Evening star., 1938-06-05
Bv John CLaeeft Proctor.

quarian, especially if they
u l. have any relation to the his
tory and the growth of the Republic.
Indeed, there are many people who
would so without good meal Just to
see some old mansion that has sur
Z rounding it the atmosphere of early
American life, for to those who love
TO dream of the past that is feast
: IN itself.
s,ss ssss There Is hardly road leading out
! of Washington that will not, in Just
- few miles. bring one to some pic
turesque building, erected century or
: more ago, where some distinguished
person once lived: perhaps some one
who signed the Declaration of Inde-
: pendence, the Articles of Confedera-
tton or the Constitution Of the United
States, or who became noted in some
sssother way, or maybe he was just a
> plain citizen of an early period, who
! was industrious and thrifty and be-
sIeved in living well-a class of people
such as we might find in Montgomery
land Frederick Counties in Maryland
and, of course, in Virginia and else
where.
~: @ The writer's thoughts turn partieu-
Larry to the counties mentioned in
Maryland, since it was only recently
that he took an automobile drive up
toward the Sugar Loaf Mountain,
where. along the way, may be found
some of the finest farms and estates in
the entire United States. And Just
about now, for real beauty, they are
unsurpassed anywhere.
THE route taken by the writer was
= the one that passes straight
through Rockville and follows the
course OF the Potomac, going through
Ounce Orchard, Darnestown, Daw-
sonville, Beallsville and Dickerson and
continuing on into Frederick County.
At Dickerson stop was made at
Rose Cottage, the home of Mrs. Law
renee A. White, a dear little widow,
no longer young, but of the charm
ing, old-fashioned Christian type of
woman, who stands out today as a
good example to be followed by the
girls of the present generation if they
would grow old gracefully and be as
lovely at 80 as they are at 18.
Mrs. White, prior to her marriage,
was Miss Annie Oliver Belt, daughter
Of John Lloyd Belt and his wife, Sarah
(McGilD Belt, and today she is the
only child out of 10 born to her
parents. Living with Mrs. White are
her two gracious daughters, Miss Ann
White and Miss Evelyn White, who
have been blessed with the charm of
their mother. And here, at Rose Cot
tage, the writer was invited to take
dinner, and this was served about
noon, for in this part of the country
dinner Is usually served in the middle
Of the day, and supper is still supper.
d At the home of Mrs. White there
were several other guests, lady rela-
tions of the Misses White, whose
names, unfortunately. the writer does
not recall, for they were, indeed, well
informed on the history of this part
Of the country, and knew how to
entertain in truly Southern hos
pitable way.
THE Belt family-Mrs. Whites pa
y ternal family name-is famous
In Maryland history, and John Lloyd
Belt, who married Sarah Eleanor Nc
Gill, was the son of DR.. Alfred Belt,
who was born in Montgomery County,
Md, on February IA, 1893; married
Charlotte Trundle, and died July /,
1872.
The Belt family, according to those
who have given the subject close |
study. had its beginning in this coun-
try with William Belt, who settled on
Kent Island with William Claiborne
about the year 1880. The next was
Sir Humphrey Belt, who came to this
country in the ship Arden and landed |
in Anne Arundel County, Md, June |
30, 1868. This early settler was 20 |
years Of age when he came to America |
from Gravesend, England, and he is
said to have been the pioneer and
common ancestor of all the early men, |
bers Of the Belt family Of this coun-
try, including Col. Joseph Belt, a |
grandson, who was born in Anne |
Arundel County, Md, in 1880, and |
who acquired large property holdings
in that part of the District of CO.
lumbia and Maryland known as Chevy |
Chase. An early grant to him for
this extensive area of land, and for
which he was given a patent on jan |
tary IL, 1921, was from Charles,
Absolute Lord Proprietor of the |
Provinces of Maryland and Avalon,
Lord Baron of Baltimore" etc., and |
included tract of $50 acres called |
'"Chevie Chase"
b This patent was probably added to
by Col. Belt, who erected a house on |
the property which, until about 1895,
stood about 300 yards southeast of
Chevy Chase Circle. A picture of Col
Belts home, loaned the writer, shows |
an old, misunderstanding brick resi- /
dence, with the frame structure to the |
rear and the latter is likely to have
been the first part of the dwelling |
occupied by this pioneer settler of
Maryland, now within the District of
Columbia.
JOSEPH BELT became a Colonel in
command of regiment of colonial
militia and several times aided Col.
Ninian Beall to keep the Susquehan-
'ocks in order. Col. Beall was evidently |
appreciative of his friends help for he
gave Col. Belt his daughter, Esther, in
marriage, and the Society of Colonial
Wars in the District Of Columbia, In |
order to show no partiality between
the two Colonial colonels, erected
bowlder markers to the memory Of
both. The one to Col. Belt was placed
at the northwest corner of the parking
facing All Saints Episcopal Church, at
the junction of the Belt road and |
Connecticut avenue, Chevy Chase,
south of Grafton street, and Just with
in the District line.
The inscription reads:
Colonel Joseph Belt,