Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA: Veenkoloniale Genealogieën

Notes:
Bethesda is an unincorporated area in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, just Northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1850, which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda. (In Aramaic, beth hesda means "house of mercy".)

As an unincorporated area, Bethesda has no official boundaries. The United States Census Bureau defines a Census-Designated Place named Bethesda whose center is located at 38°59' North, 77°7' West. The United States Geological Survey has defined Bethesda as an area whose center is at show location on an interactive map 38°58′50″N, 77°6′2″W, slightly different from the Census Bureau's definition. Other definitions are used by the Bethesda Urban Planning District, the United States Postal Service, and other organizations. As of 2000, the Census-defined community had a total population of 55,277.

History

Bethesda is situated along a major thoroughfare that was originally the route of an ancient Native American trail. Between 1805 and 1820, it was developed into a toll road to carry tobacco and other products between Georgetown and Frederick. Starting around 1920, various sections of the road were paved and widened. The route is now known as Wisconsin Avenue, becoming Rockville Pike just north of the Bethesda town center.

The community of Bethesda took its name from the Bethesda Meeting House, a Presbyterian church built in 1820 on the present site of the Cemetery of the Bethesda Meeting House, located now at 9400 Rockville Pike. The church burnt in 1850 and was rebuilt the same year about 100 yards south at its present site. In 1871, the local post office adopted the name "Bethesda" from the church and in due course the surrounding area generally took on the name.

Landmarks

Important institutions located in Bethesda include the National Institutes of Health campus, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division. Bethesda is also home to the National Naval Medical Center, commonly referred to as Bethesda Naval Hospital, where many famous Americans such as Senator Joseph McCarthy died, and the John F. Kennedy autopsy was performed. Adjoining the hospital to the east is the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS).

The headquarters of defense conglomerate Lockheed Martin, managed health care company Coventry Health Care and hotel and resort chains Marriott International and Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. are located in Bethesda. Software company Bethesda Softworks was originally located in Bethesda, but moved to Rockville, Maryland in 1990. The Discovery Channel also had its headquarters in Bethesda before relocating to Silver Spring in 2004. On the professional services side, numerous banks (PNC, W Wachovia, Chevy Chase Bank, which is headquartered in Bethesda) brokerage firms (SmithBarney, Merrill Lynch,Charles Schwab, Fidelity) and law firms (JDKatz, Paley Rothman, Learch Early & Brewer) maintain offices in Bethesda. Bethesda is renowned for its extensive collection of restaurants—180 were listed at the end of 2004—offering cuisine ranging from Afghan to Vietnamese. Bethesda is also home to two vibrant farmers markets, the Montgomery Farm Woman's Cooperative Market and the Bethesda Farmer's Market, as well as numerous cinemas, art movie houses, book stores (including used, and second hand books) and art galleries.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRIT) has developed much of the west side of Bethesda. Also located in downtown Bethesda is one of just 12 Madonna of the Trail monuments, erected by the National Old Trails Association working in concert with thhe Daughters of the American Revolution. Judge Harry S. Truman, later 33rd President of the United States, presided over the dedication of the Bethesda monument, on April 19, 1929. Eleven others were erected as well, and they stretch from Upland, California to Bethesda, the easternmost of these monuments, which commemorate the spirit of pioneer women during the westward expansion of the U.S.A. Nearby is the Bethesda Post Office, probably the oldest standing building in the downtown area. Also starting in the heart of downtown Bethesda, is the Capital Crescent Trail Capital Crescent Trail which follows the old tracks of the B&O Railroad stretching from Georgetown, Washington, D.C. to Silver Spring, MD.

Bethesda is also home to the Burning Tree Club, the Bethesda Country Club and the Bethesda Community Baseball Club which operates the Bethesda Big Train, a summer collegiate baseball team.

In addition, Bethesda has many good public schools. Bethesda's primary public high schools were ranked by Newsweek Magazine in 2006 as among the best in the country. Walt Whitman High School was ranked 42nd nationally, Walter Johnson High School and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School were both honorable mentions.

Death

Matches 1 to 2 of 2

	Last Name, Given Name(s)	Death	Person ID	Tree
1	Raat, Kenneth Ralph	23 Apr 1995	I204497	savenije
2	Shriver, Robert Sargent	18 Jan 2011	I673275	savenije

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