Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-06-23
EARLY VIRGINIA HISTORY.
WOOD LAWN CONCLUDED.
No. 10.

VlVlnS BfanuSOn Ol NellIe tnat tne eaiiy
home life and associations of Mount
Vernon fingered ever with his distin-
guished grandmother as beatifying
visions in her declining years, and ths t
she never wearied in recoanting them
10 her children and grandchildren. A
tteme dearest OF all to her heart was
the story of her social and family re-
lalions with the fond and induigeDt
! mas,er + and mistress of the Mount Yer
non h, mo whose passing away from
her she long and deeply mourned. Her
love and reverence for him amounted
almost to worship, and who shall wou-
der at her constant devotion, knowing
all the pathetic circumstances aud har-
monious relations OF he beginning and
sunderlug Of their united lives. The
nr which had set in glory TO the world
Was 10 her continuing radiance grow
ing brighter and brighter to the close Of
her ev,utful years.
All who knew the subject of our
sketch, say her niece, Mrs. Gen. Rob
ert E Le. , in her memoir of Geo. W.
PArke Gus is, were wont to recall the
. ,sure they had derived from her
X ersive information, brilliant wit and
.undless generosi y. The most ten
der parent and devoted friend, she lived
10 the enjoyment of her affections. She
was often urged to write her meraoirs
which might even have surpassed in in
iere5t to her countrymen those OF Mad
lo onR nthnrc nf fnnol
uote, as ber pen gave free expression
10 her lively Imagination and clear
memory. Would that we could recall
The many tales of the past we have heard
from her lips, but, alas, we should fail
TO give them accurately. One nara
tive, however, is retained, as it made
strong impression ct the time of recital.
Sne said the most perfect harmony al
ways existed between her grandmother
aud the general, and that in sll his in
tercourse with her he was most consid-
crate and tender She had of,en seeu
her when she had something TO COM
muric4 ate or request to make of him
at moment when his mind was en-
tirely abstracted from the present,
-eize him by the button to command
his attention, when he would look
down upon her with benignant smile
and become at once attentive TO her
wishes, which were never sllghted.
She also sa d that the grave dignity
which he usually wore did not prevent
his keen enjoyment OF joke, and that
no one laughed more heartily than did
he when she berself, gay, laughing
girl, gave one of her saucy descriptions
of ary scene in which she had taken
part, or any one Of the merry pranks
she hen often played; and that he
would retire from the room 10 which
her young companions were amusing
TIE mse!ves, because his presence caus-
ed reserve which they could not over
come. But ne always regretted it ex-
ceedingly, as their sports and enjoy
me Is always seemed to interest him.
Of course Washington WAS always
Nelie's ideal hero, and the grandest OF
all dhe line of noble men. Morgan and
Greene were great favorites with her
also. as they had been with the CON-
mander-in- chief. Gen. Zachary Taylor
Que of the heroes of the Mexican war
was favorite among the public men OF
her time in later years, and when ne
was elected to the presidency she paid
him a visit and was for time an hon
ored guest in the White House where
sbe received the marked attentions OF
many distinguished personages OF that
dav. While she lived she did not lose
the hold she had in all her younger
wears upon the popular regard. She
was still the storied picturesque Mel.
Iie'' who had been the fondly petted
child in the household of him who was
first in peace, first in war and first IN
the hearts of his countrymen."
Nellie Lewis had two sisters, Martha
Parke, who was married to = Peter,
large Virginia planter, and Elizabeth
Parke who was married to the wealthy
and eccentric Thomas Law, a nephew
of Lord Ellenboro, of whom Twining IN
his travels in this country hundred
wears ago says: "As chief of a large
district in Bengal be had teen accus'
toned to the dischar4e of important
official functions and TO the splendor
and consequence of prince. In Eng-
land his family was opuleDt and dis
Sl0u. OuO olOSbOi "NS
of Carlisle another was barrister OF the
first emiuence, and the successful de-
fender of MIR. Warren Hastings against
the political influence OF Fox, the elo
ouence of Sheridan and the virulence
Of Burke" He was prominent in the
improvement of Washington city about
1900. purchased large tract OF land
EN- bracing the site of the arsenal, ana
laid out streets and upon them built
number of houses.
When that fair brow of the great ar
lists picture of Nellie upon which we
all love to look had been imprinted
with the lines of three score years, ana
those clustering locks had changed the
brown to threads of snow, how sne
must have seemed like some sanity
messenger to those who eagerly listen
ed TO her as she brought from memory s
far away shore the historic scrnes
which had passed before those spsrk-
4 ~ hnr