David Burnes
The White House, South Lawn, The Ellipse, and part of the National Mall sit on land that Burnes once owned.
[3] His younger siblings were Thomas, John, James, Ann, wife of Alexander Truman, Margaret, Elizabeth, Frederick, William, and Burgess.
[4] Before he died in 1769, his father James started the process to get a patent for part of Beall's Level.
Burnes, who was sixteen, and his brother James joined Braddock's company led by Captain John Perry.
Serving with him were Captain John Wightt, Burnes brother-in-law, and his brother James.
[4] In 1778, Burnes joined the First Maryland Brigades of the Continental Army[7] during the Revolutionary War (1775–1783).
The community held her in high esteem and she possessed "charitable and benevolent virtues".
[4] George Alfred Townsend stated "'The obstinate Mr. Burns' will be the subject of portraiture often in the future, stickling for the largest equity and conditions, and paying little relative respect to the opinion of the General, whom he once declared to be of eminence chiefly on the score of having married the rich widow Cust (Custis)".
[16] The lands of Burnes, Daniel Carroll, of Duddington Manor, Motley Young, and Samuel Davidson were the basis of the 7,100-acre city.
As part of the agreement, Burnes and the rest of the men retained every other lot and they gave the other half to the government.
[5] In the meantime, public streets were constructed, including Pennsylvania Avenue that ran through Burnes' farm.
[6] Burnes built a 1+1⁄2-story house in downtown Washington with beautiful views of the city.
[5] Leading men of Washington visited him at his home called "Burnes Mansion",[2] which was a simple but well-appointed residence for the time.
[19] George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Lee, Alexander Hamilton, the Carrolls, the Duddingtons, and Aaron Burr were some of his visitors.
[20] Marcia married Congressman John Peter Van Ness on May 9, 1802, after her father died.
The lived there with Marcia's husband, John Peter Van Ness, until December 1804 when they moved to a house at 1202 D. Pennsylvania Avenue.
