Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-04
OFFICERS RETAINED
BY ASSOCIATION
FOR ANOTHER YEAR
Oldest Inhabitants Plan An
niversary Celebration for
Next Monday Night.

All officers were reelected at the
meeting of the Association of Oldest
Inhabitants of the District of Column
bia held at the Union engine house,
18th and II streets northwest, last
night.
Theodore w. Noyes was reelected
president for the ensuing year and
he following officers were reelected
to serve with him Fred L. Moore,
Charles S Bundy. Henry X. Willard.
benjamin A. Colonna, Anthony Gaeg-
.er. George w. Evans. Julius Strobel.
Henry l.. Bryan, Washington Topham,
Albion X. Paris, Judge Job Barnard.
- (. 'oHarn and DIR. William Tin
dali, vice presidents; John &. McCar-
ny, corresponding secretary; Benja-
min w. ReisS recording sec:rtary; j.
Eliot Wright, assistant recording sec
Try: Or. Benjamin w. Sunny.
treasurer; John y. Mahoney, financial
s. ere AIRY; Mathew Trimble, marshal,
,,rd George W. Evans. chronicler.
Anniversary Next Monday.
Plans for the fifty-fourth anniversary
celebration of the association, to be
held Monday night at 80 O'Clock at
Cushmans Cafe. COZ 18th street north
west We're announced by Washington
Iopham, chairman of the banquet COM
m;ttee: Mr. Topham told the members
that $50 persons are expected to attend
the history OF the association, with the
exception of the fiftieth anniversary
meeting.
There will be a reception and short
business session sharply at 80 o'clock
Monday evening on the fourth floor of
the cafe building, following which the
members OF the association will proceed
TO the banquet chamber on the third
floor. Justice Stafford of the District
Supreme Court is to be among the
speakers.
Report on "Potomac7 Spelling
The association heard last night re-
port from John Clagett Proctor, who
nad been selected at the previous meet
ing 10 solve for the association the
question, W no authorized the changing
OF the spelling OF the name 'PawtaW
mack TO the present universal spelling,
iotomac? The question was brought
up at the previous meeting upon the re-
ceptlon by the association of a man of
me CITY OF Washington printed in 1895.
Wnlch was presented by Mrs Victoria
Osborne Barr of 1917 K street
custom. and general desire TO,
uniformity red to the change in the
petlins of the local river. Mr.. Proctor
serted I'm other words, like Topsv.
JuSt grew, no authorization being
In connection with the founding Of
the District of Columbia, the act of
1uly 10, 1890. as printed in acts PASS
90 at congress of the United States
in the year 1882 printed il,
Philadelphia by Francis ChiIds and
1onn SWalne' the present form is
used. While in the amendment of
March ), 1871, from the same source
fotoWnac' is given,'' Mr. Proctor CON
tinued.
Was "Potowmack" in 100.
the PENNSYLVANIA Packet ana
pally Advertiser of July 20. 1890
prints the act in full and spells the
name Potowmack. Elsewhere the
same paper spells it Patowmack' and
'Potowmac.'
The acts of the general assembly
Of MARYLAND, as reprinted by direction
or the United States House of Repre-
sentatives in 1871, gives it as 'Patow-
mack. The act of Virginia of Decem-
Der q, 1890. advancing $4,000. uses
me same form as the acts of Mary
land -Patowmack. A tracing of the
.'Enfant map. 1871, gives Potow
mack. while the Ellicott map. en-
graved by Valance, changes it t.
'Potomak. There are reasons for be
l1evfng that the Revised Statutes anf
otner publications claiming to follow
the original text do not do so in thi.
respect.
Jefferson Wrote "Potomac."
a
the smartest and most accurate uer
OF his day. gives the form Potomac
'NHf 8 on virginia. and no
doubt it was this fact which Influenced
pre- S-Ht form.
The word is from the Powhatan
language, which has been lost to sci
ence for many years. Bulletin 80 of
the bureau of American ethnologv
tells US that IT is the name of an i'm
portant tribe of the Powhatan con-
federacy. formerly occupying the
in Stafford and King George coun-
lies. Virginia. 1t was as well the
"an1e of an Indian town, the name of
which, when heard by the Iiscovcrnrs
and first explorers of the river, was
10 br that OF the
r~rnneously written
Patowomek.' which is probably q v.
, mean something
'The wisdom of the adoption by
raj usage of the
present form can we'll be appreciated
when we look back at many spellings
formerly in use. such as: Patameck,
Patawoemeck. Patawoemicke, PATIO
mac, Patowmack. Patomek. PatoWa-
mack. Potowmac, Patowmeck. Patowo-
3. iatJwumeck, Patowomek, Pat
tawomeke, Petawomeek, Potomac. Po-
tomack, Potomeack; Rees' Cyclopae-
dia of 1919 gives Patomack.' and
in the Penny Cyclopaedia, printed in
1870, found the present form. To all
of these Mr.. Mccarthy has added
new form in Pawtawmack.
Memories Of G7 Years Ago.
Members recalled the days. sixty
seven years ago, when a steamboat
and a two-masted schooner were seen
at the wharf at Bladensburg. Mr.. Nc
Carthy declared that the map of 1875
showed the Anacostia river deeper
than the Potomac. This map, he told
the members. had been borrowed by
the War Department for the making
of reproductions for inclusion in its
records.
The names of Thomas Francis and
Norman l.. King, members of the as
ISOLATION who died recently, were
read.
George w. Evans announced that
at the meeting to be held New Year
day he will submit his annual chron-
icleS.
New Members Elected.
New members were elected as fol-
lows: l. \ Wilson of 316 b street
southeast, William f. Palmer OF Tu-
dor Hall, Charles Ebert of sos 18TH
street northwest. James Allen wat
son of 2101 Nichols avenue, Anacostia,
and James Absalom Rodbird of 81 X
nSt