Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-08
WASEINGTON'S SECRETARIES,
An Interesting Paper Read Before the
Columbia Historical Society.

The regular meeting of the Columbia
Historical Society was held at the resi-
dence of DIR. j. NJ. Toner on Highland Ter
race last evening. 1t brought out a larger
attendance than any other meeting this
winter, and the evening proved to be most
entertaining and instructive.
The principal subject dwelt upon at the
meeting had reference to the secretaries
who served Gen. Washington during his
official career. An interesting paper on
this subject was read by Mrs. Mary Ste
venS bell, which threw considerable side
light the life of the first President OF
the United States. His relations to those
who worked close to him after he became
such prominent figure in the making of
the nation furnished the topic for the pa
per, which made more interesting by
the exhibition of many original documents
@-ll papers, we'll as official copies made
h-fore, during and after the war Of the
revolution. The secretaries who assisted
Gen. Washington were referred to as COM
ing Under three classes; private. public and
military, and some little reference was
made to many Of these secretaries, who
numbered, altogether, thirty or more, al
though an effort was made to eliminate
from the list all those whose relations with
Washington We're not of an intimate char
acter.
Washington's first regular secretary was
appointed during the French and Indian
Kirkpatrick, merchant of Alexandria,
we'll educated and man of parts. He was
a Scotchman and aftcrward returned to
Scotland, where track of him was lost.
Letters of his have been found which con-
tain expressions of the greatest esteem for
ard fealty to Gen. Washington. The gen
erals first military secretary was James
Reed, who was graduate of Princeton
College and lawyer by profession. Reed
was appointed in Philadelphia when Wash
ington was commissioned, and made up his
staff in that city, and went with him to
Boston. Tench Tillman of Maryland was
known as Washington's voluntary aid. He
was probably an aid-de-camp 1t is
question whether all of WashngtonS aids
tle-camp were not in a sense secretaries to
the general, for it is known that many of
them were appointed partly result of
their Qualifications for this office.
Washington always spoke of his Secre-
taries as belonging to his personal family,
and during the war of the revolution they
always took their meals at his table, at
which time there was general conversat ton
and discussion of the projects then in hand.
None of his secretaries ever proved false
to him. and it is a noticeable fact that
there was never leak from his family"
A recording secretary of his by the name
of Varrick or Van Narrick, who was en-
ployed for the most part in copying official
documents, was an intimate friend of Ar
nolds, and as result charges of dupicity
were brought against him. Washington
made thorough examination of the mat
ter and all these charges We're disproVed.
More than forty volumes of camp records
are in the handwriting Of Varrick or of
men who were employed by him as assist
ants.
DIR. Gallaudet followed the reading OF the
paper with a few remarks upon it, and the
balance of the evening was devoted to
consideration of the origin of the false
name of Stoughton street for Staughton
street in this city.