|
Parish, Baltimore County; only son. NATIVE: third
generation. RESIDED: in Annapolis, Anne Arundel
County, at least 1767-ca. 1773; Baltimore County,
ca. 1773-1779; Annapolis, 1779 until death. FAM-
ILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: Richard Chase, Gent.
(?-1757), son of Rev. Richard Chase (?-ca. 1742),
chaplain to Charles Calvert, 5th Lord Baltimore
(1699-1751), rector of Westminster Parish and All
Hallow's Parish in Anne Arundel County and
Christ Church in Calvert County; immigrated in
1734. GUARDIAN: his great-uncle Rev. Thomas
Chase (1700-1779), rector of St. Paul's Parish,
Baltimore County, from 1745 to 1779. MOTHER:
Catherine (?-by 1757). UNCLE: Jeremiah Chase (?-
1755). SISTER: Frances Hatton, who married Rich-
ard Moale (1739-1786), son of John Moale (?-
1740). OTHER KINSHIP: his second cousin was
Samuel Chase (1741-1811). MARRIED on June 24,
1779, Hester (?-1823), daughter of Thomas Bald-
win, Gent., of Anne Arundel County, and wife
Agnes. Her sisters were Anne, who married Sam-
uel Chase (1741-1811); Rebecca. CHILDREN. SON:
Richard Moale (?-ca. 1840), who married Mary
Marriott (?-1836). DAUGHTERS: Frances Townly
(ca. 1780-1857), who married Richard Loocker-
man (ca. 1782-1834); Hester Ann (1791-1875);
Matilda (ca. 1786-1829), who married Thomas
Chase (1774-1826), son of Samuel Chase (1741-
1811); and Catherine, who married Richard
Crabb. PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: his early
education was provided by his guardian Rev.
Thomas Chase; probably studied law in Annapolis
under Samuel Chase (1741-1811). RELIGIOUS AF-
FILIATION: Anglican. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVI-
TIES: Esq., by 1788; Hon., by 1798. OCCUPA-
TIONAL PROFILE: lawyer, admitted to the Anne
Arundel County Court in August 1771; prosecu-
tor, Annapolis Mayor's Court, 1772-1773. Ap-
peared as an attorney in Anne Arundel County
Court over 500 times between 1772 and 1773, and
1783 and 1791 (no appearances between 1773 and
1783), with the bulk of his cases occurring be-
tween 1783 and 1789; his most active year was
1787. He frequently appeared for Samuel Chase
(1741-1811) in the 1780s. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGIS-
LATIVE SERVICE: Conventions, Baltimore County,
4th 1775, 5th, 1775, 6th-8th, 1775-1776,
Baltimore Town, 9th, 1776; Lower House,
Baltimore Town, 1777 (Elections 1, 2; Grievances
1; Laws to Expire 1; Manufactories 1), 1777-1778
(Elections 1, 2; Laws to Expire 1), 1778-1779
(Manufactories 1; Elections 2; Tax Commissioners
3), Anne Arundel County, 1788. OTHER STATE
OFFICES: Executive Council, 1779-1780, 1780-
1781, 1781-1782, 1782-1783, 1783 (resigned on
|
December 12, 1783), 1785-1786, 1786-1787,
1787-1788; Constitution Ratification Convention,
Anne Arundel County, 1788; judge, General
Court, 1789-1805; chief judge, Third Judicial Dis-
trict and of the Court of Appeals, 1806-1826 (re-
signed). LOCAL OFFICES: Committee of Correspon-
dence, Baltimore County, elected 1774; Committee
of Observation, Baltimore Town, elected 1774;
common councilman, Annapolis, elected 1781;
alderman, Annapolis, 1781-1791; mayor, Annapo-
lis, 1783-1784; Maryland Senate elector, Anne
Arundel County, elected 1796. OUT OF STATE
SERVICE: delegate, Continental Congress, 1783-
1784 (elected on December 9, 1783, to fill va-
cancy). STANDS ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE ISSUES: Op-
posed ratification of the U.S. Constitution, 1788.
WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROP-
ERTY: assessed value £425.0.0, including 8 slaves
and 132 oz. plate, 1783; assessed value of Annapo-
lis property $2,335.00, including 8 slaves and 500
oz. plate, 1819, and $1,760.00, including 8 slaves
and 500 oz. plate, 1821. He was awarded
£576.14.1 current money by the Chancery Court
as his father's share of the estate of Jeremiah
Chase (?-1755), 1787. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: he
held several mortgages, usually on land, as secu-
rity for bonds signed by Samuel Chase (1741-
1811), Luther Martin (1744-1826), and others.
LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: probably none. SIG-
NIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST
ELECTION AND DEATH: In 1778 Chase began pur-
chasing small tracts of land in or adjacent to
Baltimore Town, which would later be subdivided
into lots and sold separately. His major holdings
were on Whetstone Point; some of this land was
confiscated British property that Chase bought in
1781, while other portions of it were obtained by
mortgage foreclosures and later by purchase. He
bought most of the land in Baltimore County and
Baltimore Town before 1790 and sold or leased it
by 1815. In the mid- 1820s Chase was again active
in Baltimore County land transactions, but he sold
most of the acreage before his death. The majority
of Chase's real property was located in Anne
Arundel County, principally on Annapolis Neck
and in the northwestern part of the county, which
is now Howard County. With Samuel Chase
(1741-1811), he purchased over 1,600 acres in the
latter area, of which 580 acres were patented in
1786. The following year J. T. Chase bought Sam-
uel Chase's interest in this tract. He repatented
most of the acreage in 1800, and much of it was
sold by 1825. In 1798 Chase began buying land on
Annapolis Neck with a 690-acre purchase from
Benjamin Ogle (1748/49-1809). Over the next
213
|
