174 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1753-1761.

Lib. J. R.
& U. S.

Excellency, but if you please to hear me I will now declare
the Truth, and then he proceeded as follows.

The Recantation and Confession of William Marshall als
Johnson, made before his Excellency and the Council the 29^th
November 1756.
My real Name is William Marshall and not Johnson, I
was indeed born as I have been told near Marcus Hook in
the province of pensilvania, but of protestant parents, and I
have also been brought up in that Religion I have been in-
formed that when I was very young my parents removed
from pensilvania into Baltimore County, and rented a small
plantation in Gunpowder Neck, about a Year after such their
Removal my Father died and the next Winter my Mother
left that part of the Country, and going up into the Forrest
became a House-keeper to one William Rice a Widower,
her Family at that time consisted of three Daughters, and

p. 147

myself, one of my Sisters stayed in the Neck, and went to
live with a certain John de Brulier, another of my Sisters
hired herself soon after to Francis Freeman, and the third to
Roger Donahew. I was then about 5 Years old, and when
T was 6, my Mother bound me an Apprentice to one Abraham
Jerrard a Tanner and Shoemaker, who lives about five Miles
from Jacob Bull's Mill on the decease of Rice my Mother
returned to Pensilvania and was married to one Jos: Fore-
sight, but before I had served out my Apprenticeship and
when I was about 18 Years of Age, she came down to Balti-
more to see me and my Sisters, who were all then married,
visiting my Master she prevailed with him to give me up my
time and set me at Liberty; and soon afterwards her Hus-
band my Father in Law came down and took me home with
him to a plantation near Willings Town that he rented of one
William Derrickson, and I lived with him there and worked
for him on his plantation about a Month, I then hired myself
to M^r Derrickson, and served him almost a Year, afterwards
T worked with one John Bird, Lelif Peterson, and several
others in that Neighbourhood during the space of two Years.
I then came back to Baltimore County to see my Sisters, and
after 6 Weeks returned again to my Father in Law's and
thence went over Delaware, and worked about two Years
and a half with John Mounts, Peter Boone, and several other
persons in penn's Neck, thence I removed to Gloucester
County, and T and one Wicks undertook to saw a quantity
of Ship plank there for one Solomon Lippencut, we per-
formed our Contract in 4 Months, and I then hired myself
to one James Steelman, and worked for him and others in
that Neighbourhood about a Year at plantation Business,