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Ancestor Seeks Loan Repayment

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - George Washington could not tell a lie, but he appatently could leave behind a whopping debt.

An ancestor of Jacob DeHaven, who lent Washington $450,000 worth of gold and supplies in 1777, is looking for repayment of the loan.

With interest, the bill comes to $105.3 billion. "If I owed the government this money, I would be expected to pay the principal, interest and any penalties that might have been incurred," said Carolyn Cokerham of San Antonio.

Ms. Cokerham is one of the nearly 2,000 living descendants of DeHaven, who made the loan to Washington to help defeat the British in the Revolutionary War.

After the war, the government offered to repay DeHaven's loan in continentals, the then-worthless currency of the fledging country. But DeHaven refused and later died penniless.

Ms. Cokerham and his other descendants have tried unsuccessfully to get the money repaid throughout the years.