Future Research

Future research and new functionality that is being investigated can be found here.

Videlicet Tool Capabilities:

Create a chatbot like interface with Videlicet that will allow researchers to ask the AI engine directly to find documents based on search criterial. For example:

Search for: Land Sales Along the Potomac River

Human: Using videlicet can you find documents about land being sold by the Potomac River? Is it good farming land?

Assistant: Based on the documents I found in the Videlicet archive, yes, there were numerous tracts of land being sold along the Potomac River, and many of them were indeed described as good farming land.

Land for Sale near the Potomac River

The most frequently advertised property was Griffith’s Park in Frederick County, located between the Upper and Lower Falls of the Potomac River, near Captain John’s Creek. This tract appeared in multiple listings with varying acreages (500-900 acres) and was consistently described as “a body of choice land, and very conveniently situated.”

Other notable properties along the Potomac included:

Piles’s Delight (500 acres) - lying on the Potomac about three miles above Antietam Creek in Frederick County
Simon’s Delight (150 acres) - on the Eastern Branch of the Potomac, about two miles from Bladensburg, described as having “the plantation in exceeding good repair”
Properties in Prince George’s County on the Piney Branch of the Potomac

Quality as Farming Land

The documents indicate these lands were considered excellent for farming. Several properties were specifically described as having:

“Choice land” - a term used repeatedly for prime agricultural property
Rich bottom land and meadows - ideal for cultivation and grazing
Good cleared ground suitable for tobacco, wheat, and corn production
Properties with existing improvements including tobacco houses, dwelling houses, and orchards

The land was particularly suited for:

Tobacco cultivation (evidenced by the many tobacco houses mentioned)
Grain crops (wheat and corn)
Livestock and pasture
Orchards (many properties had established apple orchards)

The repeated sales listings and descriptions as “choice land” and “very conveniently situated” suggest these Potomac River properties were highly desirable for agricultural purposes in what appears to be the colonial period (based on references to tobacco cultivation and measurements in sterling).

Search for: Simon’s Delight - Tobacco Cultivation

Human: The “Simon’s Delight” land advertised, did they grow tobacco on the land?

Assistant: Yes, based on the advertisement for Simon’s Delight, tobacco was definitely grown on that land. The listing specifically mentions:

A 50-foot tobacco house on the property
The plantation was in “exceeding good repair”
The lease arrangement included a yearly rent of 1200 pounds (or hogsheads in some versions) of tobacco

The presence of a dedicated tobacco house is clear evidence that tobacco was actively cultivated there. Tobacco houses were specialized structures used for curing tobacco leaves after harvest - you wouldn’t build and maintain one unless you were growing tobacco commercially.

Additionally, the fact that the rent was to be paid in tobacco (rather than money) was a common arrangement in colonial Maryland and Virginia, where tobacco functioned almost as currency. The substantial rent amount of 1200 pounds of tobacco suggests this was a productive tobacco plantation.

The property also had other agricultural infrastructure mentioned in the advertisement:

A dwelling house (24 feet by 16) with brick chimney and cellar
A separate kitchen building with brick chimney
A quarter (likely for workers)
A corn house

This infrastructure, combined with the property being described as in “exceeding good repair,” indicates Simon’s Delight was an active, well-maintained tobacco plantation on the Eastern Branch of the Potomac River, located about two miles from Bladensburg and six miles from Rock Creek.

Search for: Tobacco Yields in Colonial Virginia/Maryland

Human: What was a common yearly tobacco yield for that time in that area of Virginia?

Assistant: Based on the historical documents I found, I can provide some context about typical tobacco yields in colonial Maryland and Virginia during this period (which appears to be the 1740s-1750s based on the documents).

Typical Tobacco Yields

According to the documents, a common annual yield was:

1,500 pounds of tobacco per taxable hand (working person) was considered “a good crop”
This would typically be packed into hogsheads (large wooden barrels)
A standard hogshead weighed between 850-1,000 pounds of tobacco (net weight, not including the cask)
Some hogsheads could be quite heavy - one document mentions a hogshead brought to Queen Anne’s County that weighed 1,724 pounds

Context for Simon’s Delight

The 150-acre Simon’s Delight property, with its annual rent of 1,200 pounds of tobacco, suggests this was a moderately productive small plantation. To put this in perspective:

If 1,500 pounds was a good annual yield per working hand, the rent of 1,200 pounds would represent most of one person’s annual production
This was likely a tenant farming arrangement where the rent was paid in tobacco rather than money
The presence of a 50-foot tobacco house indicates active commercial tobacco cultivation

Regional Differences

The documents reveal interesting details about the tobacco trade:

Virginia tobacco commanded higher prices than Maryland tobacco due to better quality control (Virginia had inspection laws)
Maryland tobacco often contained “trash” (poor quality leaves), which reduced its value
Virginia tobacco sold for 14-16 shillings per hundredweight while Maryland tobacco brought lower prices
The French tobacco buyers preferred Virginia tobacco and would pay 11 pounds sterling per hogshead for Virginia tobacco versus only 8 pounds for Maryland tobacco

This context helps explain why properties along the Potomac River in areas like Simon’s Delight were valuable - they were well-positioned for tobacco cultivation in a region where tobacco was the primary cash crop and often functioned as currency.

Summary

This conversation explored colonial-era land sales along the Potomac River through the Videlicet archive system. The documents revealed a vibrant land market in the 1740s-1750s, with properties being actively advertised as “choice land” suitable for tobacco cultivation, grain crops, and livestock. The Simon’s Delight property emerged as a particularly interesting example of a working tobacco plantation with clear evidence of commercial tobacco production. The broader context of tobacco yields and regional price differences between Maryland and Virginia tobacco provides valuable insight into the agricultural economy of colonial America.