Evening star., 1922-02-19
THE RAMBLER DISCOVERS A FAMOUS OLD
HOME IN THE VICINITY OF BLADENSBURG

herited some property and increased his
holdings by his own efforts. His wife,
! Miss Brice. was OF that class which
man may sensibly call "aristocrats" She
was woman with several generations
OF respectable, well schooled. weli-to-do
and well hammered ancestors. She and
| her people had money-not In a vulgar
amount, it is. trus-associated in what
is called high society" and had
/ standing Of leadership in the state
They were plain, democratic people. who
mixed with most kinds of the people.
| took part in church activities and char
liable and social affairs and were
known to and liked by very many peo-
| pie in humble station
The word "aristocrat" is a hard one
1t is like the words gentleman" and
''education." Fifty men will have fifty
definitions What / am trying to beat
into you is that these people were ex-
cellent people. A Travelled man, used
| to good living, good manners, good
| conversation and knowing a great
deal Of human nature. and something
about history, politics, books, music
| and pictures. could feel perfectly COM
| Portable and would be understood by
! the Brices. Jenningses and Stephens.
Humble persons not outftted with SO
many advantages could talk with
these people without being treated
with that condescension and patron
| age which. though unintentionally IN
| sulting, rs insulting, just the same.
Do you know what am trying to get
at7 1t is a hard job, and / am sorry
that 1 used the word 'aristocrat"
| Aristocrat is certainly not one who
had successful ancestors, because
! many persons descended from such
people are wretched bores. But they
| do not know it. "Aristocrat" is GER
tainly not one who is rich and lives
| well. because we know many such
persons than to change places with
! whom we would rather keep on eat
ing corn bread, kale and fatback
lTHTELL. about 1921 or 1922, Judge
John Stephen and his wife
moved to Bladensburg from Annapolis
and bought the Christopher Lowndes
house, built in 1T46, and called Bost-
| WIEN. 4Hdl NOME, lOgttntT Will
much other property, was inherited
| by his children. who were Nicholas
Carroll Stephen. Edmund. Charles,
| Virginia, Meredith. James. John.
Thomas and Washington. Virginia
became the wife of one of the Balches
| of Georgetown. Nicholas Carroll mar
| ried Margaret Rebecca Day of Prince
4 10, 90 T-
BENJAMIN Day. who owned and lived
in the white frame house that stands
in the big plot bordered by locust
| trees, and the picture of which the
Rambler turns in with his story. The
] children of Nicholas Carroll Stephen
and Margaret Rebecca Day were
Julianna Jennings Brice Stephen, John
Stephen of Riverdaie and Washing
ton and Benjamin Day Stephen, de-
ceased, who owned the plantation
/ Gretta, most Of which is now River
| dale Heights. Gcetta mansion Is
standing and is owned by Benjamin
Day Stephen's children. Charlotte NJ
Stephen and Frank NJ. Stephen
Julianna was born at Gretta. She
was schooied at Nine. Ch!garets the
Rambler is speculating on that spell
ing) institute at Philadelphia. a Nigh
ly fashionable" school. Among her
schoolmates were Minnie Scott, now
Mrs. Richard H Townsend; Louise ana
Fanny Crawford and some Of the Dupont
| family. Julianna used TO go to house
parties at the Duponts. Travelling
abroad, Julianna met Jules Dieu-
doune in Switzerland. They were
married in Brussels. They came to
live in Biadensburg. in bostwlck.
which Nicholas Carroll Stephen had
bought from the other heirs OF Judge
John Stephen. The children OF JUL
anna Jennings Brice Stephen Dieu-
donne and Jules Antoine Dieudonne
are Erasmus La Motto Dieudonne,
! who lives at Cottage City, and mar
| ried Miss Emilani Simmons OF RIVER
dale and Washington; Amelia May
/! Dieudonne, who lives at home; jules
Lewis Dieudonne. who lives at home
and Mrs. Margaret Adella Dieuoonne
Oettel. who lives at home with her
children, Paul Nicholas, aged eight;
Margaret Clair. aged five. and Stephen
Jennings, aged four.
In the parlor of the old home hang
many Of Jules Dieudonne's paintings.
One, the Begging Friar." has been
praised by many artists. The Snow
Scene at Bladenshurg," which was
once in the Corcoran Art Gallery. is
., the home of Erasmus La Motto
Dieudonne at Cottage City.
Jules Antoine Dieudonne died In
1914 at Bethlehem, Pa. where he was
a
member Of the Bethlehem Band.
The mural decorations of the band
hall at Bethlehem are by his brush.
The Rambler believes that he has
not written himself out. and he Will
come back to you next Sunday.