Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-11

was visiting the Quaker settlement
Of Sandy Spring, about II miles
north Of Washington in Montgom-
cry County, he met two sisters,
Miss Mary B. Brooke and Mrs.
Edith (Brooke) Green, descend
ants Of James Brooke, who settled
at Sandy Spring, a tract called
"Carley Forest" about 1923, and
later, by invitation of the sisters
referred to, he visited their stately
home nearby in Olney. It was a
charming afternoon. and the
writer visited the Brooke residence
where six generations were born
and reared.
Settled in Wild Country
Basil Brooke (1738-1794), &C
cording to the records then exist
ing, was the son Of James Brooke.
who settled in nearby Charley
Forest" in 1928, and who married
Deborah Snowden. daughter of
Richard Snowden, two years later.
The children of James Brooke
according to the records of Mrs.
Edith F. Green and her sister,
Miss Brooke-included James,
Roger, Richard, Basil, Elizabeth
and, Thomas. OF these, James
married Hannah Janney and set
tied at Charley Forest; Roger
married Mary Matthews and set
tied at Brooke Grove, Richard
married a daughter of David
Lynn and settled at Fair Hill.
Basil married Elizabeth Hopkins
and settled at Falling Green.
Elizabeth married Thomas Pleas
ants and went to Virginia, and
Thomas, who never married, set
tied at Brooke Meadow.
When James Brooke settled in
this part Of what Is now Mont
gomery County, it was a very
wild country, though 1t is hard
to realize 1t now. Indeed, the
Annals Of Sandy Spring." by
William Henry Farquahar, tell US
Of some exciting experiences the
early settlers had with wild ami
mails that then roamed through
out this part of Maryland. Speak
ing Of this phase of pioneer life,
the annals say:
Right on the Button
1.-THE story was told me of an
animated conflict which took
place between old James Brooke
and a panther that has still a
lively interest. A war was then
prevailing Git must have been the
French War Of 1850, which had
produced a scarcity of ammuni-
ton among the settlers. The oft
mentioned j. B. was out hunting
with six dogs when he came in
the deep recesses Of a forest upon
a huge specimen of this North
American tiger. The ferocious
beast attacked the dogs and in
a twinkling they were laid out
with his enormous paws, spraw-
ling on every side.
"At this juncture the old man
came up and fired, but ineffec-
tually, on the enraged animal.
which now turned upon him. He
endeavored rapidly to reload, but
found he had shot away his last
bullet. The situation was a seri-
GUS one, but the men of those
days were trained for emergencies.
Cutting of one of the metal but
tons of his coat he dropped it
down the mouth of his old musket
and blaZed away at the panther,
striking him right between those
cruel eyes and putting an end to
the beast"
Charley Forest Picnic
Charley Forest is right In the
heart Of Sandy Spring and is
naturally a very interesting place,
having at one time included 1000
acres when it was granted to Maj.
John Bradford on August 10, 1716,
and it was here that James Brooke
built the first house in this To-
cality in 1923, and here, two years
later, that he brought his bride,
Deborah Snowden, and it was also
here that his son James and other
members of the family lived, as
did in more recent years William
Schof1eld. followed by Frank j.
Downey. the farm being owned
more recently by Charles w. Ray.
Tradition tells us that the orig
inal house, which stood about
where the new one now stands,
was at the time of its erection "the
only frame dwelling along the