Evening star., 1940-05-26
Congressional Cemetery Books
Yield Vast Historical Data

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1t became designated as Congress
Sional Cemetery when Congress
purchased 925 burial sites there and
exercised jurisdiction as to whom
might be buried in. them.
From 1907 to 1877 is Senators and
68 Representatives were laid to rest
here. Many of them lie in neat,
grim rows beneath identical sand
stone monuments, bee-hived in
shape. and referred to in the old
records as Congressional Ceno-
taphs."
Here were also buried many indi-
viduals at the discretion Of and by
executive order of Presidents of the
United States. Among them are
ENJOYS and the wives of diplomatic
representatives from foreign lands.
prominent Government officials and
several famous Indian chieftains
who died while representing their
tribes on missions to The Great
White Father in Washington"
After more than half a century of
neglect, Congress again has as
sumed responsibility for the care and
custody Of the graves OF its own
members who sleep beneath the
cemetery's ancient trees.
The Quartermaster's Corps has
been designated to restore the
crumbling sandstone monuments.
In connection with this service the
War Department completed in Feb
ruary, 1899, compilation entitled
''The Plan and Location Of Burial
Sites in Congressional Cemetery
formerly in the service of the Fed
eral Government or the Confederate
States of America" 1t covers the
period from 1907 to 1899.
Heinline Is Superintendent.
The present superintendent of
Congressional Cemetery. William M.
Heinline, a vestryman of Christ
Church until his appointment to
this post six years ago, is himself
an antiquarian at heart. He has
taken tremendous interest in the
work.
With justifiable pride he tells
you Congressional Cemetery,
thanks to the efforts of the War De-
partment and the Daughters of the
American Revolution in making its
records easily available to the gen.
eral public, is now one of the great
est treasure houses of genealogical
record in the United States"
"Our records" he adds, ARE con-
tinuous from as early as 1912 to
1913. many of them within their old
jackets" It is his hope that Con-
gress may shortly make available an
appropriation for having them re-
stored and photostated so that they,
too, may be viewed by all who have
an interest in them.
The copies of the records In Con-
gressional Cemetery which the D. A.
r. have donated to 1t. are bound in
four volumes which are the gift of
the Army Navy, Thomas Marshall,
E. Pluribus Unum and Susan Revere
Chapters of the District of Colum-
bia. Their range is from 1920 to
1889, 1889 to 1s49, 1s49 to 1856 and
1857 to 1862.
Indian Chief Buried There.
Beside giant copper beech in the
cemetery lies NATAL -Ha,
Choctaw chieftain. who fought on
the side of Andrew Jackson in the
War of 1912. He died while nego-
tiating a treaty for his people in
washington. On his tomb are in
scribed his last words, when I am
dead let the big guns be fired over
me-" request which was complied
with by the Government. His
resting place and that of John Philip
Sousa, bandmaster, whose grave
overlooks the Sousa Bridge rising in
his honor, are the most frequently
visited in the cemetery" Supt. Helm
line said.
Two other Indian leaders are bur-
led in this vicinity. One is Thomas
Pegg, who served as associate JUS
tice OF the Supreme Court Of the
Cherokee Nation. The other Is
Scarlet Grow, q Sioux, for whose
tombstone Congress appropriated
500, in recognition of valuable serv-
ices and friendship toward the
Government.
In Congressional Cemetery also
rests Commodore John Rogers, "who
rendered valuable assistance in the
defense of Baltimore and refused
appointment as Secretary of the
Navy to head the Board Of Navy
Commissioners"
A recently erected tombstone is
that to Ann Royal, one of this coun-
try's first woman publicists. In
scribed upon it is her own prayer
that the Union Of these States may
be eternal"
Not far away is the grave Of
Judge Cranch, the famous jurist,
author Of Cranch's Supreme Court
Opinions, who tried Ann Royal for
| treason.
Mr.. Heinline disclosed that David
Herold, who drove John Wilkes
Booth to his place of temporary
refuge in Maryland and who was
subsequently hanged for aiding in
the escape of this conspirator, lies
In q nameless grave In Congressional
Cemetery, . fact little known TO this
generation.
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