When did the first Outten come to America? Where did he come from? And why did he come? Questions which the author is unable to answer, as there are now no historical records extant by which to prove his identity. If he had fallen from the stars like a meteor, which is unlikely, or if, like Neptune, he had arisen from the depths of the sea, which is also equally as improbable, of if, like Adam he had been formed from the dust of the earth, which would seem much more reasonable, his advent would hardly have been more sudden or unexpected. We first find him here with a family, the owner of real estate, and identified with the early settlers of the Eastern Shore. Whether he sailed directly across the Atlantic Ocean and up the Chesapeake Bay to this locality, or whether he came to this section from the early Virginia settlements; or whether he was a scion of a Huguenot colony of refugees in Massachusetts and rode on horse back along the Atlantic sea-board, seeking a desirable location for settlement, no written records have yet solved the mystery.
The author has searched for facts in every quarter, with the hope of discovering the path or the means by which his ancestors came to America, and he has found one source of information which he regards as worthy of consideration, although no credence can be given it at this time. In the old records of Massachusetts there is a significant name, and while it is a recognized fact that the name of Huguenot families have been decidedly changed by bad spelling and pronunciation, yet it may be that future investigation will throw some light on the subject. In 1662 Dr. John F. Outon (or John Fouton, the writer is not sure which), a physician of Rochelle, France, applied to the courts of Massachusetts asking that he and other French Protestants who had been expelled from their homes on account of their faith, might come to New England, and that the American colony generously receive them. The reply was satisfactory and the refugees came to America. This French Huguenot colony became honorable and useful citizens of Massachusetts. One of the number was named Faneuil, and it was his son who gave to Boston the generous gift of Faneuil Hall. This spacious public hall was erected in 1742 by Peter Faneuil, and was presented by him to the town. This building, when completed, contained a hall for public meetings, with similar apartments above, and a basement which was used as a market. During the Revolutionary War the hall was so often used for important patriotic meeting that it became known as the "cradle of American liberty". Here were proclaimed the principles of national independence, and this time honored edifice still retains its name, while its venerable walls are adorned with Faneuil's full-length portrait. If it be true that our earliest known ancestor actually led a colony of French Huguenots to America, many of whose renowned family names have long since possessed an international reputation, the honor is worthy of consideration and "there is glory enough for us all".
The General Court of Massachusetts granted a tract of land eight miles square, some 12,000 acres, to these French refugees for their village of Oxford, which was built in 1681. The region was then a howling wilderness, but it is now the busy town of Worcester. In 1693, not considering their forest home safe from the murderous savages, the colonists removed to the neighborhood of Boston where they have left many evidences of their industry and agricultural taste. The region which they cultivated and developed has always been celebrated for its delicious pears, quince and grapes, which retain their French names to this day.
If John Outten, the lawyer (whose name in the earliest records spelled "Outon", afterwards "Outen" and finally "Outten") who came to the Eastern Shore as early as 1684, was the son of Dr. John F. Outon, he may have been born in America, or was but a boy when he came over with the French Huguenot Colony from Rochelle France. The oldest records on the Eastern Shore which are now extant contain his name, and he may, therefore, be properly regarded as the first known member of the Outten family in this country. Having studied law, he decided to come to the Eastern Shore to practice his profession. While the date of his arrival is unknown it seems probable that he came about the time William Penn took possession of his vast estate on the western side of the Delaware River, which occurred in 1682. At that time, he was a young man, fond of adventure and solicitous of vast possessions in the New World. His wife's name was Mary Purnell. The oldest book that is now in the Archives of Somerset County at Princess Anne, Maryland, contains the following record of births, viz.:
"Thomas Outten, son of John Outten and born of Mary, his wife the eleventh day of October, Anno Domini, One Thousand six hundred and eighty-four."
"John Outten, son of John Outten, and born of Mary, his wife, the twenty-third day of May, Anno Domini, One Thousand six hundred and eighty-seven."
"Samuel Outten, son of John Outten, and born of Mary, his wife the twentieth day of November, Anno Domini, One Thousand six hundred and ninety."
The next recorded statement concerning John Outten, the lawyer, is found in the record office of deeds at Georgetown, the County Seat of Sussex County, Delaware, where it is stated that in 1681 a certain piece of ground was purchased, on the south side of Cedar Creek, adjoining land that belonged to John Outten. It should be remembered that all the section of the state of Delaware which is on the south-eastern side of the Nanticoke River was originally claimed by Lord Baltimore as part of Maryland, and it was supposed to be within the boundary of Somerset County. For this reason many of the early deeds of property in this section of Delaware are recorded at Princes Anne, the county seat of Somerset County, Maryland. This county originally included both Worcester and Wicomico counties in Maryland. Worcester became a county in 1742 and Wicomico in 1865. It was in 1685 that the boundary line between Delaware and Maryland was definitely decided upon, but the Maryland authorities illegally and unjustly continued to lay claim to this section of Delaware, as the deed records clearly prove, for more than a hundred years.