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| Somerset County, Maryland |
In the previous post we learned a little about what life was like in the 1600s and early 1700s in
“One problem with
growing tobacco is that it rapidly
depletes soil fertility and as a result, a piece of land could only be used
for four or five years. Colonists lacked the means to fertilize the soil, and
the few attempts to do so with animal manure reportedly produced a harsh, foul
tasting tobacco. Instead, they adopted an approach from the Chesapeake Indians
and abandoned the old fields for about 20 years. During that interval, nature
restored soil fertility and tobacco could again be grown there. With this
approach, new crop land had to be regularly prepared to keep a plantation
operating. Historians estimate that about 50 acres were needed to keep one
worker continually raising tobacco. As a result, plantations tended to be
large, averaging about 250 acres. This
created a settlement pattern of farms widely dispersed over the landscape.
Because most colonists lived along or near the water and the Chesapeake provided excellent water highways
for ships, the planters had little need for markets or towns, since they could
buy goods directly from ships… Minimal town development is a highly distinctive
feature of the colonial Chesapeake ,
a feature closely related to the focus on growing tobacco… While medical
science has revealed the serious health problems associated with tobacco, there
is no doubt that this crop built Maryland ,
greatly influenced the society that developed here, and is an undeniable part
of the state’s rich cultural heritage. It is also a cultural legacy that forms
the very roots of Southern Maryland ’s
extraordinary human traditions.”
Our Millers are mentioned in several Somerset County, MD, lands records, including the one mentioned in the letter below which Chalmers Williams graciously shared with me. Remember, David and Jane Miller are the parents of Abraham Miller and grandparents of our William Miller:
"On 25 Nov 1693, David Miller and his wife Jane (or perhaps Janet) of Somerset Co. sell by receipt of an indenture land to John Steel. This land is 100 acres out of a 600 acres tract called “Spalding” that David Miller acquired from Edmund Howard. Howard acquired Spalding in 1682, and though it is difficult to read, it appears that David Miller entered into an indenture with Howard in May 1688. David Miller paid him 18,000 pounds of tobacco for Spalding, completing his required payments in 9 Jan 1692. (Somerset Co. Deeds, Liber L 1, p.78, and Liber L 1, p144.). *Spalding is located “between Bogerternorton and Assateague Bay
It is pretty likely that the Miller's grew their own tobacco and, as was common in that day, used it for bartering as in the above example. Then, as time passed and the soil gave out, some of the Miller's moved northward. This is corroborated by the Wiki article from last month's post which mentions that towards
the end of the 1600s, settlers in southern Maryland starting moving north and west to
find better soil (some turning to growing wheat, which did not deplete the soil
as radically as tobacco).
In the next post, we will move backwards in time and ask the question: Why did the Miller's come to such a remote location as Somerset County, Maryland in the first place?
*This entry is somewhat puzzling as Assateague Bay is in the far eastern portion of Worcester County, Maryland.
I forgot to thank follower and friend, Chalmers Williams, for his suggestion that the Miller's probably moved north due to soil depletion. Thanks!
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