[DGS LOGO] DELAWARE 1775-1830 MAP
THE DELAWARE DIVIDE

Water west of the Divide flows to the Chesapeake Bay while water East of the Divide flows to the Delaware River and Bay. Similarly, since early travel was primarily by water, those who settled west of the Divide came primarily from what is now Maryland while those who settled east of the Divide, esp. in New Castle and Kent counties, came primarily from Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Before 1764, when Mason & Dixon set the western and southern Delaware borders, deeds for land in the shaded area were often granted by Maryland who claimed all of present Delaware as "Durham Co." The borders of the Delaware hundreds that were designated by 1775 remained unchanged until 1830, but they were sometimes called by more than one name; e.g. Dover=St. Jones, Broadkill=Broadkiln

CREDITS: The "Delaware Divide" map appears on page 51 of the Delaware Genealogical Research Guide - 2nd edition (1997) and is from the Delaware Geological Survey, Newark DE. The shaded area for Maryland deeds, designated by George L. Caley, and the hundred boundaries and counties and were added by Thomas P. Doherty.



© Delaware Genealogical Society - February 21, 1997

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