I think we have all heard of the Mason-Dixon line, with regard to the Civil War and the lead-up to it, but I did not know who Mason and Dixon were, or how the line came to be. The line predates the era that it is almost synonymous with by almost a century. And the border it delineated was contentious even then, but for a variety of reasons. Much of the contention in the early days had to do with the way the different colonies came into being, and the way their charters were written. One problem was that the charters were written in England. Another was that the land that was being granted had not yet been mapped. So the descriptions of the lands being granted was rather vague.
Borders can be important for a number of reasons. This one was important early on because which side of the border your land was on could determine what taxes you would pay, or even if you actually had clear title to your property. Between the changing politics in England, and the varied personalities and goals of the grant holders and the colonists, an indeterminate border was a problem that needed a solution. Enter the English astronomers turned mapmakers and surveyors, Charles Mason and Jerimiah Dixon. To them fell the task of determining the actual border between Maryland and Pennsylvania.
When Mason and Dixon did their survey of the border between the two states, during 1763 to 1767, the land was mostly unexplored by Europeans. The Native tribes were not always friendly, and the land itself was not easily traversed. They were not able to work during the winter months, and it was slow going the rest of the year. And while Mason and Dixon’s survey did establish an official border between the colonies, and eventually the states, it did little to stop the various disagreements on either side of it.
If this was your family, how would you research them? If you had ancestors anywhere along the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland, you should read this book. The border between Pennsylvania and Maryland was not set until the survey was completed, so if your ancestors were in that area very early, this is information you need to know. The author lists a number of sources in his list of abbreviations and notes, some of which might be helpful for your research as well.