Evening star., 1935-05-05

Burnes, when Twelfth street north
east was opened in 1883. As indicated.
Ann Burnes, before her marriage, was
Ann Wight, and her brother was
John Wight, both being related to
the Brooke faanily for whom Brook
land was named.
Near the original burial place OF
the Burnes family. at the intersec-
ton Of Twelfth and Monroe streets.
stands the old Brooks homestead, on
Newton street between Ninth and
Tenth streets, now known ss Saint
Benedict Academy. Jehiel Brooks,
who lived in the Brooks mansion,
married Ann Queen, the daughter OF
Nicholas L. Queen, one Of the best
known Of the early hotel proprietors
Of Washington.
At a later date, about the beginning
Of the Civil War, John r. Clark
bought farm of considerable acreage
called Dunbarton, located Just to the
northwest of Washington in Prince
Georges County. Md, which he pur-
chased of John S. Dodson in 1843.
It lay between the Sergeant and
Queens Chapel roads, and here he
resided for a considerable time with
his family.
Not long since, Mrs. Ella King Mid
dleton, relict Of Frank e. Middleton
and daughter of John F. Clark, pointed
out her fathers old farm and told
of the Civil War days when Gen.
Birney, with his regiment Of zouaves,
took possession Of the place and made
their drawing room his headquarters.
She also recalled, as q child, seeing
at a distance the soldiers bathing In
a branch which then crossed the
Bunker Hill road about where 1t Is In
tercepted by the Sergeant road. Upon
such occasions, she said, as their
team would draw near her mother
would make the girls who accom-
panied her-for she had six sisters
put their hands over their eyes.
A MOTHER very old building Just
1 east Of Brookland, and which
now forms q part Of st. Thomas Hall
of the Catholic University Of America,
is generally known as the Middleton
house, though 1t was erected ahout
1903 by Samuel Harrison Smith.
pioneer newspaper man and editor OF
the National Intelligencer Of this city,
and here he lived until about 1885,
when he sold the farm and the resi-
dence, known as Sidney, to James
Middleton, father Of Erasmus Middle
ton. Mr.. Smith bought the s. acres
(more or less) for $40 an acre, and
sold it to Middleton for $4,000, and
the Catholic University paid $27 900
for the same ground, which only goes
to prove that property will increase
In value in time, II you can afford to
wait and can live long enough for 1t
to do so.
The Smiths we're social leaders In
the early days of Washington and
numbered among their friends and
associates the foremost people Of the
Republic. Thomas Jefferson, author
of the Declaration Of Independence,
was a frequent visitor to Sidney,
and Just before he left the White
House Mrs. Smith writes:
"Yes, Susan, I do, indeed, feel sorry
when I think that we are soon to
lose our dear, good President. You
know mine Is not q common regard,
that not only venerate and admire
his character, but am personally at
tached to him-his long visit last
Autumn in the country, in which I
had q tete-a-tete Of more than two
hours and in which the conversation
was free and various and, might say,
confidential, has made me more in
timately acquainted than ever"
Again, after Jefferson had left the
White House, she refers to his visiting
her country home.
There Is every reason for believing
that President Madison and the ia
NOUS Dolly visited the hospitable Mrs.
Smith at her country house. Mrs.
Henry Clay and her six children
visited there in 1911 and It may rea-
sonably be assumed that Mr.. Clay
also was entertained there.
DRIOR to the Civil War, the near
= neighbors to Sidney were w. w.
Corcoran. who. In 1872, sold his estate.
Harwood, of 191 acres, to the Soldiers
Home and whose Summer residence
is still standing near the home dairy.
Mr.. Corcoran purchased this property
in 1852 from the Breckenridge heirs.
Mrs. r. 8. Wood had = farm nearby;
a did Col. y. Brooks, N. L. Queen
and otherA