New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-26
THE WASuINGTONS.
MANNERS AND CHARACTERS of lhD
MARY AND MARTHA. The Mother ana tno T III n ~
George Washington. ny Benson J. Lo s'o. Lie



Tho narticulars embodied In this interesting
! volume have been collected by Mr. Losing with
great pains and acuteness, partly from mu''..u"o
ofpublished M smoirs of tho men and events Oh the
Revolution. but largely also from manuscript
rscord, in thehands OF private persons In partic-
Mar be had The advantage OF free access 70 ietters
and other papers preserved by the Gusts FAMILY
with whom he had frequent intercourse at Airing
ton before the Civil War; and he obtained vaiu-
able re- miniscences from the late George Washing
ton Parke Custis the grandson Of Martha WASH
| inrton and adopted of the President Sir
| Custis was eighteen years of ege when Uenerai
Washington died. and twenty at the death oil the
Generals widow; and his recoections of the Illus
trious couple In whose home his you:h was passed
were full and exact. Mr.. Lossne's aptness az col
lectinr personal details and other miscellany OF
the revolutionary period has been demonstrated In
| severa, popular historical works and his hand
seems TO have lost none Of its old cunning. VI
course he has repeated in the present publication q
great many things that he has said before; put III
rearranginp his material to make the female figures
the central objects OF the composition. he mas ihro-
duced much that is new aud presented the whoie
nader a novel aspect Tho text is amply illustrated
with portrats views fac-sniles, etc, IN the style
| familiar TO readers of Mr.. Lossing's other books
OF Mary Ball the mother of Washington, not
| much knowledge has been preserved but or LOS
sing has succeeded IN adding little to the scanty
stock lie states that there are strong reasons lot
! believing that she was lineally Descended from
John Ball. the so called mad preacher" of Kent,
| in Wat ryler's time and be pleases himself IN trac-
| ing IN Balls communism the seminal princlpe OF
the Declaration of Independence "a well as oil mod
ern English liberalism. He gives. however. no
reasons strong or weak, for assuming the descent
Of Mary Washington from this noted character.
and we may treat it as harmless conjecture, for
which the most that can be said is that there Is no
evidence against it. Mary Ball was born in FIr-
oinia bat there is a tradition that she was married
TO Augustine Washington in England Ihe only
authority for this tale is a certain Mrs Moier' oil
| Cookham in Berkshire. who told 1t to MT. fleld'
an English writer on ART pointing ont the house
in which sho sad that the Washingtons livedl anu
| exhibiting 10 her own possession an alleged por-
trait of Mary Ball. which she proeSsed to nave re-
ceived as a present along with other relics when
tho family returned to America. She added the still
| more remarkable statement that George Washing
! ION WAS born in England. and that her aunt OF
| mother was hls nurse ard carried him TO America
in her arms After Mrs. Morer's death, about
1872. Mr. Field purchased the Mary Ball picture
and ON his own death he beQueathed 1t 10 george
| Harvey an American painter to whom he had pre-
vousv commun Gated all the facts ana TRADITIONS
of The case that he had been able to collect. FROM
Mr. Harvey the picture passed to Professor D r. d.
Morse. Mr.. Harvey made some Investigations III
England. and learned The did not "a! how that
Augustlpe Washington was IN Eng ana Oh
business IN 1929. The marriage and birth REGISTERS
nj Co,hbam for the period IN interest lad been
burned but the burial records showed that ootn
Rails and Washinctons had lived In the neighbor-
too1 Some wears later a fortunate accident placed
in MIR Los-ug's hands IA fragment OF letter found
g., q deserted mansion near York River during the
Civil War 1t was written by Miss Lizzie Bur
well In l72S, and 1t mentioned that Molly Dali Is
v,inc Home with her Brother Lawyer, who lNe'
IN England" As the Mary Ball in whom VI are
interested had a brother Joseph settled rs Il lawyer
in London. this reference is doubt TO the same
person The parents of George Washington were
married in 1880. it is not known where. The
Cookbam tradition tha, the ceremony took place
in ENGLAND and hat they lived for while in shat
village, where both probably had family connec-
lions taxes some color Of pian5ibi.itv from the
circumstances we have mentioned. But the story
that their son George was born IL the old coun nv
must be indged differently. That rests upon the
UNSUPPORTED recollection OF an Old woman VINO
snce shc lived TO the year 1Sl2. must have been
mere child at the date of .snogton's Oirth
u792,. Opposed 20 Il we have the written state
: mept II WASHINGTON himself that he was born IN
Wr,tino,eland COuuty. EIginia. fact which he
must have learned from his parents fanny
history WAS too important. III the class TO which
the Washingtons belonged. to admit Of IN sinfoFiLa-
ton on point Of this kind. If Washington had
2 been born in England he would not have been
elk ible to the Presidency and 1t IS lmpossioIo TO
IN, ,oine that either ne or his mother twho was
living at the time of his first electonl would nave
been guilty Of conceal ing the Disqualification
The Morer story called forth a great oea OF dis
crssion when il was 6rst published some years ago
and there is little OF nothing to add to the points
then brought forward. Mr. Losing is inclined 10
believe IN the English marriage. bHt NOT AZ al IN
the fable of Washingtons English birth lie accepts
, the portrait ss genuine, aud gives an engraving
G from it as the frontispece OF the present volume
c The testimony for this picture, however IS OK
tremely weak 1t Is only the word OF Mrs Morer'
proyed faliibie in another important branch OF tue
same subject: and there are some specisi reasons
o for ,nisrrusting 1t here when Augustine Washing
: Ton and his beautiful wife returned To America
newly painted portrait OF the young BRIDE was not
d oro NJ fine nicces Of furniture likely to be LET
behind; and even if they had chosen to discard It
= they would hardly have presented IL TO "a httl'
village girl The portrait is of hand 'ome stately
u ronng woman, with oval face, prom nent regular
:, features, and blonde hair. Among the letter.
q obtained by Mr. Losing from the Deserted Viglnl'
d mansion already referred to is one containing
! description of Mary Ball III 1924. Dear ShAey.
. runs this eIistle Madam Ball OF Lancaster an'
# Her Sweet Molly have gone HON. Mamma thlhN
= Molly the Comedies, Maiden She Knows. she /
about @ yrs old, is taller than Me- Is very sensible
d Modest aud Lowing Her Hair is IKE unto lax
Her Eyes are the color OF Yours aud her Chekes ar
like Nav blossoms | wish You could See Her
n Like most ladies of her generation sne had httl
Il education except in the practical duties or Tn
u family. and when we are told that George received
i a large part Of his schooling at her knee We ar
not to understand chat she was able TO direct nh
u about his b ,oks. Her FIRST home after marriage wa
# on the Westmoreand estate. which has AWAY
Y been recognized as Georges birthplace; that houS
o having been burned the family removed to auothe
> | Mace Of theirs near Fredericksburg; ami mere