Project Director:
Owen Lourie
Owen Lourie is a historian at the Maryland State Archives, first joining the staff as an intern in 2003. He has conducted and supervised research on a wide array of topics relating to Maryland history, including Brookeville, Maryland during the Early Federal Era. He also co-curated an exhibit at the Maryland State House, “‘The Enemy Nearly All ‘Round Us’: Annapolis & The War of 1812.” He earned a B.A. in American Studies from Kenyon College in 2005, and an M.A. in history, with a concentration in public history, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2012.
Assistant Historian:
James Schmitt
James Schmitt graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in history in 2019. He has previously worked in the Cremona Archaeological Field School, Historic St. Mary’s City, and Historic London Town. He is also employed at the College Park Aviation Musuem.
Web Editor and Consulting Historian:
Jason Aglietti
Jason Aglietti began as the project’s website re-design intern in 2017. He earned his M.A. in history from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2018, writing a thesis entitled “The Friends They Loathed: The Persecution of Maryland Quakers During the Revolutionary War.” He also holds a B.A. in history from Towson University. He is currently a public librarian in Baltimore County and before that worked for Apple Inc. for over five years.
Past Staff:
Cassy Sottile, Washington College Explore America Intern, 2019
Jillian Curran, Washington College Explore America Intern, 2019
Natalie Miller, Maryland SAR Research Fellow, 2017-2018
Elizabeth Cassibry, Washington College Explore America Intern, 2018
Taylor Blades, Research Intern, 2017
Burkely Hermann, Maryland SAR Research Fellow, 2016
Nicholas Couto, Research Intern, 2016
Sean Baker, Staff Researcher, 2014-2015
Joshua Rifkin, Research Intern, 2015
Emily Huebner, Staff Researcher, 2013-2014
Taira Sullivan, Research Intern, 2014
Daniel Blattau, Research Intern, 2013
Jeff Truitt, Research Intern, 2013
Contact the Project: msamaryland400@gmail.com
Finding the Maryland 400 
Hi Team:
I love the work you all have done to improve the telling of the story of the Maryland 400. It is long overdue. I’m at West Point and have researched the New York Campaign and presented battlefield staff rides in Brooklyn and other locations for over 10 years. My years of walking the ground and reading American pension records and other primary source accounts, as well as British and Hessian accounts have given me a very different perspective on this battle, particularly at the platoon and company level. I unfortunately have not had the benefit of visiting your archive. Thanks to your website not only is more of the story coming to light, but your posting of original documents benefits historians and enthusiasts alike. I truly appreciate your efforts. One item I’m interested to see, which I believe was the document mentioned in your 13 June post, is the size roll of Captain Veazey’s Independent Company. The second document mentioned in that post, a pay abstract, was scanned and published on 26 June, and I’m hoping you can do the same with the age-size roll and other documents that relate to Veazey’s 7th Independent Company.
Keep up the great work,
Frank Licameli, LTC (USAR, Ret)
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Frank,
Thanks for your kind words! I’m glad that you’ve enjoyed the our website. We make an effort to post scans of the documents we refer to, and we’ll put up images of Captain Veazey’s muster roll soon (something we should have done already).
Thanks again for reading, and stay tuned for more information!
Owen
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Hope these links can be helpful-note must register first to place a online memorial-
Maryland Monument memorial Links
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2379171&CScn=Maryland+400&
Prison ship memorial links
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2227940&CScn=Prison+Ship&
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Hello,
I can’t begin to tell you how relieved & happy I am to have found your site! I’m currently in the process of researching (& researching & researching!) my family & believe my paternal 5th great grandfather, William Brooks, may well have been one of the Maryland 400. According to his successful pension application, he enlisted in February of 1776, served under Capt. Sims & participated in the Battle of Long Island. Would you be able to help me with verification? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Connie Hussey
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Hi Connie,
The only William Brooks I’ve been able to find served in the 2nd Md. Regiment from Feb 1778-Jun 1781, and there is no William Brooks in the initial muster roll of Sim’s Company, online here http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000018/html/am18–7.html. However, I did find his pension where he claimed to have served with the 1st Md. in 1776.
That either means he was wrong, or you’ve found a new member of the regiment that we don’t know about! Either way, this will require a bit of work to try and clear up. Do you have any additional information about Brooks? You can email us at msamaryland400@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Owen
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I also descend from this William Brooks. Has there been any updated info on this matter?
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Hi John,
There isn’t any record of a William Brooks serving from Maryland before 1778, but it’s quite possible that someone’s enlistment in 1776 could disappear; we have only the initial muster rolls of the 1st Maryland, listing people who joined in January-March, and we know that there are people who fought at Brooklyn whose names aren’t recorded there. The record-keeping in the early part of the war was spotty–sometimes very thorough, but sometimes completely absent.
While we have no record of his enlistment, Brooks’ Federal veteran’s pension application seems to accurately describe the campaign of 1776, so it seems likely that he really was present at the Battle of Brooklyn. He has been added to the roster of the First Maryland Regiment in 1776, and we hopefully will be able to learn more about him in the future.
Thanks for your question.
Owen
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My 4th great grandfather was Samuel Luckett of the Maryland 400. I am James Luckett. I descend from him and his first wife, Monica Kennedy, who I don’t think you mention. They were married in 1775 in Charles, Maryland. She died when my 3rd great grandfather William Cox Luckett was born in 1789 in Maryland. Then Sam married Elizabeth Cox, who you do mention, and had many more children. William moved with him to Kentucky and attested to his indigent status, along with Henry Lee, on the pension application. Samuel had 3 enlistments — Jan to Sept 1776, December 1776 to 1779. and then in the Maryland Militia 1779-80 where he attained the rank of Lieutenant. Thanks for your work!
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Saw the records, and Charles Pritchard of Harfford County. Bush on the Gunpowder is my great uncle /first cousin. Records are as yet, both sparse and unclear. A number of the family died in the American Revolution as Continental/Militia and left no descendants and thus the family record is not fully explained. People listed in the initial 1775 militia lists just disappeared. Really like this project and I think its of greatest importance that these men be found and honored with a special burial site. Wes Prichard
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Dear Wes,
Thanks so much for the comment, and I’m glad you enjoyed the site. Unfortunately we didn’t find much about Pritchard, which usually means that he didn’t have much contact with the government, or there was more than one person with the same name. If you have any info about your ancestor that you can share to help us, we’d be very grateful. Send me an email at msamaryland400@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Owen
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Thanks to all!
A wonderful Project, will bring forth more information and recognize our Patriotic Ancestors, bravery, determination to overcome all obstacles to form a new and great nation.
William Disney, Senior. (Bud)
Dual Member James Monroe Chapter, VASSAR and General Smallwood Chapter, MDSSAR
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Thanks to Burkely Hermann for the follow up article about Lt. Col. Henry Chew Gaither, one of the Maryland 400. Wading through all those letters on the War Department site is quite a bit of work. I found many of the originals hard to read due to damage or not being able to decipher the handwriting. Good Job. Gaither’s job on the frontier to keep all parties from warring with one another was almost an impossible one and a part of history that is not well known. Thanks again.
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Sue,
Thank you for your kind words, and for your support of the project over the years. We’re indebted to you for all your help with Gaither’s biography.
Gaither’s time out west is interesting, and definitely an under explored part of history…The 1780s and 1790s are full of fascinating little corners of history like that.
Thanks again!
Owen
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I am not really anonymous. Web site evidently didn’t like my name when I wrote about article about Lt. Col. Henry Chew Gaither. Sue Gaither Vanzant
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More info
On Oct 13, 2017 1:19 PM, “Finding the Maryland 400” wrote:
> commented: “I am not really anonymous. Web site evidently didn’t like my > name when I wrote about article about Lt. Col. Henry Chew Gaither. Sue > Gaither Vanzant” >
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This is a great initiative and the website first rate.
Thank you for all your support in connection with Col. Gassaway Watkins and our efforts to honor this great American and his comrades that fought that incredible day in August.
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Thank you, Richard. Your work preserving the memory of Gassaway Watkins has been wonderful!
Owen
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Thank you Mr Lourie for speaking at the Shipley 350th Anniversary dinner this year. Unfortunately I was unable to attend due to a prior commitment but noticed you had made statements about Henry & Adam Shipley’s service record. I am a descendant of the Henry and Ruth Shipley you described as making an attempt to acquire a pension via the Maryland 400, albeit unsuccessfully. This will be an interesting reconciliation in our family as this story was written up and passed along by Henry’s grandson, BF Shipley, who himself fought in the CSA. I spent 2 days at the State Archive in 2017 looking up a great deal of records (and the museum in Baltimore) on Henry & Ruth. I really wished I could have been there to chat further.
I see you went to Kenyon College, Henry & Ruth Shipley and family bought all of the Indian Fields east of Gambier and south of Howard where the Kokosing Trail crosses Schenck Creek (the Shipley Lumber Mill was located there). Ruth was actually living here when she applied for the war pension.
Again thanks for taking the time to speak.
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I believe my 5th or 6th back Grandfather was a member of the Maryland 400 and would like to find out more. My name is Richard Woolford my father was Roger Woolford and the Grandfather I’m talking about was Thomas Woolford of the Maryland 1st would like more information
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Hi Rick,
Thanks for the question. In 1776, Thomas Woolford was the captain of the Sixth Independent Company. That company arrived in New York between September 13 and 27, 1776, several weeks after the Battle of Brooklyn, so Woolford was not a member of the Maryland 400 (the term refers specifically to the soldiers who fought at Brooklyn).
There is an excellent article about Thomas and his brother William in the Maryland Historical Magazine, vol. 84, no. 4 (Winter 1989), p. 379-386. That can be found online here: http://mdhs.msa.maryland.gov/pages/login.aspx.
Thanks for checking us out!
Owen
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Was there any Howell’s in the Maryland 400. Reason I am asking is I am 10th generation Howell.
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The roster of all known members of the Maryland 400 is here: https://msamaryland400.wordpress.com/first-maryland-regiment-roster/
It does not list anyone named Howell. However, the Maryland 400 was only one particular group of soldiers. There may have been Howells in other units during the Revolutionary War. Some places to start are:
Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, Archives of Maryland Online, Vol. 18.
Fold3.com (subscription site)
DAR Ancestor Search
You can also send me an email at msamaryland400@gmail.com if you have any other question.
Thanks!
Owen
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