Evening star., 1922-04-16

row of fresh graves, not marked. OF
course, you do not remember, but
good many years ago the Rambler
wrote the story of Seat Pleasant. He
said that as far back as his memory
could go the land belonged to Thomas
f. Berry. When Thomas f. Berry
died he left the Seat Pleas SAINT farm
to his widow, Polly, who died in the
Seat Pleasant mansion before the civil
war AT her death her son, Thomas
f. Berry sold the property to John
Edwin Berry, son of DR.. John E. Berry.
of independence. John Edwin Berry
was John Edwin Berry of Evensfield,
a farm some miles from Seat Pleas
ant.
This John Edwin Berry of Evers-
field and later of Seat Pleasant died
long ago and left the land to his
two children, A P. Berry and Annie
NJ Berry. At the time of writing
that ramble, which ! think was the
winter of 1912-13, the Rambler said
that "A. P. Berry and Annie Berry
are now residents of Washington
Last Sunday / met in the little ceme-
terry of Addison Chapel Mrs. Victoria
E. Walker, who carries the keys"
of the chapel, and was the adopted
! daughter of Mrs. Mary z. Owens.
| long custodian of the chapel and
| whose husband was sexton for
| quarter of century. In the course
| of the little talk, Mrs. Walker said:
Miss Annie is still living in Wash
| ington, at so 3rd street northeast"
| Some time after the civil war the
| Seat Pleasant farm came into pos
| session Of William Jackson. grocer, of
Washington, who sold to David
Rollins, who started the subdivision
which has grown into the large and
! thriving town of Seat Pleasant
When the Rambler told the story
of Seat Pleasant years ago he went
over to the site of the Seat Pleas
ant mansion, which burned several
years after the murder of Margaret
browns, one of the most shocking of
local tragedies.
The tract which had been sold by
Rollins to Mrs. browns was sold by
her in 1900 to J. H. Frye. When the
Rambler went to the Frye home he
! learned that near the site of the Seat
Pleasant mansion, and on land be-
longing to Louis Helmuth, was
| family burying ground in which the
fiat stones had been covered by the
earth. The Rambler, Readus Frye
and Louis Helmuth, with spades and
faf
and revealed these inscriptions:
Here lies the body of Martha Clag-
gett, who was born December %.
1891, and who departed this life Sep
tember 10. 1880.
Sacred to the memory of Mary
Claggett Williams, who was born
August 81, 1716, and who departed
this life March, 1911.
Maj. Thomas Owen Williams. who
| was born February 81, 171Ss and de-
| parted this life october 81, 1918.
Sacred to the memory of William
Luther Williams, who was born
April %, 1854. and departed this life
| April IL, 1911.
Sacred to the memory of Thomas
| Berry's three children.
! 1t was possible to decipher only
| one of the three names on that stone
, and it was Thomas O. w. Berry
| (evidently Thomas owen Williams
| Berry,, who was born in 1918 and
died in 1920"
NOW last Sunday when he looked
! ~ at the line of new and unmarked
graves near the Lowndes tombs in
| the burial ground of Addison Chapel
| the Rambler was told that these
graves contained relics removed from
| a field near Seat Pleasant, and all the
| information seemed to show that they
| came from those graves which the
! Rambler found several years ago
close by the site on which Seat Pleas
| ant mansion stood. He has not yet
the information which would explain
/ why the fiat gravestones which he
helped uncover were not moved to
Addison Chapel.
| The Rambler has pointed out the
grave of John Welch Gregory. May
| "a. I743; June 6, 1920" 1t lies on a
slope in the cemetery near country
road which passes along the east side
| of the burial ground. There is no
other marked grave within several
yards of this. few PAGES down to
the ~eantry road and there. leading
off from that road. is a tree-bordered
| lane connecting the road with large
and old frame house on a hillock
about 200 yards from the grave. That
was Gregory's home for many years.
Gregory opened the first restaurant
| at Seat Pleasant. The Rambler knew
him well, and years ago while writing
stories in that neighborhood sat with
him on the porch of the old frame
house. When Gregory was about to
die, or at least when he was thinking
4 Of his death, he told his friends that
he wanted to be buried on the slope
/ in the little graveyard where he
| sleeps today, so that he could look
right across the road to his home