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Show Il fE Copyright, 1909, I John Elfreth WatkinB I I Descendants of tho signers of the Dec- 1 Juration of Independence are. for the first tuiift In history making ti pilgrimage tills year to old Independence Hall, whore Sunday. Sun-day. Uio Fourth of .Inly. tiuy will mo. L In thr historic chamber wherein their forefather fore-father adopted Iho Declaration of Inde-Rndenco Inde-Rndenco July -J, 177C. And just as the!.-patriot the!.-patriot aniv.stora on that dav 01 day.. proceeded from their hall to attead spp.-ia' services at Chlr.-u church. lniinedi;ii.'. niter ni-ter adopting tho Declaration, .so will tlusc pilgrims solemnly tread the same way from the- crnJIo of Ufoerlv to the saint ancient house of worship." wliero special services will again ho hold In commemoration commemora-tion of thoso of 133 years before. Tn progra.n ha.s been arranged by William Shields JIcKomi of Washington, national secretary of "Tho Descendant. of Slgn-Tho Slgn-Tho blood of tho signers f!ov:s todav ' in the veins of many men of .lUalnment. who those are is shown bv an extensive catalogue, privately compiled bv Mr. Mo-Kuan, Mo-Kuan, of persons eligible for membership to th's now patriotic society. Jefferson's Descendants. Thoma.s Jefferson, author of iho sacred sa-cred Instrumonr, is survived by no de-Bcondant de-Bcondant having his surname. Ills only . children living to nuirrlagouhle ace wore three daughters, from whom ure descended descend-ed a number of Virginia Randolph:;. Lppses, Andersons, 3urkos. Kufilns and Mclktcharr.s. also tiie Mussachusi tts Cool-clgea. Cool-clgea. .Tcffrr.-on's lad .surviving granddaughter, grand-daughter, Mrs. Soptlma Randolph Molkle-huni, Molkle-huni, died in Washington In tho autumn of JSS7. Another of his grandchildren was Thomas Jefferson Randolpn of Edge l-Illl, Vn... who wrote an able work on the currency and died in ".:75. used elghty-thrcco. The next generation also brought forth an author, who died about ten yenrs ngo. A noted living great-grandson of Jefferson Jef-ferson Is Thomas Jefferson Coolldge, tho wealthy 13oston manufacturer and former president of the Santa Fe road, who tfas ninistor to Paris during Cleveland's last administration, and who has since boon a member of the joint high commission Cor udjustlng out disputes with Canada. Distinguished Adamses of Present. John Adams's most distinguished descendants de-scendants have boino his surname. First :hero was his sqn. John Qulnoy Adams. ;lie president; then his grandson. Ciarlcs Yancls Adams, who was reproscitauvo n congress and minister to England, and ivho came near being the .'turd of his amily--ln a direct lino. to receive a noni-nat'on noni-nat'on for thfi presidency. And now. In too fourth generation, we ia e tho throe brotiwrs. General Charles Francis Adams, Cnlon veteran and his-' orian; IInry Adams, author and former iditor of the North American Rovlew: md Brooks Adams, attorney and author. Phelr eldor brother. John Qulnoy. was a ' eglslator und candidate for governor of Massachusetts. In this distinguished family thre is also he coincidence of husband and wife bong bo-ng both descendants ot "signers." The iresPnt Charles Francis Adams married Aiss Mary Ogden. a great-granddaughter if John Wllhorspoon, (he New Jersey Igner. whose statute was unveiled a few iveeks ago in Washington. I !The Harrisons. The blood of Benjamin Harrison, the signer, has been as prolific of attainment as that of the Adams familyl for from his blood. In direct line, sprang also two presidents his youngest son, Wiillam Henrv Harrison, and his great-grandson. Benjamin Harrison 2d. The present head of the family, which produced President Benjamin Harrison is the hitter's eldest son. Russell Benjamin Harrison, grcat-grc-at-grandson of the signer, 'who served as a colonel throughout the Spanish-American Spanish-American war, and afterwards, for five years, In Porto Rico and Cuba, and who after trvlng his luck as a journalist, electric, elec-tric, civil and mining engineer, is no,v practicing law in Indianapolis. Ben. Franklin's Progeny. Among Benjamin Franklin's descendants descend-ants is Rear Admiral Richard Wain-wright. Wain-wright. I". .S. X.. who was the executive officer of the Maine when s?he was blown up In Havana, harbor, and who was advanced ad-vanced ten numbers for "eminent, and conspicuous conduct" during the naval Mr""' battlo of Santiago, wherein ho command -ufe fid tno Gloucester. His mother was iwt' HalHe Franklin Baehe, a great-grand-"M rj.jaughter of Benjamin Franklin's only f fit ' 'daughter, Saru.li, wife of Richard Bache. Up who succeeded Dr. Franklin as post-ill" post-ill" piaster general. Their son. Benjamin m ' Franklin Bache. accompanied Ills grand- i r Father, Benjamin Franklin, to Paris, and I lifter receiving his education in France i , und-Gcneva returned ,lo Philadelphia to publish the General Advertiser, after-i after-i -ward tho Aurora, which violently op- posed the administration of both Wash-' Wash-' ington and Adams. His brother, the distinguished scientist. Alexander Dalian r: Bache, wn.s superintendent of the United States coast survey during the civil war ft. and one of the Incorporators of the A Smithsonian Institution. Tho aforemcn-tJoncd aforemcn-tJoncd brother, Benjamin F.. had two EOrts Franklin, professor of chemistry In yMt the Jefferson Medical college, Philadel-fm. Philadel-fm. phla, and the late Brigadier General Hart-man Hart-man Bache, engineer corps, U S A., who built the Delawaro breakwater. The woll-JKt woll-JKt known correspondent and magazine wrlt-yfft wrlt-yfft tr, Rene Bache, Is also a direct desccnu- jjlff. Posterity of Charles Carroll. Irft. A distinguished great-grandson of Maryland signer, Charles Carroll of Car-rollton, Car-rollton, is John Lee Carroll, who, in the PjVB" Boventy-nlnth year of his age, lives upon vik s estate, Doughoregan Manor, at Elll-I'SM Elll-I'SM cott City, Md Ho was governor of , Maryland for four years in the late seventies, sev-enties, and Is now the president general of tho Sons of the Revolution. Thusi Roman Catholic Carrolls were formerly O'Carrolls. and their sept, one of the most ancient and powerful In Ireland, sprang from the Kings of Munsten Charles Carroll, who upon the Declaration Declara-tion affixed "of Carroll ton" to his signature signa-ture to distinguish him from a kinsman, a barrister of the same name, wns tho last furvivlng signer. When ho died, In his ninety-sixth year. Into in 1SU2, his great-grandson, tho future governor of Maryland, was past two years old. Jjharlos Carroll, the signer's son Chailou married tho beautiful Harriot Chew, daughter of Benjamin Chow of Philadelphia. Philadel-phia. It was she whom General Washington Wash-ington Look wilh him to Gilbert Stuart's studio that she might, as he said, "give to my countenance its most agreeable expression." ex-pression." One of the signer's daughter! married Major General Robert Goodloo Harper, who was senator from Maryland and candidate for vice president. Tin: beautiful Mary Carroll, younger daughlei I of the signer, married Richard Caton, an English merchant and geologist, who settled set-tled In Baltimore nnd made a fortune in cotton manufacture. Of their daughters, Mary was greatly admired by the Duke, of Wellington and became Marchlones! of Wollesley: Elizabeth became Lads Stafford; Louisa became Duohess ol Leeds, and a fourth married John Me-Tavish. Me-Tavish. British consul at Baltimore. Their son married Ella, youngest daught. or of General Wlnflold Scott. Tho widowed wid-owed Countess Esterhazy. lalo of Washington, Wash-ington, but now living abroad, was a Miss Carroll, and Is a direct descendant of tho signer. Novelists With Signers Blood. Two distinguished novelists whose- veins pulsate with signers' blood are F. Hop- i kinson Smith, author of "The Tides of Barnegat," "Col. Carter of Cartersville." ' etc., who Is the great-grandson of Francis Fran-cis ITopkinson. the New Jersey signer, and Thomas Nelson Page, author of "Red Rock," "Marse Chan," etc., who is the great-grandson of Thomas Nelson, signer from Virginia. Joseph, Hopklnson, the Philadelphia jurist who wrote tho words of the national song, "Hall Columbia," was tho son of Francis Hopklnson and the confidential friend of Joseph Bonaparte, Bona-parte, ex-king of Spain, during the lat-lor's lat-lor's exile at Bordentown, N. J., where Hopklnson managed Bonaparte's affairs luring his absence. Thomas McKean, the 1'hlladclphia author, who wrote "Tho .ortex," is tho descendant of Thomas Mer"iiin. one of the Delaware signers. indeed, that Ink and signers' blood should How together seems to be almost a law of nature. Bayard Tuckerman, biographer and author of the "History of English Prose Fiction," nnd his brother Alfred, also an author, although better known as a bibliographer, are among tho posterity of George Walton, who signed for Georgia. And two other literary brothers. Ellery and Henry Sedgwick, Sedg-wick, have In their veins the blood of William Ellery, who helped declare Independence In-dependence on behalf of Rhode Island. Ellery Sedgwick, author of the "Life of Thomas Paine." was editor of Leslie's Monthly and the American Magazine, and now Is one of the editors of The Atlantic Monthly. His brother. Henry Dv.-lght, is the author of "Essays of Groat Writers" and live other hooks, Including a history of Italy. And among the numerous offspring off-spring of Carter Braxton, one of Virginia's Vir-ginia's signers, Is Alfred Brockenbrough Williams, editor-in-chief of the Richmond News-Leader, who thirty years ago as an enterprising reporter for the Charleston Charles-ton News and Courier, became noted for a number of journalistic enterprises. Including In-cluding a voyage to Liberia with a sailing sail-ing ship full of negro emigrants, and a pedestrian expedition disguised as a tramp. The Libcrlan trip resulted in his 1 1 J i ii i 'I i ' ' '""ii r -r ) i ii H iTntfl exposure of the horrors and mismanagement mismanage-ment of tho colonization enterprise at that time, and iis tramp excursion got him Into the South Carolina convict camp, and his exposure of Its Iniquities led to the destruction of the convict leasing system sys-tem In the slate. Another Richmond writer of this pedigreed category is William Wil-liam Gordon McCabe, the educator, whose mother, neo Sophia Gordon Taylor, was a grand-daughter of George Taylor, the Pennsylvania signer. Other Leaders of Men. The legal talent of William Hooper, who signed for North Caroline, has been inherited by his lineal descendant. Hannis Taylor, who was our minister to Spain under President Cleveland and who now is special counsel for the government before be-fore the Spanish treaty claims commission. commis-sion. Also gifted In the professional cnlling of an illustrious signer ancestor Is Chief Justice Simeon E Baldwin of Connecticut, Connecti-cut, who Is profosor of International law I at Yale and author of many learned law books To this progeny of Roger Shcr- H man also belonged Senator George F. Hoar and Secretary of State William M. Evarts. H The spirit of leadership which imbued H Conectlcut's stanch signer, Oliver Wor- colt, lives again in the breast of his lin- H eal descendant, James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr., the aolo young politician, who lately served as speaker of the New York as- H sembly. His father, of tho same name, H was for ten years In the house, where he was chairman of the committee on ngrl- !H culture when he became Involved with MH President Roosevelt In the meat bill con- -H troveray, which resulted In his defeat for -JH le-electlon. And In this connection men- 4H Hon of the ex-presldont recalls that his j name Is borne by two of Oliver Wolcott's H descendants. Lorain nnd Oliver Wolcott H Roosevelt. This Wolcott blood was good and red. The signer's son. Oliver, was tH ten times elected governor of Connecticut 9 and succeeded Hamilton as secretary of H the treasury. jl Present Robert Treat Paino. One of the few Instances where, a living man of note bears the exact name of a signer ancestor Is that of tho distinguished H Boston philanthropist, who is a great- H grandson of Robert Treat Paine, the Mas- 9 sachusetts signer. Tho 7iresent Robert fH Treat Paine, ex-leglshitor and one-time il candidate for congress, has for thirty- flfl ono years been pre'sldent of the Associated W Charities of Boston, for tho worklngmcn of which city ho has organized an instl- ! lute.' u co-operative bank, a building as- IIH soclatlon and a loan association. He and the late Mrs. Paine endowed, with $200,- lH U00, a trust for other charitable purposes. jH Elbridge Gerry of Today. Only a small, handful of grandchildren of signers .survive, and one of the most flH distinguished of these is Elbridge Thomas Gerry, tho New York humanitarian, who is the grandson of Elbridge Gerry, the. Massachusetts algnor, who becarno vice- president of the United States. The latj H tor's son. Thomas K. Gert'v. entered the navy and married Hannah G. Goelet, tho youngest daughter of Peter P. Goelet. These were the parents of the present Elbridge Gerry, who instead of idling awav his time on the fortune loft him. studied law and dedicated Jils life to snv- nl Ing bis less fortunate fellow creatures from pain. Ho led tho movement for tho abolition of hanging in New York state twenty oars ngo, and was chair-man chair-man of tho commission which substituted electrocution. For many years he was vice-president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Is best known for his work, for a uuartcr of a century, a:: president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, more popularly known as the "Gerry society," which ha.s co-operated with the courts In saving thousands of children. especially young girls, from the cruelly of their elders and the vice of the nether world. At the same time Mr. Gerry has taken an interest In clean sports, especial-ly especial-ly yachting. Ho was commodore of the New York Yacht club for twelve con-sccullve con-sccullve terms. His private law library. containing 30.000 volumes. Is said to be the largest of its class In the world. Signers' Granddaghters. Two other living grandchildren of sign-cis sign-cis nie Miss Henrietta Chauuhig Ellery of Newport, granddaughter of Rhodo Island's signer. William Ellery; and Miss Margaret J. Woods of Lewlston, Pa.. granddaughter of John Wilhcrspoun. And speaking of women descendants of sign-ers, sign-ers, thero is Mrs. John Sharp Wllllums. wife of the wit of tho house of rcprescn-tatlves. rcprescn-tatlves. who- Is a great-granddaughter of John Wllhorspoon. and who before her marriage was Elizabeth Dial Webb of Alabama. Mrs. Joseph Forney Johnston. wife of the United States senator from tH Alabama, is a descendant of William Hooper, ono of the Korth Carolina dcclar-ants, dcclar-ants, while Mrs. Thomas F. Bayard, wld- H ow of tho late secretary of state, is a f jH great-great-granddaughter of George Cly- H mer, who signed for Pennsylvania. jH The signer survived by the most numer- ous known posterity Is Porter Braxton of jH Virginia. H . The oldest living descendant of a signer IH appears to be Scudder Hart Darnigh, a lH retired iron manufacturer of Beaver, Pa.. fH who is a great-grandson of John Hart. jH who signed the Declaration as one of the H New Jersey delegates. He Is ninety-two jH years old. , . JOHN ELFRETH W ATKINS. |