What's In A Name?

Hoping to unravel a little more of the ancestors ownership of land, this morning I found myself revisiting mdlandrec.net, Maryland's online land record search. This is great resource for anyone doing genealogy or if you are just interested in how your neighborhood came to be named.

Today, was a look at the Howard County records. Unlike Baltimore County, they do not have copies of the actual records online but they do provide information on where to find it. I think the county's Historical Society can access the database and you can also make a visit to the Maryland archives in Annapolis.

It's apparent that there was no system of addresses like street names, etc. yet in place. And, you could name your piece whatever you desired, it seems. I am sorry to say, I completely lost all sensibility while reading some names of the land parcels. Here is a sampling from the years 1670 to 1771. Actual names are in boldface.

Doughreaghan Manor, the manorial estate of Charles Carroll, seems to be at the top of the acquisition list, with 10,000 and 7,000 acres and Charles didn't stop there, acquiring other pieces of property, miniscule in comparison to the home place.

Some bore place names, memories of the old country, I think,  like Edinburgh, Caledonia (at 11638 acres, a joint effort of individuals to keep up with the Carrolls, perhaps) and even Lapland. The owners were a learned lot too, with To Be Or Not To Be, Terra Eacultabalis (my high school Latin fails me) and Grecian Siege. A bit of religion is thrown in with Ash Wednesday  and you prayed that your Mount Gilboa was a Mount Hope and definitely not a Mount Misery. Another one  has me thinking it could be an epitaph, I Have Been A Great While At Rest. The royals and nobles are remembered too, Good Will To His Lordship and Fredericksburgh.

Was there a story behind Find Out If You Can, Molly's Delight, Sally's Chance,  Robinson's Mistake or Dorsey's Advantage and Joshua's Loss? (Did someone gamble unwisely at cards?) Could there be a favored nephew remembered fondly with Unkle's Good Will? And then there is the amateur genealogist's dream, September 14, 1739 I Was Born John Hammond, Son Of John.

It was definitely a struggle back in the 1700's with Poor Man's Beginning at just 100 acres. Life could be full of Disappointment, Little Worth or even Worthless, with Poverty Discovered while dealing with Strife and much Hard Grubbing, and all was easily Lost By Neglect. It was a life that was Hard To Get And Dear Paid For, Costly  and Watts Left or What is Left  could be Anything at 56 acres which was certainly better than Something at 26 acres and Fire Tongs.

And you hoped to maybe have good neighbors if you lived at Ill Neighborhood, Neighbors Spite and Dunghill Ground Thicket, but it could be a wee bit uncomfortable if you lived at Pork Plenty If No Thieves and the farm next door was Chandlers Slaughter.

But not all was doom and gloom as you Look Sharp and the Dispute Ended with Peace or at least, Titt For Tatt  and you could be Content with five acres instead of seeking more Contentment with 350 acres, basking in the Silence of your Beautiful Croft and your Second Addition to Snowden's Cowpen.

In Conclusion, I can only say you are probably glad I have reached The Finish of today's rambling.