The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-04-25

The story OF Their Origin as Told by Sun
set Cox I'm His New Book,

set Cox I'm His New Book.
There Is one romance connecting
America with the Orient and religion
with patriotism which should be
recorded. 1t involves the "Star-
Spangled Banner" L warn my read
ers that with this sedate subject of re-
igion am about to associate a patri-
otto incident. The Washington family
has been traced back to the time Of the
Norman conquest and to the north OF
Humber. The princely see of Dur
ham had a prelate who was a feuda-
tory of the conqueror. He was war
rior-priest and had many feudatories
under him. Among the rest was the
knightly William de Hertburn, who,
in exchanging his village of Hertburn
for the manor of Wessynton, gave not
only the first recorded link in the fam
lily, but the immortal name of Wash
farther west"
The Ottoman dynasty had risen to
formidable power, and Richard the
Lion Hearted had pawned his patri-
mony for crusade. and had been inn
prisoned on the shores of the Bos'
phorus; the story of the Plantagenets
had been played before the world;
stately and warlike scenes in the West
and East had come and gone, and the
name of De Wessynton, after illustrat-
ing many heroic qualities, had died out
from the chiyalric rolls of Durham,
but it was preserved in the cloister by
doughty abbot. The stock was di-
vided into various branches. 1t was
scattered over England. About the
same time the great-grandson Of the
conqueror of Constantinople-Su
man the Magnifcent-had raised his
realm to its acme OF fame, one of the
Washingtons, Laurence, was practic-
ing law at Gray's Inn. When the Sui
tan Ibrahim was trying to foil the in
trigues of the eunuchs, Col. Henry
Washington was defending the city of
Worcester for King Charles against
Cromwell. Happily for America, En-
gland became uncomfortable for the
cavaliers who had fought for the Stu
arts, and the brothers John AMI Andrew
Washington emigrated to loyal old Vir-
ginia. John settled near the Potomac.
His grandson Augustine was born there.
There he lived, married, and died OF
his sons George was the eldest. But,
as the genealogy shows, although he
herited the stamina of the stock. What
of all this now and here? There is an
other George Washington living at
Constantinople. He is the Chaplain of
the British Legation, and by no means
mute, if not as glorious as his American
nan sake. He is in the direct line from
the De Wessyntons of the conquest In
his keeping is the crest OF the family.
What is the romance to which l have
adverted? Nothing less than the in
comparable growth of great Western
nation, dire cted, moderated, energized,
and inspired by descendant of the
martial and priestly family whose
stock is noted in the stalwart folk of
Northumberland, and whose branches
are as widely apart as the Bosphorus
and the Potomac. Rev. George Wash
ington is an accomplished gentleman
and scholar. He is quite friendly to
Americans, as, of course, he should be.
/ can not refrain from inserting here
little note which he sent to my wife. 1t
contained his own card, and, doubtless,
the arms on that card, as has been
often surmised, if not proven, gave the
first idea of the American Star Span-
gled Banner"
PERA Jan. 10 1885
DEAR MRS Cox: 1t might interest Mr. Cox
70 see these quarterlng' OF which was speak
ing TO you the other evening. You see the
@stars and stripes" arc there / have always
heard that the story l mentioned to You was
correct, viz: That casting about for flag
When independence had been declared, the
Americans thought that they conld not do
better than take their Generals family quar-
terings as a foundation Hence the "stars and
stripes" With kind regards, believe me YOURS
very truly, GEORGE WASHINGTON
THE quarterings referred to are a
shield with three stars at the top and
stripes below running across the
shield. Above the shield are the head
and wings of an eagle, rising from a
crown, and below it is the motto, "In
cruce glorior." Below all is the name,