Section VI - Massey Data Bank

One Maryland Massey Family by George Langford, Jr. 1901-1996 ©Cullen G. Langford and George Langford, III, 2010

Maryland Land Records, Kent County, DD #4, pp. 291,292,293
Daniel Massey petition, March 28, 1773

Kent County, Maryland aforesaid: In obedience to a commission out of Kent County Court bearing date the twenty seventh day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy two to us, Isaac Spencer, William Woodall, Alexander Baird, and Thomas Boyer, GW of the county aforesaid empowering us or any three or two of us to examine at convenient time and upon part of a tract of land called Partnership possessed by Daniel Massey of the county aforesaid all such evidence upon their corporal oaths as should be produced to us or any three or two of us of their knowledge concerning the bounds of the land aforesaid and pursuant to said commission we having given public notice at the parish church and other public places more than twenty days before our appointed time of meeting and we the aforesaid commission commissioners having met upon the land aforesaid according to appointment then and there proceeded to swear the following evidences to us in produced and who being sworn on the holy Evangelist of Almighty God deposeth and saith as follows viz. Isaac Spencer {seal} W. Woodall {seal} Alexander Baird  {seal} March 6, 1773.  The deposition of James Swaney aged fifty two years old or thereabouts deposeth and saith that about nineteen years ago a hired man in his service fell the tree called a black gum. William Millet came to the man after the tree was cut down and said he had done amiss for he believed it was the beginning tree of Richard Wilson's land. This deponent saith that he went the same evening to Daniel Massey's and told the said Daniel what the hired man had done in cutting down the tree said Daniel said that he believed it did not concern him.  The day after the said deponent saith he went and made known the matter to this said Wilson.  The said Wilson answered and said it wasn't his tree but it was the beginning of Tobin's Lott and at the request of William Forrester this deponent with other of the his neighbors set up a locust post in the place where this tree stood under the name of Tobin's Lott, which post is still and now standing in the same place, and this deponent further saith not.  Taken before us. Isaac Spencer {seal}; W. Woodall {seal}; Alexander Baird {seal} James Swaney March 6, 1773 the deposition of Henry Clark aged sixty years or thereabouts deposeth and saith that about twenty five or thirty years ago he saw a large marked gum standing on a bridge near a stream and on the north side of said stream sometime after this deponent saith he heard of the said tree's being cut down.  He went and saw that the report was true for it was cut down and he believed it was the same tree and he also believed it was his beginning but had no information from anybody that it was his beginning and this deponent further saith not.   Taken before us. Isaac Spencer {seal}; W. Woodall {seal}; Alexander Baird {seal} Henry Clark March 6, 1773 the deposition of William Woodland aged fifty years old or thereabouts deposeth and saith that about twenty five years ago he knew of a black gum standing but did not know it was of use to anybody and after some time got cut down and about eight years after he knew of a locust post been set in the place where the said gum stood and went under the name of Tobin's Beginnings or some boundary of the said Tobin's Lant at which place the said post is now standing and this deponent further saith not.  Taken before us. Isaac Spencer {seal} W. Woodall {seal} Alexander Beard {seal} William Woodland March 6, 1773 the deposition of Henry Clark aged sixty years old or thereabouts deposeth and saith that a mark hickory, the second tree mentioned in his deed for his second tree, was deemed to be the corner of Partnership until about twenty years ago which hickory tree is now down and the place is where we now fix a [illegible] post marked with nine notches and this deponent further saith not. Henry Clark Isaac Spencer {seal} W. Woodall {seal} Alexander Baird {seal} Kent County aforesaid. February 13, 1773 Messrs. Spencer, Woodland, and Baird, three of the commissioners within named, were duly qualified for the purposes therein mentioned before: James Hynson Recorded this 28th day of March 1773. D. Dulany clerk