Evening star., 1937-02-21
Capital Resident O,uns House
Where Gen. Washington Rested
Mrs. Alfred S. CiHett
-AssOciated With
Historic Incidents.
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

observance is given to the birth annl-
yersary of the great Washington 1t Is
interesting to note that there is living
here in our midst at 1914 Twentieth
street Mrs. Alfred S. Gillett, whose
Summer home near Wallingford, Pa,
purchased by her husband As years
abo last Summer, is one Of the stone
houses where Gen. Washington rested
the night on his way along the Kings
highway to the battle of the Brandy
wine. A bronze tablet placed upon 1t
BY the Pennsylvania Historical Society
attests this fact.
Mrs. Gillett came to this home a
bride and at that time regular stage
coach route still traversed the post
road from Wilmington to Philadelphia.
The original portion Of this house
Is one of the first to have been erected
in this historic locality and is said to
be nearly 200 years old. Upon a re-
cent visit to it, it was the authors
privilege to sleep, if not in the room
where Washington rested, at least In
one of its original guest chambers
whose proportions are SO enormous
that it might have commodiously
ouartered the general and small de-
tachment of troops as we'll Two by
IL rugs not only did not cover the
floor space, but the distance across
1t from dressing table to bed was quite
the longest in her experience.
Mrs. Gillett's own family's asSocla-
tion with historic sites connected with
the Revolutionary events is not new
one. for the Declaration of Inde-
pendence was signed in the building
which her father, Edward Gratz of
Philadelphia, many years afterward
used as his business headquarters at
Seventh and Market streets. 1t, as so
many Of us know. Is also marked by
the memorial tablet of the Pennsyl-
vania Historical Society.
Rare Old Furniture.
Mrs. Gillett makes no claim to pos
sessing any of the original furniture
with which the house was furnished
when Gen. Washington sojourned
there on his northward way in 1777,
but it does contain many rare old
pieces of that era. as well as interest
ing family heirlooms of distinct
charm.
For instance, giant glass candle
holders on the front table give you the
impression that it would have taken
a gale to have blown out the candles
in the brass candlesticks which repose
within them.
A rare steel engraving of George
Washington also is one of the old
homes treasures. The nearby museum
at Valley Forge has always expressed
its desire that the picture should
some day leave the position it has
held for many years on downstairs
south wall and become part of its
Washingtoniana. Rev. DR.. Burke and
his wife, who we're the moving factors
in arousing the public's interest in
Valley Forge. were frequent visitors
to the Gillett home and appreciatlve
connoisseurs of its Colonial treasures.
To the rare manuscript division OF
the Library of Congress Mrs. Glllett
recently has consigned from this
PENNSYLVANIA home of hers COM
mission in a brass case bearing the
signature of George III, which was
issued to Capt Samuel Jones, grand
father of her husbands mother, Lydia
Jones of Ellington, Conn. Accompany
ing it is a letter from the young Off
Ger, who, from serving his sovereign
in the French and indian Wars, went
into battle against him at Ticonderoga.
It begins, "Honored Father and Moth
err" and is dated Friday morning 18th
of August 1785, Fort Edward" A por-
ton of it reads, With regard to things
here, things look with a dark aspect.
All of our efforts seem to prove abor-
tive will give as good an en-
gagement as circumstances will permit.
Ensign Whitney was wounded and
scalped but seems to be strong at his
vitals. Col. Fitch and letter from
Mai. Putnam that he was in the hands
of the Indians" One of this Samuel
Jones descendants became the first
president of Girard College.
. In the downstairs sitting room OF
Mrs. Gillett's old Pennsylvania manor
house near Wallingford. which looks
directly out upon the highway upon
which, led by their commander In
chief, Colonial troops once marched
toward the Battle of Brandywine, is
q round mahogany table Of generous
proportions Fascinating associations
surround it. Upon it Washington
Irving frequently played chess with
various members of the Gratz family,
while visiting them in what was then
the outskirts of Philadelphia, now It's
downtown midst.
Heroine Of IvanhOe.
1t was Mrs. Gilletts great aunt,
Rebecca Gratz the sister of her grand
father, Simon Gratz, who was Rebecca,
the heroine of Scott's Ivanhoe.
AS a dearly beloved member OF her
brothers household she and Washing
ton Irving we're often pitted against
each other in engrossing games of
chess about this very table. In the
midst of beautiful home life he saw
her as the idol of it and of the dis
tinguished circle in which she moved
by virtue of her own loveliness of
character and rare beauty as well as
by reason of the wealth and dis
tinction of the Gratz family. Like
wise was Washington Irving fully
cognizant that Rebecca Gratz was
sacrificing a great love upon the altar
of differing faiths. An Israelite proud
OF her lineage from the tribe of Ben
jamin, she did not believe that the
religion of her fathers could ever be
reconciled in a marriage with one of
o Christian heritage.
Visiting Sir Walter SCOTS home
: Washington Irving told the novelist
poet of her beauty and charm and Of
her unshakable resolve not to permit
her love to defy two great faiths. The
result was that she has lived in
romantic history as SCOTS most ia
NOUS heroine.
The original Rebecca's charities
were unbounded and accorded freely
to persons of all faiths. Just down