Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1940-09-12
MONTGOMERY
Nl SIDELICHTS
By ELSIE WHITE HAINEs

the town OF CockeySVllle, on the
east side of the York roads
Sherwood church and rectory-
the church of native stone and
marble-the original part of
which was built in 1880.
Mrs. Frances Thwaits Deye
Taylor, great niece of Capt.
Thomas Cockey Deye, from whom
she inherited her large land hold
ings- erected the first chapel and
decided it and the five acres Of
ground.
Mrs. Taylor named her do
nation, not after saint as is the
custom in the Episcopal Church,
but called it Sherwood after her
estate, whose name had been sug-
gested by the abundance of mas
sive oaks, which reminded her of
Sherwood Forest, in England.
1t was partly thru sale of tim
Der that funds were raised for the
rectory, built in 1910. Of stone,
with large, high ceilinged rooms
its state of preservation today is
high tribute to the artisans of
that day.
Many improvements were made
to the property during the forty
years the Rev. Adolphus Thomas
Pindell was rector-1876 1916.
It was about 1880 that the first
Harvest Home Festival was held
IA custom that lapsed for time
but has been resumed under
Father Kagey.
The rectory grounds were a
tangle of wild honeysuckle and
brush, when the Kageys went
there in 1929-they added rose
garden, a lily pool, and had the
old shrubbery of the original gar
den trimmed, and now watched
over by ST. Theresa-The Little
Flower-in her weather beaten
station-it is one of the prettiest
gardens in the county.
There is a tall white marble
shaft in the cemetery which lies
between Sherwood Church and the
rectory, on which one may read
these lines: Cassandra D. Van
Pradelles, Lost At Sea. In 1916.
Aged 40 years.
In Bissell Brooke's story, "This
Dream Came True" we are told
this strange story of sister of
the founder of the church, and a
great-great-grand aunt Of Miss
Brooke-how vivid and terrify-
ing dream was a warning of what
was to follow.
Baltimore had several gay sea-
sons following the Revolutionary
War while the French soldiers
who had served with Rochambeau
were there attractive daugh-
tiers of Mr.. and Mrs. John Cockey
Owings were favorites of the off
GERS.
Cassandra Deye Owings, for
her beauty, wit and charm, fell
in love with one of these-Capt.
Francis Benedict Pradelles = her
parents objected to their marriage,
so with the help of her maid they
eloped to Philadelphia.
After their marriage they went
to Paris-were much feted by
King Louis and Marie Antoinette.
Descended from old French and
Dutch families the Van Pradelles
were made members of the Court,
and it was at Versailles that the
first of their six children was
born.
When the Royalists fell, the
Van Pradelles were among the
fortunate few who escaped the
Notwithstanding to America,
they went to New Orleans, and
were very happy in that Creole
city with its French language and
customs.
Several years later Capt. Van
Pradelles died of Yellow Fever
his widow decided to come home,
and had her household effects
loaded on a ship and went to the
home of friend for the night.
After midnight the family were
awakened by screams coming
from the guest room-she told of
a horrible dream in which the
ship had been captured by pirates,
and she has been made walk the
plank-when she struck the water.
she awoke screaming.
Her dream was so real that she
sent her children by land-sailed