The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-10-26
wAsHgNeTon's FIRST LOVE


A correspondent of the Century, in giving |
some "reminiscences of the old country seat /
called s'The Cottage" in Hanover country,
Virginia, relates the following account of Gen.
Washington's proposal for the hand Of Mary |
Cary, and his rejection by her father:
Her father was Wilson Cary, Esq, Of ace
leys," in the county of Elizabeth City, descend |
ed from the noble family of Hunsdon, in Eng
land. His relative, Col. Archibald Cary, of
Ampthith, in Chesterfield, was, at his death,
the heir apparent to the Earldom. The worthy
old gentleman seems, from all we know of him,
to have been as proud as the Coucvs or the
Somersets and to have thought his family the
neblestin the land. He lived in great state
with chariot and horses, plate and velvet and
embroidery-a worthy of the old school, fully
satisfied with the "order Of things" and en-
joying sercnely the good gifts of Providence.
His beautiful daughter was great heiress, and
had many suitors. The one here alluded to
was young man Of very high character,
relative of. George William Fairfax, Esq, who
lived in Belvoir, on the Potomac; and here he
met with Miss Cary, who came to visit Mrs.
Fairfax, her eldest sister. He at once proceed
ed to fall in love which he did with an ardor
characteristic of his nature.
When Miss Cary went back homo to Gee
lcys'' on James river, he followed her like
courageous gallant, and laid open seigc to the
fair fortress. In the good old times, however,
something more was necessary than the con-
sent of the young lady, and so the youth duly
asked private intorvier with the old lord of
the manor, Who listened to him silently through
out. When the lover had finished, Mr.. Cary
rose, made him low bow, and said that if this
was young Mr.. Washington's errand at Gee
ley's" his visit had better terminate-hs
daughter had been accustomed to ride in her
~ 81, 80
poor condition of the younger son, the inter-
view terminated. Young Washington bowed
and turned away and in due time married the
young widow, Martha Dadrigc Custis, who ''re-
sembled Miss Cary" says authority, ''as
much as one sister ever did another"
"The cd tradition does not end here. Many
years fed away-Mary Cary was Mrs Ambler,
and her discarded suitor was the man who had
just received the sword of CORVALLIS at York
town, whom the old civilized world hailed as
the greatest among the great-the foremost
man. not only in America but of 'all the
world He passed through the whole metrop-
oils, Williamsburgh, at the head of his victo-
rious troops, and the people were almost crazy
with JOY and alteration. The vast multitude
nearly prevented his horse from proc, eding;
the calm statue on horseback passed on serenely.
All at once he perceived at window, or in the
crowd, his old love, Mary Cay. He raised
his sword and saluted her profoundly. She
tainted.
''But it does not seem that thelovely woman
was to blame. She had notbeen able to return
the affection of the youth-that was all. She
, married him who won her heart, Edward Am
bier. He was not unworthy of this noble lady
in rank or character. He was descended
through his mother from the great Huguenot
house of La Roche Jakueline, in Vendee, and
inherited the honest instincts Of his race. At
twelve years of age he had been sent for his
education to England. He graduated at Cam
bridge, and then made the grand tour of Eu<
rope, returning to Virginia he was twenty
one. He was married to Miss Carey soon af-
terward; became collector of York; and wass
much respected that when Lord Bottletort came
to Virginia as Governor he brought letter of
introduction to the collector. He died at thir-
| ty-fve; and the Revolutionary war breaking
out soon afterward, his beautiful widow moved
away from the scene of her grief, and took
refuge in the Cottage far up iii Hanover"
SIC TRANsIT.-Belvoir, the seat of the Fair
faxes spoken of above, was on the bank of the
Potomac, three, four or five miles below Mount
Vernon. Tie only remains now of that fine
residence is a low mound of broken, mouldcr-
| ing bricks, covered over with wild vines.