Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-10
EARLY DAYS OF GEORGETOWN.
, place Of Importance i'm Old Times

A Place Of Importance i'm Old Times
rTs FOUNDERs-wHERE FRS POPULATION CAME
FRoM-ARCADIAN DAYs-AFTERwARDS A COM
MERcIAL AND SOCIAL OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
RESIDENTS AND vIsITORs-PERsoNAL. REMINIs-
CENCES.
There were published in THE STAR some
months since extracts of ancient date from the
official records of Georgetown, now in the keep
ing of the District authorities; the act Of Con-
gress merging the municipal governments of
that place and Washington into one having de-
stroyed the political individuality of our sister
city and made it virtually part and parcel Of the
federal capital. Those annals of the town gov
ernment-dry, colOrless and formalas they are
were read with interest by many old residents
of the District, although they simply set forth
the facts in the early history of Georgetown,
leaving unwritten the more interesting personal
records of the men who figured therein.
ORIGIN OF GEORGETOWN IN 1851.
The old records show that the town had its
beginning as such on the 10Th day of September,
isl, on which day an act of the Maryland as
sembly took effect which authorized the plant
ing of a new town on the Potomac and the
vending of the lots. Some of the ground to be
sold Gin the neighborhOod of the present market
house) belonged to Colonel George Beall and
some to George Gordon. The act of the Mary
land assembly fixed the rate at which each lot
was to be sOld-by commissioners. This legisla-
ton was denounced by Colonel Beall as an I'M
warranted assumption of power on the part OF
the Maryland assembly and elected from him
vigorous protest against the sale of his lots,
with threats of an appeal to George II, then
king OF England. 1t is fair to presume that the
Colonies wrath abated, as the sale of the lots
went on and no serious results followed.
THE FIRST SETTLER AND HIS DESCENDANTS.
He was no parade day colonel either. like
some we have hereabOuts in these degenerate
days; for there is vote of thanks to him on
record. adopted by the assembly of Maryland in
1899, in which they give him seventy-fve pounds
sterling for his bravery in driving back the
Indians of the Susquehannah and causing the
surrender Of forts held by the adherents of
James II. He was the son of Ninan
Beall, who emigrated to the Patuxent river, in
Maryland, from the town of Largo, in the shire
of Fife. Scotland, about the year 1869,
and who died at the age of lot years and was
buried on one of his farms on the Eastern
branch, within sight of Washington. For a
long time there was tradition in Maryland
that Ninian Beall was concerned In the assas-
sinatiOn OF Sharpe, the archbishop Of st. An
drews, and that he fed to this country to escape
the consequences of his act. but no proof of his
connection with that murder was ever pro-
duced. The story doubtless originated in the
fact that he emigrated about the time the arch
bishop was killed. He purchased from the
Patuxent Indians certain allotments of land on
the west side of Rock creek, and these came
into possession of his son George. who set up
his tent in the woods, about where the Sem
mary building Con Washington street, now
stands. He was, so far as now known, the first
settler hereabOuts, and died at the age Of 70
years. He left two s0ns-GeOrge and Thomas.
The former married Magruder. The
Magruders were in Scotland the McGregors.
whose lands skirted the eastern side of Loeb
LOmOnd. and they came to Maryland about the
year 1855. Though turbulent clan in the old
country-according to history they were out
lawed by the English government in 1633-they
as do their descendants here to this day. The
Bealls also intermarried with the BrOOkes. who
came to Maryland about the year 1850. Thomas
Beall, brother of George, married an Orme The
Ormes, whose descendants are still living here,
came from England. Thomas Beall made one of
the additions to the corporate limits of the town.
as shown in the records and maps. He built
house on the heights, just south of where Oak
Hill cemetery now is, and called it 'DumbartOn.
The place was some years ago owned by Senator
Bright, of Indiana. MessrS. Thomas Beall, Dea-
kins, Beatty, Hawkins, Lee. Peter and Threl-
ked are among those whose lands were pur-
chased at various times to make additions to
the town.
FROM WHENCE CAME THE FIRST JEWELLERS IN
GEORGETOWN.
Not Scotland and England only but Ireland
contributed a part of the settlers on Rock
creek; a few refugees from revolutiOn-racked
France found home here; Holland sent over
some mechanics and agricuHurists; quite a
number OF Catholic families from Lord Balti-
mOres settlements in lower Maryland (the For
rests, Swales, Hutchins and others) became
residents here; and not few New Enganders
came south and did their share towards build
ing up the commerce OF the new town. Later
on, at the beginning of the present century,
when the seat of government was removed from
Philadelphia to the infant city of Washington,
a number of government officials had their
homes here while the streets were being graded
and trees felled in the new capital. Cabinet
officers, foreign minister's members Of Congress
and other persons of political and social import
ance set up their household gods in George
town-then, and for some years afterwards the
city. Many of their descendants are still ir this
District. Among the Irish e1nigrants who sought
homes here was ThOs. COrcOran, from the county
of Clare an upright and kindly man. whose
popularity resulted in his election to the mayor
atty of Georgetown. which position he filled
with credit to himself and advantage to the
community. His son is the wel-knOwn banker
W. w. Corcoran, esq, who was born in George
town Among the New Englanders who be-
came citizens of the ancient town was the cele-
brated London banker George Peabody. who
was born in Danvers, Mass, but commenced his
successful business career in the city west Of
Rock Creek, and at the early age of 10 became
partner in a prominent business firm there Fran
els Dodge, Gather Of Col. Robert p. Dodge treas
urer Of the District; Of H. II. Dodge, the banker.
and of other prominent citizens), came here
from Massachusetts in 1898, and was an honor
able, sagacious and enterprsing merchant. He
was for a long time useful member of the city
councils. John Pickreli and Joseph Libby, both
New Englanders the latter from New Hamp-
shire), were public spirited business men, whose
descendants are well-knOwn in the District
The sons Of the last named still continue the
business their father built up. Seven Scotch
families arrived in Georgetown in 1885, from the
town of Forces, and built houses for themselves
on the west side Of Market street, just south of
what is now known as Bridge street For
long time those houses were known as ''Scotch
Row." Directly opposite them. when George
town was place of commercial Importance
stood one OF the great tobacco warehouses of
the town.
WORD ABOUT THE ANCIENT VILLAGE OF BIA-
DENSBURG.
Not few prominent early residents of George
town came there from Bladensburg. That an