Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-02-21
An Old Story Refold

a -
LILLE regarding the Unique Pastor
ss1zss, sasd To Re the Ortgiaat0r 0E
story AZ George Washington and
sa chsrry sree incident was written
81 prot walter 3. Merits, az the Naval
deny, ana vas printed sOu1e seven
vaars ego Al 8 fall pare feature ia
ss 81 the larger daily newep apeEs.
Taa article has 80 much d. local In
tegoat however, IS 20 merit reprint
asK 81 II III this time: Also, there are
naonheediy 4 large number Of Even
Capital readers 70 whom the story
viii be entirely new Through the
indnasA 81 Professor Norris the Eyen-
ing Capital e enabled % reproduce 4
today
Tbe asthor 81 ire most Iaaaohs
Asy0 tate IN Anagicaa htaforD lies IN
as unmarked grace Ia Prtmce NilEsdnt
c0snty. Esygtnta The asaa Is MasOn
Locke Weams the fGie the Oft-re-
geafcd story 81 George W0shlA0 f0H
oysd Ma Igstle hatchet. VAether ire on
yagse ard sOaseshsn0 c0a ~ sogG Tor
either cteu err is no q1esfton thar
ahai story arst Oi1en 10 me 4eorId ~
Wcenls' afth edition 81 hts Life of
Washfngton. Nth EMrt0Ms Anecdotes, "
IL 1906, has made Washington "a iceif
kaoUa fer b0Atah tfAthfalness ~ for
aav qualities az general 81 a states.
naoH Egecpt for Bible atoy4es, II h0s
pr0bbIg beer read BIT more Americana
fkna amp other ii an history.
Fet trtfb an Oaf paonHmeHte 10.
rashta0foa ne haoe noae 70 Weep,s.
and ~ lee III on unmarked grace,
'toiaOsc location Is mere oral Tradition.
TO reach the spot one leaves the
railroad at Quantico. below Mount Yer
non on the Potomac. and drives Ave
miiea TO the ancient town OF Dunn
fries. This was once the buaiess conf
nerciRl centre an the POtonlae and
sent shiplOad after shipioad OF lobacco
90 England But now the water APP
preach TO the town III sedgy marsh
and the town lies neglected and quaint
III quiet hollow between the hills
Here Wseuls had his nome for all na
his married life. for he married here
the eldest daughter of Col Jesse Eweii
one Of the prosperous tobacco merr
chants of the town The very build
las IN which he kept sort on book
store still stands Here was printed
81 least one political panhiet which
secured Weenas q letter OF commenda-
tf0n from washington
Leaving Dumfries. another fye-miIe
ride brings US TO the little postofice Of
Minneyiile within d mile from here
on the banks OF the Neabsco, We find
sse old estate OF Belle Air, the coun-
sry and family home oil the Ewells.
Just behind the ancient brick home
stead, on the highest elevation around
II, lisa small space d hundred or so feet
square, overgrown with cedars and
ether trees md altogether neglected
and overrun with vines and dead
branches, but enclosed sufIiciently to
protect II from cattle This iii. la fact.
The dswaIi biirying ground, but ~ tho
present time Il contains no stones or
marks OF graves not even rise Of
sarth to indicate positions og graves.
hut here are buried many Of the
Ewells, and ID the southeast corner,
10 tradition says. lie Parson Weens
and his VIE He died ill.1s25: she In
1s4S.
For the location Of the grave the
writer + indebted to George G. Round,
or Manassas. Rho owns the property
and who some years $50 took pains to
learn Rll that the old people OF the
vicinity could tell him about weams.
He found that, although Weems died
~ Beaufort. s e., and was buried
there Ia St Helena's churchyard, his
body was later brought TO Belle Air
and placed ii the family burying
ground
The erection of monument over
the grave OF Weems was projected
some years ago by Col: Robert Tansill.
pf Chicago. descendant But his
death soon afterward prevented the
execution 81 the plan.
The latest proposal for memorial
tor Weems is ID connection with an
other spot ii Virginia, perhaps more
commonly associated with nIm Po-
hiCk church. SIX miles south Of Mount
Vernon and Id the parish i'd which
washington was vesfrynaan for
xaany years Weems. always inclined
70 put matters in popular fashion,
prociains himself on the title page Of
moss editions Of hts Life of washing
ton rs .'rector Oh Mount Vernon par
ish. As has been pointed out BY sew
efal writer's. there WIS no Mount Yer
non parish. hut Truro parish. which
Included Pohick church, and ID the
parish records there Ii no mention Of
Weens
But there are several bits of evil
dence 10 prove that Meems preached
Frequently 1T nnhick whether rector
there Of not. Washington's diary rec
0rds, IT least one. and Davis -Four
and Half Years In the United States
Army tells In detail Of one OF Weems'
sermons As the church was Ia de-