Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-01-16
SOME INTERESTING TRADITION.
A Story of The Brice- Jennings House Loca.
ted On East Street

The following interesting story is
told in the sunday sun of January IL,
by Miss Emily Emerson Lantz, in
her Maryland Heraldry:
I'm connection with the old Brice
house at Annapolis there is an inter
esting tradition found among the fam
lily records concerning Mrs. Jennings,
wife of Hon. Edmund Jennings, whose
maiden name was Arianna Van der
HAYDEN. She was the daughter of
Matthew Van der Hayden and grand
daughter of Col. Augustine Hermann.
She married three times and became
thereby the ancestress of hundred of
Marylanders. Her first husband was
James Frisby, her second husband was
Thomas Bordley, of Bordley Hall,
England, her third husband was Hon.
Edmund Jennings.
I'm a letter signed N, Brice, of
Baltimore, and dated May, lS44, is
the following tradition
''t tradition in relation to the
above lady was committed to me by
my father, John Brice, of Annapolis,
his grandson, and handed down to him
from his father, who had married her
daughter by Mr.. Frisby now more
than one hundred years ago; that a
Miss Turner, who lived in his fathers
family and we'll acquainted with
Mrs. Jennings before she went TO Eng
land, having occasion TO go into the
pest parlor, as it was called, to get
something out of the closet near the
Fireplace, saw female figure appar-
entity i'll from the smallpox, with
her face tied up and sitting in an arm
chair under a full-length portrait of
Il .aft
over the fireplace. She Immediately
recognized the likeness of that figure
to this lady, and presumed il to be
her apparition, hastily retreated and
communicated the matter to John
Brice, my grandfather, who was SO
struck with Miss Turner'S narrative
that he took ii down, the day, year,
etc.. and circumstances of this appari-
ton. 1t is added that the first letters
received from England conveyed intel
ligence that she had died in April
l74l, of smallpox, corresponding in
every respect with Miss Turner's ac-
count of Mrs. jennings apparition
even TO the hour of her death.
"This portrait of Mrs. Jennings hung
in the old Brice house over the man
tlepiece. 1t was sunk to a depth of
several inches in the wall and re-
manned in its position for many years
after the residence was sold. The
house finally became an inn and its
tenants, not knowing the value of a
Portrait so ancient, had the wall
plastcred over to even its appearance,
destroying forever this valuable pic
torial heirloom.
This magnificent Colonial resi-
dence, which is still regarded as one
Of the most elegant homes in An
napolis, came to the Brice family as
a wedding gift to Juliana Jennings,
daughter of Thomas jennings, of An
napolis, Attorney General of the
Province, who married Col. James
Brice, Mayor of Annapolis in 1882.
The house is very spacious on the
ground floor, with beautiful columns,
solid mahogany and huge open fire.
places.
This landmark of the ancient city
of Annapolis descended to Nicholas
Carroll stephens, attorney,of Bladens-
burg, who sold it to eX-Mayor Thomas
Il. Martin.
The house is located on East street,
Opposite st. Anne's Chapel, and is
now occupied by Mrs. Edward Robb,
the daughter of the late Thomas i.
Martin, who lived there until his
death.