Patrick Hamrick November 26, 1753

William Foster Junr. is appointed Surveyor of the Road in the room of Patrick Hamrick and ordered he keep the same in repair and erect posts or stones(1)

 

 

          Comments           

The phrase "in the room of" was a common expression meaning "in place of",(2) which infers that Patrick had been a surveyor up to this point. The primary fact to consider here, however, is that Patrick was 69 years old in 1753. (REF: 1684) Undoubtedly, he had not been up to the rigor of being a surveyor in Colonial America for some time. This leads one to believe that this entry actually refers to Patrick, Jr.

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(1) Prince William County Minute Book 1752 – 1753. p. 310.

(2) Paul Drake. What Did They Mean By That?: A Dictionary of Historical Terms for Genealogists. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 1994. p. 118.

© 1999 Ronald K. Hamrick, Burke, VA