Notes for William Chew

Notes for William Chew

On 24 Oct 1692 at the Council of Maryland held at the City of St. Marys, William Chew petitioned the council to have the tract of land known as Popinjay (about 500 acres) resurveyed by Edward Batson, the Surveyor of Calvert County. William Chew, along with his brothers Benjamin, John, and Caleb, had equally inherited this land from their father, Samuel Chew. Their neighbors were incroaching on their land and they asked that the neighbors be present when the land was resurveyed. The council agreed and ordered that the land be resurveyed in the manner and form petitioned.[1]

In the beginning of 1696/7, possibly to pay off his own debts, William Chew had to bring some court actions to collect on debts he was owned. In Jan 1696/7, William Chew sought an arrest warrant against Barnett Clapcoate to collect on a debt of 2000 pounds of tobacco.[2] On March 23 1696/7, the Prince Georges's County Court ordered that the Sheriff bring Mathew Mockeboy into Court to answer the complaint of William Chew.[3]

On 3 Dec 1697, the Council of Maryland was investigating possibly wrongdoing by Robert Mason, High Sheriff of St. Marys Co., regarding the debts of John Cood. As part of the investigation, Robert Mason sold a number of deerskins to William Chew. William Chew was asked by the Council to provide a written answer as to the number of skins Robert Mason sold him and what was provided to Robert Mason in return. William Chew wrote that he received 100 deerskins and in return he provided gunpowder and swan shot.[4]

In the night of 17 Oct 1704, the Maryland State House in Annapolis was burned and many of the records destroyed. This calamity was followed the next year by a fire which destroyed the court house, to which the remaining records had been moved, and several other buildings. These fires were believed to be the work of conspirators who wished to destroy the evidence of their indebtedness. Their ringleader, Richard Clarke, was tried for this and other heinous offences, found guilty and executed April 1708.[5]

In March of 1708, just a month prior to the hanging of Richard Clarke, John Duvalls had a conversation with William Chew in which William Chew was quite upset over the fate of Richard Clarke. William Chew said that he thought Richard Clarke was a notorious rogue, but that justice would not be served by hanging him, and if he was hung, the State had better do it in private. When John Duvalls asked William Chew what he meant by this, William Chew said he didn't care to speak further of it. However he then added that 300 men of Baltimore County were so intent on this matter that they were scouring up arms, even their old rusty pistols. Unfortunately for William Chew, John Duvalls reported this and the Council of Maryland issued an arrest warrant to bring in William Chew for questioning.[6]

Since William Chew died about 28 Feb 1709, at only 37 years of age and less than a year after Richard Clarke's execution, he may well have received the same fate as Richard Clarke.

Sources:

1. Archives of Maryland Online, Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1687/8-1693, Vol 8, Pp 405-6.

2. Archives of Maryland Online, Court Records of Prince George's Co., Maryland 1696-1699, Volume 202, Pp 109 & 157.

3. Archives of Maryland Online, Court Records of Prince George's Co., Maryland 1696-1699, Volume 202, Pp 162.

4. Archives of Maryland Online, Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1696/7:1698, Volume 23, Pp 331-7.

5. Archives of Maryland Online, Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1698-1731, Volume 25, Preface 10.

6. Archives of Maryland Online, Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1698-1731, Volume 25, Pp 237-8.