The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1892-03-17
pARsoN WASHINGTON.
Tales Told of tho First Presidents
Ancestor.
PrejudiciaI Tradition Vendors Try
Make Him out II lad Fellow
Daniel Webster as a
nabtor.

Debtor.
Having ascertained who Gen. Wash
ington's last English ancestor was-lt
has taken century and half to 40 so
his grateful countrymen are now try |
ing to prove that this gentleman, Rev,
Lawrence Washington, rector OF Pur-
leigh in Essex, was not drunkard and
malignant in the English revolution
of lo4O. And my college classmate, MIR.
III. Il. Waters, who is always discover
ing something, has found letter in the
Bodlcian library speaking well OF Far
son Washington, writes L. u. Sanoorn
in the Boston Advertiser.
The writer, one Mr.. Ayloffe, about
l700, says: II doe not remember that
ever l:ncw or heard of G1r. Washing
ton before he had been scqucstercd, but
there was then one Mr.. Roberts,
ncirhbor of mine, who was owner and
patron of parish 90 small that
nobody would accept of his church (but
with difficulty and Mr.. Roberts enter
tanned IIr. Washington, where he was
suffered quietly to preach. l have
heard him and toolle him to be very
worthy pious man. / have been in his
company there, and he appeared very
modest sober person, and | heard him
recommended ao suck by several gentle
men who know him before | did. lie
was loyal person, and had one OF the
best bcncfecs in these parts, and this
was the oncly cause of his expulsion as
verify believe"
Let it be remembered by "scquest-
ered'' Mr.. Ayloffc meant Turned out OF
his parish Of Parloigl by the Puritans,
at some time before 1868, when this
Lawrence Washington died. AS this
was nearly sixty years before Mr.
Aylof1c wrote, tho Litter must have
been q young man when he heard the
parson preach. He lived at Great
Braxtcd in Essex, and the little parish
of Mr.. Roberts was in the adjoining
district of Braxted Parva, or Little
Draxtcd. Purlciyh is not far off, and
Maiden (for which our Maiden is namcd)
is three miles north of Purlcigh. Parson
Washington was buried at Maiden in
January 1858, and four or five years
later his two sons emigrated to Vlr-
ginia. By piccing oil these trifles
together we get at Il sort of history of
this Lawrence Washington, thanks to
Mr.. Waters.
The English ancestry of Daniel Web
ster is partly KIN wn, but there is room
for MIR. Waters to look it up further,
both on the Webster side and that of
Rev. Stephen Bachiler, from whom,
through his grandmother, he was de-
scended. This clergyman was also
turned out of his parish, but for being a
Puritan, which could hardly be charged
against Webster. A writer in the
Transcript tells ono of the numerous
stories that I have heard about Web
ster's neglect to pay his debts. He says:
"When was clerk in an exchange
office we received Draft of few hun
dred dollars on Mr.. Webster on sight
present 1t to the eminent man for ac
ceptance, payable ut any future time
he chose; tell him to specify his owl
time This was rather unusual ant
showed the great respect the creditor
had for the distinguished statesman"
This respect was natural enough, TO
Webster was at that time almost idol
lied by many. But it did not secur
from the great man the payment of tn
draft, either then or afterward. TIL
Transcript correspondent goes on: g
politely said: You need not pay tn
draft at once; take your own time; az
cept 1t payable when convenient, c
when you please He straightene
back, and, his penetrating eyes almo'
binding me, said: You are the politics
broker have ever met and~accepted
at once, payable in sixty days. My il
structions were such that If he had sa
on its face, Payable on the resurrectie
day. should have taken it and consi
cred it honoved. No attention was pa
to it when the sixty days expired and
returned II under protest to the sender
1t was the frequent occurrence of i
cidents like this which gave point to t
retort said to have been made son
years earlier by a witness in court who
Webster was cross-examiuing. Bcil
asked his occupation the witness {
clined to answer; this reused Webste
suspicious and he insisted on u rcpl
which the judge tod the witness he h
better give. "Wcll." said the witnet
''if must tell you my means of supp
it is this: make notc5, cot them
dorsed and discounted, take TIE m0a
and leave my indorsors to pay the not.
Everybody in court expected sor
singing reply to this, bat Webster 81
ply said: "Lct me tell you, sir, tn
although highly resp ,ctablc, that is
very Drecariolls occuDntionn