Col. William Grigsby Freeman (1815-1866)
of Ashburton House, Washington D.C.; Chief of Staff to General Scott
He graduated from West Point and served in the Florida Indian Wars and in the War with Mexico. On being appointed assistant to the Adjutant-General, he moved to Washington D.C., where he was afterwards Chief of Staff to Gen. Winfield Scott. In Washington, he lived with his family at the Ashburton House (pictured) where in 1842 Daniel Webster had negotiated the treaty that settled the boundary disputes between the U.S. and Canada. The Freemans shared the house with William's unmarried sister-in-law, Sarah Coleman, who purchased the house in 1853 and deeded half of the interest to the Freemans. He and his wife had at least five children, including their daughter, Mrs. Margaret Buckingham, who continued to live at Ashburton House.
