What European explorers first discovered Maryland?
Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian explorer who traveled the Chesapeake Bay in the 1500s, was the first European to see Maryland's shores.
Who was the first English king to establish a colony in Maryland?
This was the first English settlement in the upper Chesapeake. Maryland began as a colony when King Charles I promised George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, a colony north of Virginia. Before he could visit the colony, George Calvert died. His son, Cecilius, became the second Lord Baltimore and the Lord Proprietor of Maryland.
What did the first people in Maryland do?
The first inhabitants of Maryland were Paleo-Indians who came more than 10,000 years ago from other parts of North America to hunt mammoth, great bison and caribou. By 1,000 B.C., Maryland had more than 8,000 Native Americans in about 40 different tribes. Most of them spoke Algonquian languages. They grew corn, peas, squash and tobacco. They also hunted, fished and traded with tribes as far away as New York and Ohio.
Where did the name Chesapeake Bay come from?
We do not know what the Native Americans called the Chesapeake Bay. That name came from the Native American word "Chesepiuk," an Algonquian name for a village that the Roanoke, Virginia colonists discovered in 1585 near the mouth of the Bay. Later, mapmakers used the word to name the Bay.
Why did Calvert name his colony Terra Maria?
He named his colony "Terra Maria," or "Maryland" in honor of the king's wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. Because Cecilius Calvert had to remain in England, he sent his younger brother, Leonard, to accompany the colonists and to be the first governor.
What was the first settlement in Maryland?
Historic St. Mary’s City announces a major discovery: archaeologists have located the site of the original St. Mary’s Fort. The 1634 fort was the fourth English colony in the country, after only Jamestown (1607), Plymouth (1620), and Massachusetts Bay (1630).
When did the Maryland colonists arrive?
150 Maryland colonists arrived on two ships, Ark and Dove, in March 1634, to an area that was home to the Yaocomaco tribe, who were loosely allied with the Piscataway. The colonists built St. Mary’s Fort on an area about the size of a football field in what is now Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC).
What was the fourth English colony in the country?
The 1634 fort was the fourth English colony in the country, after only Jamestown (1607), Plymouth (1620), and Massachusetts Bay (1630). It’s a site that historians have been seeking since the 1930s. Dr. Travis Parno, the archaeologist who found it, says, “This is something I’ve been after since coming to St. Mary’s City.”.
Who was the geophysicist who surveyed the Fort of the Fort?
Parno hired geophysicist Dr. Timothy J. Horsley to survey two suspected locations using magnetic susceptibility, magnetometry, and ground-penetrating radar. The team verified his results with a brief archaelogical dig, confirming the fort’s exact site in the farmer’s field.
What did Maryland's first colonists do?
Aware of the mistakes made by Virginia’s first colonists, Maryland’s settlers, rather than hunt for gold, made peace with the local Native Americans and established farms and trading posts, at first on the shores and islands of the lower Chesapeake.
What was the first settlement in the Potomac?
The first governor of the proprietary colony, Leonard Calvert, the younger brother of Cecilius, landed the founding expedition on St. Clements Island in the lower Potomac in March 1634. The first settlement and capital was St. Marys City. Aware of the mistakes made by Virginia’s first colonists, Maryland’s settlers, rather than hunt for gold, made peace with the local Native Americans and established farms and trading posts, at first on the shores and islands of the lower Chesapeake. The field hands included indentured labourers working off the terms of their passage and, after about 1639, African slaves. The most important crop was tobacco. Roads and towns were few, and contact with the English-model manor houses was largely by water.
What colony was once a proprietary colony of the Calverts?
In 1715 Maryland once again became a proprietary colony of the Calverts, who had converted to Protestantism. Maryland nonetheless remained a haven for dissidents from sectarian rigidity in other colonies. Church Creek: Old Trinity Church. Old Trinity Church, one of the oldest Episcopal churches in the United States (c.
What was the Puritan ascendancy in England?
Puritan ascendancy in England (1648–60) caused only brief turmoil. A 1689 rebellion by Protestants overthrew the proprietary officers, leading to an interval of crown rule in the royal colony of Maryland (1692–1715). During that period the Church of England was formally established.
Why is Maryland called the Old Line State?
Maryland is sometimes called the “Old Line State” in honour of the Maryland troops who served with Gen. George Washington. Among the most-reliable troops in the Continental Army, they were often given difficult tasks; Washington called them “The Maryland Line.”.
Where is the Western Maryland Railway Station?
Western Maryland Railway Station (1913), Cumberland, Maryland , part of the state's Canal Place Heritage Area. Tim Tadder/Maryland Office of Tourism. Learn how both Union and Confederate regiments and commanders came from Maryland and learn about their battles in the state.
When was Baltimore founded?
In 1729 Baltimore was founded. Maryland’s dominant “country party” early resisted British efforts to make the colonies bear more of the costs of government. Frederick county repudiated the Stamp Act in 1765, and in 1774, the year after the Boston Tea Party, a ship loaded with tea was burned at an Annapolis dock.
What was the first colony in Maryland?
The Province of Maryland was established as an English Colony in 1632, and began as a proprietary colony of the British Lords Baltimore, who wished to create a haven for English Catholics in the new world. Charles I, King of England granted the charter for Maryland, a proprietary colony of about twelve million acres (49,000 km²), to Cæcilius Calvert (Cecil), 2nd Baron Baltimore in the Peerage of Ireland, on June 20, 1632. Calvert, the 2nd Lord Baltimore led the first expedition that consisted of two ships that had formerly belonged to Baltimore's father, the Ark and the Dove, which crossed the Atlantic and founded the first settlement at St. Mary's in 1634 on land purchased from the native Yaocomico Indians.
When did Maryland become a colony?
Like its larger neighbor, Virginia, Maryland developed into a plantation colony by the 18th century. In 1700 there were about 25,000 people and by 1750 that had grown more than 5 times to 130,000.
Why did Baltimore want to create a haven for the British Catholics?
In Maryland, Baltimore sought to create a haven for British Catholics and to demonstrate that Catholics and Protestants could live together harmoniously, even issuing the Act Concerning Religion in matters of religion. Like other aristocratic proprietors, he also hoped to turn a profit on the new colony. Maryland was comprised of seven original ...
How big was Maryland in the colonial era?
The original charter granted the Calverts an imprecisely defined territory north of Virginia and south of the 40th parallel, comprising perhaps as much as 12 million acres (49,000 km²).
How many counties were there in Maryland?
Like other aristocratic proprietors, he also hoped to turn a profit on the new colony. Maryland was comprised of seven original counties: St. Mary's - formed in 1637. In the 17th century, most Marylanders lived in rough conditions on small family farms.
What was the cash crop in Maryland in the 17th century?
While they raised a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and livestock, the cash crop was tobacco, which soon came to dominate the provincial economy.
Which colony was located in the Chesapeake Bay?
Despite early competition with the colony of Virginia to its south, the Province of Maryland developed along very similar lines to Virginia. Its early settlements and populations centers tended to cluster around the rivers and other waterways that empty into the Chesapeake Bay.
When was the first settlers of Maryland published?
From these records, lists of settlers have been made since early in the nineteenth century. But only in 1968 was one published. This was Gust Skordas's The Early Settlers of Maryland, immediately a cornerstone of genealogy. In 1997 A Supplement corrected and enlarged The Early Settlers. Now The New Early Settlers of Maryland, a complete revision, replaces Skordas's work.
What was the reward for the first people to travel to Maryland?
For most of the period, the reward was a right to 50 acres of land per person transported.
How long did settlers serve their transporters?
Fourth, except family members, most settlers transported by others were bound to serve their transporters, usually for four or five years. That is, they were servants and in the records are often so called. But the label "servant" was no stigma. In the seventeenth century it had meanings different from those of today.
Why do we use the term "servant" in the New Early Settlers?
The New Early Settlers uses the label "servant" only to identify people whose last names are not given and to distinguish servants from other members of households. With these four points and "Using The New Early Settlers " in mind, readers are prepared, at least in part, to find and understand records of their settlers.
How many immigrants were there to Maryland in the 1680s?
In 1975 Russell Menard wrote that the "best estimate" of immigration to Maryland between 1634 and 1681 is 32,000 ( Economy and Society in Early Colonial Maryland, 1975, pp. 175-6). The New Early Settlers has about 34,000 entries, which, allowing for duplications, is close to Menard's estimate.
Who was the first person to get the rights to transport John Cornelius?
Again, on 2 June 1669 Augustine Herman entered rights for transporting John Cornelius, Anniken Engels, his wife, Gertruyd, their daughter, and Cornelius and Hendrick, their sons (Patents 12:243); but on 21 October 1668 John Cornelius assigned to John Pole of Baltimore Co. the rights due to him for transporting the same people (Patents 12:270).
What are the steps of proving rights to land?
Between proving these rights and possessing the land were three steps, represented by three papers: a warrant for a survey; a surveyor's certificate of his survey; and a patent to the land surveyed. As each of these steps cost money, many settlers who were hard-pressed to pay for things they needed immediately, such as tools and live-stock, assigned - that is, sold - their rights. [ 1 ] In the records of these transactions - probates (proofs) and assignments of rights, demands of warrants, certificates of survey, and patents - are the names of the settlers.
Why do Maryland maps have the top of the map?
That is because they were meant to be used to explain how Maryland was approached from the ocean. Full size prints of these maps are available from the Maryland State Archives, 350 Rowe Boulevard, Annapolis, Maryland., 21401.
Where did the rutters come from?
The earliest rutters are thought to have appeared at the beginning of the fourteenth century, likely originating in Genoa. Continually updated and revised, rutters represented the best knowledge at the time about the way to get safely from one place to another and were the navigator's most prized possession.
When was the capital of Maryland relocated?
Mary's City to the more central Annapolis (then called "Anne Arundel Town") in 1695. The colonial statehouse in St. Mary's was turned into a Protestant church the same year.
Who was the governor of the new colony of Maryland?
Leonard Calvert (1606-1647), himself a Roman Catholic, became the governor of the new colony and continued to lead the settlers. St. Mary's City became the capital of the new Maryland colony, and remained so for sixty one years until 1694.
What was the purpose of the Maryland Assembly?
The assembly quickly began to challenge a number of Cecil Calvert's edicts (sent in a letter along with the settlers), although they did not challenge his proprietorship over the new colony or his requirement for religious tolerance. Nevertheless, they pushed successfully for more personal freedoms and to adapt Calvert's edicts to the realities on the ground in the colony, which were not always the same as his expectations. For example, he wanted them to live in regimented fashion within the newly constructed fort in St. Mary's City but the greatest need perceived by the assembly was to allow for more spread-out farming. Leonard Calvert diplomatically lent support to the assembly's wishes in letters to his brother, and Cecil Calvert largely acceded.
How many people were slaves at Doctor Brome's plantation?
Records show that one quarter of the 66 people living under slavery at Doctor Brome's plantation in St. Mary's City escaped during the Civil War and at least two of them then joined the Union Army. Even before slavery was legally abolished, the Union Army had a policy allowing enslaved men to gain their freedom if they became Union soldiers. Other records show that the total number of people living under slavery there during this time was 59.
How long did the Maryland Toleration Act last?
The act remained in effect for 40 years, and contributed to relative peace in the colony during that time. Photo of the beginning text of original Maryland Toleration Act, passed in 1649 by the Maryland Assembly in St. Mary's City. Author: Maryland Assembly, 1649.
What is the state house in Maryland?
"The State House", a reconstruction of the original 1676 Maryland Statehouse, Maryland's first capitol and the home of the Maryland colonial assembly, which stands near the original site. St Mary's City, Maryland. Location within the U.S. state of Maryland. Show map of Maryland.
Who was Margaret Brent?
Margaret Brent was a business-savvy and successful Catholic settler in St. Mary's City , who, contrary to the mores of the time that discouraged women from managing their own estates, although this was legal, insisted on managing her own business affairs. She had also traveled to the colony as a single, unmarried woman which was contrary to expectations of the time.
