Evening star., 1938-03-20
A LEE LINK

steps front and rear, supplied TIE
place of porches. There was an ex-
tended view of lawn and field on ore
side and of the Potomac River on
the other
From the time it was built until
after the War Between the States,
when the family could no longer keep
up so large an estate. Pecatone is
said by One writer to have been FIRE
quented by throngs of the most genial
and enlightened society of the time;
richly bound volumes Of classical lit
erature, inscribed with autographs of
prominent friends and visitors, which
have been preserved from Its library.
show it to have been a typical homo
of Virginia wealth, refinement ami
culture"
GEVERAL intermarriages between
the Lees and Corbins made the
families at Pecatone and Stratford
doubly related, and one mansion was
as much a Lee home as the other.
From Henry Corbin the estate de-
scended to his son and then to his
grandson, both of whom bore the
name Of Gavin pronounced "go-in"y
Corbin.
Gavin Corbin, the younger, was
Thomas Lees first cousin, and mar
ried the latter's daughter, Hannah.
Their only child, Martha Corbin, was
born about 1850. and. as this is the
period when such cradles were first
used, she was probably the first baby
to be rocked in it. It Is of solid
mahogany, about 40 inches long by
18 inches wide. and despite its age is
perfectly preserved, with scarcely a
scratch on it.
Martha Corbin married her second
cousin, George Turberville, and con-
tinued to live at Pecatone For two
generations Turberville babies used
the little cradle. and when Mary Willis
Turberville, only child of Gavin Cor
bin and Mary (Daingerfield) Turber-
vile, married William Francis Talia-
ferro in 1915, the family name at
Pecatone changed again, but the
cradle stayed on for the use Of the
large family of Taliaferros born In the
old mansion.
Cornelia Lee Turberville Taliaferro
was born there in 1927, and in Decenn-
ber, 1874, while at boarding school
/ in Alexandria, she managed by some
ruse to get out and was married in
Washington by the Rev. DR.. William
Hawley, rector of old st. Johns
Church, to 1t. William Henry James,
son, u. s. NJ, son of an Alexandria
family. The following year Mrs.
Jameson returned to Pecatone, where
her only child, Williamina, was born
in November, 1845. When she came
back to Alexandria with her baby.
girl she brought the cradle with her,
and another name was added to those
who had been rocked in it. 1t. James
son met with tragic death only two
weeks after the birth Of his daughter.
GINCE 1845 the cradle has remained
In Alexandria and has been Q VAL
ued heirloom. Williamina Jameson
was left an orphan at an early age, AZ
her mother died in 1855. and she made
her home with her grandparents, Com
modore and Mrs. William Jameson.
In Alexandria. In 1868 she married
into . prominent family there and six
children were born to this union, four
of whom died in infancy. OF the two
who lived to maturity, only one. the
youngest son, Is now living, and 1t was
he who owned the cradle and recently
presented 1t to Stratford. It is not
likely that any Of this last family Of
children were rocked In the little bed,
for by that time such things had been
discarded for the more stationary crib.
When this tiny but historic relic was
offered to the r. E. Lee Foundation
enthusiastic letters Of acceptance and
appreciation were received from Mrs.
Breckinridge Long, chairman of the
Relics Committee; Mrs. Cazenove Lee,
chairman Of the District Of Columbia
Stratford Committee, and Mrs. I. New.
ton Davis, secretary of the board.
When the work Of restoring the inte-
rior Of Stratford Is completed this
spring the cradle will be used Is part
Of the Furnishings Of one Of the bed
rooms. ,