Evening star., 1936-01-05

D.
It enjoyable and profitable to talk to
some venerable person. who has good
recollection Of the things Of the past,
and especially Of early Washington
and its people.
OF course, some Of the oldest men in
Washington belong to the Oldest In
habitants' Association, but the women,
not being members of that body, are
not so frequently singled out for their
longevity. though, as a matter fact,
there probably are more aged women
In the city than there are men.
This reminds the writer OF very
dear old lady named Miss Rosa Nor
decai who lives at the Louise Home,
where she has been guest for quite
a number of years, Indeed, this
charming woman was born on st. VAL
entine's day, 1889, and, should she live
until the fourteenth of next month, she
will have reached her ninety-seventh
year-and she does not look it and
she surely does not act it. She is a
truly remarkable woman in every way,
and converSes with the freedom and
fiuepcy of a person 20 years her junior.
Moreover, she is native Washing
tonian.
Miss Mordecai was born In the old
First Ward, her birthplace having been
on the site of the Benedict Hotel, near
the southwest corner of and Eight
eenth streets. Many prominent peo-
pie lived on street at that time, and
the neighborhood became even a more
important residential section in sub
sequent years.
"A LFRED MoRDECAI. the father Of
this distinguished looking old
lady, was United States Army officer
and is said TO have graduated from
West Point in 1923, at the head Of his
class. He was of Hebrew extraction
and follower of the Jewish faith, in
which his daughter also worships. His
military record shows that he was
brevetted second lieutenant of engi-
neers July /, 1923. promoted to cap
tain of ordnance May 30, 1882; be-
came major December 81, 1854, and
resigned from the Army on May S, 1851
He was by birth a North Caro-
linan, and it is likely that this
prompted his resignation, though he
did not take up arms against his coun-
try He served in the War with Mex
ico and was brevetted major "for
meritorious conduct, particularly In
performance Of his duties in the prose-
cution of the war"
According to Miss Mordecai-for
his daughter Rosa never married.
when her father was ordered to Wash
ington, it was a very small city with
a limited number of houses to rent.
The streets were not paved or lighted,
and a colored boy with lantern al
ways went with the children after dark.
Their first home in Washington.
where the daughter was born, included
two small houses connected with door
in the second story. From here the
family moved to one of the houses in
the group known as the Seven Build
ings, and numbered 190l-1913 Penn
sylvania avenue. The corner house at
Nineteenth street was used by the
State Department when John Marshall
was Secretary 1t was also occupied
from 1915 to 1917 by James Madison,
after the White House was burned by
the British. Here also once resided
Vice Presidents Elbridge Gerry and
Martin Van Buren,. and Robert j.
Walker, Secretary of the Treasury.
In some of the other houses of the
row once lived Gen. Turreau de
Garambonville, Minister of France,
In 1904, and Gen. John Armstrong,
James K. Paulding, George w.
Campbell and Benjamin W. Crownin-
shield, cabinet officers, and the first
Portuguese Minister to the United
States.
These buildings are said once to
have been called Bridges Row, and
from time to time they were occupied
by many Army and Navy officers and
their families and other distinguished
people.
Miss Mordecai also recalls the old
Western Market which occupied the
triangular space on Pennsylvania
avenue between Twentieth and
Twenty-flrst streets, and says that
the hall there at that time-which
was over the old Union Engine
House. until the engine house was
removed to Nineteenth and H
streets-was a great place for social
gatherings, and swell dinner parties
were held by some of the West End
folk. This was during the days when
small boy always carried the
basket Of the man or mistress Of the
house when they went marketing,
just as was the custom many years
later.
MISS MoRDECAI undoubtedly has
ava an unusually keen memory and
though one might be skeptical, yet
she says she recalls being aroused
from her trundle-bed by her father
in April. 184l, to look from her win
dow in the Seven Buildings at the
torchlight procession that escorted
the remains of President William
Henry Harrison to the Capitol to lie
in state until the funeral took place.
II recall distinctly" she says, "a
fancy ball we children of the West
End all attended at the White House
given by President Tyler to his
granddaughter, Mary Farley Tyler
G844). My sister Laura was
peasant, my brother Alfred a Dutch
man, and I was a gypsy fortune
teller, with neatly written fortunes
on colored paper-red for the boys.
blue for the girls-in q basket on
my arm.
"In 1846 my father was ordered to
command the Washington Arsenal
(where the War College now stands.
We led very primitive life in those
days without gas. electricity, water or
autos In daily use, but spent many
happy years of childhood there.
Gen. Taylor was great favorite
with the Army officers, and Gen.
Scott was a personal friend Che mar
ried Miss Mayo, cousin OF my
father'sl ExperimertS of all kinds