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Colonial Maryland
To better understand what life was like for Francis and his family in
colonial Maryland, it is necessary to understand the social and economic
climate at that time. The Maryland that Francis came to was vastly different
from the Maryland we know today. We will probably never know if
Francis willingly indentured himself or was forced into servitude, but
whatever the reason for his being here, he seemed determined to take
advantage of the new opportunities that were available to him. By 1682, his
period of servitude apparently over, he was living at Gilded Morton. From
available records we know that he and his family were very involved in the
growing colony. In spite of occasional hardships, it appears that
Francis and his family thrived in Maryland.
Maryland had the first proprietary
government of America.
All patents in Maryland came from the
Lords Baltimore. The Charter of Maryland granted to
Cecilus Calvert on June 20, 1632, gave the authority to "assign,
alien, grante, demise, or
enfeoff" land. The system was similar to that of Virginia.
Headright grants similar to the Virginia system were made from 1634-1680.
After 1680 all grants were fee-simple. Warrants, surveys, and patents
exist in the Maryland Archives. Many early grants were large fiefdoms, in
effect small Proprietorships. These lands were re-leased to individuals,
records of which may or may not exist.
Initially, the population in Maryland increased from the first 140 settlers
who arrived on the Ark and Dove to an approximate 600 inhabitants by 1640. A
period characterized by severe depression and political turmoil caused a
reduction in the population to only about 200 by 1645. In the late 1640's,
the recovery began with a rapid growth in population throughout the
remainder of the colonial period.1
John Rolfe, an Englishman sent with
the Virginia Company, found that tobacco would grow well in Virginia and
sell profitably in England. This was wonderful news considering that many of
the Jamestown colonists had died or suffered miserably as their farming
efforts had been relatively unsuccessful.. The Chesapeake colonists began to
plant it in every available clearing, from fields to the forts and streets.2 .
"Tobacco
was King in the Chesapeake colonies."3 European demands for
tobacco provoked the colonists to increase production.
There
were very few people who did not make their living growing tobacco on their
own or someone else’s plantation. Tobacco became the cash crop for Maryland. In fact, tobacco became so important in
Maryland that it was used as money. One Englishman
said that Maryland tobacco
was "our meat, drinke, cloathing and monies."
Anything that was bought or sold in the
colony was priced in pounds of tobacco. Tobacco was a very labor intensive
crop and so the need for workers grew right along with the demand for
tobacco.. Indentured servitude became an important
form of labor that was utilized in Maryland during this period. Half to two
thirds of the people who came to Maryland in the 17th century came as
indentured servants. The servant would sell himself to an agent or ship
captain before leaving the British Isles. Then the contract
would be sold to a buyer in the colonies to recover the cost of the passage.
The crossing in steerage was grim. One indentured servant, Thomas Morally,
was given three biscuits a day to eat and each mess of five men was given
three pints of water per day. If a contract had not been secured before the
voyage took place, they were sold like slaves in the streets once they
reached the colony. An announcement in the Virginia Gazette read,
"Just arrived at Leedstown, the Ship Justitia, with
about one Hundred Healthy Servants, Men Women and Boys. . . . The Sale will
commence on Tuesday the 2nd of April."
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St. Thomas Manor
Indenture between John
Capshaw and Fr. Hunter took place in 1721 at St. Thomas Manor Farm |
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Criminals convicted of a capital crime in
England could be transported in lieu of a death sentence (for the theft of
an item with a cost of as little as one shilling). Servitude also could
result from indebtedness, where a person, their spouse or parents owed
money, and the person was sold into servitude to recover the debt. In other
cases, a parish indentured orphans in order to keep them off the poor roles.
Plus, the poor sometimes sold themselves into indenture just to survive.
Most who came in this manner were in
their late teens or early twenties, most were men, and most were unskilled.
In exchange for transportation to Maryland, they were bound to a master for
an agreed upon number of years. They were entitled to adequate food,
clothing, and shelter and were expected to work from ten to fourteen hours a
day, six days a week. Physical punishment was allowed by law and
punishment for running away was severe. At the conclusion of the contract,
by law, an indentured servant received a new suit of clothes, one axe, two
hoes, three barrels of corn, and the rights to fifty acres of land.
Many former servants had to hire out
for wages, become a tenant farmers, or lease land from a large planter to
raise tobacco until they had enough money to purchase rights to their own land. What was
life like as an indentured servant during Francis' time? One young man
describes his experiences in this letter to his parents.
Tobacco prices experienced rising and
falling prices through the 1680's. After about 30 years of declining prices,
there was a brief period of prosperity around 1700. Although by the late
1600s and early 1700s, most colonists had made their fortunes through the
cultivation of tobacco, fluctuations in Chesapeake tobacco prices caused a
prolonged economic depression for some.
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Port Tobacco Charles County
Maryland 1784
Francis and John Capsher and
Stephen Mankin were listed on 1733 tax list in Port Tobacco, Lower West
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Francis seems to have experienced
periods of prosperity as well as poverty along
with many others during this time After his period of servitude was over Francis
apparently married and had children. Records show that there were several Capshaws
who lived and worked in Charles County Maryland in the early 1700's. What
relation these had to Francis we can't be sure..
1. Francis - arrived in Charles County in
1674. He was listed on rent rolls at
Gilded Morton.
In
1696 his name was on a list of desperate
debts.
2. Jemima Capscio - some say this Jemima Capscio
or Capshaw was the wife of Francis Capshaw and later married George Dement
after the death of Francis. This has not been proven. She is
listed as Jemima Capscio in
1687 and Jamima Cabshaw
in
1695.
3 . John Capshaw -
earliest record found is in
1712, believed to be the son of Francis.
Much has been written about John. He has been listed as John Capshaw,
John Capsher
and John Cabshaw. He was married to Hope Mankin, confessed to having had a child out of wedlock with Elizabeth Fagg
and many believe that he married her. Evidence suggests
otherwise. John Capshaw died around
1736 leaving an
unnamed widow and minor children.
According to Fagg records Elizabeth Fagg had a fifth child out of wedlock
around 1736. Had she married John she would have been
listed on records after his death as Elizabeth Capshaw, not Elizabeth Fagg.
Probate records show that John's widow was still alive at the time of John's death. According to Jerry Capshaw he had 4 sons, John, William, James
and Francis Essex, and possibly 4 daughters.
4 . Henry Copshaw - listed
on an inventory sheet in Charles County Maryland in April 28, 1719. We have no
other information on him. The date would suggest that he was a son of
Francis. Another possibility, though remote, is that Peyton Capshaw was
correct about two brothers coming to America from England as recorded on
Jerry's website.
5. Francis Capshaw - payments were made by Anne Garrett
to Francis on June 13th
1725. Also listed on a
probate record in
1732, a tax record as
Francis Capsher in Port Tobacco in
1833, and a probate record with Anne Capshaw in
1736. According to Jerry Capshaw, Francis Essex, son of John, was born in
1722. It is unlikely that the original Francis was still living in 1732 and
just as unlikely that Francis Essex was involved in business matters at the
tender age of 10. Two possibilities are that Francis was born earlier than
1722 or the
original Francis lived longer than previously thought or else there was a
third Francis living and working in Charles County Maryland. Could there
have been another son of Francis?
6. John - probably the son of
John, grandson of Francis. Listed on payroll records in
1754
and
on a roster of soldiers serving under George Washington in the Ft.
Necessity Campaign in
1754.
7. Anne - listed on probate
records as administrator of John Capshaw's estate in
1736. Possibly a daughter of
John.
8. James- listed on probate record for John Butler in
1744. Probably the son of John and brother to Francis II.
9. Francis II - assumed to be the son of
John. Listed on probate record in Charles County in
1744. His will was dated
1757
in Charles County Maryland.
10. Margaret - Charles Maryland record dated November 5,
1746.
11. Elizabeth - wife of Francis Essex, daughter of
John Anderson. Listed on rent rolls in
1750.
12. Sarah
- Charles
Maryland record dated August 5,
1751.
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Copyright © Joe Capshaw / P. Pitts 2007-2009 All rights reserved.
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