First U.S. President Impressive Man

To follow last week’s description of President George Washington, here are two more recountings of the father of our country.

Westminster Magazine, published in London in January 1784, carried a letter from John Bell of Maryland to a friend in London:

“General Washington is a tall, well-made man, rather large-boned and has a tolerable genteel address; his features are manly and bold, his eyes of a bluish cast and very lively; his hair, a deep brown; his face rather long and marked with the smallpox; his complexion sunburnt and without much color, and his countenance sensible, composed and thoughtful.

“There is a remarkable air of dignity about him, with a striking degree of gracefulness. He has an excellent understanding without much quickness; is strictly just, vigilant and generous; an affectionate husband, a faithful friend, a father to the deserving soldier, gentle in his manners, in temper rather reserved; a total stranger to religious prejudices; in his morals, irreproachable; he was never known to exceed the bounds of the most rigid temperance.”

On Washington’s 64th birthday, a sketch of words was included in a book published in 1799 by Isaac Weld of Dublin, Ireland, who had traveled in America:

“Few persons find themselves for the first time in the presence of Washington without being impressed with a certain degree of veneration and awe. Nor do these emotions subside on a closer acquaintance.

“The height of his person is about five feet eleven. His chest is full and his limbs, though rather slender, are well shaped and muscular. His eyes are of a light grey color, and, in proportion to the length of his face, his nose is long.

“General Washington has been extolled for his great moderation and calmness during the very trying situations in which he has so often been placed. Yet those who have been acquainted with him the longest, and most intimately, say that he is by nature a man of a fierce and irritable disposition, but that, like Socrates, his judgment and great self-command have always made him appear a man of different cast in the eyes of the world. He speaks with great diffidence and sometimes hesitates for a word, but it is always to find one particularly well-adapted to his meaning.”

You might want to include these descriptions of President Washington in your family’s history if your ancestors lived in Colonial America.

Understanding and using land records

All genealogists recognize the need to understand and use land records. Here are two free helps.

Research in “Land Entry Files of the General Land Office,” by Kenneth Hawkins, is available from the National Archives. This booklet explains what these 10 million case files are and how to access the one for your ancestor. It is not a name-and-address book, but rather an explanatory booklet presenting information for a genealogist to apply in person.

Request your copy via the National Archives Web site at www.nara.gov or write to National Archives, Textual Reference Branch, Washington, D.C. 20408.

“Ohio Lands - a Short History” chronicles the history of that state’s lands and the laws governing its distribution over the years.

Request your free copy from the Ohio Historical Society Archives, 1982 Velma Ave., Columbus, OH 43211-2497 (or try its Web site).