PilesDelight

Conversations with Lemuel Howell following our chance meeting at the National Archives in Washington, DC, led me to read, for the first time, Allred Family in America, edited by Dr. Rulon C. Allred (my husband's late father). I had some difficulty with the genealogical sections, particularly the numbering system and the way sources were cited. The Introduction, researched and written by Archibald F. Bennett, was every bit as exciting to me as Lemuel said it was. He told me that he had used that Introduction to continue his research on the Allred family.

About this time, a research report in the Allred Family Newsletter told about two pieces of property located in Frederick County, Maryland named Piles Delight and Bedlam Green and sold to Charles Higginbotham to William Alred in 1752. Since we lived near the Frederick County, Maryland at the time, I volunteered my time and do some research in the area. The search was very interesting because property in Maryland was named, had to be surveyed and patented and could be leased (and not recorded). I approached the "case" as though it was new research with minimal clues because all I had was Allred Family in America, having married my husband several years after Dr. Allred's death.

Property ownership in Maryland is difficult to explain, but it would be impossible for readers to understand the rest of this story without further information. For in depth information on land records in Maryland, see: http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/refserv/genealogy/html/land.html or

During the year that I researched indexes, documents, maps and places in Maryland and Virginia, I visited courthouses and libraries throughout Maryland and Northern Virginia. "Except for the landscape being infested with copperhead snakes, we loved living along the Appalachian Trail." If you are into the Blair Witch Project saga, you might be interested to know that we lived just over the hill (a mile, perhaps) from Burketsville. We are happy to say that we never experienced any unnatural hauntings, but between our house and Burketsville, there was an empty tomb that was a little unnerving.

The land record in question was created October 2, 1752. After some research regarding county boundary changes, I drove to Upper Marlboro, Maryland on September 22, 1992. Upper Marlboro is the county seat for Prince Georges County. Frederick County, the location of the property known as Piles Delight, was created in 1748 from parts of Prince Georges County. Upon arrival at the courthouse, I was directed to go to the Hall of Records in Annapolis, so I drove over there.


The house we rented 1992-1993 located on South Mountain in Washington County, MD near the Antietam Civil War Battlefield.	Job Allred standing on property once known as Piles Delight. The Potomac River and the Virginia shoreline are in the background.

The Hall of Records has many, if not most, of the early record books for Maryland, which are indexed on cards by various criteria (such as person's name and property name). I was unable to find anything in the indexes for Piles Delight or Bedlam Green. The 1752 record mentioned "Alred Purchase" so I looked for that in the file (under every conceivable -- to me -- spelling) and found nothing. The closest thing I found was Aldridge's Delight, 100 acres, surveyed and patented in 1714 by and for Thomas Aldridge.

By searching the indexes in Annapolis, I was finally able to find Piles Delight. In 1694, a patented certificate for property named Piles Delight was surveyed for Richard Spriggs of Prince Georges County, Maryland. There were several more searches in relation to this property, showing no documentation that Piles Delight passed from Richard Spriggs to William Alred. Richard Spriggs did not leave a will in Maryland, but I learned that he had migrated to Virginia.

Land surveyed for George Spriggs was called Addition to Piles Delight. In addition to Piles Delight in 1694, Richard Spriggs obtained Pile Grove in 1691, and Pile Hall in 1692. In 1693, Piles Addition was surveyed for William Pile.

Edward Spriggs, in a will dated 30 Nov. 1751, leaves property called Happy Choice to his son Edward; all the rest of the children get part of Addition to Piles Delight. They are: Frederick, Margaret, and Gilbert. Edward's wife, Mary, was expecting a child at the time the will was written.

Nancy Bell McCoy married John Larkins 28 March 1812 in Washington, Co. MD. The ministers name was Reedy. They lived in the Sharpsburg area at one time and later moved to Shenandoah Co. VA in early 1830's. Owned property called "Piles Delight at one time and had home in Sharpsburg. Need any information on her family. She is my gg-grandmother. John Larkins was probably a Iron worker in the local furnaces and farmer. Would appreciate any information on the Church that Reedy was Pastor of.

[NOTE: Someone answered as said Bell may have been Beall].