Under the terms of the charter of Maryland as granted by King Charles I of England, Lord Baltimore and his heirs were given all the land in the colony, with power to dispose of the land in any manner they deemed fit. A land office was set up to administer land grants and collect revenues. Settlers who applied for land grants had to pay fees at every step of the process as they obtained surveys, patents and titles. During those early days, the outer limits of Baltimore County stretched into unexplored territory. The deed records abstracted here-dating from 1659 to 1737-include lands that lie...