Evening star., 1950-07-09
Personalities and Impressions
Personalities and Impressions
|35ORobert Brooke Descendants
AT Rites on 3OOth Anniversary
By Jessie Font Evons

By Jessie Font Evons
The ceremonies added new lus-
ter to the history of a famous
Colonial Maryland estate so miles
from the District. The occasion
was the 300th anniversary July
u of the landing of Robert Brooke
at his manor. De lie Brooke, on
the Patuxent River.
Greetings from Sir Oliver
Franks, Great Britain's Ambassa-
dor; Admiral Sir Frederick Dali
.rymple Hamilton. head of the
British naval mission; Rear Ad-
miral Glenn B. Davis, U. S. NJ;
Judge Dudley Digges, representing
the Governor of Maryland, and
Capt. s. j. s. Boord of H. M. s.
Sparrow. which was anchored off
shore in midstream. highlighted
the historical review that covered
three centuries.
Host for the occasion and the
Maryland party fare served after
ward was Leander Mccormick
Goodhart. formerly Commercial
Attache at the British Embassy.
who now makes his home at Bella
pals on the Potomac. once a por-
ton of the Mount Vernon estate.
Since 1927 Mr.. Mccormick
Goodhart has been the owner of
a portion of what were once the
largest patentee holdings on the
Patuxent. AS in its heyday, the
present De lie Brooke manor house
under Mr.. Mccormick Goodhart's
ownership, has entertained many
distinguished guests, among them
Lord Lothian and President
Franklin D. Roosevelt. Here. in
its peace and serenity, Lord Lo-
THAN wrote his last address to
the American people. The speech
was delivered for him in Balti-
more because illness prevented
him from appearing.
Brooke Clan Gathers.
Coming from far and near, over
$50 descendants of Robert Brooke,
first lord of the manor, met in
a reunion on the tree-shaded lawn
in front Of the old house for the
ceremonies presided over by for
mer United States Senator George
L. Radcliffe. chairman of the oc-
casion in his capacity as president
of the Maryland Historical So<
ciety.
Eminent Church of England
clergyman. brilliant graduate OF
Wadham College. Oxford Univer-
sity, when 1t knew the influence
of Locke and Boyle, Robert
Brooke at the age of 48, with his
wife and 10 children, left behind
a career marked with many
honors to pioneer in the New
World in 1850. and become the
first patentee of the Patuxent
River. Made commander of what
was then Charles County, he be-
came president of the Provisional
Council and later acting Governor
of Maryland. The brick house
which he built on an elevation
overlooking the river and the sur
rounding countryside was the
meeting place on July 10, 1862,
for the Provincial Council with
Gov. Charles Calvert.
When his original home was
destroyed by fire. the present one
upon the river front was built to
replace it Immediately afterward,
1880 to 1885. water not only
provided the principal means of
communication at the time, but
also it provided transportation for
tobacco. the chief money CROP
Brought Over Fox Hounds.
Tradition, substantiated by as
sembled Brooke descendants, gives
credence to the claim that Robert
Brooke. son of Thomas Brooke,
MP, also brought with his wife
and family. land the other 28 per-
sons who accompanied him at his
own cost and charge" the first fox
hounds introduced to the Ameri-
can scene. A Sandy Spring
Brooke descendant told me of
Quaker forebear, who while en-
route to Sabbath meeting on
horseback, saw fox tracks, hallooed
for his hounds without thinking
twice. and didn't show up at the
meeting house until the congrega-
ton was leaving.
UNLIMITED, but warmly greeted
by Mr.. Mccormick Goodhart and
his guests were four Piscataway
Indians, out of the 18 surviving
members of this once mighty tribe
in this vicinity. They were head
ed by their chief. Tayac, a noble
looking. Indian, whose natural dig
nifty and poise bears out the story
that he is descended from the
nightly chieftain of the same
name who once headed the friend
ly Piscataways at the time of the
coming of the white settlers.
Even the invocation tied in with
the oxford background of Robert
Brooke. the first patentee, and
that of Leander Mccormick
Goodhart. 1t was given by the
Rev. DR.. Charles F. Louvre, rector