Harwood Family Buzzard Island papers
Collection
0315-MDHC
The Harwood Family Buzzard Island Papers date from 1652 to 1919, though the bulk of the items date from 1801 to 1821. They consist of receipts, deeds, land plats, and other financial and legal documents relating to the acquisition and sale of Buzzard Island, as well as other properties owned by Richard Harwood. Also in the collection are unrelated financial and legal documents concerning properties in Frederick County, MD, and Frederick County, VA, Martinsburg, WV and other areas. One of these properties is “Glengary” in West Virginia purchased by Elisha Boyd (1796-1841) a well-known Martinsburg, WV lawyer. The undated newspaper article refers to Marsh Market, which existed in Baltimore, MD, in the late 18th century until 1904 when it burned down.
This collection is open to the public and must be used in the Special Collections reading room. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.
Photocopies or digital surrogates may be provided in accordance with Special Collections and University Archives duplication policy.
Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs unless otherwise specified. It is the researcher's responsibility to secure permission to publish materials from the appropriate copyright holder.
55 Items
The Harwood Family was prominent in Anne Arundel County, Maryland during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They owned substantial landholdings in Anne Arundel County, as well as in Calvert, Baltimore and Prince George’s Counties, dating as far back as 1651. One branch of the family is associated with the Hammond-Harwood House, a well-known example of American colonial architecture in Annapolis.
The bulk of the Harwood Papers concern the property known as Buzzard Island in Calvert County, Maryland. Buzzard Island was previously owned by the Hollyday family, who in turn purchased the land from William Stone, an early Proprietary Governor of Maryland. In 1801, Anne Bradley Cox (daughter of Leonard Hollyday) sold the land to Richard Harwood (1770-1813) of Calvert County for 500 pounds.
Buzzard’s Island was the subject of an 1804 court case, Aquila Beall vs. Richard Harwood, in which Beall claimed ownership of the property based on his earlier ownership of a mortgage taken out by a member of the Holliday family. Harwood retained his ownership of Buzzard Island in both legal cases. In 1815, Richard Harwood’s brother Thomas sold the property to James S. Morsell of Georgetown, Washington, D.C., a judge born in Calvert County.
Organized in one series.
The Harwood Family Buzzard Island Papers were purchased from Charles Apfelbaum Rare Books and Collections of Valley Stream, New York in October 2006.
The materials have been placed in acid-free folders and stored in an acid-free box.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives