Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-02-19

Washington. It then passed out Of the Wasnlng-
ton family. In 1846 the Washington farm was
bought by John F. Wilson Of Anne Arundel coun-
ty, Maryland, who gave the farm to his son, John
d. Wilson, who had married Betty Washington
granddaughter of William Augustine Washington.
In this way the birthplace Of George Washington
came back to the Washington blood. Among the
children of Mrs. Betty Washington Wilson was
Latane Wilson
In 1875, when George was three years old, MS
father removed to the so-called Ferry farm IN
Stafford county, across the Rappahannock river
from Fredericksburg-perhap it 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
balfbrother, 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 then
ten days behind the sun. Part Of the world adopt
ed the Gregorian calendar and the rest stuck to
the Julian calendar It was not until 1852 that
Britain made the change. The English Colonies
in America of followed suit
George Washington 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
urally wanted to be older and promptly added IL
days to his age, fixing his birthday as February
o. The British parliament later passed act
prescribing that all births and deaths prior to Sep
TENDER q 1882 should be dated according to the
Julian calendar. Nevertheless George Washing
toms birthday Is February %. George gave evil
dence early in life of being a real "go-getter."
The celebrations Of Washingtons birthday be-
gan Immediately after the Revolution. The first
celebration appears to have been in the form Of
ball given by his neighbors and friends at Alex
andria, 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 % was also a gala night at
the theaters
Apparently Washington's sixty-ifth birthday
February %, 1897 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 decorat-
ed The church bells rang peals every half hour
The diplomatic corps, members of congress and
citizens called at his house to offer congratula-
tons.
In the evening ball given in his honor in
the amphitheater The building foored for
dancing and gaily decorated. The President and
his wife, upon entering, conducted to ele
waited platform, on which sofa and a
opy. There were at least 500 ladies present and
a larger number of gentlemen. The President did
not use the sofa mucn, but moved ABOUT, converS-
ing with the company. "The President and Mrs
Washington" wrote eyewitness, 'were in very
good spirits and, am persuaded, have not spent
SO agreeable an evening for long time. Every
countenance bespoke pleasure and appreciation;
even Democrats forgot for moment their
nifty and seemed join heartily in the festivity."
No wonder the Washingtons were Sin good spir-
ifs" Washington's second term as President was
almost at an end and they looking forward
to resumption of their old happy life at their
beloved Mount Vernon, 'far from the madding
crowd" and free from the of state. Wash
ington of course, could have had third term
for the asking. Every statesman in Europe ex