Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-02-20

Washington 1t then passed out of the Washing
ton family. In 1916 the Washington farm was
bought by John F. Wilson of Anne Arundel couh'
ty, Maryland who gave the farm to his son. Jouh
E. Wilson who had married Betty Washington
granddaughter of William Augustine washington
III this way the birthplace of George Washlhs'vn
came back to the Washington blood. Among the
children of Mrs. Betty Washington Wilson was
Latane Wilson.
In 1735, when George was three years old, MS
father removed TO the so-called Ferry farm IN
Stafford county, across the Rappahannock river
from neutrality-suspicious. it was the burning
of the Wakefield" house that caused the remoVal.
George Washington lived as boy and man on the
Stafford county place until he took over Mount
Vernon. which had been bequeathed him by his
half-brother, Lawrence.
How does it come that February % is now cele-
brated as Washngtons birthday? In this way:
In 1882 Ugo Buoncompagno, known to fame as
Pope Gregory XIII, took the Julian calendar In
hand for doctoring Caesars calendar was then
ten days behind the sun. Part of the world adopt
ed the Gregorian calendar and the rest stuck to
the Julian calendar 1t was not until 1852 that
Britain made the change The English Colonies
In America of course followed suit.
George Washington was then twenty years of
age and already prominent figure. He had been
commanded by Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia to
60 to the Ohio valley and order the French pl-
oneers to leave. Being young, George quite nat
uray wanted to be older and promptly added IL
6ays to his age, fixing his birthday as February
90 The British parliament later passed act
prescribing that all births and deaths prior to Sep
TENDER 2 1852, should be dated according to the
Julian calendar Nevertheless, George Washing
TONS birthday is February %. George gave evil
dence early in life of being real "go-getter."
The celebrations of Washington's birthday be-
pan Immediately after the Revolution. The first
celebration appears to have been in the form OF
ball given by his neighbors and friends at Alex
nndra a few miles from Mount Vernon The
principal cities of the Colonies quickly established
similar social gatherings. This birthday ball was
ALWAYS held at the seat of government while
Washington was President and he and his wife
attended February % also gala night at
the theaters.
Apparently Washington's sixty-ffth birthday.
February o. 1797 the first to be publicly cele-
brated on a large scale with daytime ceremonies
II was so celebrated at Philadelphia with much
ceremony The ships in the harbor were decorat-
ed The church bells rang peals every half hour
The diplomatic corps, members of congress and
citizens called at his house to offer congraGua-
tons.
In the evening ball was given in his honor in
the amphitheater The building was foored for
dancing and gay decorated. The President and
his wife upon entering, were conducted to an ele
vated PLATFORM on which sofa and can
opy There at least 500 ladies present and
n larger number of gentlemen. The President did
not use the sofa much but moved about, convers
ing with the company. 1.-THE President aud Mrs
Washington" wrote eyewitness, were in very
good spirits and, persuaded, have not spent
so agreeable an evening for long time Every
countenance bespoke pleasure and appreciation :
even Democrats forgot for moment their en-
nifty and seemed to join heartily in the festvity'
No wonder the Washingtons were sin good spir-
It's" Washington's second term President was
almost at an end and they were looking forward
To a resumption Of their old happy life at their
beloved Mount Vernon. .far from the madding
crowd and free from the cares of state. Wash.
ington of course, could have had third term
for the asking. Every statesman in Europe ex-