562                           THE COUNTIES OF MARYLAND

WICOMICO COUNTY.

Wicomico County, next to the youngest in the State, is one of the
four erected by state conventions, the others being Washington, Mont-
gomery, and Howard. In the constitution, of the State adopted in 1867
was a section as follows: (Art. 13, section 2)

" Beginning at the point where Mason and Dixon's line crosses the channel
of Pocomoke River, hence following said line to the channel of the Nanticoke
River, thence with the channel of said river to Tangier Sound, or the inter-
section of Nanticoke and Wicomico Rivers, thence up the channel of the
Wicomico River to the mouth of Wicomico Creek, thence with the channel
of said creek and Passerdyke Creek to Dashield's or Disharoon's Mills, thence
with the millpond of said mills and branch following the middle prong of
said branch, to Meadow Bridge, on the road, dividing the Counties of Somer-
set and Worcester, near the southwest corner of farm of William P. Morris,
thence due east to the Pocomoke river, thence with the channel of said river

to the beginning.....then said parts of Worcester and Somerset Counties

shall become and constitute a new County, to be called Wicomico uounty;
and Salisbury shall be the County seat ....... "

No changes have occurred in the limits of the county. It is, however,
of interest to trace the different jurisdictions under which the inhabi-
tants of Wicomico County have been placed in the years since its settle-
ment. In the early days of the Province there were no settlements
known prior to the seventh decade of the seventeenth century. Soon
after the establishment of Somerset County in 1666 settlements gradually
extended up the Nanticoke River and on the shores of the Wicomico.
As early as 1684 there were enough settlers in the region between Marshy-
hope Creek and the main branch of the Nanticoke to occasion contro-
versy between Somerset and Dorchester counties which was settled by
an order of Council on October 4, 1684, when it was decided that the
main branch of the Nanticoke, and consequently the northern boundary
of Somerset County, was the northeastern branch of the river. Subse-
quent to 1742, when the present Worcester County was erected, that
portion of Wicomico County lying west of the railroad from Princess
Anne to Delmar was the only part within Somerset County. Prior to
that time whatever settlements had been made to the eastward were also
in Somerset County and records dealing with land transfers, probate
courts, etc., should be looked for in Princess Anne, although transcripts
of the majority of the important papers have been made for record in