PREFATORY NOTE.

V

OLUME twenty-four of the Records although delayed for a few months contains much important matter of interest to our members and historians of the Capital City.

Interest in Washington is rapidly growing and the many important contributions to its history contained in the published records of the Society are being appreciated by those who love the city for its past history and who are interested in its future.

Particular attention is called to the department of correspondence found in this volume at pages 214-217. Members of the Society are requested to send to the Editor any important historical matter, either by way of addition to or correction of statements made in the published communications. These should be in the form of short letters directly to the point and well authenticated. Such material may be very helpful and stimulate interest along lines not heretofore investigated and written about.

For the proper extension of our work we need new members. Applications should be sent either to the President or Secretary.

UNIV. OF

NATHAN LOUGHBOROUGH.

By MARGARET LOUGHBOROUGH

(Read before the Society, January 20, 1920.)

N the days of Charles the Second two scions of a noted family became Quakers, and were promptly disinherited and disowned; these two, Loughboroughs, were the ancestors of three brothers who came to Virginia about 1768.

David Loughborough remained in Virginia; one brother went to Missouri and we have reason to believe that the third brother settled in New York. David married a widow Twining, neé Anderson, who, when she married the second time, had one son living, Nathaniel Twining. In 1772 a son was born to David Loughborough, whom he called Nathan.

I do not know where Nathan was educated, but he was a cultured gentleman, a writer, and a man of affairs. Before he was twenty-one he was Chief Clerk in the Land Office at Philadelphia, a friend of John Randolph of Roanoke, and of many other noted men. Upon attaining the age of twentyone years he married Mary, daughter of James Webster of Harford County, Maryland.

In 1800 the Government moved to Washington, D. C.; Nathan Loughborough bought a house which is still standing on Bridge Street in Georgetown below the Farmers' and Mechanics' National Bank, now owned by Mr. Birch; he also bought two hundred and fifty acres of land from Mr. Murdock who lived where the American University now stands. Mr. French had an original grant of which this land was a part. Nathan Loughborough built the house and stone barn that still stand on Loughborough Road in the

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District, and called the place "Grassland,"* and moved there with his family. There is a portrait of Nathan Loughborough, now owned by his grandson, James H. Loughborough, painted by Polk, a nephew of Peale, the artist, and associated with him.

Nathan Loughborough was for several years acting Comptroller of the Treasury. While in office he found it necessary to temporarily change the spelling of the first part of his surname from "Lough" to "Luff," the mispelling of which having caused delay and confusion in the delivery of important mail. No one who has not borne the name can imagine in how many different ways it can be mispelled.

When "Grassland" was built there was only one neighbor, Gen. Uriah Forrest of Rosedale. Later, Mr. Joseph Nourse came and built his mansion nearby.

Nathan Loughborough believed in patronizing home industries. He was a large stockholder in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and in the Farmers' and Mechanics' National Bank; was one of the chief promoters of the Rockville Pike; was President of that Company from its foundation until his death.

Although not a Roman Catholic, his sons were educated at Georgetown College and his daughters at the Convent. Both have become hereditary schools of the family, a greatgreat grandson being now a student at Georgetown University.

Nathan Loughborough refused to pay taxes in the District of Columbia, on the ground of "taxation without representation" being illegal. One of the noted suits in the District Courts of that day was that of "the U. S.

*Note-1. Title to this property, or a portion of it, was obtained by two deeds-the first from Thomas Beall, surviving trustee, dated December 5, 1804, and the second from Addison Murdock, dated July 12, 1805. In later days the land was known as "Grasslands". ED.

Marshal against Nathan Loughborough." Of course he lost, and I understand that when Porto Rico, after the Spanish War, took a similar stand, this suit of Nathan Loughborough's was the only precedent to which the U. S. had to refer.

When Major Peter organized a Regiment, Nathan Loughborough was a Lieutenant. In a book written by Mrs. Margaret Bayard Smith, entitled "Forty Years of Washington Society," she states, alluding to the invasion of Washington during the war of 1812, "The only news we have of the British invasion is from scouts under Nathan Loughborough, who brought the information that Montgomery Court House was burned, and we are anxiously awaiting any further news from them."

During the British invasion one of their sailors came to "Grassland" and asked a refuge. He was hidden in the old stone barn. He wished to become an American citizen, and remained in the District, becoming a citizen thereof.

Nathan Loughborough disliked Thomas Jefferson bitterly. He wrote for a Baltimore paper edited by a Mr. Shaefer. Manuscripts and letters which passed between them are still owned by the family. In one of Mr. Shaefer's letters he says, "Little Red Breeches is furiously angry. Has answered your article and written to me for your name.

The articles written by Nathan Loughborough were signed, "A Native of Virginia." He also wrote a pamphlet entitled "Sidney on Retrocession," advocating the return of the District to the States.

A letter inviting him to dinner at the White House, written by President Adams' secretary, says, "Mr. Adams wishes the pleasure of your company to dinner on Thursday, the 5th inst. at 3 P.M. Provision will be made for your horse. An answer is requested."

In those primitive days an invitation to the White House was not a royal command.

Nathan Loughborough was a magistrate in the District for many years. Dr. Busey, in his life history, related the following anecdote of him: "On returning from an errand in Georgetown, I was overtaken by Mr. Nathan Loughborough, then residing at "Grassland," who introduced himself to me, asking if I was a son of John Busey, and on my saying I was, he said he thought he recognized the horse I was riding. When we reached the entrance gate to Milton, his farm on the River Road, located about two miles from Tenleytown, he stopped and said he wished to offer me, in memory of his admiration of my father, a colt sired by his favorite "Ace of Diamonds," which I accepted with delight that can only be appreciated by a country. boy. Mr. Loughborough was a large, portly, handsome man."

Nathan Loughborough shared John Randolph's love for horses. The latter gave him a horse, Rob Roy, who sired many horses in Maryland. Many letters of John Randolph are still in the Loughborough family. Many were sent to Richmond when John Randolph's will was contested, to be used as evidence of his sanity at the time the will was written. These letters will soon be published in a life of John Randolph.

Nathan Loughborough's wife died in 1844, and was buried at "Grassland." After her death Mr. Loughborough offered the place to his son Hamilton, then practicing law in Richmond, Va. His offer was accepted, and Nathan moved to his upper farm, "Milton," which was bought by him as an investment in 1808. It was a Dutch Trading Post built in 1700. There was a Fort at College Run, in Georgetown. The Indians came to "Milton" to trade and make arrow-heads, of which many are still found, as