Evening star., 1938-09-11

Events Were Battle of North Point Bombardment Fort
McF4enry and Death of General Ross-Some of States
Legislators Who Lived Close the District.

John Mcdonald in the House, while
Bladensburg contributed to the Sem
ate and the House, and to the Gov.
ernor's mansion at Annapolis, Joseph
Kent.
Senator Blair Lee, who makes his
home in a stately old mansion Just
across the District line In Maryland,
where he was born August ., 1857, Is
about as close to the District OF Co
lumbia as he could be without being
right in it. He has the distinction of
having been the first United States
Senator elected to Congress by popu-
lar vote. He was seated January %,
1914.
As BEFORE stated, the people Of
Washington have figured consid-
erably in Maryland politics ever since
the Government moved here, but it
remained for Scotsman to make 1t
a real free State, where peoples of all
religions would be equal within the
law. This Scotsman was Thomas
Kennedy. and his political career
should be Of special interest to the
people of the District because it was
here he first settled before becoming
active as as politician in Washington
County. Md
Matthew Kennedy, eldest brother to
Thomas Kennedy, had preceded him
to this country and to the District
OF Columbia by IL years, and had
settled in Georgetown in l785, where
on February 2, 1894, he married
Christina Hines, daughter of John
Hines, and sister to Christian Hines,
who wrote Early Recollections OF
Washington City" The Kennedy
brothers were sons Of William Ken
nedy Of Paisley, Scotland, and it was
from this place that Thomas Ken
nedy left on April 18, 1896, in the
ship Britannia, bound for Georgetown
on the Potomac River" to seek the
where aboutS of his brother, Mat
thew. 1t was also his fervent desire
to live in the land of freedom" An
other brother, John. had sailed to
this country at about the same time
as did Thomas Kennedy, and landed
in New York.
THOMAS KENNEDY was methods
cal man, and believed in recording
events, and SO, from him We find
that the Britannia let go her anchors
at Georgetown on May %, 1896, and
as was customary at the time. fired
her guns, which brought the in
habitants down to the wharf. Thomas
Kennedy was the first of the pas
sengers to jump from the captains
Jolly-boat upon the shore, glad"
as he has said. "once more to tread
on solid ground, and that, too, in the
land of liberty"
He was not aware that his brother
Matthew was about, nor that he would
ever know him if he were, and so,
when tall man accosted him, it was
with grateful emotion that he was
able to identify himself as his brother,
for there was IL years difference in
their ages, and Thomas was a child
when his brother left home.
Matthew took his brother to his
home in Georgetown, when. after
making him acquainted with his wife
and child, they drank some republican
whisky and then sat down to dinner,
where they "feasted on some whole
some fare" consisting Of Indian
meal, otherwise known as corn pone.
In the afternoon. the newcomer was
taken for a stroll through the town.
and a few days later they crossed
over Rock Creek to view the Federal
City, not then even a City of Magnifi-
cent Distances, as it was later called