Original Land GrantsOn 20 June 1632, the Charter of Maryland granted the entirety of what is now Maryland to the Second Lord Baltimore. For almost the next century and a half, he and his descendants granted land to persons as payment for deeds done. A warrant was first issued for so much land which sometimes described where it was to be located. A surveyor would then lay out the allotted amount and submit a certificate of survey. If it were found to be in order, the land was granted, that is, a "patent" was issued. The patent was written into official books, just as we record land records transactions. We are lucky today that most of the records still exist, although some have been transcribed as the original books wore out. All of the original certificates of survey since about 1720 are preserved in the Maryland Archives and are available online. From these records, it is possible to put together the early history of Kingsville regarding the ownership of land. |