Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-22


the then small settlements Of Alexandra,
Georgetown and Baltimore came to buy
goods.
not then dreamed of. unless perhaps by
some venturesome radical, and some of
the original proprietors of the site Of
Washington city had not been born.
Charles Ewell became wealthy in the to-
thousand acres of land. He picked out
his home seat six miles from Dumfries,
in the direction in which Washington was
to be, and there he built the great house
Belle--Air.
All these facts bring up the story Of one
ington. And there is another fact about
Bell-Air which makes 1t historic. 1t is
the burial place OF Parson weems, the
author of an early If not the first biog-
raphy of George '. ashington, and in
which was told those singular stories of
George Washingtons youth concerning
the cherry tree. the wild colt and the
tossing of coin across the Rappahan-
mock river. A good while ago Caring
ton Weens, a descendant of the famous
"Parson,' wrote: Besides the discov-
cry of conclusive proof that the Rev. Ma
son Locke Weems was duly ordained to
the priesthood by the Archbishop of Can
terbury September II, lisa, another In
teresting piece of evidence, not generally
known, has recently been brought out in
favor of the first biographer of Wash
ington. the authority for the familiar
story of the cherry tree and the boy who
would not tell lie. A quaint old Ger
man beer mug has been discovered which
bears graphic witness to the fact that
the cherry tree episode was not unknown
before Parson Weems embodied 1t In his
Life of Washington and that the story
had been carried to the other side Of the
Atlantic. For on its surface are rudely
portrayed in color all the ssentials OF
the classic tale
1.-THE genuineness Of this old bit of stone
ware is beyond dispute. 1t now forms
part of well known collection in Prince
ton, n. j., and experts agree that it
belongs to a period of German manufac-
ture between ITO and 1880. That Is to
say, the mug antedates Weems' printed
version of the story by something like
twenty years. 1t therefore offers evidence
in support Of the historical accuracy Of
the best-known chapters In Washington's
life, which has drawn from later biogra-
pliers expressions Of doubt and even fiat
denial; a denial based on no evidence
at all. but upon their inability to find
direct proof of an unimportant occurrence
in an obscure childhood
The story of Belle-Air has many rami
fcations and the Rambler will have no
easy task. in gathering up the threads
of this old and long story and relating
them in single chapter. AS stated.
Parson Weems is buried there. Weems
married into the Ewell family OF Belle
Air. which family was closely related to
George Washington's mother, the Balls
of Lancaster county. and the Eweli and
Weems families of Belle-Air and the
Washingtons of Mount Vernon, were not
only related but they were neighbors.
Parson Weems lived nearly half his
lifetime at Belle-Air. The house is one
of the oldest structures in northern Vir-
ginia near Washington and 1t is believed
that it was built before Lawrence Wash
ington built the Mount Vernon house.
but there is doubt about this. The
present owner Of Belle-Air. Mai George
C. Round. who has been a prominent
figure in the efforts to have the battle
fields of Bull Run taken over by the
of the United States for pres
ervauon as a battlefield national park,