Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-28

years and six months, and learned the
business of worker in marble and sand
stone.
Mr. Birth was the dean of the Associ
alton of Oldest Inha bitants. having be
come a member of that organization at
the time of it's formation. He resided in
the District ninety-hve years of the nearly
one hundred years of his life. His absence
from his birthplace was only temporary he
having been employed superintendent
of the marble and stone work on the state
house at Raleigh. n. c.. in 1893 and 1894
while from December, 1896. to April. 1899
ne was engaged in surveying for railroads
in Alabama. This employment was aban-
doned, Mr.. Birth explains, because Of the
arrangement of the currency. by which he
lost $1,000.
Had Lived History.
Mr. Birth had lived history and through
It, and had seen Presidents come and go
He had seen greatness enthroned and de-
throned in the whiring of the maelstrom
Of politics here. His life had been a most
memorable one, ripe with years. expert
ence and the consciousness of his own
work we'll done.
When the annual celebration Of his
birthday was held. January Ii last. at his
apartment in the LenoX. L street be-
tween 18th and 18th streets, Mr.. Birth was
in the best of spirits, and at the time
remarked that with the exception or the
fact that his lower limbs were not as
nimble as they once were. he felt no dis
comfort whatever. He also held up his
hand for a short time without tremor.
which he attributed to the fact that since
1890 he had never touched drop of any
kind Of liquor, except upon the advice
of a physician.
Mr.. Birth had splendid memory. and
on many occasions related incidents oc-
curing near the middle of the past CEN
fury. when he was commissioned by the
Secretary of War upon important in
vestigations relative to the building of
the Soldiers Home.
Busy Until the End.
In the early forties Mr.. Birth was in
North Carolina, and was whig. He
smoked an average of five cigars daily
for forty years during his early life, but
later he became convinced that the prac-
tice was bad, and at once stopped.
Although he was well advanced in years.
Mr.. Birth continued to do a certain
amount of architectural drawing. which
was a source of much enjoyment for him.
and even during the past year he drew
complete plans for many buildings.
This venerable citizen had lived to see
the dream of some of the early fathers
realized, as Washington through its vary
ing stages of advancement has become the
most beautiful and picturesque city on
the globe. being known as the beauty
spot of America" He had lived through
the ordealS of four wars in which this
country was involved, three of them with
foreign powers-Great Britain. Mexico
and Spain-and the other the fratricidal
civil war. He witnessed the burning of
the Capitol by the British and had seen it
rise from it's ashes to its present grandeur.
and had the happy consciousness of hay-
ing been one Of its upbuilders. He had
seen the experiment of f-governmcnt
tried in the municipality, the District of
Columbia as federal territory and last
ly. the present form of government by ap-
pointment.
Married in Year 1884.
William Willmore Birth was the son of
James and Jeeannette Shaw Birth, both
natives of Devonshire, England. His IA
Their was born in October ITO At the
age of twenty-six. or in 1924 William W
Bir1n took unto himself a wife, Elizabeth
Tay or. native of Lancashire England
One year later Mrs. Birth gave I'D her
life on the altar of motherhood, the child
a daughter. being named in her honor
Elizabeth Taylor Birth. Miss Birth b..
came the wife of Edward Baldwin. and
five children blessed the union namely
Brenton l.. BALDWIN, long a well-known
citizen of the District and at the time of
his death cashier OF the Traders National
Bank; William b. Baldwin, also deceased
formerly cashier of the National Capital
Bank; Edward c. Baldwin Of johnson
City, Tenn; Mrs. ]. c. +. Gordon and
Miss Elizabeth B. Baldwin of this city.
Observation-Disclosures to the late Mr.
Birth sprang from the marriage Of the
late Brenton L. Baldwin and of +. c.
Baldwin, the children of the former, in
Guiding Mrs. C. Fred Cook and Miss HiIda
P BALDWIN of Washington, and Mrs
Walter B. Williams. ir.. OF New York
The children of +. c. Baldwin of johnson
City, Tenn, are Margaret Ray Baldwin
and William l.. Baldwin. The infant son
OF Capt and Mrs. c. Fred Cook, carrying