Mary Carroll Caton and the George Washington Connection
Most people know that Catonsville’s claim to fame is that the matriarch of Catonsville, Mary Carroll Caton, was the daughter of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, one of 57 signers of the Declaration of Independence, the only Catholic signer, and the last surviving signer, living to 95 years old. But there’s more to her story.
Mary Carroll Caton was born in 1770 and therefore grew up during the Revolutionary War and the succeeding establishment of the United States. As a result, she personally knew many of the founding fathers of America, including George Washington and many others. Mary (nicknamed Polly) grew up at the Doughoregan (pronounced “Dough Reagan”) plantation/estate in Ellicott City, MD. The 7,000 acres plantation was founded in 1702 by Charles Carroll I (“The Settler”) and was named for a family estate in Ireland. It was expanded to 10,000 acres as “Doughoreagan Manor” in 1717 by Charles Carroll II (“of Annapolis”) around 1727.
From 1766 to 1832, Doughoregan Manor was the country home of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, where he lived with his wife Mary (“Molly”) Carroll, and his three surviving children: Mary (“Polly”) Carroll, Charles Carroll IV (“ of Homewood”), and Catherine (“Kitty”) Carroll. Charles Carroll of Carrollton is buried in the chapel attached to the north end of the mansion. The private chapel attached to the manor house was built at a time when Roman Catholic parish churches were prohibited in the colony.
Notable guests that have visited the manor include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, James Monroe, and Marquis de Lafayette. Thus, Mary Carroll Caton personally knew all of these founding fathers and famous guests while she grew up. BUT THERE IS MORE
On December 23, 1783, George Washington resigned his Commission as General of the colonies in Annapolis MD, which at the time was acting as the capital for the United States. It was a weeklong celebration with multiple parties and balls. In attendance were four future U.S. Presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Monroe and Madison. Note that at the Annapolis statehouse today, there is a room with a statue of George Washington and all the furniture as it was on the day of his resignation together with his speech. You can view this room as it was on that historic day in 1783. Visit it, if you can.
In addition, there is a famous 20 ft X 6 ft painting commemorating the event painted by noted American artist John Trumbull, which is one of 13 historic paintings hanging in the US Capital today. In this picture (lower right) is Mary Carroll Caton, the future “Mrs. Catonsville”, at age 13, together with her sister Kitty (age 5) and their father Charles Carroll of Carrollton. She was to be married 4 years later, at age 17 to Richard Caton (age 24) and the rest is Catonsville history. Not many communities can state that the matriarch of their town, Mary (Polly) Caton, was not only the daughter of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, BUT WAS ALSO present when George Washington resigned his Commission, AND is depicted in a 20 ft X 6 ft painting hanging in the US Capital Building.
Footnote: This year’s Presidential inauguration was moved into the US Capital building due to the cold weather. The event was held in the Capitol Rotunda where the above cited painting is on display. As I was watching the inauguration, I saw in the background the painting of Washington Resigning his Commission and stopped the TV to point out to my wife that “Mrs. Catonsville” was in the painting. As a lifelong Catonsvillian, I was proud.