A story that has come down through the years is that in the early morning hours of December 14, 1799 Father Neale was called to Mount Vernon from St. Mary’s Mission across the Piscataway River to give former President George Washington his last rites.<ref>''The National Catholic Register'', February 24, 1957</ref> Although Washington was an Episcopalian but was suppose to have had a death bed conversion to that faith being baptized by Father Neale. Although some people argue against this story, because it is not mentioned in most of the Washington biographies, there is some further evidence to support such a possibility. In the inventory of Washington's effects there is included a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary and one of St. John.<ref>[http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moa;cc=moa;rgn=full text;idno=abt5709.0001.001;didno=ABT5709.0001.001;view=image;seq=291;page=root;size=s;frm=frameset Washington's Inventory]</ref> <ref>''The National Catholic Register'', May 11, 1952</ref> | A story that has come down through the years is that in the early morning hours of December 14, 1799 Father Neale was called to Mount Vernon from St. Mary’s Mission across the Piscataway River to give former President George Washington his last rites.<ref>''The National Catholic Register'', February 24, 1957</ref> Although Washington was an Episcopalian but was suppose to have had a death bed conversion to that faith being baptized by Father Neale. Although some people argue against this story, because it is not mentioned in most of the Washington biographies, there is some further evidence to support such a possibility. In the inventory of Washington's effects there is included a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary and one of St. John.<ref>[http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moa;cc=moa;rgn=full text;idno=abt5709.0001.001;didno=ABT5709.0001.001;view=image;seq=291;page=root;size=s;frm=frameset Washington's Inventory]</ref> <ref>''The National Catholic Register'', May 11, 1952</ref> |