Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-09
Capital Sideiights

AICer extensive research IL mas been
definitely established as an historical
fact that an ancestor of George WASH
ington owned the land on which York
town was built, and which was occupied
by Lord CORVALLIS while he was being
bombarded by washington's command
1t Is almost as certain that this same
ancestor had owned the land on which
CORVALLIS surrendered to Washington,
which site Is soon to Be properly marked
for the celebration next year of the
sesquicentennial of that epochal event
which gave the world q new nation. 1t
will be one of the most important sta
tons on the patriotic pilgrimage in 1882
when the entire Nation celebrates the
bicentennial of WaShingtons birth.
DR.. H. j. Eckenrode, historian Of
note, author of Virginia in the Revolu-
tion," and who Is chairman of Vir-
ginia State commission on archaeology
and history, has just confirmed these
findings in replying to inquiries made by
Representative r. Walton Moore OF
Fairfax, Va, who is himself an author
ity on early Virginia history and o very
helpful adviser as member of the
United States Commission which is ar
ranging for the bicentennial celebra-
ton.
DR.. Eckenrode says: "It is true that
one Of Washington's ancestors owned
the land on which Yorktown was built
This was Capt. Nicholas Marian, a
Walloon, who came to Virginia in 1921
His daughter Elizabeth married Col
George Reade, secretary Of state, in
1641. In 1891 Reade's son, Benjamin
Reade, sold SO acres for q town, and in
1898 the county seat Of York County
was moved there.
col. George Reade's daughter mar
ried q Warner Of Warner Hall. Law
renee Washington, Georges grand
that way Nicholas Marian became
George WaShington's ancestor"
Citing further authority, DIR. Ecken-
rode points out that Tyler gives a brief
account Of Yorktown in his historical
work on Williamsburg. In the Virginia
Magazine Of History and Biography
volume 6, page 400, can be found the
line Of descent from Marian to Mil
dred Warner, Washington's grand
mother. Mr.. Standard Of the Virginia
Historical Society has compiled much
interesting information on the same
subject.
DR.. Eckenrode says he hopes to be able
to locate all the main points Of interest
trenches as they were in October, 1871.
Replying to further inquiries from
Representative Moore as to whether
Temple Farm, on which stands the
Moore house, where the articles of sur
render were drawn up, was also part OF
the estate of WaShington's ancestor, DIR.
Eckenrode writes that Marian was
an ancestor of Gen. Thomas Nelson
through his father. Apparently he was
not the ancestor of Mrs. Moore, owner
of the Moore house. so far as / can
tell, the whole area of the siege of
Yorktown was not owned by Marian.
The Temple Farm on which the Moore
house stood was q different estate and
does not seem to have been included
In the lands patented by Marian.
However, the town Of York itself and
the section Immediately adjacent to it
on the south, where the country club
now Is, belongs to Marian" This Is
the land over which Gen. O'Hara led
CORVALLIS forces to surrender 140 years
ago.
Representative Moore emphasizes that
DR.. Eckenrode verifles his own findings
that the home of Gen. Thomas
Nelson, who owned the principal
house at yorktown - the house at
which he himself fired American
British, some of which cannon balls
are still to be seen imbedded In the
brick of this restored mansion--stands
on land once owned by Marian, Wash
ington'S ancestor. Representative Moore
also CLEANS that while Marian did not
own the Moore or Temple house, where
the articles Of surrender were framed,
he probably did own the land where
the surrender occurred.
Representative Moore also refers to
book by Miss Lowther on Mount YER
non, who correctly speaks Of Marian as
a native of Belgium, Walloon, and
notes that he was the ancestor Of
washington and of Nelson. She quotes
from an address delivered here in 1927
by the Belgian Ambassador, who re-
ferred to the man as "Martiau" and
not Marian" Representative Moore's
information is that when this Walloon
came to this country the name was
spelled "Marteau" and later came to be
spelled Marian"
Probably the first legislation which
created an agency to operate at the
Great Falls on the Potomac was dated
May /, 1852, according to study made
at the Library of Congress by Repre-
sentative r. Walton Moore, who STUN
bled across an act of the Legislature Of
Virginia of that date Incorporating the
Great Falls Manufacturing Co. It
named as incorporators Thomas APP. C..
Jones, William A. Bradley, Paul Nelson,
Patterson Jones, John r. Love and
Spencer M. Ball and set forth that the
company was chartered "for the pur-
pose of manufacturing cotton, hemp,
fax, wool, silk, paper, iron, copper
brass. lumber and wood and for i'm
proving the water power at or near the
Great Falls of the Potomac River in the
County of Fairfax"