"Some Really Old
Things"
A.W. Cissel
The legal definition
of an antique is
anything over a
hundred years old.
This dividing line was
legislated to provide
a basis limit for
Customs and Tax
officials, but it
covers a lot of
territory. Many of us
have items in our
household that we
cherish as "old" by
any definition – great
grandmother's quilt, a
heirloom set of china,
Civil War relics or
the old family bible.
Probably the oldest
bible in Frederick
County was mentioned
in the late 19th
century newspapers as
belonging to Daniel
Saylor, whose ancestor
of the same name
brought it from
Switzerland in 1725.
Written in German, it
bore the publication
date of MDLXXI (for
those of you who have
forgotten your Roman
numerals, that
translates to 1571).
When Thurmont held its
Bi-Centennial
celebration in 1951,
the town attics and
cupboards turned up
some items associated
with its early
residents. They
included a 1797
receipt from Daniel
Rouzer's tannery and
some iron hooks' and
implements stamped
with "J.W.B.S" for
Jacob Weller
BlackSmith or "B.F'
for Benjamin Firor. A
sample of the
beautiful coverlets
woven by Jacob Gemand,
19th century wedding
dresses, beaver hats
and firebacks dating
from the early years
of the Catoctin
Furnace were all
displayed in various
storefronts.
Many of us keep old
newspapers as a
memento of an
important or historic
event that touched our
lives. While our own
personal collection
might include the
newspaper announcing
the end of World War
II or the
assassination of
President Kennedy, our
ancestors memorialized
the same kind of
event. Recently the
Historical Society
received the gift of a
newspaper dated
January 4, 1800
recording the burial
of Gen. George
Washington, who had
died in late December,
1799. This newspaper,
from Kingston in
Ulster County, New
York, was preserved by
a family to somehow
find its way to
Thurmont, Maryland.
But the strangest,
probably most
mysterious, example of
how antique documents
are dispersed around
the world concerns a
parchment discovered
at Mount St. Mary's
College in 1996. This
item was the oldest
written paper I have
ever seen outside of
amuseum. Rolled up in
a cardboard tube was a
well-preserved
document measuring
nearly two feet,
square. Beautiful,
baseball-sized wax
seals depicting a
seated figure and
church-like building
were still attached by
the original ribbons.
This parchment was
covered with Latin
writing, but a few
phrases were easily
read, including the
date of 1566 and that
it was given under the
authority of
"Elizabeth Regina" or
Queen Elizabeth (the
first).
Barbara Miles, the
archivist at the
Mount, had the
document translated by
Latin scholars which
revealed that it was a
Charter for the town
of Winton, England as
given by Robert Bishop
of Winton. The Charter
established the town
council, its duties
and terms of office.
It set the date that
token payment to the
Bishop would be made
on the Feast of St.
Michael the Archangel.
This charter has since
been presented to the
Episcopal Bishop of
Baltimore as
representative
successor in America
to the Church of
England of Queen
Elizabeth's days. At
430-plus years, it is
the oldest
Anglican/Episcopal
church document in
America.
The mystery is, how
did it get to the
attic of Mount St.
Mary's? The ships
"Ark" and the "Dove"
carrying the first
settlers of Maryland
did not arrive until
1633. The earliest
officials and clergy
of Maryland were
Catholic, not
Anglican. The Mount
was not established
until 1808. Was the
parchment somehow
acquired as an oddity
by one of the early
priests of the Mount
who were natives of,
or traveled to,
France, Russia and
Italy? I'm afraid we
shall never know the
answers.
If you have any Information or
historical news clippings on events in
the Thurmont Area, Please send them to us so we can
included them in our archives. E-mail us at:
history@mythurmont.net