Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-03
MARYLAND IN THE RENOVATION.
interesting "Reminiscences Of Capt. Richard
son of Local Fame.

| MARYLAND IN THE REVOLUTION.
Interesting "Reminiscences of Capt. Richard
son of Local Fame.
| To the EDITOR of The Evening Sta-:
| In recent article in your valuable paper
some interesting facts were given under the
head Of Georgetown in the Revolution" and ii
is hoped that persons having authentic data will
enlghten the public still more on the subject.
| While other sections have dinned into the ears
OF the public the names and deeds of their pa
triots in the revolutionary war. it is difficult to
account for the almost silence on the subject Of
Marylanders, unless, indeed, it be because the
renown Of the Maryland troops was SO great
that any further mention was deemed super
fuous. However that may be, the present gen.
| Grafton would like to know something more Of
| the lives and characters of those worthy heroes
| What manner OF men were Gen. Lingan, Col.
Moses Rawlings. Capt. Deakns, Capt. Thomas
Richardson and others. and where rest their
| bones?
| OF one Of these worthless, ''the fighting
Quaker" your correspondent is in the possess
| sion OF some facts, which he will give, that
| their memories may be rescued from the COM
paratlve oblivion left them by the historian in
the mere mention Of their names and rank
Of three brothers who came from Wales to
| Maryland in 1864 (1665 according to Davis
| 'DaystarO one, Mark Richardson, was the
ancestor OF Capt. Thomas Richardson; the an
| cestOrs Of two other well-known MARYLAND
families the Snowdens and Thomases also
| from the principalitv. and Quakers came with
the Richardson's, and there are grounds for the
| belief that the wife of Mark Richardson was a
| Thomas, whence the name in the family for two
generations. the captains father being also
| named Thomas As the captain was about
| thirty years Of age at the time Of the French
and Indian war Q755) it Is believed that ne
IaDv Id Al
sbly was with Gen. Washington in the expe-
dlt1on to Fort Duquesne when Braddock was
| defeated, but, however that may be, 1t is GER
tain that he bore the title of captain long be-
| fore the revolution.
or the tracts of land patented by Mark
Richardson two were in the upper country"
namely, 'Medway," in Prince Georges county,
containing about 500 acres and Bear Bacon
| Manor, of 600 acres, i'll Montgomery county,
near what is now Spencerville Midway
Enormously called Midway in some deeds) lies
| at the cross roads about four miles west of
Laurel on the Sandy Spring road, and it was
| here, at least for the latter years of his life,
that the captain made his home He married
a Miss Ridgey and had for family two sons and
| several daughters. One son, DR.. Andrew Rich
ardson, settled at Fort Duquesne. now become
| Pittsburg. He never married, however, and
| died young. The other. Robert r. Richardson,
| at Baltimore, on Fayette street. He was an
| intimate friend OF Henry Clay, next-door
neighbor Of the elder Ross Winans and a yes
tryman Of old Ascension Church (EpiscopaD
| OF two children but one married and left a
numerous family, the late DR.. Charles Richard
son Of Baltimore and Montgomery counties
| OF the daughters polly married a Mr.
| Griffith and they went to Kentucky to live; an
| other married the elder James Rawlings Of
| Colesville. Md, and Hattie, the Youngest after
staying with her father for many years, at last
| ran away and married the miller. Mr..
Johnson and the captain was left all forlorn
with none to look after him but his servants.
| He continued to live, however, and attained
great old age. dying in 1920. aged nnety-six
years. having enjoyed the respect and esteem
| not to say love, of the community to the last.
| His grave is about 200 yards east Of the Bla-
| densburg road about half mile south of the
Sandy Spring road. The grave is only marked
| by roughly hewn stone. 1t lies in probably
the largest private burying ground in that
| whole section of country. it having been set
apart by the captain. in the language of an old
| resident. as a burying place for all, "high and
| low, rich and poor" 1t is now an open grove
Of beautiful cedars and would well repay a visit.
There are several graves Of much older
| date than the captains, and it is thought
that several, at least, of the old revolutionary
| heroes lie buried there. The frame building at
| the cross roads Is a part of the old residence,
| the main part, which was of brick. having fallen
or been pulled down and the bricks carried
| away many years ago. 1t was stage station
before tine turnpike was constructed, and they
| changed horses there, and traders from the
| north and west passed there. There must have
| been quite village Of buildings at one time,
| but all are gone except the portion Of the house
| mentioned. The place bore the name Of capt
| Richardson's" on some old maps, and the writer
has seen deeds which described lands to the
westward as lying ION the road leading from
Capt. Richardson's to Fredericktown.'' The
place is now more frequently called SANDY
| Bottom" The soil near the road is light and
/ nd hut n
| tobacco.
| Capt Richardson had a powerful voice. and
| have been told that, standing on his porch of
a morning. he could give his orders down to the
| mill, which was more than a mile away down
| the valley and forest intervening One anec-
dote current in the neighborhood about the
captain did him injustice and which wish to
| correct. 1t ID related that Maj. Snowden, who
carried on the iron works and needed a great
deal OF help in his wood yard. had, among
other hands, Capt. Richardson's man Bellows
| There being delay in furnishing charcoal from
| tie wood yard and its prompt delivery being
| very urgent matter lest the fires go out the
major visited the wood yard to see what the
| trouble was. As the major and Capt. r. were
| great friends and as he had to pass that way he
took the latter with him. 1t being found upon
inquiry that the workmen were loafng and the
colored people sleeping over their work in the
day time, and as, by the showing Of the overseer
Hancock, Bellows, being leader Of his gang and
the most guilty party, should be thrashed-
should have nine and thirty well laid on. As
the story goes. the thrashing was done By the
major, who was urged on by the captain. Give
II to him, major! Lay it on, sir! Give it to
him heavy, major! Lay it on well, sirr' &C.
l got the truth of the matter from
an old resident named Nathaniel Scott,
who remembered the captain very WELL and
who knew Bellows and worked with him after he
got his freedom, and asked him about the story.
Bellows said that the whole thing was Joke on
him. started BY Hancock to tease him, that the
captain pleaded for him like a man" and that
the major only gave him one stroke Of the
| whip. This same old Bellows was quite char
acter in his way. He was skilled mechanic
however, and conducted large smithing estab-
lishment for the captain for many years. Sew
eral likely young coIored men who were living
about Sandy Spring a few years ago and called
themselves Billows were his descendants
Another colored family named Hepburn. and
quite numerous in the vicinity, are the de-
cendants OF Capt. Richardson's old servant NJ.
No May Day Disorder.
May day at Brussels was attended with no
5isOrder