The first District record in which the name Griffith Coombe appears is a bill for sale February 1, 1806, by which William Burnes of Washington County sells a slave for four years service to Coombe. It is written that Burnes sells to Coombe for 4130, “a Negro man about 30 years of age known by the name of Benjamin Slye but commonly called Ben.” The bill of sale is that Ben “shall faithfully discharge the duties of servant to the said Griffith Coombe for and during and until the full term of four years without loss of time other than that which may be occasioned by reason of sickness or other bodily infirmity.”

It shall be the duty “of the said Griffith Coombe to manumit, liberate and set free the said Negro man, Benjamin Slye, otherwise called Ben, free from further servitude after the expiration of the said four years.” It is written in the bill of sale that if Ben run away, the time between his leave-taking and recapture shall be added to his term of servitude. The record index for 1806 shows that Griffith Coombe bought a slave described as “negress Nice.”

Griffith Coombe’s first reality transaction in Washington was July 9, 1807 when he bought a lot in square 690, now covered by the House Office Building. The seller of the lot was Thomas Law and the lot began 121 feet from New Jersey avenue on a line with the lot bought by Henry Ingle [R56 S2] from Daniel Carroll of Duddington.” The deed contains a jungle of metes, bounds, and useless words, and the Rambler, being dumb in the head from heat and other natural causes, did not work the puzzle of where Griffith Coombe’s lot was. He thinks, though, if thinking is permissible in the rambles, that the lot was on the north side of C street southeast, 121 feet east of New Jersey avenue.

By the way, Thomas Law lived in a tall, thick, brick house at the northeast corner of New Jersey avenue and C street southeast. If you have come to the age of discretion and wisdom you remember that the house I am pointing to was the home of Judge Joseph Holt during and after the Civil War. He died there August 1, 1894. Judge Holt was born in Breckinridge County, Ky., 1807, and was Postmaster General in 1859 and Secretary of War, 1860, in President Buchanan’s cabinet. In a reference book at hand, I read that Holt was the only member of Buchanan’s cabinet not a Confederate sympathizer, except Lewis Cass, who resigned as Secretary of State under Buchanan because the President would not strengthen the garrison of Fort Sumter. Lincoln made Holt judge advocate general of the Army with the rank of colonel and he was promoted to brigadier and brevetted major general “for distinguished service in the Bureau of Military Justice.” He was retired in 1875. Holt was judge advocate of the military commission which convicted Mrs. Surratt, Herold, Payne and Atzerodt, and of the court which tried Gen. Fitz-John Porter for alleged inaction in the second battle of Manassas.

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You were told by the Rambler last Sunday, on authority of a paper by Madison Davis, that Griffith Coombe lived at the corner of Georgia avenue and Third street southeast. In the Washington Directory of 1843 his address is given as the west side of Third between N and O, near N southeast. It is the same place. Georgia avenue is now Potomac avenue, being given that name when Seventh street extended was named Georgia avenue. Madison Davis said “It was one of the first houses in Washington. It was built before the seat of government was moved from Philadelphia.”

That may be. The property was bought by Griffith Coombe from James D. Barry in 1818. Robert Barry of Baltimore was a co-purchaser with Coombe. The deed is dated May 27, 1818, and James D. Barry sells to Griffith Coombe and Robert Barry of Baltimore lots 1, 2 and 3 in square 771 for $10,000, “together with the three story brick dwelling house, outhouses, wharf and warehouse thereon erected.” Square 771 is between Second, Third, N and Potomac avenue southeast. I think the wharf which Griffith and Robert Barry bought in 1818 had been known from that time to some time before 1800 as Barry’s wharf, and within the memory of persons who, I hope, read the rambles, was known as Guinand’s wharf.

Leon William Guinand [R80/289] was an important man in South Washington and it was probably he who first thought of building the Anacostia and Potomac horse car railroad, which ran from the navy yard gate to Uniontown, and was extended from Eighth street southeast to Seventh street southwest along M street and extended from Uniontown through Anacostia to Hillsdale.

On the day of the filing of the deed from James D. Barry to Griffith Coombe and Robert Bary for the brick house and wharf at Georgia avenue and Third street deeds were filed under which Grifith Coombe bought from Matthew Brown for $3,500 lot 1, square 686, and from Daniel Carroll of Duddington lot 2 in the same square for $1,498.50. That square, bounded by B and C north and Delaware avenue and First east, is covered by the Senate Office Building. The old Griffith Coombe lots are at the southeast corner of the square.

I have the will of Griffith Coombe, attested February 8, 1845, and filed for probate October 2, 1845. The original of antique spelling of certain words in this document will strike you. I assume it was written by a lawyer. I make that assumption because of the cumbrous English and useless words. Part of the paper follows:

“I give and bequeath all my estate real and personal whatsoever and wheresoever whereof I am now or may be at the time of my death, in any manner entitled to have, claim or demand (no charge or conversion which I may at any time hereafter make in or of the form or body of my estate or property real or mixed to be taken as any revocation in whole or in part of this my will) unto my wife Mary Coombe hur hures and assigns forever, in trust nevertheless to and for the uses, intents and purposes following, that is to say:

“First, to and for the sole use of my said wife for and during the turm of her natural life.

“Second, in trust to be given and disposed of by hur at hur said death to and among my children and grandchildren, proportions to wit to my son James G. Coombs his hures and assigns in the proportions of one-half of the whole, other one-quarter of the whole in trust for the separate use and maintenance of my daughter Julianna Barry, wife of James D. Barry clear and independent of all controls and intermeddling of hur husband and of all responsibility of his debts and ingagements for and during the natural life of my said daughter and at hur death and among such children as she may leave and in such proportions as she may be by deed of will or any writing in the nature of a will under her hand and seal appoint and direct.”

The testator mentions his granddaughter Juliannia H. Butler. The word “tistement” appears several times in the paper. Witnesses to the will were W. Gunton, James Adams and Hugh B. Sweeny.

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Let no man of much schooling and no education mock the spelling in the will. Orthographic standards vary with the seasons. There are fashions in spelling as in pronunciation, skirts and pants. The man who wrote that will, or directed the writing of it, was a man of uncommon wisdom and of judgment, which many of us lack – the judgment which succeeds in getting and holding on to property. He was a man of influence in Old Washington. His influence was not got by having himself appointed on 700 committees which can do nothing, nor by getting his name in the newspapers without any excuse at all.

My impression of this strong-minded and industrious man is that he was not what the world calls a philanthropist, who is sometimes a man who gives away $100,000 which he cannot spend and with the object of getting $200,000 in advertising. I also get the impression that Griffith Coombe was free enough spender toward his family and other friends, and that he was not a tightwad. Fellows – not brethren – there used to be prominent citizens in Old Washington who owned mortgages on other people’s property that they itched to foreclose, who would walk 10 blocks on a hot day rather than spend a pasteboard car ticket when you could buy car tickets six for a quarter. My feeling is that Griffith Coombe was not of that wretched tribe. He made money and was tenancious of it, but he lived well and honorably, as his fiscal state justified.

Griffith Coombe appeared to public affairs in Washington in 1805 as a member of the Second Chamber of the Fourth Council. Robert Brent was mayor, Thomas Henry register and Washington Boyd treasurer. With the plan of pleasing members of our old families and misleading them to think that the Rambles are good reading, I will hand you the names of the Council of 1805: First Chamber—John Depsie, president; Charles Minitie, George Collard, William Prout, Joseph Bromley, Alexander McCormick, William Emack, John McGowan, John Gardiner, secretary. Second Chamber – Samuel Hamilton, president; John Beckley, Griffith Coombe, Robert Cherry, Peter Miller, Azariah Gatton, Nicholas Voss, Phineas Bradley, Michael Nourse, N.B. Van Zandt, secretary.

Griffith Coombe did not serve again until the Twentieth Council in 1822, and he was a member of the Twenty-first (1823), Twenty-second (1824) Twenty-third (1825), Twenty-fourth (1826), Twenty-eighth (1830), Twenty-ninth (1831), Thirty-fifth (1837) and the Thirty-sixth (1838).

I want to jog your recollection of old property owners in the part of Southeast Washington where the Coombe family lived. We will take four squares, Nos. 770, 771, 801 and 802. Square 770 is bounded by Second, Third, M and N; No. 771 is bounded by Second, Third, N and Georgia avenue. No. 801 is bounded by Third, Fourth, M and N, and No. 802 is bounded by Third, Fourth, N and Georgia avenue. Under the assessment of 1802-3 the property owner were: Square 770, John Keagler, Wilson Bryan, Richard Gridley, Ephrain Miles, Charles McDonald, Thomas Law and William Howard; square 771, John Craig, Benjamin Waters, Thomas Law and Daniel Carroll of Duddington; Square 801, Daniel Carroll Duddington,; square 802, Danniel Carroll, E Nesmith and Thomas Law. Under assessment of 1807 I find these names of lot owners not in those squares: 1802-3: James Middleton, James Crawford, William Rusk, Peter Miller, James R. Dermatt, Joseph Wheat and Thomas Wheat.

Assessment of 1824: Square No. 770, Thomas Howard, S.N. Smallwood, Joseph Vardin’s heirs, David Crook, Joseph Johnson, George Beane, William R. Maddox, William Barnes, Henry Teitzen, George W. Dawson, Thomas Law, William H. Baines, Sarah Kingsbury, Edwin Booth, Daniel Carroll; square 771, Barry and Coombe wharf and warehouse lots 2 and 7), C.B. Caldwell, Griffith Coombe (lot 4), George Sanford, E. and Elizabeth Cross, Bank of Washington and Thomas Foyles; square 801, Daniel Carroll, Griffith Coombe, William Maddox and “the tobacco warehouse” on lots 13 and 14; square 802, George Blagden, S.N. Smallwood, Griffith Coombe, Rachel Wheat, Francis Wharton’s heirs, Joseph Varden’s heirs and Edward Mattingly on lot 1 with a house assessed at $3,000.

Assessment of 1844 – Square 770, Charles B. Caldwell, Thomas Howard’s heirs, S.V. Barry, Richard Barry, Thomas Law’s heirs, James Benning, Henry Teitzen, Amon Woodward, W.A> Maddox, Sarah Kingsbury, W.H. Raines’ heirs, George Bean, Edward Booth’s heirs and Joseph Johnson; square 771, Griffith Coombe, William Speiden, George Sandford’s heirs, E. Cross’ heirs and Thomas Foyle’s heirs; square 801, Eliza Maddox, C.A.M. Maddox, Richard Barry, Griffith Coombe, Thomas Howard’s heirs, George B. Smith, Daniel Carroll and Samuel Davis; square 802, Ann Blagden’s heirs, Thomas Blagden. Nathaniel Brady, Griffith Coombe, Edward Mattingly, W.V. Wheat (Edward Mattingly was the largest owner in the square).

Assessment of 1876 – Square 770, Thomas and Thomas H.B. Chase, Richard Barry, Hattie A. Mills, Horatio Awkward, James Fullerlove, jr., Joseph Hymer, Appleton P. Clark, William E. Howard, H.A. Mathison, John G. and Joseph R. Edson, John Thomas Robey, John Jolly, Amon Woodward, Isaac S. Lyon, John Keithley, J. Thompson VanRiswick, Abel G. Davis, Ann Bean and William Robey; square 771, Leon William Guinand (lots 1, 2 and 7, wharf), Isaac Gross, Ann Bean and Enoch M. Norris; square 801, Catherine Maddox, Alvin N. Meeker, Alexander W. Eaton, Thomas H.G. Todd, William E. Howard and District of Columbia Tobacco Warehouse lots 13 and 14, George B. Smith, John W. Woodward, Isaac Cross, Sarah Jane Cross, Francis J. or I. Austin, Thomas A. Fitzpatrick, Rebecca A. Murphy, T. Edward Clark and Julianna Barry. Catherine A. Maddox was the largest owner in the square. Square 802, Laura S. Blagden, Zadoc Williams, Thomas Hutchinson, C.S. Wallack, in trust for Nancy Mattingly, and Christiana A. Jolly.

The site, Barry’s, Coombe’s and Guinand’s wharf, and the squares mentioned were taken for an extension of the navy yard several years ago, the “yard” extending from the south side of M street to the Eastern Branch. The Rambler went down Third street southeast to give you a picture of the house in which Griffith Coombe lived, or the site of it, but at M street he came against the high wire barrier about the navy yard and could go no further.