This Was the Life

This book is composed of extracts from the Judgment Records of Frederick County, Maryland, from the county's formation in 1748 to 1765. Since the Frederick County Court was the sole governing body of the county, as well as its civil and criminal court, the record of its actions covers every phase of colonial life. Here is reflected not only laws and customs, but humor and tragedy, compassion and cruelty-a daily record, in fact, of events in the life of the inhabitants of this important Maryland county. The records of the proceedings of the County Court (the Judgment Records) deal with a wide range of activities and issues, and therefore a substantial number of Frederick County residents appear in the records, which include orphan, bastardy, and custody cases; civil and criminal suits; and a host of petitions for apprenticeships, articles of indenture, appointments, surveys, and licenses.