Evening star., 1932-11-06

dert descendants especially through his sister
Sarah, ancestress Of the Matthews family His
old home, still Standing at Prospect avenue and
Thirty-fourth street, is reminder of his pros
porous days and when the commerce of George
town extended far and wide into foreign lands.
A Georgetown a metropolis of commerce
~ in its day. 50 has it been for more than q
century of the centers of learning in
America for the first building of Georgetown
College Nater, now, GEORGETOWN University
was erected in 1889, year before the District
OF Columbia came into being, and free educa-
tion even had an earlier start, for we learn
that the Rev. Stephen Bloomer Balch, D. D.,
IN 1780, rented little frame building which
used as a school house during the week
and as Sunday school house the Sabbath.
The Lutheran Church, which always be-
lieved that the school house and the Bible
should go hand in hand about 1879 erected q
log house at the northwest corner of Wisconsin
avenue and Volta place, in which divine services
were held and free school conducted
Indeed. prior to the dates mentioned and
early as 1854 provision was made by deed by
John Cagett for public school in this part Of
the District Of Coiumbia, although there is no
evidence that according to such indenture q
building was ever erected. However, as a his
toric document the deed IS worth repeating
here follows.
This indenture made the 1lh day of Oc-
tober, in the year Of our Lord one thousand
seven hundred and sixty-four between John
Clagett of Frederick County and Province of
Maryland OF the one part gentleman and the
Rev. Mr.. Alexander Williamson rector of Prince
Georges Parish in the county and Province
aforesaid of the ether part witnesseth That
the said John Clagett being sensible how much
necessity there Is Tor having public school in
the parish aforesaid for the instruction Of
youth. and one corner of his land having been
deemed convenient for erecting said house
upon, he, therefore out Of sentiments of ten
derness and regard for the rising generation
hath given, granted. aliened, enfeoffed and
confirmed. and by these presents doth freely
and clearly give, gr4nt alien infeof and
firm unto the said Alexander Williamson and
his successors for the use of parish school
forever, all that part of tract of land called
Clagetts Purchase lying in the parish and
county aforesaid Here follows the bounda-
ries of the property
(Signed) JOHN CLAGETT"
Signed sealed and delivered in the pres
ence Of
"Chas. Jones.
Andres Heigh."
CCHARF in his History OF Western Mary
> land" tells US that Clagetts Purchase was
situated west of Clear Drinking and south Of
Luke's Forest, and that "the Georgetown turn
pike crosses the tract from the branch below
the Bethesda Church to nearly its intersection
with the old road
William Writ who served as Attorney Gen.
eral in both of the Monroe administrations and
in the cabinet also of John Quincy Adams and
who a candidate for the Presidency IN
1882 on the anti Masonic ticket, attended
school in his youth in Georgetown. Later in
life. in reviewing his boyhood days, he said:
In 1779 I was sent to Georgetown eight
miles from Bladensburg to school-a classical
academy kept by Mr Rogers, 1 was placed at
boarding with the family of Mr.. Schoonfleld, .
member Of the Society Of Friends. They occu-
pied small house of hewn logs at the eastern
end Of Bridge street. Friend Schoonfeld was
well-set square-built. honest-faced and hon.
est-hearted man; his wife one of the best
of creation
Il passed one Winter in Georgetown, and
remember seeing a long line of wagons cross
the river on the ice I conjecture that 1t was
the Winter of 1779-80, and that these wagons
were attached to the troops which were going
south. I remember, also to have seen a gentle
man, Mr.. Peter, think. going out cunning for
canvasbacks- called whitebacks-which I
have seen in those days whitening the Potomac.
and which, when they arose, as they sometimes
did, for half mile together produced a sound
like thunder
Christian Hines whose people settled IN
Georgetown in 1870, says he went to school to
a man named Richmond, who kept school IN
a small brick house attached to the house Of
Rev. Stephen Balch'
.DERHAPS the f-st real beginning Of the
public schools in Georgetown was in Novem-
ber, 1911, when the Lancaster School was
opened for free education to those who could
not afford to pay tuition fee. The method Of
instructing pupils in this school, known as the
Lancasterian system was new in this coun-
try, having been first introduced in New York
in 1906
The system not the idea of Joseph Lam
caster, but was originated by Dr. Andrew Bell,
Scotch Anglican priest and military chap