Book Description

Excerpt from First Records of Baltimore Town and Jones' Town: 1729-1797 It may not be amiss to state that the records herein contained were printed in the main from the First Book of Baltimore Town. Viewed through modern spectacles the handiwork of the recordmaker of 1729 is a queer production. In giving that handiwork to the general public - now upward of two hundred years after it was begun - an effort has been made to preserve the eccentricities of the English of the day, or, perhaps, as better expressed, the liberties taken with the English of the day have not been disturbed by the transplanting process. They are given very accurately in this - their typographical counterpart. The pen has been faithfully followed by the type. The one object was to produce the records - spelling, punctuation and all, and to portray, as far as possible, general characteristics. To an extent, at least, this has been accomplished. Nothing has been taken from; nothing added to the old book. It stands for itself. But its spelling - at times unique; its erratic punctuation (or lack of punctuation, as the matter may be); its quaint phraseology, though transferred from fading lines to printed pages, tell a story of early Baltimore that can be nothing but historically correct. Events were written at a time when history was being made; when the foundation of the now great City of Baltimore was laid. The records begin with the first session of a Commission which was authorized to select a site for Baltimore Town. It is the doings of this Commission, or rather the Commissioners of Baltimore Town, relative the establishment of boundaries, laying out of streets, taking up of lots, etc., from 1729 to the incorporation of the City 1797, that are chronicled. The printing of these archives will, if it accomplishes no other good, prevent wear and tear upon the originals, for it has not been possible to refuse all requests by those who desired to use the old books and manuscripts in search of information concerning early Baltimore. Likewise the perpetuation of the records is assured even though the originals should, by any lamentable mischance, be destroyed or lost. There are many other reasons that appeal to the writer as arguments why the First Records of Baltimore Town should be given to the public; hence the public has them. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.