Introduction
The site contains three types of archival documents which provide information related to the life and career of Captain Anthony Beck.
All the documents used in this site are from the collection of the Maryland State Archives.
Using Primary Sources
Throughout history only a small percentage of what occurred in
society was documented. Professional historians spend much of
their time searching for clues as to what occurred in the past. They
work closely with archaeologists and archivists to piece together
evidence of past events and lives. Their investigations led them
to an examination of surviving physical evidence--buildings, furniture,
and artifacts unearthed by archaeologists and to the study of
preserved written and printed documents.
Until recently, such documents were most accessible to scholars
and dedicated amateurs with the time and talent to cull the extensive
holdings of academic libraries and archives. Now new technologies
are changing the way we teach and study history by making available
over the world wide web digitized versions of primary source material.
Huge research libraries, the Library of Congress, Duke and Yale
Universities to name a few, offer vast, fascinating collections
of original documents for students and teachers to investigate
online.
With the increasing availability of these rich and exciting resources
come challenges and opportunities to teachers of history. Primary
sources may be defined as uninterpreted sources of information,
material that is contemporary to the event that is being described.
As with all historical material, we must consider primary sources
in the context of who produced them, when, how, and why. As we
study them we must appraise the author's reliability, background,
and point of view. Most significantly, original documents need
to be examined within the historical context of time and place.
Primary sources offer a direct connection to the voices and events
of the past. As they use them, students encounter "raw" history,
unfiltered and uninterpreted by professional historians. Primary
sources personalize history. The details of past lives and events
become real and enthralling for students. As educators we must
teach students to work carefully with primary sources, to avoid
generalizing, and to be certain that they draw conclusions that
relate directly to the facts. By piecing together historical evidence
as scholars do and making thoughtful, well-supported judgments,
students can participate firsthand in the historical process,
making meaning for themselves.
Maryland Gazette
The Maryland Gazette was a weekly newspaper published in Annapolis. These pages were chosen because they mention Anthony Beck, Stephen West, Junior or James Dick. The three men were related by marriage - Beck and Dick were married to daughters of Mr. West - and all three resided in London Town during the 1740s. Studying these selected pages will provide the opportunity to consider a number of questions about London Town and its merchants.
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|
Microfilm - SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Maryland Gazette Collection) MSA SC 2731 |
Issue |
Date |
Page |
Description |
|
September 16, 1743
|
p. 4
|
Shipping notice | |
|
June 9, 1747
|
p. 3
|
Shipping notice | |
|
February 11, 1746
|
p. 3
|
Advertisement | |
|
May 11, 1748
|
p. 3
|
Shipping notice | |
|
May 11. 1748
|
p. 6
|
Advertisement | |
|
December 7, 1748
|
p. 3
|
Shipping notice | |
|
September 20, 1749
|
p. 5
|
News of Capt. Beck's death | |
|
November 6, 1751
|
p. 2
|
Advertisement | |
|
April 23, 1752
|
p. 2
|
Advertisement |
Archival Records as Historical Evidence
The records presented below can be read as evidence of the life and career of a colonial Maryland merchant. Each was chosen because it contributed significant information about the life of Captain Anthony Beck, yet no one of them tells more than a fragment of his story. In reading them, pay close attention to dates and places. Also, consider what other sources of evidence a historian might use to discover a more complete account of Captain Beck's life and times.
Property Records
Two types of property records are presented in this section of the site: a deed to a lot in London Town and deeds which announce Captain Beck's desire to carry tobacco to England as freight. Property ownership records are very useful in determining who owned what, but they are not quite as straightforward in answering the question of who were the residents of a town such as London, Maryland. Many residents of colonial towns did not own land, or - as in the case of slaves - were themselves property.
| Tobacco Consignment Notice 1735 | ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY COURT (Land Records) 1733-1737, Liber RD2, ff. 288 MSA C 97-17, MdHR 4783 |
| Tobacco Consignment Notice 1747 | ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY COURT (Land Records) 1740-1748, Liber RB2, ff. 355 MSA C 97-20, MdHR 4786 |
| A Deed to Real Estate | ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY COURT (Land Records) 1740-1744, Liber RB1, ff. 305-306 MSA CM 91-17 |
| Excerpt from a Mortgage | ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY COURT (Land Records) 1733-1737, Liber RD2, ff. 478 MSA C 97-17, MdHR 4783 |
Probate Records as Historical Evidence
| An Inventory of the household goods of Captain Anthony Beck | PREROGATIVE COURT (Testamentary Papers) Estate of Anthony Beck 1750, Box 50, Folder 26 MSA S541-57-50, MdHR 1331-50 |
| Court case | PREROGATIVE COURT (Testamentary Papers) Account of Jane Beck 1750, Box 50, Folder 26 MSA S541-57-50, MdHR 1331-50 |
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