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Dispersion
There were various reasons why the
Capshaw family might have left Maryland. Beginning in the 1730s, Germans from
Pennsylvania counties began pouring into Baltimore and Frederick counties; and
Quakers came from New Jersey. In the mid-1700s servants, felons, and Jacobite
rebels were among the immigrants from Britain. Settlers began to build homes in
the hills and valleys of western Maryland .
As immigrants flooded into
Maryland political tensions grew and increasing numbers of settlers moved
westward.
Although tobacco led to the
settlement and development of Maryland, it now proved to be a major cause of the
migration out of Maryland.. Because tobacco depleted the soil, tobacco planters
continued to sprawl farther into the Chesapeake region, claiming all of the land
along the banks of the James River and the Eastern Shore. This eventually led to
farmers seeking more fertile land westward, as Maryland became more populated
and prosperous.
This was a time of great upheaval
because of territorial disputes between the French and British and conflicts
with the Indians.
England began a campaign against the French in 1754 to try
to establish their position in the colonies.
The confrontation at Fort Necessity in the summer of 1754 was the opening
battle of the war fought by England and France for control of North American. It
was also the beginning of the struggle known in North America as the French and
Indian War and elsewhere as the Seven Years' War.
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Location
of the Battle of the Great Meadows
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In early April 1754, George
Washington started westward from Alexandria with part of a regiment of Virginia
frontiersmen to build a road to Redstone Creek on the Monongahela. He was then
to help defend the English fort on the Ohio River. When told the fort was in
French hands, he resolved to push on to Redstone Creek and await further
instructions. His force was well beyond Wills Creek when Col. Joshua Fry,
commanding the expedition, arrived there with the rest of the Virginia Regiment
near the end of May. When Fry died at Will Creek on May 31, Washington assumed
command of the regiment and was promoted to colonel.
On June 9th the rest of Virginia
regiment arrived at the Great Meadows to join George Washington and on July 3,
1754, over 600 French and 100 Indians surrounded almost 400 soldiers from the
Virginia Regiment and the South Carolina Independent Company. Colonel George
Washington commanded his first battle, resulting in his only military surrender.
The battle left 30 men dead and 70 wounded on the British side. The French and
Indians had fewer casualties, with three dead and 17 wounded. The French burned
the
fort and returned to Fort Duquesne, located in present day Pittsburgh. By 1763
the French and Indian War was over. The French were eliminated as a political
power in North America and India, the British gained control of those areas, and
the stage was set for the American Revolution.
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Fort Necessity in
the Great Meadows which George Washington described as "a charming
field for an encounter".
In 1771, George
Washington purchased the meadow where he had fought the first battle of
his military career. He owned the land until his death in 1799.
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John Capshaw was among the Virginia militia who fought at
the battle of the Great Meadows. On
June 3rd 1754
he is listed with
Capt. John West's new recruits.
He was missing from the report on Capt. Stobo's troop strength on
July 9 1754. Payroll and muster records show him serving
under Capt. Stobo at Fort Necessity
May 29 1754-
July 29 1754. We have not located Capt. Stobo's pay records for August and
September 1754. On the
October 15 1754
accounting of arms, John Capshaw has one firelock, fit for use. We have found no
further mention of John Capshaw.
Francis and his family were still in Charles County in
1757 but by 1769 at least
three of the sons of Francis along with some of the Andersons were living in
North Carolina. We aren't sure where the rest of the Capshaw family went but in
1810 Jacob Capshaw was enumerated on
the Baltimore Maryland census. The fact that he was still in Maryland in 1810
suggests the possibility that some of the Capshaw family remained there after
the sons of Francis had left.
Court minutes from
1769
to 1779
show that the three brothers, William, Essex and James had settled
in Tryon County, North Carolina. Most of the colonists in North Carolina had
arrived with no funds and there was great hardship during this time. There was a
shortage of money and they used a system of bartering to obtain needed items.
While they were struggling for their existence, many government leaders were
living extravagantly. The government was corrupt and the settlers felt they were
being exploited
Tryon was named for William Tryon who was appointed governor of
North Carolina by the king of England. He had great aspirations and nearly
bankrupted the state in order to obtain them. It was during this time that
Governor Tryon built a castle, Tryon's Palace, in New Berne. A tax stamp was
imposed by England on the settlers and Tryon imposed his own tax to pay for his
palace. Cash was demanded to pay all taxes, fees and fines.2 This,
in part, led to the Battle
of Alamance in 1771 which was the first battle fought against Britain.
Tryon's name became so detested that in 1779 the general assembly completely did
away with the name Tryon and formed Lincoln and Rutherford Counties in it's
place. This
map of Old Tryon
County shows how county and state boundaries changed when Tryon County was
abolished.
The American Revolution ended British rule over North America.
Causes for the war were varied. The French and Indian War had gained territory
for Britain but at great expense. Parliament began to tax the colonies in order
to pay for the war. Although the taxes were not excessive, the colonists felt it
was unfair to tax them when they had no representation in Parliament. The
colonists held the view that they were entitled to full democratic rights as
Englishmen, while the British looked upon them as merely a colony to be used in
whatever way best suited Britain. While some still looked to England as their
mother country and considered themselves Englishmen, many others realized that
they had reached the point they could govern and protect themselves better than
an unseen power across the sea that had no concept of what life in the colonies
was really like. English laws and traditions were irrelevant to a nation who
daily battled Indians and wolves and scrabbled in the soil for their very
existence.
Some contend that during the Revolutionary War Essex fought
with the colonists while William remained
neutral but sympathetic to Britain. Records prove otherwise. Pay records in
1781
show that Essex was a private, serving under Major Patrick Ferguson
in the Ninety Six Brigade of the Spartan Militia. In
1782 James, William and Essex from Rutherford County were
tried for treason in Burke County N.C. They were said to have "aided &
assisted the said King by Joining his Army Commanded by Major Patrick Ferguson
and by bearing Arms in the Service of the said King Against the Good Government
Peace and Dignity of this State". Their property was ordered confiscated by the
state. But in 1783 the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Act of Pardon
and Oblivion, offering amnesty to most North Carolinians who remained loyal to
Britain during the Revolution. Much animosity remained towards the Tories.
William remained in Rutherford County for another 30 years. He
married Ester Watkins and according to Dr. Preston Capshaw had 8 children who
lived to adulthood. They were Ester, James, Rebecca, Josiah, David, William
Washington, Daniel, and Elinor. Although there are errors in Dr. Capshaw's
writings,
1790 and
1800 census records do seem to
confirm the presence of at least 8 children. Extra females in 1800 were more
than likely daughters- in- law.
Photo Credits
Port Tobacco Sign used with permission from Charles
County Tourism
http://www.visitcharlescounty.com
Map and Fort Necessity Photo used with permission from
www.FrontierForts.org
Tryon County Map used with permission from John
Robertson and
http://jrshelby.com/rfotw/tryonmap.htm
State Library of North Carolina
http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/
"A Charming Field For An Encounter," Robert Griffing Photo provided by the
National Park Service
2.Montgomery Co., History, Vol. 2
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Copyright © Joe Capshaw / P. Pitts 2007-2009 All rights reserved.
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