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William Douglass, whose birth details remain uncertain, may have
originated from Pennsylvania and was of age by 1763. By then, he had
already immigrated—possibly from Kent County, Delaware—and began
establishing himself in various locales. He resided in Caernarvon
Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, before moving to Worcester
County in 1763, and then to Dorchester County by 1771. This area later
became part of Caroline County, where he settled in the Great Choptank
Hundred(1) by 1778.
Douglass married Sarah, who, following his
death, remarried William Carpenter, Sr., of Kent County, Delaware.
William and Sarah had a son, James, who lived until around 1799 and
resided in Kent County, Delaware. There may have been other children as
well.
A literate man, Douglass carried the title of "Gentleman"
by 1763. His career centred on his work as an ironmaster, a prominent
and ambitious role. In partnership with Jonathan Vaughan and six other
Pennsylvania businessmen, Douglass was instrumental in founding the
Nanticoke Forge and Deep Creek Furnace around 1763. This ironworks
operation, the first of its kind in Worcester County, was expansive.
Spanning approximately 7,000 acres on the Eastern Shore, it included
sawmills, gristmills, and water mills, as well as a labour force of slaves and servants.
Merchandise from the enterprise was shipped directly to England.
However, the Revolutionary War severely disrupted operations; with the
Chesapeake Bay blockaded, the ironworks came to a standstill and never
resumed after the war. The property remained with the company until
1802, when legislative action divided the lands among heirs of the
original owners. Douglass's grandsons inherited parts of the furnace
tract and other properties.
In addition to this venture, Douglass
partnered with John Douglass of Chester County, Pennsylvania, on a
waterworks and a small forge from around 1770 to 1776. This partnership
dissolved during the Revolutionary period.
William Douglass also
ventured into public service. Representing Caroline County, he served in
the Lower House in 1777 and again from 1777 to 1778, participating in
the Manufactories Committee. Locally, he was appointed commissioner of
tax in 1779 and commissary of horses in 1781, although ill health
prevented him from fulfilling the latter role.
Douglass's
landholdings reflected his prominence. At the time of his first
election, he co-owned approximately 7,000 acres in Worcester and
Dorchester counties, Maryland, and in Sussex County, Delaware. He also
shared ownership of about 1,600 acres in Caroline County. Between 1776
and 1782, he acquired his partner's share in the Caroline County
property, solidifying his stake.
By the time of his death in 1782
in Caroline County, Douglass was a man of substantial wealth. His
personal estate was valued at £1,469.5.7, which included eight slaves,
10 ounces of silver plate, and books. His lands included 1,517 acres in
Caroline County as well as his portion of the 7,000 acres tied to the
Deep Creek Ironworks.
William Douglass’s life reflects a blend of
enterprise, ambition, and service, albeit marked by the challenges of
his era, such as the disruptions caused by the Revolutionary War and the
eventual decline of his business ventures.
Note:
1. Frederick
Douglass says of his birthplace: It was in this dull, flat, and unthrifty district or neighborhood, bordered by the Choptank river, among the laziest and muddiest of streams, surrounded by a white population of the lowest order, indolent and drunken to a proverb, and among slaves who, in point of ignorance and indolence, were fully in accord with their surroundings, that I, without any fault of my own, was born, and spent the first years of my childhood
(in February 1817).
A connection between Frederick and William Douglass's family has yet to
be established.
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Source
Sources for this article include:
Maryland State Archives
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