[Excerpts from "History of Talbot County Maryland 1661-1861", by S.A. Harrison, 1915]
[Excerpted by Mark A. Murphy, 24 Jan 2006]

pp.212-214

This indenture made ye sixteenth day of March One Thousand Six Hundred and Seaventy nine
between Richard Woolman, Major William Coursey, Coll. Philemon Lloyd, Edward Mann, Capt.
George Cowley, James Murphy, William Combes, Commissioners for ye county of Talbott of
ye one party and Richard Swetnam Carpenter of ye other party, [text follows describing 
building of the courthouse- signed by said commissioners, paid in tobacco]

[First court met in courthouse apparently 1682 or 3]

p. 340
The Town and Port of Oxford

At a court held on the land of Mr. William Combs in Tred Haven creeke for the laying outt a town
there, on Tuesday ye 29th day of July, 1684, met according to the subdivision, the Honourable
Coll. Vincent Lowe, Mr. Edward Man, Mr. James Murphy, Mr. John Rousby, Mr. William Combs,
Mr. Bryan O'Mealy, Mr. John Newman; Commissioners.
And adjourned till Thursday.
John Woodward, C'lk.
Thursday, July, cctt.

Mett the aforesaid Commissioners and caused the aforesaid town to be surveyed staked outt
according to Act of Assembly, and the lots numbered 1 to 100.
The town called by the name of Oxford.
John Woodward, Cl'k.
August ye 2nd, 1684.

p. 532
The widow of Col. Vincent Lowe married, for her second husband, William Coursey, another 
prominent citizen of Talbot County, who together with his wife, mortgaged Choptank Island to
Capt. John Hyde, merchant, of London, who sold it to Matthew Tilghman Ward.  This last
named gentleman married, firstly, Mabel Dawson Murphy, daughter of Ralph Dawson, and 
widow of Capt. James Murphy....His only child, a daughter Mary [by Mabel], died single in 
1722.  He devised his entire estate, after the death of his widow, to his cousin and namesake,
Matthew Tilghman, whom he had adopted when a youth.  His landed estates included not only
Choptank or Ward's Island, but his attractive homestead "Bayside"....The town of Claiborne is
located on this tract of land, which was patented by Henry Fox for 1000 acres, and conveyed
by him to Capt. James Murphy in 1684.