The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-06-14
MEN AND woMEk OF OTHER DAYS.

WIEN AMI WOMEN Or Vi 1rN LA rSs
The sale Of the Hon. s. s. cox's house, on Dupont
Circle. to Mr.. Padelford recalls anecdotc relative
TO the pronunciation OF the latter gentlcmans name.
About sixty years ago two daughters Of Judge Pade-
ford, OF Taunton, Mass, returned home from board
ing-school, and received call from the humorous
DIT. George Leonard, their family physician, who en-.
tered the house with his saddle-baRs over his arm,
~ the custom was In those days with country doc
tors Glow do you do, Miss Padcliord7r said the
Doctor; am glad to see you home again." "ohl
Doctor, replied the eldest, our name ia not Pdde-
ford;" II Ia Padetford "Ah! indeed said DIT.
Leonard; then suppose these are my saddei bags"
This happy reort OF the Doctor, which all over
town before night, eectualy prevented for the time
the change OF name Intended by the Misses Pade-
ford.
When j. w. Crownlushield, OF Massachusetts, was
Secretary of the Navy, about seventy years ago,
Marblehead man came to Washington and told his
landlord he wished to md Mr.. Grunseii. Neither
the landlord nor any Of the numerous persons to
whom he applied could give him any information on
the subject. AT last he exclaimed, at Is very
strange that nobody In Washington can tell me
where the Secretary OF the Navy lives" "oh!"
said his interlocutor, "why didn't you say you
wished to md Mr.. Crowninshlcld lie Is Secretary
OF the Navy" ITO hi with your Crowninsbeld,,
said Marbehead In great wrath; /" there Isn't boy
who does not knov that Ben Grunsell Ia Secretary
OF the Navy" This In old times was the Marble.
head pronunciation OF the euphonous name OF
Cr0wnnshleld. SO at the North End Of Boston,
In i776, Cunningham was pronounced Ktnnicu,,,
and Kcmble, Ktnb,e; Marston, Marstfn, and De.
lano, Da,dner. The original, by the way, was DE la
Noye, Huguenot, who came over In the May
flower In 1920.
Among the early emigrants from England TO this
city was James Birth, native OF DevonshIre, who
arrived In 1875. He was an architect and builder
and skful In his profession. In 1910 he erected the
substantial house No. 2ls Third street northwest,
which was regarded for many years as one OF the
best houses In the city. When MIR. Birth came to
Washington the house on D street next east OF Mr.,
Carlisle's was the residence of Moses Young, a
Northern man, who owned a large tract Of land In
the Vicinity. II was then twoslory, pebble dashed
house, with farm buildings adjoining. The pump
on the corner OF Indiana avenue and Third street
was placed in the spring which supplied Young 8
house and his cattle with water Richard y. Coke
occupied this house for many years. his oice being
IN separate building near the corner OF Fourth
street. In this ONCE James Vaudeville Carlisle
studied law with Mfr. Coke, and on his marriage
occupied the Young house until the erection In 1852
OF the spacious house occupied by Mrs. Carlisle
The Young house Is of the Oldest In the city and
is still well preserved
Mr.. william W. Birth, son Of the emigrant, Ia
the well-known and universally esteemed merchant
at Third street and Indiana avenue, and to him the
writer is indebted for the following Information
corning the tenants Of No. 2t9 Third street for
series OF years subsequent TO 1896:
Congressional illnesses" are Of the past. From
1900 TO 1860 they were the order OF the day. The
Birth house was occupied In this way for many
years. and by Senators and Representatives Of great
emiuence. of whom Robert C. winthrop, Of Massa.
chusetts is the sole survivor. Mr.. winthrop's first
appearance In the house was In December, 1911
when he stayed one day and occupied room In the
attic He came again In 1s41 with his second wife,
who was 30 much an invalid that Mr.. winthrop
carried her from her apartment In the third story
the dningroom and back In his at every meal.
At last, as there was no hope OF her recovery and
she wished to die "among her own people," she re.
turned to Boston, and soon after departed from this
life. Mrs. Winthrop was a Miss Derby, and was
first married to OF John Welles, an opuent and
distinguished capitalist OF Boston, who lived beyond
his nlnetieth wear. He was elder brother OF Sam
Welles. the American banker of Paris. whose widow,
the F0wles, of WATERFOWL married the Marquis
della Valeite. on his return to Washington Mr. Win
throp wrote to Mr. Birth an apology for taking other
quarters on account Of the mournful associations
connected with his house. The same year he was
elected Speaker and took house on C street, near
Col. Bentons or all the inmates of the Birth
house-and their name Is legion, as will soon ap-
year-there ia no name of which the memory is 80
fragrant In the surviving members of the Birth
family as that of Robert C. Winthrop.
Leverett Saonstall, M. G. from the South Essex
District in Massachusetts from ls4t, was in the mess
at Births. 1t was In summer, and he left Gadsby's
OH the corner Of Pennsylvania avenue and Third
street, because 1t was too warm, and took an attic
room at Births, which he declared was perfectly
np,fn Ivn mn han nf ulvtv k,s,t
vigorous and lively as other men at forty. A noble
gentleman In every sense of the word he last OF
the old FedcralIss Of 1912 who appearedin the Capitol.
His accomplished son of the same name Ia one OF the
leaders Of the Massachusetts, Democracy.
Jonathan Cllley, NJ. G. from Maine, came to Births
In December, 1887. In the February following he
was brought home dead from his duel with Graves
from Kentucky, death for which James Watson
Webb, OF the New York Courier aud Enquirer, was
primarily responsible. Franklin Pierce, the friend
and messmate OF Cey, was 80 affected by his death
that Mr.. Births family were apprehensive that HIS
mind would give way. This was In the last days of
February, 1898.
John Bell and wife, of Tennessee, were at Births
In 1888, and again In 1s4I; william s. Archer a
Senator from Virginia, In 1916; John P. Kennedy Of
Maryland, afterwards Secretary of the Navy In 1912;
that great man. George w. Summers, OF virginia.
and that wise man, Samuel f. vlnton, of Ohio, in
1874; Frank Granger, OF New York, who had been
Postmaster General 10 1871, in ls4s when member of
the House for the last time. James Carroll, NJ. c.
from Maryland, descendant of Barrister Carroll,
was there in 1910; Senator Barrow, of Louisiana,
distinguished Wing, In 1871; and about the same
time Edward Curtis, OF New York, subsequently
Collector OF the Port and confidential friend of Mr..
Webster, who visited him every evening when not
otherwise engaged. Gen. Clinch, of Georgia, a fne
tlon, also lived at Births, where his friend, Gen.
Scott, was his frequent visitor. Clay of Alabama,
father OF the late Senator c. G. Clay. Jr.; Sam
Beardsley, OF New York, author Of the once famous
phrase, "Perish Credit, Perish Commerce! ~
Philemon Dickerson and James Parker OF New
Jersey; Kenneth Rayner, of North Carolina; Howell
Cobb, OF Georgia; Reuell Williams, Of Maine, the
founder of the Asylum for the Insane In Augusta,
and that elegant and accomplished gentleman,
Garrett d. Wall, of New Jersey-an old Federast
Of the Stockton type but supporter OF Jackson and
Van Buren,.
Mr.. Birth died In 1884, and not long after his house
ceased to be known as the residence of public men,
Among distinguished men not at the time In Con-
gress the names Of John Sergeant OF Philadelphia,
and Reverdy johnson, Of Maryland, appear on Mr..
Births books In 1sa3 and ls45; also that Of Greek
Photius Kavasalis, who had been adopted by Dr.
Fiske, tho American missionary In Athens, after the
death OF his family by the plague, and who after
ward took the name of his benefactor In pursuance
OF an act OF Congress, and died chaplain of the
Navy.
Sir Charles Vaughan, Her Britannia Majesty's
Minister to Washington for many years after the dc.
psrture OF Sir Charles Bagot, lived In tho Decatur
House and gave delightful parties. At one Of these
on a warm evening In July, Mr.. Ogle Tayloe
was present, and used to relate the following
incident: ~ remember the approach to the
sofa on which sat OF a fashionable lady lust
from France, N bright red dress. My next
neighbor, Mr.. Feathcrstonehaugh, inquired OF me
Who IL that woman? She will set us all on
nre.' evaded the answer, her husband being next
me. The inquiry was made OF him. He coolly and
laconically answered, God knows!' and strobe
away. lie was the celebrated Grymes OF New
Orleans" Mrs. Grymes, who had separated from
her husband spent the winter Of 1858 at Wizards
with her beautiful, sylph-like daughter, Medora,
who aftcrward married Baron Won Hoffman. Her
eldest daughter had married Sam Ward, but they
had separated. The" King of the Lobby" was not
formed for domestic bliss. The Grymes family,
| once prominent In Virginia, has disappeared.
Their residence, Brandon, In Middlescx, on the
Rappahannock, noble mansion, has long been a
| ruin Grymes, OF New orleans, for long period