The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-02-28
Admiral Alden and His Family.

MR. EDIToR:-On reading your account OF
the invitation of the Queen of England to
Admiral Alden to dine with her at Osborne
House, L was reminded that his maternal
ancestors were not unknown in those dOmin-
ions, and that there had been a foreign AID.
miral in the family.
After the death of Col. Thomas Westbro0k
in 1744, George Tate of London succeeded to
the government mast agency at Falmouth He
was of the Tates of Delay, Prey Abbey
Northamptonshire. He had been a seaman on
board the first Russian frigate that ever went
to sea- He came to Falmouth revious to 1856,
and soon after built large two.story gambrel
rooted house at Stroudwater, which yet stands
unatered, outside or inside, and is the best
sample of the prevailing style of good houses
at that time in this vicinity. Its builder died
there in 1894 in the 9th year of his age, leav-
ing four sons, all born in England. The second
son, William bachelor, with his mother con-
tinued to occupy the house, and to punish
thieves he set a gun in a storehouse adjoining,
which would be discharged by the opening of
the door. On Sunday morning, Sept 80, 1870
his mother forgetting the gun, went to the
obOiSuOuSc " ecu Yes ioi picdh1oot, anu Ou
opening the door was fatally shot.
George Sd, son of the elder George, was born
in London in 1745. He entered the Russian
naval service. In 1910 he was appointed Lieu
tenant by the Empress Catharine II, and was
continually advanced for his good conduct. He
was at the siege of Ismail, a strong Turkish
fortress near the mouth of the Danube, in $780,
and was wounded at the final stormiDg of the
place, when it was taken with an immense
amount Of Turkish property He received a
gold medal from the Empress with her like.
ness, and suitable inscriptions, and was pro-
NOTED. He was raised by Catharne to the
rank of Rear Admiral, and by Alexander LIST
to be First Admiral and member of the
Russian Senate. He received from the differ
ent sovereigns under whom he served the
badges of the orders of st. Waldimer, of st.
Alexander Newski, of St. Ann, and the mill
tary order of St. John. He died in the service,
unmarried, in 1921, highly honored aud re-
spected.
He frequently visited his friends in London,
and several times visited his relatives in Port
land and vicinity, to whom he left several
legacies but the largest part of his estate.
including his presents from the Russian SOW
ereigns, he left to his only living brother,
William, who had left his family here, and
lived in London until his death. -.
When the Admiral was here on his last visit,
in 1919, he caused handsome marble monu-
ment to be set up at the graves of his father
and mother: in the old burying ground at
Stroudwater.
Robert, the 4th son of the elder George, was
also born in London in 1851. BE came to
Falmouth with his father when O child. la
ma m ar1nn Of ncf
brook, and lived on farm on the road from
Stroudwater to Congin, which after bis death,
in 1904, was occupied by his son George,
bachelor whom recollect as frequent visitor
to Portland in his cid fashioned chaise for
many years.
Robert Tate had also several daughters one
of whom married Charles johnson of Wind
ham, and was the mother of Mrs. Joseph
Walker of High street, Portland. Another
was the first wife of Capt. James Alden, sea
of the brave Admiral who has just been buried
by tie authorities Of his native city, with all
the honors due to one of her distinguished
sons. My first knowledge of James Alden,
Jr., was when he WAS fifteen years old, then
living with his parents in three-story yellow
house on the east side of Hampshire, above
Federal streets. He was the foremost boy at
game of ball in "Boyd's field" where the
Catholic Cathedral now stands, or in a snow
ball battle with the "upper-enders."
Young Mr.. Alden had several sisters, IL write
from memory One married William l.. Brad
ley and died young. Della, think, married
Baltmorean, and Eliza became the wife of
7. S. Arthur, the well known anthor, of Phila-
delphia The family of Can't Alden were
constant attendants at old st PauPs on Church
street, and the younger members L am sure
will be remembered with pleasure by many
with silvery hair, as co-workers of taste in the
Christmas decorations of the elegant archi-
lecture of the interior of the massive old brick
church, previous to the time when
son this sacred place
Ruthless hand were laid"
Windham. Feb 26. VIC.