Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 6.djvu/76

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62

��THE GRANITE MONTHLY.

��ert Morris, R. B. Livingstone, Oliver Wolcott, Ed. Randolph, Thomas Mif- flin, Christopher Gore, Benjamin Lin- coln, John Langdon, John Sullivan, Lord Nelson, Sir William Pepperell, and Commodores Preble and Bainbridge ; also from George, Martha, Bushrod, George Augustine, and Lawrence Wash - ington, with others. Among these papers is the original draft of Martha Washington's letter of Dec. 31, 1799, addressed to the President of the United States, in response to a resolu- tion of Congress in relation to the death of Washington, and to the re- moval of "her dear, deceased hus- band's" remains from Mount Vernon to the Capitol at the city of Washing- ton.

There is also a letter of Dec. 15, 1799, which Col. Lear addressed to President John Adams, communica- ting the death of Washington, as well as one of Dec. 16, 1799, sent to the Lear and Storer families at Portsmouth, giving a full and minute account of the last illness and death of his illustrious patron.

Among these treasured relics is also a heavy mourning ring, which Admiral Storer wore for many years previous to his death, containing the hair of General and Mrs. Washington, with an inscription on the inside of the ring — "George and Martha Washington."

Another of these mementos is a painting, in water colors, of a stem with leaves and flowers, executed in Philadelphia by Miss Eleanor Custis, grand-daughter to Martha Washington, and sent as a present to Mrs. Lear, the Colonel's mother, in 1792. An- other is an engraving, representing Hope pointing upward, while Eleanor

��P. and George W. P. Custis, the two grand-children, are weeping at the grave of Washington.

The late Admiral Storer was justly proud of his distinguished uncle, Col. Tobias Lear, and was also devotedly attached to his most excellent cousin, Benjamin Lincoln Lear, and honored him by calling one of his sons by his name.

On the northerly side of the granite shaft erected to the memory of the Admiral, in the " Proprietors' Burying- Ground," at Portsmouth, we read, — " Lincoln Lear Storer, Born May 21, 1828. Died at sea, April 15, 1849." . From the uniform responses to in- quiries concerning B. Lincoln Lear, by those now living who were his con- temporaries, I am particularly im- pressed as to his great ability, his purity of life, his manly virtues and noble character.

These testimonials all accord to him those beautiful traits which contributed so largely to the universal esteem in which he was held wherever known.

��( '< direction. — On page 14 of the Octo- ber number of the Granite Monthly. near the close of the article, mention is made of ( 'apt. Tobias Langdon, who died Feb. 20. 1725. aged 64, as the first husband of Elizabeth Sherburne Langdon, who married Tobias Lear Oct. 11.1667. He was her son. born in 1660, married Marv Hubbard of Salisbury. Mass.. in 1686". and bad seven sons and two daughters. < 'apt. Langdon possessed the property from bis grandfather. He was born on tiic farm ami was buried in the inheri- tance (lis father. Tobias Langdon. married Elizabeth Sherburne, June 10, L656, and died July 27. 1664. The sen- tence requiring correction should read his mother instead of his widow ••became the wife of Tobias Lear as heretofore stated."'

��GAGE GENEALOGY.

��COURAGE SANS PEUR.

The family of Gage, which is of Nor- rewarded with large grants of land in

man extraction, derived its descent from the forest of Dean, and the county of

DeGaga, Gauga, or Gage, who accom- Gloucester, adjacent to which forest he

panied William the Conqueror into Eng- fixed his abode, and erected a seat at

land in 1066, and after the conquest was Clerenwell, otherwise Olarewell.

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