Relatively Large Reunion Marks Death of Madison

James Madison, fourth President of the United States, had no children, but about 450 descendants of his seven brothers and sisters gathered at Madison’s grave at Montpelier Station, Va., Sunday, the 151st anniversary of his death. “I don’t really have any relatives in the area,” said Neil W. Madison Sr., 33, a car salesman in Rockville, Md., and a sixth cousin, twice removed. “To be here with all these people--it’s amazing.” The National Trust for Historic Preservation hopes this will be the 17181866112,700-acre Montpelier plantation. “We originally thought we might find 150 people,” said Ruth Lyn Thompson, director of public affairs for the National Trust. But with the help of genealogical experts, the trust located nearly 450 Madison relatives and almost all showed up, some from as far away as Denmark. While many attending had been aware of their founding father, some, such as the Rev. Thomas Traynham of Crewe, Va., were not. “It was a delight to hear a few months ago that we had one in our roots so distinguished,” he said.

--Old habits die hard. Four vans carrying U.S. and Canadian forestry officials were returning to Missoula, Mont., from a tour of an experimental forest, when they passed a grass fire that covered about 60 square feet. The vans pulled to a halt and an impromptu squad was mustered that included former U.S. Forest Service Chief R. Max Peterson, Montana State Forester Gary Brown and British Columbia Minister of Forests Dave Parker. Someone found a shovel and some canvas and five minutes later the VIPs had the fire out.

--New York City is ranked among the toughest places in the country to get a handgun permit. But demand for them has been good business for Stephen D’Andrilli, a former New York policeman and head of Guardian Group International, which specializes in cutting through the red tape of permit applications. “We are a service, the same way you pay an accountant to do your taxes,” said D’Andrilli, who has more than 2,000 clients, many of them corporate executives and millionaires. Total costs for using his service can add up to $2,400, but he said there is no charge unless the company can deliver at least a target permit. D’Andrilli acknowledged that any private citizen could go through the licensing process without his assistance, but “if you’d like to minimize the aggravation . . . come to us. If not, I wish you lots of luck.”