Original land grants for what we now know as Essex began to appear in the late 1600’s and continued through the early 1800’s.

Tracts such as Borings Range, Reserve, Hopewell, Long Point, Hines Purchase and Dundee were just a few of these grants.

One of these grants, “Paradise,” was an approximately 1,700-acre tract that was surveyed for a gentleman by the name of Elijah Taylor in the early 1800’s. Approximate borders of the grant would have followed Back River/Northeast Creek, Stemmers Run Road and Marlyn Avenue.

In the 1860’s “Paradise Farm” was rented to members of the Tuchton Family who continued to work the land until the early 1900s is when Taylor family descendants had the land resurveyed into $100 building lots and sold as “The Rising Community of the East.” A place where city dwellers could come and enjoy the rural lifestyle.

Technically speaking, one could argue the case that the Tuchton Family were the “founding fathers” of the town of Essex, for they were the tenant farmers of the land known as Paradise Farm that was eventually sub-divided into building lots and renamed Essex.

Henry Tuchton Sr. was the first member of the family to come to this country. Born in France, he came to America as a very young man. He settled in Baltimore County where he became a miller by trade.

His son, Henry Jr. was also a miller by trade, but he spent most of his life living in Harford County. Henry Jr. married Eliza Wood and together they produced five children.

Two of the children, Nathan and Annie died in childhood. Two other children, John and Theodore became railroad engineers (John with the Philadelphia & Reading RR). Henry Jr. passed away at the early age of 33. Eliza later remarried and produced a son who would eventually go to live with James.

James C. Tuchton (son of Henry Jr. and Eliza) was born in Baltimore County on Christmas Eve in 1833. He was educated in Harford County and at 22 decided to become a farmer.

In 1859, James married Sarah R. Dover. They had five children, Sarah and James who died in childhood, and Henry F., Mary, and Effie. Effie died when she was just 29 years old. Mary became the wife of Christian Lawrence, and Henry F. followed his father’s footsteps and became a farmer.

James and his wife returned to Baltimore County in 1861 where they settled on a farm in what was then the ninth District. Later they became overseers of the Cunningham Farm (also in the ninth District), before becoming tenants on the Paradise Farm. James also briefly entered the mercantile business in Chase while continuing his farming duties.

Like many farmers of that era, religion played a very important part of James’ life. He was a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal faith. He served as a steward and secretary of the Board of Trustees and superintendent of sunday school.

I cannot say for sure what Church he attended, but a reasonable guess would be Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal as many families residing in the area at that time attended Ebenezer.

In addition, like many farmers from eastern Baltimore County of that time James was a very proud “Lincoln” Republican in his political views.

Members of James’ family continued to live in the farmhouse until sometime around 1923. Today, we can find many descendants of the Tuchton family still residing throughout the Essex-Middle River community.