The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1929-06-07

who wrote the "Star-Spangled Ban
ner," hoping that she might be related
to or know something about two 9TH
err Reyes who were Maryland repre-
sentatives in congress. They found her
eventually but learned that she knew
nothing about either of the two men.
Then there is the case of a distin-
guished Marylander, John Hanson,
who was president of the Continental
congress in 17S1-S2, and who is often
referred to as ''the first President of
the United States" since he served
as President under the Articles of
Confederation. The directory says
that Hanson is buried at OXon Hill
in Prince Georges county, Maryland,
but Mr.. Void admits that this may be
only tradition, since Hanson's grave
has never been found. Maryland his
torians have tried to solve the mys-
terry without success, and Boy Scout
organization has dedicated itself to
make a search and help locate the
grave.
Not only has the progress on the
directory been hampered by the abb
sence of reliable information but by
receiving information which turned
out to be transformation. Frequently
this was supplied to them by we'll
meaning relatives or descendants who
HAD no more Huthefftic uata than thas~
offered by family tradition, which
is VIGOROUSLY unreliable Curiously
enough some relatives or descendants
refused to supply any information at
all, declaring that the congressional
relative or ancestor had dishonored
the family name. One such case con-
cerned a representative who had with
drawn from congress when his state
seeded from the Union at the opening
of the Civil war.
Other difficulties are explained in
the foreword to the biography by Mr..
Void. Prior to 1909 apparently no
effort was made to publish direc-
tory of congress. The earliest known
directory is entitled "Places of Abode
of the Members of Both Houses of
Congress, First Session Of the Elev-
enth Congress-" This was pamphlet
of 10 pages, published by r. G.
Weightman in 1909, and contains the
names and locations of boarding
houses, arranged alphabetically, which
are followed by names of senators and
representatives residing therein.
directories, containing added con-
gressional information, compiled and
printed under contract by private
firms" the foreword continues, zap
peared from time to time. Though
still printed by contract, the congress
sional directory for the first session
of the Tbirtieth congress, issued in
1S4S by ]. & G. S. Gideon, assumed
an official air by bearing the title-page
words Compiled and published for the
use Of Congress by the Postmaster of
the House of Representatives. Sim
liar information was carried on titles
up to and including the first session
of the Thirty-eighth congress.
AT the beginning or the second SeS-
sion Of the Thirty-eighth congress,
joint resolution, approved February IA,
1865. was unanimously adopted, pro-
viding for the compilation and publ
cation of the first congressional di-
rectory under the supervision of the
joint committee on public printing.
The committee held numerous ses-
sions, obtained and examined like pub
locations issued in foreign countries.
and finally decided upon work sim
liar in essentials to The House of
Commons, published in London since
1852.
Biographical sketches Of senator's
and representatives appeared in 1867
in the first edition Of the congression-
al directory for the second session of