At 11:42 PM 7/20/2004 -0400, you wrote:
The following was discovered someplace in my reading, but
unfortunately
there was either no source to which it was attributed or I misplaced it.
"The correct spelling of the name was La Graeme. Early members of the
family moved froom France to Ireland, as farmers. In the early 1630s, four
brothers (James, John, Christopher and David along with their sister Mary)
came to
Maryland. They were granted land patents by the King and lands at Baltimore
where land was. As farmers the land did not suit their purposes, so they
leased their holdings for 99 years and came westward towards
the mountains. It
is said that one can not get clear title to land in the city of
Baltimore, as
practically the whole city belongs to Grimes' heirs. None of these brothers
ever settled west of the mountains as they were probably dead by 1774-76
when trans mountain settlement began.
Billy, I would say the above claims are lore, (in fact mostly total fiction)
First of all the King (Charles) granted all of Maryland to Lord
Baltimore, the Calvert family in essence owned the province (state).
So there were no grants from the King to the Grimes or any other settlers.
All land grants were "leases" from Lord Baltimore to persons in MD for an
annual quit rent and there are good records of these grants.
This concept of ground leases was a major factor in MD reality until after
the 1970s, with the "Ground Rents". As an example, my parents still own
the land under the house they sold 40 years ago in Baltimore. It may be
that when your Grimes sold whatever holdings they had it was done with the
"ground rent" concept, so there may be some hint of truth in the story
about the 99 yr lease and they never conveyed legal title to whatever land
they held.
There is no doubt from the Maryland land grants and early Baltimore deeds,
as to who owned the various tracts of land composing Baltimore City. There
are NO deeds for any Grimes in Baltimore Co. until 1741 when a John
Grimes conveyed (mortgaged) on 3 Dec 1741 crops and livestock to a John
Higgins. John and Mary Grimes (with daughter Mary) apparently were
granted a life lease for 130 acres from Thomas Brerewood Sr 15 July
1743. Therefore the bit about the family owning an significant land in
Baltimore seems to be total fiction.
There was a William GRIMES in Anne Arundel Co., who was granted land there
including the tracts
Burton Grimes surveyed 3 Jun 1664 (in partnership with John Burton)
the Tract "Freinds Choice" 100 acres surveyed for Wm Grimes 6 May 1672
the tract "Grimes Addition" 100 acres surveyed for Wm Grimes 6 May 1672
"Grimes Addition 187 acres in South River Hundred surveyed in 1694 for Wm
Grimes.
Lee