The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1873-06-07
2niscellaneolGs.
Northumberland and WeStWOTe-
land Counties, ViTgjniG.
By DR.. E. A. CURRIE, OF va

| the Potomac
Northumberland possesses many advantages oil
situation, soil and climate ii is very accessible
10 several markets, has an extensive bay and
| river coast, also nayigable creeks aud inlets
| Sometime 10 the latter part of the seventeenth
| century, we cannot learn the exact date, Richard
Lee landed in Northumberland county, on the
banks of Dividing creek, and purchased large
| tract OF land from the Indians. This gentleman
| was descendant or near relative OF Sir Henry
| Lee, of Dtchley, who will be remembered by
| the readers OF Sir Walter Scott, the keeper OF
| the royal park of Woodstock during the reigns
of Charles the first and Charles the second.
Woodstock was given TO the duke OF Marlbo-
rough by Queen Anne, ard is still held by his
successors.
Ditchley is said TO be occupied by descendants
of Sir Henry Lee.
Woodstock is now called Bleuheim, after one
of the dukes famous battles
Richard Lee built house on one of the branch
es of Dividing creek and called it Cobb's Hall !;
he also built house of English bricks in another
place and called it Ditchley, after the old manor
in England.
The old house at Cobb S Hall has sometime ago
disappeared the house at Ditchley still remains.
son, or grandson of Richard Lee, was a
crown officer during Queen Annie's reign a
residence was built for him BY her government,
in Westmoreland county, near the Potomac,
called Stratford. We cannot learn the first name
of this gentleman, but he was the ancestor of
Gen. Lighthouse Harry Lee, whose youngest son
was Gen. Robert E. Lee, who, we believe, was
born at Stratford, the residence of his father
That place is remarkable for its extensive brick
buildings we were told some twenty or thirty
years ago, that those buildings were supposed TO
contain more bricks than all the other buildings
in this county, they being mostly of wood.
The bricks of Stratford were all imported from
England, and the whole expense of the buildings
was betrayed by the British government.
We believe that Gen. Robert E. Lee did not
live at Stratford after his early youth the place
was owned, and for some time occupied by his
elder brother, Major Henry Lee, who spent the
latter part of his life in Paris.
In the neighborhood of Stratford also lived
Richard Henry Lee, Francis Light-Foot Lee, and
Arthur Lee, all of old revolutionary fame.
A few miles up the Potomac is Wakefield, o
very fine farm of considerable extent, lying i'm
medately on the banks of the Potomac.
When the writer visited the place twenty-five
or thirty years ago. the only remains of the former
dwelling house were small brick chimney and
the outline of the foundation of a small room, no
doubt small shed room of the old building
such being common in old frame houses. In the
centre of the foundation was small flag stone,
broken into two pieces, bearing an inscriptions
there February l1th, 70. S. 1882. This 'Birth
Place." commonly so called, was overgrown by
fig bushes, and surrounded by fine crop of corn ;
no vestige of house was near it. The stone and
inscription were placed by G. w. P. Gusts, Esq,
of Arlington, the grandson of Mrs. Martha Wash
ington, and the adopted son Of Gen. Washington.
During his childhood, the parents of Washing
ton moved to place in Stafford county, on the
bank CT the Rappahannock river, opposite the
L. Il. -
until he was employed as a surveyor by Lord
Fairfax, the proprietor of the Northern Neck
We have often seen the house which stood on a
bold promontory, overlooking the river, which is
about two hundred yards wide at that place.
1t is said that when Washington was fifteen or
sixteen years old, he could stand on the shore
and throw stone across the river.
Mrs. Mary Washington, in the latter part Of
her life, lived, we believe, in Fredericksburg
She was buried in a grave yard outside of the
town, remote from the river, and some distance
from her house in Stafford.
When Gen. Jackson went 10 Fredericksburg
to lay the corner stone of her monument, the ex-
act place of her grave could not be ascertained,
as there was nothing to mark it. The memory
of the 'oldest inhabitants' was the only guide to
her last resting place. When H. A. Wise, Esq,
was Governor of Virginia, lot of ground in-
cuding the "birth place" was given to the State,
and by it enclosed with an iron fence and other
wise improved.
We might relate good many anecdotes of Gen.
Washington, some have been written, and some
only told, but as many things have been written
and said of him that never happened, and as
every thing about him worth knowing is now
historical, we need write no more. Several of
the relations of Gen. Washington still live in
Westmoreland.
In the lower part of this county, near Nomini
creek, is, or was, very large cid building called
Nomini Hall, which was the residence of Mr.
Carter, relative of King Carter, of Corrotoman,
who was commonly called Councillor Carter
He left number of daughters, but only one son,
George Carter, Esq, of Loudon county, Va, who
died about thirty years ago, at an advanced age:
Nomini Hall was large frame building, and
when visited by the writer in his boyhood, was
occupied by the granddaughter of Councillor
Carter, with her husband and family the house
was much out of repair, only part of it being
habitable. King Garter and Councillor Carter
| lived forty or fifty miles apart; they possessed
the only coaches in all the country round about
them. At their own expense and for their espe-
cial convenience, they constructed road between
| their residences, which is still known the
"Coach Road" and is perhaps the best dirt road,
for its length to be found in any part of the
| world it winds along through portions of Lam
caster, Northumberland, Richmond, and West
| moreand counties and is generally very level
| The tradition is that il was publicly known some
| time beforehand, when either of these gentleman
| intended to visit the other On the appointed
| day groups of people would assemble along the
road to see the English coach drawn by four
horses, with positions and outriders this is said
| to be fact, and as such, it certainly affords
matter for reflection at the present day.
We conclude our sketch by relating circum-
stance connected with Northumberland county
At the close of the first American Revolution
airy war, disbanded soldier was making his
way homeward to Northumberland county,
through Maryland during the winter he wan
dered low down in st. Mary's county, where his
further progress was stopped by the freezing OF
| the Potomac. On certain evening he was at a
place near the margin of a frozen creek not far
from the river. There he drank until he was
much intoxicated after the full moon rose he
mounted his horse to cross the creek on the ice
the ice was covered with snow, the night was
nearly as bright as day, the man let his horse
| take his own course, and he from some unac-
countable cause, instead of crossing the narrow
creek, went down its course, and out upon The
river. On and on be went over the ice and through
the snow, until late at night, nearly frozen, he
reached house having reused the occupants,
| be inquired where he was he was told in North
cumberland county he was asked where be came
| from, be said from Maryland be was supposed
to be mad man, but was recognized and taken
care Of In the morning he got up sober and with
his friends traced his horses tracks to the river
near by and for some distance out on its surface,
until all were convinced that he had crossed the
Potomac near its mouth, on horseback oUer the ice
he must have ridden thusfor fifteen miles or more
| All that he could remember of his journey was
that s'he thought he was riding over the bigges
/ old field be ever saw" All who are familiar
/ IL II mil 10
| miraculous his journey was.
| We tell the tale as we heard it and have ne
doubt that it is true.--Marlboro' Md.) Gazette