Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-12

in rocking chairs. They seemed to
be holding a quiet. homelike porch
campaign and were just as glad to
see the Rambler as though he were
voter. I'VE have been reading your
articles. and dinner will soon be
ready" is what they said.
The man was John Plaskett and
the lady was his wife, born Mary
Crawford. Each has lived for eighty
four years. and neither has yet grown
old. And the Rambler hopes they
I ever may be young! Counting back
year 1886. Andrew Jackson was
President and Martin Van Buren,
Vice President. Arkansas, carved out
OF the district of Louisiana, had just
become state. Michigan was still
territory. There were no such states
as Florida. Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin.
MMinI.nesota. Kansas. Nebraska. and
The threatened trouble between
South Carolina and the federal gov
eminent had just been ironed out by
Clay compromise: The Seminole
war was on and the Dade massacre.
Osceola and Col Zachariah Taylor were
topics of the day. The wigs and the
democrats. who had recently changed
their name from Republicans" were
wrangling over the questions of tariff
and the United States Bank Mai.
Cen. Scott was under charges for
failure to prosecute the war against
the Creek Indians in Georgia and
Gen. Alexander Macomb were in the
public eye. James K. Polk was
Speaker of the House of Represent
atives. Relations with France were
strained almost to rupture over
Frances alleged non-fulfllment of the
treaty Of 1881. under which she agreed
to pay the United States 25,000.0 900
francs on account of damage in the
quasi-war during the closing years
of Washington's administration and
the administration of John Adams.
Edward Livingston was American
minister at Paris and M. Pageot was
charge d'affaires of France at Wash
ington. jackson was laying the facts
in the serious situation before Con-
gress and Great Britain was offering
a long time ago. but If you were
eighty-four years old it would seem
but yesterday. The road over which
we have come seems short.
This John Plaskett with whom the
Rambler talked on the broad cool
porch Of the old home was the first
son of Joseph Plaskett and his wife
Ann. who sleep in the little grave
yard of Lewis chapel. Among the
Rambler's notes he finds that the wife
of Joseph Plaskett was Dina Mandel
Perhaps Dina also had the name
Ann" or Joseph Plaskett may have
had two wives. The Rambler does
not know. At any rate, Joseph
Plaskett and his family left England
in 1853. They landed at Philadelphia
and in 1854 settled in Fairfax county.
For long time they lived at the
fine, old place called Belmont. now
the home of John T. Haislip. who in
herited it from his father, Thomas
H. Haislip. and his wife, who was
Margaret Violet. Belmont will have
it's share in these "rambles" at
another time. Among the children of
Joseph Plaskett were Matthew. who
was killed in the Confederate service
at Chancellorsville'; Mary Ann. who
married Thomas Craig of Washington
and lived near Accotink, both are
dead; Sarah, who married an English
man. Paul Pullman of Alexandria.
both dead; Isaac. who moved to Long
Island, married and died there; Eliza
beth. who married Harvey Peck of
Alexandra, both dead; George moved
to New York. and is living there,
married twice; Christie, who is mar