Leonard Calvert arrives with
the ships, Ark and Dove,
establishing the Maryland
colony and St. Mary’s City as
its first capital. He becomes
Maryland’s first colonial
governor.
SOTTERLEY COLONIAL PERIOD TIMELINE
James Bowles purchases 2,000 acres
of Resurrection Manor to grow
tobacco and trade goods and slaves. A
parcel of the land is later renamed,
Bowles Preservation.
The capital of Maryland
is moved to Annapolis.
Bowles adds a new room
onto his plantation house.
William Penn
establishes the
colony of
Pennsylvania.
1634
1650
1682
Bowles marries
Jane Lowe and has
a daughter, Jane.
1695
c. 1680
1699
c.1715
c.1703
James Bowles is born
in Kent, England.
1708
1719
Leonardtown
becomes St. Mary’s
County seat.
Bowles builds a two-room
hall and chamber house.
A 4,000 acre English land
patent is granted on the
Patuxent River and named,
Resurrection Manor.
1727
1720
Jane Lowe dies. James Bowles marries
Rebecca Tasker Addison. They have two
daughters, Eleanor and Mary.
They
1735
1729
Generous Jenny arrives to
James Bowles Sept. 21. Capt.
Lamberth reports 29 slaves
dead of small-pox. By Oct.,
Bowles ships 218 slaves on the
GJ to Virginia to be sold.
The slave ship, Generous Jenny,
leaves London bound for Cape
Coast Castle to fill an order of 260
slaves for James Bowles on the
Patuxent River.
1732
George Plater III
is born.
1738
1754
1760
1755
1762
1763
1765
Rebecca Bowles marries
George Plater II. They have three
children, Rebecca, Elizabeth, and
George III.
George Plater III inherits
the plantation. It becomes
known as Sotterley, for the
Plater ancestral home in
Suffolk, England.
French and Indian
War begins.
George Washington
leases Mt. Vernon
from his brother
Lawrence’s widow.
1769
1764
French and
Indian War ends.
Two Plater slaves, Judy and
Pompey, are accused of
poisoning the overseer and
gardener. They are tried and
hanged for the crime.
c War breaks out
at Lexington
and Concord,
Massachusetts.
The British
form an alliance
with the slaves
of Patriots.
Stamp Act
is passed.
King George III
ascends to the
throne of England.
c.1750
c
George Plater III
marries Hannah Lee.
She dies 11 months
later.
The plantation
expands to almost
7,000 acres.
George Washington
is born.
1718
Thomas Jefferson
begins Monticello.
George Plater II adds a
dining room with a passage
to the plantation house.
James Bowles travels to England in
order to claim his father’s estate. He
dies and is buried in London. His
widow, Rebecca, and his three
daughters inherit his land and property,
including 41 slaves.
George Plater III installs a
drawing room and
entryway with a grand
Chinese Chippendale
staircase in the plantation
house. c. 1767-1770
1771
Plater joins
Governor’s
Council.
1775
1774
The Tea Act
is passed by
Parliament.
The Sugar Act is
passed by Parliament.
George Plater III
marries
Elizabeth Rousby
from Calvert County.
They have five
children, Ann,
Rebecca, Thomas,
George IV, and
John Rousby.
American Loyalists are defeated
at Moore’s Creek, NC in
February.
SOTTERLEY FEDERAL PERIOD TIMELINE
The British evacuate Boston in
March.
r TIMELINE
The British are repelled at
Charleston, SC in June.
The Declaration of Independence
is signed on July 4.
George Washington crosses the
Delaware River in December.
George Plater III has joined the
Patriot cause and serves on the
Maryland Council of Safety,
raising funds and organizing
supplies for the war effort. He
helps to write Maryland’s new
state constitution.
The British raid Sotterley and
some slaves escape. Plater
was not at home.
Lord Cornwallis surrenders
the British Army to American
and French forces at
Yorktown, Virginia.
1776
1781
1777
1778
1780
France enters the war against
Britain.
George Plater III serves in the 2nd
Continental Congress, sometimes
called, the Confederation
Congress, in Philadelphia until
1780. His wife, Elizabeth,
accompanies him.
George Washington’s Army
endures a harsh winter at
Valley Forge, PA.
George Plater III reported
owning 93 slaves at Sotterley.
The British burn Rousby Hall.
The British attack Charleston,
SC and the city falls in May.
In April, George Plater III
serves as the President of
the Maryland convention
to ratify the U.S.
Constitution. Plater was
one of 63 out of 74
Maryland delegates to vote
in favor of the document.
The Bill of Rights is adopted.
In January, George Plater III is
elected to the Electoral College.
On February 4, they vote
unanimously to support
George Washington as President.
George Plater III signs a bill that
transfers Maryland land creating the
District of Columbia.
Elizabeth Rousby Plater dies at
39 years of age in December.
Governor Plater dies in Annapolis
after three months in office.
George Plater IV inherits Sotterley.
Voting by free
blackscis banned in
Maryland.
c
Plater slave,
Towerhill
escapes.
1786
George Plater IV and his
wife both die, leaving
George V and his half-sister,
Ann, orphaned.
His estate includes at least
64 slaves.
John Rousby Plater takes
over as master and acting
owner of Sotterley for his
young nephew.
Washington, D. C. becomes
the Nation’s Capital.
1787
1783
A peace treaty is signed between the
Americans and the British in
September, ending the war. Word
travels slowly. The British raid
Sotterley a second time, hanging the
overseer. Slaves escape to the
British once again when Plater was
not at home. In a letter, Plater
writes that three of his slaves are
being held in New York City.
He wants them returned.
Annapolis serves as the temporary
U.S. Capital where
Gen. George Washington resigns his
commission in December and
returns to private life.
1789
1788
1792
1791
Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson,
writes a letter dated March 4 to
Governor George Plater encouraging
his support for the proposed first ten
amendments to the Constitution, also
known as the Bill of Rights.
1800
1793
1798
A slave sale occurs at Sotterley.
Plater slave, Clem Hill escapes.
1801
Federalist
John Adams is
elected president.
Plater slave, Joseph escapes.
The U.S. Constitution is adopted
when New Hampshire becomes the
ninth state to ratify.
1802
The second U.S. Congress
passes a Fugitive Slave
Law that empowers states
and cities to capture slaves
escaping bondage and
fines anyone who aides
them $500.
Thomas Jefferson
becomes President of
the United States on
March 4 with the 28th
ballot of the Electoral
College. He serves two
terms.