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From: "Mike Hitch" <>
Subject: Re: 2 Cents on Hundreds
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 08:51:53 -0400


Alright Keith, now you got me involved here! No, just to throw in a couple
thoughts. There was at least a quasi-government at the "Hundred" level. I
have a couple of notes in my data showing my Elgate Hitch as being appointed
as the Constable of Wicomico Hundred for many years in the mid-1700s. One
job of the constable seemed to be to take the census of taxpayers in his
hundred for the year (These resulted in the famous Somerset Co. Tax Lists
that we see.) Also, Solomon Hitch was "Overseer of the Roads" for Nanticoke
Hundred in the 1730s and 40s. This job was to make sure that the roads and
bridges were clear for horse and foot traffic during the year. Finally, I
believe grand and petit jurors were chosen for the county based upon
participation by certain numbers of people from each of the county hundreds.

All these positions seemed to appointed through the Somerset Co. Court for
one-year terms back then. So, indeed, the hundreds may be compared to
precincts in some areas where they are sub-governments of the cities or
counties.

That's my 2 cents for whatever it's worth.

Mike Hitch
www.geocities.com/~mikehitch


-----Original Message-----
From: M Keith Ellingsworth <>
To:
<>
Date: Thursday, July 02, 1998 5:17 AM
Subject: 2 Cents on Hundreds

>The Hundreds of Somerset Co. were like
>the "Manors" of Anne Arundel Co.
>They were declared, not implemented,
>ignored, and all but forgotten. There were
>no Hundreds' courts setup to settle local disputes;
>There were no Hundreds' governments setup to govern;
>There were no taxes collected by or paid to the Hundreds;
>and no persons were called up by the Hundreds to defend anything.
>The Hundreds were absolutely inconsequential.
>Why all the fuss three centuries later ?
>Keith
>
>
>
>
>==== LOWER-DELMARVA-ROOTS Mailing List ====
> Have you seen the *GHOTES web page?
>(*Genealogy and History of the Eastern Shore of Virginia)
> http://www.esva.net/ghotes/
>
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