Elisha Gates and Anchovie Hills

    Over the last week, I have been in contact with a few people who work for the Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation.  Their responsibilities included the many museums in the county as well as local history and archeology.  With their help I think that I have narrowed down the area where the Gates family lived.  
     Without researching original deeds and families, it would appear that an early settler from Scotland, Alexander Magruder, owned a significant amount of land in the vicinity of of the intersection Croom Road and Magruders Ferry Road.  Part of his land was the original tract called Anchovie Hills.  Some of this land was passed to children or subdivided and sold. Eventually Peter Gates purchased over one hundred acres.  He and his son added to this over the years until Elisha, Peter's grandson, sold several hundred acres between 1817 and 1827.  
     Our helpful Prince George's County archeologist suggests the stream, called Aquasco Branch in one of the deeds, is most likely a branch of Black Swamp Creek.  In addition to this our friendly archeologist suggested a land ownership map that I had not seen.  If we compare a few names on that map with other known families in the area then Elisha's land should have been about where I have placed the yellow house on the map below. 
     





In this old map¹ you can locate several names that were in the deeds for land that was bought or sold by the Gates' family.  Elisha sold land in 1817 to James H Gibbons.  Peter Gates purchased land from the Sasscer(Saucer) family in 1760.  I have been in contact with another researcher this week and we suspect that Christina Gates' mother's maiden name is Gwynn. (We have not proven that yet, but I am optimistic.)

















    Recently, when searching for 'Anchovy Hills' I had spelled it the way it appeared in the newest deed I had found.  Based on information I received from Prince George's County, I learned that the original spelling, 'Anchovie Hills' was the preferred spelling.  I found that there is an Anchovie Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Here is a link to another researcher's blog on Anchovie Hills.

Anchovie Hills - Magruders Tobacco Landing

And a youtube video.




1. Hopkins, G.M.,  Atlas of Fifteen Miles Around Washington Including the County of Prince George Maryland, Philadelphia, 1878 http://jhir.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/33000

Where is Aquasco Creek?

     A deed¹ which transfers land to the Gates family in Prince George's County mentions Aquasco Creek. Since I have been trying to determine the location of the tract of land called Anchovy Hills, Aquasco Creek may be the ticket.  So where is Aquasco Creek.

Detail from Prince George's County Court (Land Records) JRM 1, p. 84

     As shown on Google Maps², there is a location in Maryland called Aquasco.  It lies at the intersection of Maryland Route 381, Aquasco Road, and Maryland Route 233, Dr. Bowen Road in rural Prince George's County.  There are plenty of creeks in the region.  Which one is Aquasco Creek?     

Using  USGS Geographic Names Information System GNIS There are 5 uses of the name Aquasco.  Unfortunately, none of them are creeks or streams.  

     Maps that I have found from the nineteenth century do no show Aquasco Creek.  The place now called Aquasco was called Woodville at that time.  None of the later deeds or maps show Anchovy Hills or Aquasco Creek.  Unfortunately names of locations do change.
    I have written to the historical society so maybe someone there will know.

Martenet's Map of Prince George's County, Maryland³

1. Maryland State Archives  http://mdlandrec.net   Prince George's County Court (Land Records) JRM 1, p. 84-5, MSA_CE65_30. Date viewed 05/02/2014. 


2. Google Maps Engine, Google Imagery 2013 Digital Globe, State of Ohio / OSIP, U.S. Geological Survey, USDA Farm Service Agency.

3.  Martenet, Simon J.. "Martenet's Map of Prince George's County, Maryland." . Library of Congress, 1 Jan. 1861. Web. 4 May 2014. <http://www.loc.gov/item/2002624036/>.