The Harassment of Charles Bell (Alexander Graham Bell's Cousin and Brother-in-Law)
Alexander Graham Bell's cousin and brother-in-law, Charles Bell’s peaceful life in Dupont Circle was ruffled when Mary Gage, a widow from New Jersey, moved to Washington with her daughter in 1906 and purchased the house at 4 Dupont Circle. For Mary Gage—who believed that in order to achieve social status, it was necessary to have a wide circle of acquaintances—acceptance into Washington society was everything. She claimed she could trace her lineage to several royal families of Europe and published her genealogy in a pamphlet entitled “The Colonial Ancestors and Royal Descent of Mrs. Harlan Calvin Gage,” which she then sent around to Washington’s society women hoping for invitations, but none ever came. Upon her arrival in Washington, she also founded the National Society of Colonial Daughters of America and declared herself its president for life.
Mary had overextended herself financially in purchasing the Dupont Circle house. Much of …
