Wild Women of Maryland: Grit & Gumption in the Free State

By Lauren R Silberman and Diana M. Bailey

The daring women of Maryland made their mark on history as spies, would-be queens and fiery suffragettes. Sarah Wilson escaped indentured servitude in Frederick by impersonating the queen's sister. In Cumberland, Sallie Pollock smuggled letters for top Confederate officials. Baltimore journalist Marguerite Harrison snuck into Russia to report conditions there after World War I. From famous figures like Harriet Tubman to unsung heroines like "Lady Law" Violet Hill Whyte, author Lauren R. Silberman introduces Maryland's most tenacious and adventurous women.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jul 15, 2008
• ISBN: 9781625853424

Book preview

Chapter 1

PIONEERING SPIRITS

Maryland’s Colonial Ladies

When Maryland was permanently settled by the British in 1634, the small colony consisted of only a few hundred colonists. While the majority of the settlers were men, several women made the trip as well, coming as indentured servants, wives and family members and even a few as independent landowners. All faced unknowable but exciting possibilities, far removed from their lives in England. Some came for the adventure or the potential of wealth, while others sought to escape hard times back home, even if that meant abandoning everyone and everything they knew. Just by daring to journey to a new continent, these women were trailblazers.

MARGARET BRENT: THE SOMEWHAT SUFFRAGIST

ca. 1601–ca. 1671, St. Mary’s City

Take, for example, Margaret Brent—one of Maryland’s earliest residents. With her sister Mary and two brothers Fulke and Giles, the thirty-eight-year-old Margaret arrived in 1639, only five years after the colony had been settled. Unlike most other women, her family was already wealthy. She likely ventured to the fledgling colony for its promise of religious freedom for Catholics, something that didn’t exist in the Anglican-dominant England. As it turned out, they left none too soon because in 1642, their home county became embroiled in civil war, erupting along religious and political lines.

Fulke didn’t remain in Maryland long, returning to England. Giles moved to Kent Island. With Mary, Margaret headed farther south, establishing Sister’s Freehold, an estate near present-day St. Mary’s City. The family had brought with them several indentured servants and managed two thousand acres of land.

The unmarried Brent sisters flourished, becoming well-to-do planters and entrepreneurs. Margaret lent monies to other newly arriving settlers, appearing frequently in early records for debt collection and business affairs issues. Even with their success, the early years were not easy ones. A large number of settlers—estimated at 20 to 30 percent—died within their first year of arrival. Even if they survived that initial seasoning period, most colonial men died at a younger age than their British counterparts. The majority didn’t make it to fifty years.

Furthermore, England’s civil war had spread to Maryland in 1642. Richard Ingle, a Protestant ship’s captain, raided the settlement, claiming his attack in the name of the English Parliament. The violence was partially the Brent family’s fault. Margaret’s brother Giles had been serving as acting governor when he managed to antagonize Richard.

Giles was relieved of the position when the actual governor, Leonard Calvert, returned from England. Finding the colony in chaos, Leonard holed up with his supporters in a hastily constructed fort on Margaret and Mary’s land. The sisters were likely among those seeking refuge. In return, Richard took over the governor’s house as his stronghold. His followers burned the town’s Catholic chapel, looted houses and took ships as prizes.

During the ensuing mêlée, Giles was captured and carted back to England. Leonard, on the other hand, escaped south to Virginia. Margaret and Mary remained in Maryland. The settlement, which had grown to maybe six hundred people, now plummeted to fewer than one hundred. There was talk of shutting down the colony entirely. Leonard didn’t give up. He spent a year amassing soldiers to fight back. In 1646, he successfully defeated Richard Ingle and brought a temporary peace back to Maryland. Giles Brent safely returned to his sisters.

Just before he passed away in 1647, Leonard named Margaret executor of his estate. He instructed her to take all and pay all, meaning to compensate the soldiers who had fought against Richard Ingle. Selecting Margaret was a fairly surprising move, since women of the time period generally had limited political powers. While husbands regularly designated their wives as their estates’ executrix, Margaret was unmarried. Remaining single may have been her choice, since she could own and manage property but would have lost that power if she took a