Durham County, Maryland
Between 1669 and 1672, Delaware was an incorporated county under the Province of Maryland (see here). When the Duke of York made use of his charter on behalf of courtier William Penn, through conveyances made by the governor of New York, there was a brief conflict of interest between the Catholic, Tory and whose son was likewise a sometime Jacobite sympathizer Lord Baltimore with their friend the aforesaid Duke, but this was a hard fought court battle subsequently relegated to a proprietary dispute between the Calvert and Penn families, since both were held in favor by both the King and Prince James. The Mason-Dixon line is said to have legally resolved vague outlines in the overlap between Maryland and Pennsylvania, which pretty much awarded Delaware to Pennsylvania, although Delaware would eventually prove too independent for legislation north of New Castle (as well as that from the southerly Chesapeake Bay), leading to the separation from Pennsylvania and unique pioneer status as America's first state, tied to neither province's destiny. English speaking colonists in the area were more inclined towards the Calvert proprietorship, albeit Penn's religion and one of these men was the Irish Quaker forefather (James Nixon, 1731 arrival) of future President Richard Nixon, while House Minority Leader, and presidential successor, Gerald Ford owed his roots to a forefather not so distant, from Philadelphia, of the Devonshire King family.
Read more about this topic: Delaware Colony