Evening star., 1945-01-21

CupltOt.
the record shows, soon afterward was
transferred to his brother William, who
in his will, drawn February 7, 1893, and
probated May l. 1894 disposed by name
of this identical piece of property
Historic Residence
At the time the District of Columbia
was ceded to the Federal Government
by the State of Maryland, the Temple
Heights section belonged to Anthony
Holmead, and in 1909, this particular
tract then containing 16 acres, was sold
to Col. Michael Nourse, and it was evi-
IDENTIFY Col. Nourse who erected the orig
inal part of the residence, and here he
resided until he sold the estate in 1885
and moved to the city, as he found it
took him too long to get to the Treas
ury, Department, where he was chief
clerk to his brother His children were
also responsible for his giving; ups the
estate. because they claimed it was too
far out in the country. Indeed, it was
many years later before Connecticut
avenue was even run through.
Quite likely the next owner and oc-
cupant of the place was Paul Kinchy,
who resided there with his wife, Mag
delene Kinchy, and his children from
the time of his marriage until 1859 Paul
Kinchy was a confectioner with his
place of business on the south side of
Pennsylvania avenue between Tenth
and Eleventh streets, where now stands
the Bureau of Internal Revenue Build
ing. Mrs. Kinchy was, before her mar
riage, Magdelene Hitz, and upon her
death the estate was sold for $4,000
by the appointed executor, John Hitz
then the Swiss consul general, who re-
sided on street south of the Capitol,
now a past of the Capitol Grounds. He
was the father of the late William Hitz,
associate justice of the District Court
of Appeals.
In letter addressed to the writer
sore years ago by Miss Margaret B.
Gillespie, granddaughter of Louisa Hitz,
Miss Gillespie has this to say: II have
a most amusing little account book
which was kept by my great-aunt when
she was schoolgirl as business record
of income and expenditure for the
Kinchys. 1t is an entertaining bit of
literature when one compares the in
fnitesimal cost of commodities with
todays doings.
An Hours Journey
MY grandmother used to refer to the
property as the Widows Mite The
property at that time extended much
farther north and east than at present,
but it was bounded on the south by a
road called The Boundary now Florida
avenue, then the connecting link be-
tween the canal in Georgetown and the
shipping port in the present wharf dis
triCt. The wagons used to creak past
the house carrying produce one way and
the other, and this probably accounts for
Florida avenues devious trail through
the city. 1t has been told that Aunt
-Kinchy used to come out on her highest
porch with a powerful spyglass and
observe her husband when the time
came for him to leave his place of busi-
ness on Pennsylvania avenue. When he
departed preparations for dinner were
started, and there was plenty of time, as
1T must have taken that gentleman
upward of an hour to make the journey
by horse-drawn vehicle.
I'VE had never heard of the legend of
the Treaty Oak until it was proclaimed
by the, appearance of bronze tablet on
the tree We have since learned that
the stories about it were invented by my
great uncle. John Hitz, who had told
tales during knee-sitting. episodes to
several children who were frequent
visitors at the house.
Corner of 18th and G
"The Kinchys owned quite bit of
property, according to the account book
which l have mentioned. Among the
items on the list was the lot on the
corner of Fifteenth and G streets, where
Keith's Theater now stands. This, it is
stated, brought an annual income of
$1,000 year, and, it is naively added to
the record. the whole is subject, how
ever, to annual taxes, insurance repairs
and improvements Also a lot on the
corner of Tenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue yielded an annual income Of
$1,000 year. These appear to have