Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-05
PRESERVE MANSION HOUSE
Home of First to Come to America
Owned by Colonial Danes.
MANY NOTED DESCENDANTS
Men of Family Well Known in His
tory and Women in Social
Life.
BY WILLIAM r. CURTIS,
Special Correspondents Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

QUINCY, July ~, 1911
In the center of the town of Quincy, on
the principal street. just beyond the high
school where Furnace brook flows under
double row of giant willow trees, stand
ing back from the road and surrounded
by an old-fashioned garden, is the noble
colonial mansion built by Edmund Quincy
(the immigrant) in 1886. 1t is known as
'the Dorothy @. house." because its mis-
tresses for several successive generations
bore that lovely name. 1t now belongs
TO the Colonial Danes, who have made ii
a museum of colonial and revolutionary
relics. and have restored and refurnished
It according to the period when it was
built. 1t has an aristocratic appearance
in striking contrast to the humble abode
of Joseph Adams. and the early homes of
two Presidents of the United States. The
Adanses were of humble origin. The
Quincys were of noble stock and were
descended from bold knight named de
Quincy, who followed William the Con-
queror across the English channel. 1t
was long occupied by one of the finest
families of the Puritan aristocracy, IA
NOUS for its hospitality, its wealth. its
elegance, its patriotism, its intellectual
vigor. its integrity and its influence, but
T.
are no representatives of the Quincy fam
lily today of any account. and | am told
that the name does not appear in the di-
rectory of this town.
There are three Quincy mansions. but
this is the most interesting and for two
centuries was the home of the strongest
men who bore that name. The eldest
son of this branch was usually called Ed
mund. The Quincy mansion at the lower
farm" now Wollaston, was built in ITO
born Josiah, and IL is said to have de-
scended from 'Siah' to 'Siah' instead of
from sire 10 son. The line of Siahs' oc
cupied one mansion, the line of Edmunds
and the DorothyS occupied the other.
The third Quincy mansion was built in
1To6 and was called the Farmhouse. 1t
stood a little south of the Dorothy Q.
house. was occupied by another branch
OF the family and was the birthplace of
John Hancock.
The first Edmund Quincy had son
named Edmund of course, who married
Joanna Hoar in 1913, and came into pos
session of the Dorothy Q. house. His son
Edmund married the lovely Dorothy
Flint. the first of the name, and the moth
er of all the Dorothy Q.s who ruled the
colonial world of romance. She was the
daughter of Rev. Josiah Flint of Dor
chester, and had been a playmate of her
husband in childhood, as the families
were always intimate. This Edmund was
q colonel of militia, member of the
great and general court judge of the
superior court OF judicature, and was
constitution and Of good courage. fitted
for any business of life to serve God.
his king and country. He was also
clearly chosen by written votes to the
Office of tuning the Psalms in our as
semblies for publick Worship
Quaint Old Homestead.
Judge Quincy maintained the hospital
3ty of the homestead and added to it
several rooms. 1t is quaint old struc-
ture. The kitchen is the most interesting
part The fireplace and chimneys are big
enough for modern furnace and around
the walls of the kitchen are numerous
butterieS, dreSers and closets of odd
shapes. Over the ceiling is an, attic
reached by a secret passage. in which
many rebels against the king We're
concealed in time of peril, and there is
curious arrangement. miniature
dumb waiter, by which their food used
To be sent up to them. The dining room
Is lined with beautiful old oak, the pan
els being unusually large; the buffet is
of splendid proportions and exquisite
carving, the fireplace is lined with quaint
scriptural tiles, the walls of the drawing
room are covered with curious paper rep
resenting Venus and Cupid in action,
which was made TO order after the pat
tern of that which was hung there when
the house was built.
The most famous of all the Dorothy
Qs, my Dorothy" as Dr. Oliver Wen
dell Holmes calls her-was born in lis
mansion January 4. 1909. the fourth child
Of Judge Edmund Quincy. She grew to
beautiful womanhood, and upon the death
a. her mother, when she was only fifteen,
took charge of the domestic establish
nent She was well spoken of by every
body, helpful. willing. thoughtful sym
pathetic, her nature invites the perplexed
H. Ill
Is lavished upon them" According to
tradition, she laid out the garden and
planted tho lockwood hedges that are
there today. When she was nineteen
years old she married Edward Jack
son OF Boston. Their daughter Mary
married Judge Oliver Wendell. and be-
came the mother of Sarah who mar
Tied Rev. Abel Holmes, father of Oliver
Wendell Holmes. the poet physician. and
grandfather of the genial associate jus
1cc of line United States Supreme Court
The most prcciousheirloom in the
whole family Is a portrait of Dorothy
q which has story hanging to it and
was the sublect of one of DIR. Holmes
most charming poems. The story of the
painting. he tells it. is as follow:
The painting hung in the house Of my
grandfather, Oliver Wendell which was
occupied BY British officers before the
evacuation Of Boston. One of these gen
tlemen amused himself by stabhiug poor
Dorothy (the pictured one) as near thu
Yizht eye as his SwordSmdnShip WouiC
serve him to do IT, The canvas wa.
SO decayed that it became necessary Il
Tenlount the painting. in the process o.
doing which the hole made by the rapel
was lost sight of. I took some photo
graphs Of tho picture before il wa
transferred TO the new canvas
'Crsndmothcr's mother. hnr age T guess.
Thirteen summers, something less;
Girlish bust. bur womaHy air,
smooth sausrr forehead with uprcileh hair:
Biy.s that lover has never kissed,
TAPER fingers and slender wrist:
Hanging sleeves Of stif brocade,
So they painted the little maid.
ON her hand parrot green
sits unnoving and broods
Hold up rhe full in view
Look. there's rent the light shines through.
Dark with q century's fringe Of dust
That was q rndcoat's rspier thrust,
Such f. the tale the lady old.
Dorothy's daughters daughter, told
%. Dsmsel Dorothy, Dorothy @,
Strange il the gift that 7 70 Tou.
Such gift never king
Save to daughter might bring
MI my tenure Of heart and hand.
AL ny title 10 house and land:
Mother and sister and child and wife
Aud ioy and Sorror and death and life,
1T shall be blessing my little maid.
will heal the stab of the redcoat's blade,
And freshen the gold Of the tarnishSd frame.
And gid with rhyme your household name:
SO you shall smile brave and bright,
As hrst you greeted the mornings light,
And live TN trUabled by and fears
Through n second youth OF a hundred years."
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