Mathias de Sousa

Mathias de Sousa (HM389)

Location: St Marys City, MD 20686 St Mary's County
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 11.133', W 76° 26.065'

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Inscription
Mathias de Sousa was the first black Marylander. Of African and Portuguese descent, he was one of nine indentured servants brought to Maryland by Jesuit missionaries and was on The Ark when Lord Baltimore's expedition arrived in the St. Mary's River in 1634. His indenture finished by 1638 and he became a mariner and fur trader. In 1641 he commanded a trading voyage north to the Susquehannock Indians and, in 1642, sailed as master of a ketch belonging to the Provincial Secretary John Lewger. De Sousa departed and returned to this river many times. He anchored near here and walked to Lewger's Manor House at St. John's. While living there he served in the 1642 legislative assembly of freemen. No record remains of de Sousa's activities after 1642 but his legacy of courage and success is regarded with great pride by all the citizens of St. Mary's County and Maryland.
Details
HM NumberHM389
Series This marker is part of the More Than Words series, and the Maryland: Saint Mary's City series.
Tags
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Year Placed1987
Placed ByThe St. Mary's County 350th Celebration Committee at St. Mary's City, Maryland
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, September 28th, 2014 at 3:20pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 374376 N 4227374
Decimal Degrees38.18555000, -76.43441667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 11.133', W 76° 26.065'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 11' 7.98" N, 76° 26' 3.90" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)301
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 47414 Old State House Rd, St Marys City MD 20686, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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