Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-29
S6HE RAMBLER5zsagSS{

joining property belonged to the Hat
ton family, and off to the right on the
brow of this hill. and looking down
into the bowl where Piscataway sleeps.
you see the Hatton house and in tho
family burying ground close by that
house generations of the Hattons rest.
This family was long prominent and
rich in Maryland and the Rambler
means at some other time to visit that
old house and graveyard. but in maxi
ing A trip to Piscataway and back to
Washington in a single day one has
little time for side journeys. These
Hattons were descended from Thomas
Hatton, who was secretary OF the
province of Maryland and was killed in
the sanguinary battle between forces
of the st. Marys government and the
Puritans who had settled In Anne
Arundel county. That battle took place
at the Puritan settlement of Providence
near the present site of Annapolis and
was fought March -. 1855. Fifty or
the st. Marys troops were killed or
wounded and the rest taken prisoners.
OF the prisoners four were shot to
death cit was charged in cold blood)
and ten others were condemned to
death, but at length released.
At the base of Nations Hill the road
crosses Tinker's run, on which before tho
civil war several fiourishing grist mills
stood. and a little way further on the
road turns to the right and crosses
Piscataway creek. Not many more PAGES
edge of the village, and here in big
grounds dotted with headstones and filled
with graves stands st Marys Catholic
Church. In the front OF south wall ia
a cement tablet, inscribed: Come to me
all We that labor and are heavy laden and
1 will refresh you. 1885" The corner
stone of the church is inscribed: st
Mary's, A d. 1904"
):
Church stood about three miles north Of
its present site. The place is now called
Chapel Hill There is no settlement near
it, but a number of gravestones stand
in a tangled tilcllct and mark the earlier
churchyard of -. Mary's. In 1888 the
congregation erected its church the
present site in Piscataway, and in 1904
the church was rebuilt.
The Rambler made visit about two
years ago to the site of the earlier
church and wrote 4 story OF the grave
stones there and their inscriptions
In the churchyard at riscataway the
Rambler spent an hour among the
graves. About fifty yards to the right
of the church, under "A weeping willow
that has been broken by recent storms.
are two marble oDellsks. one Is Inscribed.
William Bryan oil Richard. born 9Th
December, 1897, died 18TH June, 1853.
The other is inscribed: Richard H.
Bryan. born 9TH March, 1927, died LIST
July, 1853"
So close around that the shadow of
this old weeping willow fails On them
are the graves OF DIR. Horace Ldelen and
Eleanor Edelen, who died respectively
in 1882 and 1875. Then there are the
graves of Christiana, wife of William
h Gwynn of Thomas, and of their in
FAINT son. Thaddeus sumner. who died
in 1854. Following are a lew OF the
names and dates which the Rambler
copied from the stones: Horatio
Dyer, died 1866. aged seventy-one
years; Mary f. Clements, wife of Josiah
Clements, died 1852; John II. Gwynn.
died July 4, 1857, aged sixty years:
John b. Spalding. born December 20.
1895, died December 80, 1856; Mary
Pamela, wife of Thomas Dyer. died
1871: Francis y. Dyer. died 1S4l; VIII
liam NJ. Dyer, 1870
In the rear of the church in plot
inclosed by an iron rail are monuments
to Dr. William H. Gwynn, died 1853.
Ignacius Gwynn. 1853. Jane c. Gwynn.
1859; Jane Gwynn. wife of WI,
Gwynn. 1899; Virginia E: Gwynn.
1899: John P. and William T;
Gwynn, twins. born June a. 1883. died
July 3, 1853, and William Fl. Gwynn.
died 1884, aged eighty-four years. The
rambler jotted down these names
susan A. Berry and Samuel 7. Berry,
George T. Underwood. 1gnacius a.
Gardiner, NJ Olivia Gardiner, henry Z.
Queen, J. o. Garden. Charity Edelen
and Benedict Edelen. James F. =
Rryan. Fannie, wife of James r. 5.
Bryan; Katie Norris. daughter of
above: Annie NJ. Warning. Edward w.
Young, Dominic Mudd. Matilda Cath
arine. consort of Dominic Mudd; Ma.
tilda Jenkens, Mary Edelen and Robert
A few PAGES from the church ana
you stand in the main street OF RS
Getaway, the story of which the Ram
bIer tries to tell with his camera.