A history of any family name can never really be captured, partially because inevitably the tracing of the name eventually hits a historical wall. But the history also is difficult to capture, because it is always being added onto. So eventually to write the history one must choose a point in time to anchor the history. I have chosen the birth of my first grandchildren, Ava and Leah Hearne. All relational references will be to these two individuals. For example, I am grandfather Hearne – David Oliver Hearne. 

Most family histories are rather dull recitations of family trees and unending lists of siblings and their families. This history will attempt to be dull in its own way. Although extensive family trees will be included, the narrative of this history will be limited to the direct Hearne lineage of Ava and Leah. In the end my objective is for Ava and Leah to clearly know by name their direct ancestor Hearn(e)’s back to their sixth great grandfather William Hearn and to have some understanding of the culture and history of the times in which these individuals lived.  

Much of the family history was originally compiled by Myrtle Hearn Mullican in the late 1960’s in a Hearne history based upon information from a Hearn family Bible, the location of which is now unknown. The information from this Bible is believed to be very reliable as several pieces of information have since been verified through various public records such as courthouse land records, census records, etc. Another Hearne history that will be cited is the one written by William T. Hearne and updated in 1907. I must caution, however, that no definitive genealogical connection has ever been made between the Hearne’s detailed in the 1907 Hearne history and the direct lineage of Ava and Leah. Furthermore later researchers have found several errors in William T. Hearne’s book. But I will describe circumstantial evidence that suggests a link.

Samuel W. Hearne – Southern Frontiersman 
Overview and Delaware/Maryland Connection

Samuel W. Hearn was born January 26, 1792 (Ben Hearn Bible) somewhere near the present day MD/DE border. A fair amount of knowledge has been accumulated regarding Samuel from census, land, and marriage records. Sometime before 1820 he migrated to Georgia and was married to Nancy Harrell in Jones Co., GA on January 2, 1823. Samuel was a soldier (GA Land Lottery records) and fortunate drawer in at least 2 of the GA Land Lotteries (1821 and 1827). Sometime between 1830 and 1833 he migrated to Alabama where he appears in an 1833 Alabama census in Barbour County. He then migrated by the early 1840’s to Louisiana’s Union parish near present day Monroe where land records show his buying and selling land. Samuel was a farmer (1850 and 1860 Federal Censuses) and after 1860 may have migrated one last time to east Texas where he died on August 28, 1872 and is buried in the San Pedro Cemetery in Houston County, Texas. Samuel’s life mirrors the post Revolutionary War migration of tens of thousands of 19th century Americans as they left the original colony settlements to occupy land given away by the government, usually after coerced or forced removal of the various eastern Indian tribes. 

The connection to the Hearne’s in the area of the MD/DE border is most strongly supported by the censuses of 1850 and 1860. In the 1850 census Samuel W. is listed as being born in MD and in the 1860 census he is listed as being born in DE. This is actually a clue as to his birth area as Lord Calvert and William Penn fought over the line between Delaware and Maryland and the issue was not finally resolved until 1769.  Unfortunately, because of this dispute and The Revolutionary War and The War of 1812, census and land records for this area are incomplete. The dispute over the boundary plus the Revolutionary War caused people to avoid filing land transactions, partly because it was unclear where they should be filed. And many records were lost during the War of 1812 when the invading British Army burned them. 

The following is a guess at how Samuel W. might be connected to the DE/MD Hearn(e)’s but it is very circumstantial. The first clue is a transcript from 2 Hearn family bibles in GA made by Jewel Moats Lancaster and can be found online (Hearn Bible – Jasper Co., GA). The following note is recorded in one of the bibles: 

“Lot Hearn son of Jonathan and Rhoda Hearn, and grandson of Samuel and Elizabeth Hearn and Jacob and Mary Parker was born in Sussex County, Delaware State, March 18, 1790.  Removed from there to Georgia, Hancock County, Jan 7, 1792, to Jackson Co, Georgia Jan 7 1800 and to Putnam Couty, Jan 29 1809.  Married to Frances McClendon Jan 13 1813, by Rev. Tras Flourney and baptized in Glady Creek by same minister on the 1st Sabbath in October 1815.  (Tras M. Hearn baptized Nov 2, 1819, by Rev. I. Hamrick, Antoich Church)”. 

The Samuel Hearn in this note is the grandson of William the Immigrant. In the book “A Somerset Sampler” (A Somerset Sampler: Families of Old Somerset County, Maryland, 1700-1776. Pauline Batchelder, 1994) this Samuel’s son, Jonathan (b. 1760), is listed as having a brother William born second. This is in conflict with the birth order in William T. Hearne’s book that lists William as being born last. But William and Thomas (born third) are later (1803) executors of Samuel’s estate, which would be consistent with William being the second born in 1765. Evidently Jonathan migrated to GA in 1790 as indicated in the above bible excerpt and thus not an executor of his father’s estate. Assuming this is our William (ancestor), it is speculated that he also migrated to GA following his father’s death taking with him Samuel W. Samuel W. Hearn is listed in the 1827 GA Land Lottery as a soldier and a Samuel Hern is listed in the War of 1812 Service Records as private in the 1st REG'T (HARRIS'), Georgia Militia, although this could be Lot Hearn’s brother Samuel who was born in 1795. Thus, one guess is that Samuel W. arrived in GA between 1803 and 1812. However, because Samuel W. was a fortunate drawer in the 1821 GA Land Lottery, he had to have been in GA no later than 1818. 

Route to Georgia

Two questions arise regarding the migration to Georgia of Samuel W. and other family members. First, what was the motivation to leave DE/MD and the extensive Hearn family of the area? Secondly, what was the route followed from DE/MD down to GA? General history provides some clues.  

Although some migration westward out of the eastern seaboard occurred prior to the Revolutionary War, little settlement of the land west of the Appalachian Mountains was made until after the war. Industrialization and manufacturing were just developing prior to the Revolutionary War, and manufacturing was severely limited by England. England through various methods forced the colonies to send raw material to the mother country.  So agriculture was the principle occupation for much of the population along with trades that supported an agrarian society. Families tended to be large and European immigration continued, so a growing population placed an increasing demand on available land. Between 1700 and 1750 the colonies grew almost 5 fold in population from 250,000 in 1700. And by 1800 the American population was over 5 million with the majority being within a 100 miles of the Atlantic coast. Furthermore, the extensive tobacco planting of the mid-Atlantic colonies in the first 150 plus years had led to depleted soils east of the Appalachians. Thus began a century long westward expansion.  

The US government had or eventually gained control over a vast territory that would be either sold cheaply or given away as grants as long as people would settle the land. In almost all cases, Indians either historically had occupied these territories or had been granted certain territories by governmental authorities. But the insistent migratory population pressure for more land led the government to pursue policies that removed the Indians and allowed the settlers to occupy the land. Samuel W. and his family were probably motivated like all others migrating west. Cheap land held out the possibility of a better economic life even given the hardships and challenges of settling new areas. And, yes they would occupy lands newly obtained from the Indians. In 1800 GA was settled along the coast and then inward along the Savannah river to Augusta and then westward along the Ogeechee river (GA 1790-1970). Beyond a 50-75 mile band from the coast, almost all of GA was Indian Territory just after the Revolutionary War. Georgia’s growth depended on securing land from the Cherokee (northern GA) and Creek (central western GA) Indians.  
 

The route taken by Samuel W. and his family could have been by land or sea. Given that their location in DE is fairly close to ports, one could envision a trip by ship to Savannah and then a short trip inland to the western frontier of GA in the first decade of the 1800’s. However, no information has been uncovered suggesting this as a migratory path from the mid-Atlantic seaboard into GA territory.  

From the Mid-Atlantic States, at least 4 overland routes ran north-south at the close of the 18^th century (Early American Roads):

• The King’s Highway ran 1300 miles from Boston to Charleston but was referred to by many other local names along its path. The route basically followed the coast and near Charleston connected into a trader’s path to Augusta. Migrants from the Eastern Shore would have gone to Baltimore and crossed the Potomac to Alexandria via ferry at Blandensburg.
• The Fall Line Road ran parallel to the King's Highway. The road broke off from the King's Highway at the town of Fredericksburg, Virginia. By 1735, it carried traffic into the interior of Virginia and the Carolina’s and across into Georgia. The road followed the fall line, a geographical feature caused by ancient erosion. The fall line stretches from Maryland all the way to Georgia, running between the river tidelands and inland elevations on the Atlantic coast. It defines an east and west division between the upper and lower elevations and generally defines the limit of inward water navigation along the eastern seaboard.
• The Upper Road branched off from the King's Highway at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and went southwest through Hillsboro, Salisbury, and Charlotte in North Carolina, then on to Spartanburg and Greenville in South Carolina and from there to Augusta, Georgia, and connected with other major trails leading to various sections of the southeastern and Gulf states. The road was also referred to as the Carolina Road and Rogue’s Road, due to thievery along it in the 18th century.
• The early German and Scotch-Irish settlers used what became known as the Great Wagon Road to move from Pennsylvania southward through the Shenandoah Valley through Virginia and the Carolinas to Georgia, a distance of about 800 miles. Beginning first as a buffalo trail, a great Indian Road (the Great Warrior Path) ran north and south through the Shenandoah Valley, extending from New York to the Carolinas. At Roanoke, the Wagon Road went through the Staunton Gap and on south to Winston-Salem, North Carolina and beyond while another branch turned west. By 1780, the Georgia Road continued from the Piedmont of North Carolina south through Salisbury and Charlotte and into Georgia.

One can only be guess which road was taken by the family of Samuel W. but it is very likely that they used a Conestoga wagon, named for the Conestoga River that runs through Lancaster, PA. For a more in-depth look at these roads use the link above on Early American Roads. 

Georgia Land – Indian Land

As mentioned in the introduction above, a speculation can be made that Samuel W. arrived in Georgia with his father William sometime between 1803 and 1812. A William Hearn is known to have been an executor to his father’s (Samuel Hearn) will in 1803. Assuming that this William is the father of Samuel W., he might have decided at that time to take his family to join his older brother Lot in Georgia. Samuel W. Hearn is listed in the 1827 Land Lottery as a soldier and a Samuel Hern is listed in the War of 1812 Service Records (National Archives) as private in the 1st REG'T (HARRIS'), Georgia Militia, although this could be Lot Hearn’s son Samuel (b. 1795). Thus, one guess is that Samuel W. arrived in GA between 1803 and 1812 based on this limited data. 

Samuel W. was almost certainly in Georgia by 1818. A Samuel W. Hearn is listed as a successful drawer in the 1821 Land Lottery that consisted of land obtained from the Creek Nation. The land lies basically in central present day Georgia between the Ocmulgee river on the east and the Flint river on the west. At the time Samuel W. was evidently a bachelor and in order to qualify for the lottery, he needed to reside in Georgia for 3 years. Thus, he must have resided in Georgia no later than 1818. 

The 1821 Land Lottery was the 4^th of 6 land lotteries conducted by Georgia between 1805 and 1832 assigning land “obtained” from the Creek and Cherokee nations. A Gold Lottery was also conducted in 1832 to allocate 40-acre lots in an area where gold had been discovered. The Land Lottery system supplanted an earlier “headright” system that was rife with fraud and corruption. This corrupt system culminated in what is now known infamously as the Yazoo Land Fraud. Almost ¾ of present day Georgia was distributed under the Land Lottery system and eventually allotted all of the Creek (by 1827) and Cherokee (by 1832) lands in Georgia to settlers. The Cherokees successfully challenged Georgia’s action in the Supreme Court. But a treaty signed by a minor Cherokee leader allowed President Jackson the legal premise under the 1830 Indian Removal Act to remove all of the Cherokee Indians and gave rise to the famous Trail of Tears in 1838. 

As mentioned before, Samuel W. Hearn was also listed as a successful drawer in the 1827 Land Lottery that distributed the last of the Creek land. By the rules of the lottery a prior successful drawer was not eligible unless you were a Revolutionary War veteran. Samuel W. is listed as a soldier in this lottery which is a hint that he may be the same person as the Samuel Hern listed in the War of 1812 National Archive records, although he also could have been a militia member and have engaged in actions against the Indians on the frontier. In the 1827 lottery married males with children qualified for 2 draws. This may have given Samuel W. at least one legal drawing as we have his marriage record to Nancy Harrell on January 2, 1823 in Jones Co., Georgia. By 1827, Samuel and Nancy had 2 children – William H. and Mary J. echoing the names of Samuel W.’s parents.  

 Georgia Frontier Life 

Much of the discussion below is based upon information in: 

Dick ,Everett. The Dixie Frontier – A Social History of the Southern Frontier from the First Transmontane Beginnings to the Civil War. New York, New York, Alfred A Knoff, 1948, 374 p. 

Coleman, Kenneth, ed. A History of Georgia, 2^nd Edition. Athens, GA, The University of Georgia Press, 1997, 461 p. 

As mentioned before, Georgia was almost completely an agrarian society in the early 1800’s.  Most citizens were small farmers with a few supporting artisans and merchandisers. In considering early frontier life it is important to understand how most everything was done through hard, manual labor. The frontiersman had a few tools such as an axe, a saw and some simple farming implements and the homemaker had large kettles and pots, knives, and a spinning wheel and loom. Large plantations in general were not established until after 1820 as the economy of Georgia, and the south, became strongly dependent upon cotton. In general, the frontier was settled in 2 steps. First, the small farmer would penetrate new land and improve it by clearing the forest and working the soil. Then a large plantation owner would arise as he consolidated the land and the small landowner would have a modest financial gain based upon his improvements. The small farmer would then move on to newly opened land by the government. 

At the turn of the 18^th century rice and indigo were important crops along the coastal region along with sea cotton grown on the barrier islands. Short staple cotton grew well inland but could not be conveniently handled until Eli Whitney’s cotton gin invention. Transplants from the Carolina’s and Mid-Atlantic States initially planted tobacco, but tobacco gave way rapidly to cotton once it could be processed by the cotton gin. Cotton became a relatively simple crop to produce and could be grown on any scale from small farmer to large plantations. By 1820, cotton was the cash crop in Georgia. Corn may have been the largest crop but it was raised primarily for internal use within a farm or plantation as a grain suitable for man and beast. And of course, each farmer would have a garden to provide other foodstuffs to support their families. 

The southern frontiersman moved frequently, and Samuel W. was no exception, homes were not very elaborate and quickly constructed. The common design was the so-called “dog trot” house that consisted of 2 rooms separated by a breezeway under a common roof and often with an overhang porch along the front. The breezeway was maybe 10 feet across and the rooms were probably 16-20 feet to a side with one room being used for living space and the other for cooking and other chores. Construction in the early years was generally of stacked logs on a stacked stone foundation with either plank or split shingle roofing. The floors, if they existed, were of pine and the chimney was constructed of twigs and clay. In later years, as manufactured lumber became available, construction was of a wood frame and siding with a brick chimney. On the frontier, the homes were often built in stages with first one room built for initial living space and then later the second room and connecting covering. Outbuildings for storage and livestock were crudely built log structures. 

The frontier life was one of hard work and sometimes the work required assistance from neighbors and community co-operation was necessary for survival and success on the frontier. Events such as house and barn raisings or quilting bees represented a way of accomplishing the tasks required for survival as well as providing an opportunity for community fun. The only other regular social gatherings on the frontier were church. The Baptist and Methodist denominations flourished in the frontier of the south and also provided a brief respite to the unrelenting hard labor. With regard to Samuel W. his faith or denominational preferences are unknown. 

Not enough respect can be paid to the women of the frontier. They were homemakers under very demanding conditions while also participating in manual labor alongside their spouses. And they were mothers always faced with 2 scenarios. A difficult pregnancy that very likely led to an early death or a successful pregnancy adding to an already large family. In the case of Nancy, Samuel’s wife, that meant giving birth to 12 children at home over a 21-year period. And other pregnancies may have occurred that weren’t recorded. 

By 1820 slavery was very much a part of Georgia and with “King” cotton becoming ever more so. The 1820 census records the population of Georgia as 340,000 with 150,000 of that number being slaves. Even small farmers frequently owned slaves and took them to the frontier to assist with the arduous tasks required. Although it is possible that Samuel W. owned slaves at some point in his life, no record verifying slave ownership has been discovered.  

Samuel W. - Where in Georgia 

Note – This section may change after a visit to Georgia to find land records in specific counties. 

First, one needs to always be aware that the county boundaries have shifted many times through the years, especially the counties on the frontier edge. And large counties were split into smaller counties as they became settled.

As discussed before, the exact year when Samuel W. arrived in Georgia is unknown and his movement in Georgia can only be estimated from the records we have. The Hearn family bible notes referenced above (Hearn Bible – Jasper Co., GA) also details the locations of Lot Hearn from 1792-1809. With the working assumption that Lot was a cousin of Samuel W., the earliest location for Samuel W. would be in Jackson County (today in addition to Jackson County parts of the original county are found in Clarke, Oconee, Madison, Gwinnett, Hall, Walton, Banks, and Barrow). The next likely location for Samuel W. is Putnam County. Putnam County was one of 8 counties formed by 1807 from Baldwin County. Baldwin and Wilkinson Counties (1803) originated from the Creek lands subsequently distributed in the 1805 and 1807 GA land lotteries. Jonathan Hearn is listed as a successful drawer in the 1805 lottery and a William Hearne Senr is listed among 10 Hearn(e)s qualified to participate in the lottery and a Wm Hearn Jun’r from Hancock County was a fortunate drawer in the 1807 lottery. It is not known if either of these William’s are our William ancestor. Unfortunately, the British burned the 1810 census records during the War of 1812. The 1820 census for Putnam County does list 8 Hearn’s including Jonathan, Lott, and Samuel. This Samuel could either be our Samuel W. or the brother to Lot born in 1795 and a likely cousin to Samuel W. Jasper County, directly to the west of Putnam County, lists in the 1820 census a William Hearn and shows and one other male and female in the household with age groups consistent with the birth years of our William and his wife Mary and Samuel W. It should be noted that this household also indicates 16 slaves. In 1820 another William Hearn is in Morgan County, north of Putnam, but the age groupings do not fit our William or Samuel W. 

The first definitive record of Samuel W. appears in the 1821 GA Land Lottery. Ten Hearn’s were fortunate drawers in this lottery including Lot, Samuel, and Samuel W. Lot, who had 2 successful draws, is listed as being in Putnam County. Samuel is located in Morgan County directly to the north of Putnam County and Samuel W. is listed as being in Jones County, which is adjacent to Putnam to the southwest and south of Jasper County. This location is consistent with the 1823 Jones County marriage record of Samuel W. to Nancy Harrell. Samuel W.’s draw was lot 156 in district 13. This lot is in today’s Monroe County just across the Ocmulgee River from Jones County along the headwaters of Tobler Creek and near the intersection of Pate Road and US 23. To obtain the lot Samuel W. needed to pay a $19 grant fee but it is unknown at this time if he did. Samuel W. was also a fortunate drawer in the 1827 land lottery receiving lot 314 in district 15 of Lee County, Captain Wilsons’ district. As in 1821 a grant fee ($18) needed to be paid to Georgia but it is again unknown if Samuel W. did this. The Georgia state archives should have this information. Samuel W. does appear in the 1830 census for Talbot County, which was formed from Muscogee County in 1828. Muscogee County in 1827 was just north of Lee County. (problem with lottery district numbers in lee county and Samuel’s drawing needs to be resolved). Sometime between 1830 and 1833 Samuel W. moved on to Barbour County, Alabama with at least 4 children. 

Nancy Harrell 

Samuel W. married Nancy Harrell (Herrell, Harrall) on January 2, 1823 in Jones County, Georgia. Her parents were Hardy Harrell (1765, unknown-1837,Upson County, GA) and Susannah Robinson (1760, VA- 3/1850, Farquier Co., VA). Nancy was born September 13, 1803 in Georgia and lived a long life of 96 years (d. ca. 1900) and is believed to be buried in Alexandria, LA. She must have been a very strong individual.  Her long life and multiple children (12) while living a frontier life are a testimony to strength.

Two William Hearne’s –An Ancestor and A Possible Progenitor in America 

The ancestors of Ava and Leah are known with fair certainty back to their seventh great grandfather William Hearn (the ancestor), born according to a Hearn family Bible in January 1765 and married to Mary born January 12, 1772 according to the same source. No other facts are specifically known about William (ancestor). Born to William (ancestor) and Mary on January 26, 1792 was Samuel W. Hearn about whom much more has been learned including evidence that he was born near the present day Maryland-Delaware border. In order from William (ancestor) Leah and Ava’s Hearn(e) ancestors are: 

      William Hearn (ancestor)

      Samuel W. Hearn 

      Benjamin Seth Hearn

      Samuel Washington Hearne (yes a second one, note the e)

      Willie Victor Hearne

      Joseph Herbert Hearne

      David Oliver Hearne

      William Walter Hearne. 

But returning to William Hearn (ancestor), although no known primary resource (birth certificate, etc.) exists to link William Hearn (ancestor - b. 1765) to earlier Hearn(e)’s in Maryland. However, substantial circumstantial evidence does exist. One of the problems in tracing the Hearn(e) history is the frequent use of William with Hearn(e). The 1907 Hearne Genealogy (by William T. Hearne) identifies the immigrant ancestors as William Hearne (whom will be referred to as the immigrant) and his wife Mary (another very commonly used name).  William T. Hearne's Brief History and Genealogy of the Hearne Family can be found in entirety at http://www.cragun.com/brian/hearne/history/ .

The following “facts” concerning William (the immigrant) have not been independently verified and thus should be viewed with some uncertainity. I refer the reader to William T. Hearne’s book for his resources and justification. 

William Hearne (the immigrant) is identified in the William T. Hearne genealogy as having served under Cromwell during the brief break in the British monarchy (1640-1660) when King Charles I was beheaded and a republic established. Upon the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II, it is speculated that William (the immigrant) felt unsafe and removed to St. Christopher Island in the West Indies establishing a merchant business, especially in sugar. As was the custom of the time period he carried general merchandise back to the colonies on the coast of Maryland and Delaware and the Indies. According to the Hearne history “In 1681 two of his brothers, Derby and Ebenezer, came with him, and settled in the then Province of Maryland, near what is now the Maryland and Delaware line, but on the Delaware side. Derby settled where what is known now as Theodore Brewington’s Mill, and Ebenezer at the Line Meeting.” In 1688, William (the immigrant) settled near his brothers near present day Delmar, Somerset County. 

William (the immigrant) died sometime in 1691 and his will was probated on November 10, 1691. His will and an enumeration of his estate can be seen in entirety in the William T. Hearne history (http://www.cragun.com/brian/hearne/history/). His property was divided equally among his wife Mary and his children William and Thomas. According to the William T. Hearne history, William and Thomas had at least 20 children between them. At this time, I am unaware of any children of Derby and Ebenezer. Thus Hearn(e) researchers look among the progeny of William (the immigrant) for likely ancestors. For our William Hearn (b. 1762) the most likely connection would be among the 20 or so progeny (and the children those progeny) of William (b. 1688) and Thomas (b. 1691), but no connection has been established. 

Life in the Maryland colony was probably similar to that of Virginia with some notable exceptions, the principal being more religious diversity (Where Maryland began . . .the Colonial History of St. Mary’s County, Sandy Shoemaker, Heritage Printing and Graphics, 2000, 106p). The Maryland colony was established in 1634 as a proprietorship of the Calvert family and originally granted to George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, and a recent convert to Catholicism. Upon arrival the colonists established a village at an abandoned Yaocomaco Indian village, a tribe in the Piscataway Chiefdom. This village became the site of St. Mary’s city and the original Maryland capitol. Of the original 140 settlers, only about 20 were Catholic but Cecilius Calvert, the 2^nd Lord Baltimore, established a tradition of religious toleration which he eventually had written into law by the Maryland Assembly in 1649. Unfortunately religious toleration was abandoned 60 years later in Maryland as the Anglican majority asserted its control. 

Like Virginia, the economy of early colonial Maryland revolved around tobacco and its exportation to England.  And like in Virginia, most manufactured household goods were imported from England and bought on credit based upon future tobacco crops. Land grants were given to English gentry who were willing to emigrate to America and by indentured individuals who worked the land in exchange for basic living necessities, which weren’t much during the 17^th century. The indentured servant, however, would satisfy his servitude within a few years (often 4 years) and could look forward to a small grant of land (around 50 acres). By the end of the 17^th century less land in the Cheasapeake region was available and large landowners had consolidated their holdings.  This coupled with improving economic conditions in England reduced the viability of using indentured servants as a source of workers. Thus enslavement of Africans eventually became the preferred source of plantation workers. William the Immigrant lists several slaves in his will. 

Most individuals lived in rather simple homes built by planting poles in the ground and building walls of rough hewn clapboards. Floors were often dirt and frequently the home consisted of one room only. A sleeping loft might be constructed for children and servants. Very little furniture would be inside and sleeping mattresses were very crude being stuffed with straw and corn shucks. Life revolved entirely around raising tobacco as a cash crop and tending to gardens and animals for sustenance. Corn was the staple starch as wheat did not grow well and the corn was eaten daily in some form. 

The same year (1688) that William (the immigrant) arrived in Maryland, William and Mary ascended to the thrones of King and Queen of England. Because William and Mary were Protestants, the Protestants of Maryland took advantage of this change and asserted more influence in control of the Maryland colony. Eventually this led to the capitol being located to Annapolis instead of St. Mary’s. St. Mary’s today is an archaeological site and not much more.  

By the 18^th century, the economy in the Chesapeake region had evolved into one based on large tobacco plantations with slaves and supporting mechanics (or tradesmen). Although, life was improved with fewer hardships it was still a hard life with few amenities, although the few large plantation owners lived rather comfortable lives. It is not known what circumstances that our William (ancestor) experienced as a child. Being born only 11 years before the Declaration of Independence one can speculate that he grew up in a time of uncertainty and divided loyalties. The author is unaware of any direct Hearn(e) ancestor who participated in the Revolutionary War. And nothing else is definitely known of the family except that a son Samuel W. Hearn, was born in 1792 and William (ancestor) married Mary (b. 1/12/1772).