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On June 18, 1734, Sweeds Folly was surveyed for John Nelson,
Sr., to whom it was patented on November 26, 1737. The certificate
located the parcel on “a branch called Dry Branch which falls into
the Potomac” near the “Arthur’s Island”. This was a little north of
present-day Point of Rocks, Maryland, where the 1873 Atlas shows the
homes of Otho Trundle and Jacob Wirtz. In 1733, John Nelson, Sr.,
was appointed Constable of Monocacy Hundred. One of his duties was
to provide the Court with a list of those persons who had not burned
their tobacco according to law. Such condemnation of tobacco was
undertaken in order to protect the general price level of the crop.
In 1743, John Nelson and
his wife Jane divided the parcel’s 200 hundred acres equally between
their sons-in-law Elias Delashmutt, Sr., husband of Elizabeth
Nelson, and John Delashmutt, husband of Sarah Nelson. Elias had
several surveys made for himself, and he purchased other land
between today’s Point of Rocks and Jefferson. Elias, Sr., was a
Captain during the French and Indian War. His Company’s 1757 muster
roll list friends and neighbors who undoubtedly lived nearby. Elias
and Elizabeth’s children names were Elias, Jr., Basil (married Mary
Jacobs, June 14, 1782), Linsey (married Sarah Trammell, February 22,
1779), Ann (married Richard Warfield, July 7, 1780), Rachel (married
Mr. LeMaster), Elizabeth (married Edward Bolter) and a daughter who
married Mr. Noland.
Elias Delashmutt, Jr.,
married sometime before 1800, and from that marriage were born five
children: Arthur (married Sarah Michael, October 7, 1830), Basil
(married [Nancy] Ann Woolard, December 30, 1814), Phillip (married
Sarah [Sally] Woolard), Rachel (married James Jones, January 13,
1814) and Elias L. (married Eliza Michael). At some point in time,
Elias, Jr., must have inherited a portion of Sweeds Folly or
possibly the 200 acres plus from his father. Samuel Michael writes
in his childhood recollections “About one-fourth of a mile from
where the Calico Rock schoolhouse now stand (on the edge of the
Michael property), on the left hand side of the public road, there
used to stand an old log house among the rocks, where my Uncle Abram
and Aunt Katie Geisburt used to live, where my Mother used to get
her weaving done. Further on, about a half-mile stood a house and
blacksmith shop owned by the widow Bruner (Brunner, decedents of the
“Schifferstadt” family) and carried on by her son Benjamin. About a
half-mile up to the right of the road stood a brick house where Mrs.
Brunner lived. She was a midwife and the first one that saw all the
little children that were born in the neighborhood.......Down to the
left of the public road, about one-fourth of a mile, there was a
house and farm. It belonged to Basil and Phillip Delashment (Delashmutt),
brothers of Elias and Arthur. They were both dead before my
recollection. Their widows lived there, Sally and Nancy Delashment,
the Mothers of James and Basil. Further on, about half-mile at the
crossing of the Frederick and Nolands Ferry road, there was a little
town call “Tramelstown”, had a wagon shop and blacksmith shop, a
hotel and about a half dozen houses in it....” The time frame for
the aforementioned is about 1820.
John Brunner (1708-1776)
was a son of Joseph and Catherina Elizabeth Thomas Brunner, arriving
in America, September 11, 1729, with his parents and siblings. The
family came from Klein Schifferstadt to Rotterdam, Germany, entering
the port of Philadelphia.
John married Ann Maria
Delauter, and by 1764 became a prominent member of the Frederick
community. John and his brother-in-law, Stephen Ramsburgh, were
appointed 2 of the 4 elders of the Dutch Reformed (Presbyterian)
Congregation. Like his father and brothers, John purchased a tract
of Taskers Chance, deeded July 28, 1746, for 232 1/4 acres at
a cost of 20 pounds Sterling and renamed in What-You-Will.
This became his plantation and main residence. He also purchased
other tracts of land in the county, one being Good Luck and
Chestnut Hill which were passed to his son Stephen, and
Sweeds Folly which was passed to his grandson John (son of Jacob).
According to Mr. Harry Hickman, Sweeds Folly or part of, was
conveyed from John Delashmutt to John Brunner by a deed dated March
20, 1753.
According to Samuel
Michael’s history, Susanna Brunner, wife of John (son of Jacob),
lived in the large brick house to the right of the public road.
This was a portion of Sweeds Folly, later called Mt. Auburn.
Susanna was the mid-wife for the area and several family weddings
were held in the home. One was the marriage of Anna Wirtz
(Susanna’s granddaughter) to George Snouffer on December 11, 1833,
by Rev. Charles Reighly. Susanna lived at Mt. Auburn until her
death, July 24, 1834.
Susanna and John Brunner
had five children:
Jacob, born 1780, never
married, and who must have died before 1824, as he is not mentioned
in subsequent land division records involving his siblings.
Mary Ann, born 1782,
married James Briscoe, and had 2 daughters, Susan, born February 21,
1812, and Lucy, who married Frank Gaines and Thomas Wallace, and one
son, James Briscoe, who lived in Scott County, Kentucky. Mary Ann
and James, Sr., moved to Scotts County, Kentucky, before 1824. She
died there November 5, 1850.
John, born November 7,
1786, never married and must have been dead as of 1824, as he is not
mentioned in the Sweeds Folly land division among his siblings, but
it is mentioned in the Equity Suit No. 1748 that lands in question
descended from John Brunner, who had previously departed this life,
intestate, unmarried and without issue, leaving his properties to
his siblings, his heirs by law.
Louisa (Lucy), born
October 20, 1788, married Jacob Wirtz on November 17, 1807 and had
the following children: John, born 1808, never married and had not
issue; Jacob, Jr., born 1810, married twice and had a total of 13
children. He became the owner of the Virts family portion of Sweeds
Folly; Peter, born 1812, twice married, had a total of six children
and lived in Loudoun County; Anna Maria, born 1815, married George
Snouffer; Susannah, a twin of Anna Maria, married Samuel Elgin;
Lucinda, born 1816, married John Carey; William, born 1819, married
Catherine Boteler, had six children and lived in Middletown and
Jefferson, Maryland area; Henry, born 1822, married Virginia Leslie,
had nine children, lived in the Jefferson area at the time of his
death.
Benjamin Brunner, born
February 10, 1798, never married, but shared a home with Belinda
Plummer and had one daughter, Mary Plummer. Benjamin was a
blacksmith and had a shop located on Mt. Auburn property. Benjamin
died December 4, 1835. His will, dated November 21, 1835, states
his estate is to be sold and the money to be divided half to Belinda
Plummer and half to Mary Plummer his daughter, when she becomes
sixteen. If Belinda should marry then her portion would go to Mary.
On February 4, 1824, an
agreement in three parts was made and concluded to grant portions of
Sweeds Folly to the three remaining Brunner children. Equal shares
from several tracts were divided and deeded. The tracts involved
were a part of land called “Ramble, Sweeds Folly, The Resurvey and
Addition to Sweeds Folly, The Generous Offer and part of Hooks
Conclusion Recovered by a Hard Struggle.” Lot No. 1 was deeded to
Benjamin Brunner for 118 acres more or less and is the “Mt. Auburn”
location, where he and his mother lived many years. “Mt. Auburn”
is steeped in history and has numerous owners. Otho W. Trundel
bought the estate after 1835 and before 1873. The 1850 Census shows
him and his family living in that location and close to the Jacob
Virts, Jr. farm. The Titus Atlas (1873) shows him as the
owner in that year. Mr. Trundel died in 1871 and his son David died
in 1871. (Note: It could sometimes take several years for an
estate, at that time, to be settled.) Daniel J. Shellman was the
next to own “Mt. Auburn” and cultivated and improved it until his
death in 1894. Two of Daniel Shellman’s daughters married into the
Virts family; Della married Marshall Virts in 1890 and Charlotte was
the second wife of William Virts. After the death of Daniel
Shellman, “Mt. Auburn” was sold to Patrick McGowen and was rented by
Lewis, son of Daniel. When Mr. McGowen died, Lewis Shellman
purchased “Mt. Auburn” and farmed the now 321 acres until his death
in 1940. It was then sold to Raymond Dufour and is currently owned
by Damien Dufour.
The 2 1/2 story house
was constructed of brick from England. The walls are 13 inches
thick and included belt coursing. The original lintels and window
sills still remain and the 19th century windows remain on the second
floor. Much of the original chair rail, baseboard and floors, door
frames and windows have survived. Hand-wrought nails with rose
heads, hand-split lathes, and undressed studding attest to the early
period of the South section of the house.
The corn crib was
hand-hewn, six-inch undressed pine rafters. Unique for such a
building, are the short but wide doors that open upwards instead of
laterally, held to the wall, each by two simple, handmade
wrought-iron hinges. The barns were built much later and have since
been lost in fires.
It is my opinion and
assumption that the brick house was built by the first John Brunner,
as he was apparently very well off financially and would have had
the means to build such a home. John died in 1776, and his will
mentions “all the tract of land called Sweeds Folly where my
Grandson, John Brunner’s mother (Susannah) now lives, and also the
land I bought of John Hooks that adjoins the same for which no deed
is yet passed” (the deed for 117 acres was not issued until June 17,
1777). This is also sustained in the Samuel Michael account of
about 1820 concerning Mrs. Brunner living on the right of the road
in a brick house. Throughout the years “t. Auburn” was a fine
elegant home and was known as one of the most valuable farms in the
area, until 1960’s when neglect and vandalism took it’s toll on the
stately mansion. However, the estate is being revived presently by
Damien Defour, which he terms a “Labor of love.”
Lot No. 2 was deeded to
James and Mary Briscoe for 84 acres more or less.
Lot No. 3 was deeded to
Jacob and Lucy Wirtz for 126 acres more or less. This agreement was
signed and sealed by all parties with William King and Patrick
McGill, Jr., as Justices of the Peace.
On November 30, 1835,
John Wertz, the oldest son of Jacob and Lucy, and Daivd Trundle son
of Otho, filed an Equity Suit against John’s under age siblings and
the out-of-state siblings, to acquire all of the parcel of land from
Lot. No. 3, as both of his parents had died and the land apparently
had been left to all the children. John must have wanted complete
ownership of the property and it would be my guess that the reason
he did was that he had been farming the land, because his parents
lived and farmed in Lovettsville, Virginia, area, and he was the
oldest son. According to Suit #1740, Jacob, Jr., sold his share to
John in a deed and bill of sale dated October 18, 1834 and recorded
in the Frederick County Courthouse; Samuel Elgin and wife Susanna (Wirtz)
also sold their interest in the land to John with a bill of sale
dated September 19, 1834. Peter Wirtz sold his interest to David
Trundle. This Equity Suit also called for a subpoena of George and
Mary Ann (Wirtz) Snouffer, Lucinda Wirtz and Benjamin Brunner to
appear to answer this bill. It also seems that Benjamin Brunner
took possession of part of Lot No. 3 and John wanted the judge to
make a decision as to his right to do so. It seems that John wanted
to buy the portions of land from his siblings which would have been
about 15 3/4 acres each, and he wanted Benjamin Brunner off his
land. The ironic part of that is that Benjamin died, December 4,
1835, at age 37, five days after the Equity Suit #1748 was filed.
On January 7, 1839, a
deed for part of “Sweeds Folly” and “Whiteneck Alley” from John
Carey to John Wirts was recorded in the Frederick County
Courthouse. In 1841, the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was built from
land donated by John Wirts and Daniel Duvall, each giving 1/2 acre.
Among the older members and ones who aided in building the church
were Captain Otho Thomas, John Wirts and Ezra Michael. These were
all prominent and respected citizens, large land owners and slave
holders, according to William Jarboe Grove. Also in 1841, John
Wirtz died at the age of 33, not married, with no issue and
hesitate. Jacob, Jr., was 31 years of age, married. October 31,
1842, Frederick A. Schley was appointed trustee for the estate of
John Wirts, as a result of an equity suit filed with Peter Wirts as
the complainant and Jacob, Jr., and others as the defendants.
Frederick A Schuley was appointed to make sale of the property and
did sell and dispose of part to Daniel Duvall and soon after Daniel
Duvall sold that part to Jacob, Jr. Daniel Duvall died in 1846, so
payment was made to the trustee, Frederick A. Schley who also sold
Jacob, Jr. another part of the real estate. Both parcels cost
Jacob, Jr., $5,612.32. A deed was recorded February 9, 1850, for
two parts of land equaling 96 acres to Jacob Wirts, Jr. The August
16, 1850 Census shows Jacob, Jr., owned a total of 400 acres of land
valued at $11,000.00. According to family legend, during the Civil
War, when the soldiers would come close to the farm, regardless of
which army it was, the horses would be hidden in the dirt cellar
under the big house. The original dwelling was three rooms made of
log. There was one large room on the ground level and two rooms
upstairs, with a dirt cellar under the house. The foundation was
made of field stone. There were also a few old original
outbuilding, one being the blacksmiths shop. It was not determined
when the barn was built, but the rafters were hand hewn logs.
Jacob, Jr., died in 1882 at the age of 72, leaving Anne Rebecca, his
wife, life estate according to his will. She died in 1901.
On January 1, 1903, a
deed was made transferring the same 96 acres (as was deeded to
Jacob, Jr., on February 19, 1850 and recorded in Liber BGT #2, Folio
1865) to E. Clayton Virtz and Wallace Virtz from the other remaining
children for the sum of $4,866.29. It was in this deed that a
notation was made concerning the change in spelling of the name
Wirts to Virtz. March 1915, Clayton sold his interest in the 96
acres to Wallace (Liber HWB #512, Folio 137).
On October 24, 1933,
Minnie A. Virts, widow of Wallace, and children made a deed for 96
acres of “Sweeds Folly” for the sum of $2,255.55, conveying to Emory
L. and Bertha M. Virts. As Wallace died intestate, the land
descended to his wife, Minnie A. and his children and heirs by law,
the said Pauline V. Stup, Lucille M. Virts and Emory L. Virts.
On March 15, 1966, a
deed was conveyed for 96 acres of “Sweeds Folly” from Emroy L. and
Bertha M. Virts to James C. and JoAnn K. Athey (Liber 743, page 258)
thus ending a 142 year history of “Sweeds Folly” being part of the
Virts family heritage.
References:
·
The Brunners of Schifferstadt
·
The History of Carrolton Manor
by William Jarboe Grove
·
Names in Stone by
Jacob M. Holdcraft
·
Atlas of Frederick County, Maryland
by C.O. Titus & Co., 1873
·
Pioneers of Old Monocay
by Trace & Dern
·
Michael Family History
by Samuel Michael
·
Michael Family Research (Delashmutt Family
by Jean LaGrave
·
Marriages and Licenses of Frederick County
1778-1810 by Margaret Myers
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