WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 210 Bates Street NW

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.photo of property

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 210 Bates St NW:

  • January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 210 Bates NW to Morgan S. Brown Sr and his wife Herberth C. Brown.
  • January 1951 the Browns borrowed $2,900 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 210 Bates St NW to Ozell and Juette Leathers.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Leathers borrowed $2,900 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • August 1959 the Browns were released from their mortgage.
  • January 1961, the Leathers lost their half to foreclosure and ownership returned to Colonial Investment Co partners Harry A. Badt (Levin died), Evans and Taube.
  • November 1961, as part of a large package, Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses, sold the foreclosed half of 210 Bates St NW to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • October 1971, the Basilikos and widow Herberth C. Brown sold 210 Bates to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
  • August 1979 the DC RLA, as part of a larger property package, sold 210 Bates to private partner Bates Street Associates, Inc.

This is another sad WSiC story, with a foreclosure in 1961. Of course the foreclosed property was sold to notorious landlord George Basiliko. He sold his half, as well as Mrs. Brown, to DC RLA which then passed it on to the Bates Street Associates.

I looked for the Leathers, and found them. Apparently Juette  gave in and accepted the conventional spelling of her name. Juliette Leathers died last year on January 15, 2022 and is buried in the same section of Quantico National Cemetery as her husband Ozell Sr. who died a few years earlier in 1999. Before dying they lived at and owned 1123 46th Pl SE, a modest little duplex. They bought the house in SE DC in 1978 so they were able to recover from that set back.

Pocahontas Pope’s house is for sale 1500 1st St NW

I was in the neighborhood the other day and noticed a for sale sign up at Pocahontas Pope’s old house.

It is going for $899,000, and apparently there was a price drop of $50K. It is a 2 bedroom 2.5 bath home just a few feet shy of 1,500 sq. ft. It obviously has been renovated since 2004, and 2011 and very well. Hopefully, whoever buys it will appreciate the history of that property, even if the structure has been gutted and renovated.

Below I have the old post from 2021 about Mrs. Pope.

With a name like Pocahontas, I’ve been dying to delve into whatever the heck this is, even if it is a dead end.

According to the 1920 census African American widowed dressmaker Pocahontas Pope lived at 1500 1st St NW with several lodgers. Taking in lodgers, the way people take on roommates, was a way to add to one’s income.

photo of property

At first her name did not show up when I did a search of land records. Usually, I search by square and lot number. When I did that her name did not appear and I thought I might have hit a dead end. But then I decided to search by name, and lo, four records appeared, two of them related to 1500 1st St. NW. The other two (docs 192212140170 & 192212140171) was for a LeDroit property, unknown square, lot 3, and it looked like Ms. Pope was acting as a go between.

The records for 1500 1st St were from 1939 and 1940 and Mrs. Pope was already deceased. In the April 1939 trust, devisees of Mrs. Pope’s will, Lawrence A/L Lyles and Clementine K. Plummer borrowed $511.15 from individuals. in 1940, Lawrence A. Lyles, aka Lawrence L. Lyles, sold/transferred the property to co-owner Clementine Kay Plummer. She immediately (same day) borrowed $2,500 from the Enterprise Building Association. Clementine K. Plummer has popped up here and there.

Well what of Pocahontas? Well one of the first records I find about her is her late husband’s will. It’s not much of a will, it basically reads that he, John W. Pope, leaves everything to his wife Pocahontas. What is interesting is where the will was filed, Cape May, NJ. I’m not an expert but there is a link between Cape May and well off DC African Americans. Secondly, who witnessed the will is a who’s who of Black Truxton Circle. The first witness was E. Ortho Peters of 100 P St NW. The second, Dr. Arthur B. McKinney of 63 P St NW. There is a 3rd witness, looks like J.R. Wilder of 218 I St NW.

This got me to thinking. Then I did a Googly search on our gal Pocahontas… jackpot. She was an influential member of the Baha’i faith. I’m just going to quote bahaipedia.org for Pocahontas Kay Grizzard Pope’s (~1864-1938) biography:

Her mother Mary Sanlin Kay Grizzard held property including the old County Clerk of Court Office building when it became a private home. Her father John W. Kay is little known but may be the Haliwa-Saponi connection. Soon Pocahontas Kay Grizzard married Rev. John W. Pope, kin to Dr. Manassa Pope, a prominent African-American doctor of North Carolina. John was 8 years her senior and together for some 15 years they served in one or another black schools in Plymouth, Scotland Neck, or Rich Square, NC, areas of deeply rural community. However with the hostility and political changes peaking in 1898 the Popes moved to Washington D.C. where John got a job working for the US Census. Soon both were active in black society, associated with then Congress Representative George H. White and others, giving scholarly presentations, and community activism.

Pocahontas and John never had children and he died in 1918. Pope lived on two more decades without being mentioned in newspapers save when she died – and her last two years were hospitalized. Her house has been noted in tours offered by the Washington D. C. Bahá’í community.

It has? Okay.

The 1920[95] and 1930[96] census’ noted Pope listed with lodgers in the home and working as a dressmaker. The last two years of her life she was a patient at Saint Elizabeth’s hospital.[18] Pocahontas Pope died 11 Nov 1938,[97] late in the evening of cardiovascular failure by hypostatic pneumonia confirmed by an autopsy.[98] She was listed as a Baptist, but in her connection with the Faith in those early years Bahá’ís were not required to leave their former religious communities and indeed sometimes were encouraged to remain active in them.[62]pp. 190, 228-9, 397[99]

One newspaper article notes family relations and other details[100] – nieces Clementine Kay Plummer and Mrs. Charles Hawkins of Portsmouth, VA, nephew Lawrence A. Lyles of Asheville, NC, and that she was buried in the Columbian Harmony Cemetery at 9th Street NE and Rhode Island Avenue NE in Washington, DC after services at the Second Baptist Church on 3rd St. Clementine Kay Plummer was the executrix of her Will.[8] It lists some of the next of kin as inheritors. In order as listed they were: Alex Kay, Ines Kay, Viola Hawkins, Gloria Kay, Andrew Kay, Constance Kay, Cleo Blakely, John W. Kay Jr, June Kay with custodian Mrs. Willie Otey Kay, and Antonio Orsot custodian for Beatrice L. Orsot.

In 1960, the graves at Columbian Harmony Cemetery, including that of Pocahontas Pope, were relocated to the National Harmony Memorial Park in Maryland. [101]

Well that clears up some things and will save me some time when I take a look at Clementine K. Plummer again.

Larger memorial image loading...

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 204 Bates Street NW

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.photo of property

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 204 Bates St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 204 Bates NW to Murrell S. and Vincent A. Curtis.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Mr. and Mrs. Curtis borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 204 Bates St NW to Eugene S. and Laverne P. Washington.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Washingtons borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman. (Released March 1959)
  • February 1953 Mr. and Mrs. Curtis lost their half of the house to foreclosure and via an auction it returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
  • March 1953 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the foreclosed half to Annie Lee Blakeney and William B. Blakeney.
  • March 1953 the Blakeneys borrowed $3,242.50 from trustees Weightman and Levin.
  • January 1955 the Washingtons sold their half to Herman and Marissa Belle Shepherd.
  • December 1954 (recorded Feb 1955) the Blakeneys lost their half to foreclosure and via an auction it returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
  • October 1956 the Shepherds sold their half Evans, Levin and Taube, bringing the whole house back to their ownership.
  • March 1959, as part of a larger property package, new partner Harry A. Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors, and their spouses sold 204 Bates St NW to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • November 1971 Basiliko sold 200 Bates and 204 Bates Street to the Dc Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).

I’m going to stop there because the documents get confusing after DC RLA takes it over. It gets condemned. It winds up in the hands of private partner Bates Street Associates, which then becomes BSA Limited Partnership. Currently, it looks like a bank owns it.

1957 Church Survey- Steeple Church Roundup

I was wondering if I got all the churches in the 1957 Northwest Urban Renewal Church Survey. The Northwest Urban Renewal Area was the area that makes up Shaw, Mt. Vernon Sq and Triangle, Chinatown, Downtown and whatever that is near Union Station. So here is a list of the steeple churches captured by the 1957 survey:

STEEPLE- CHURCH INDEX

NORTHWEST URBAN RENEWAL AREA
Baptist
Corinthian
First Rising Mt. Zion
Greater New Bethel
Metropolitan
Mt. Airy
Mt. Carmel
Mt. Gilead
New Bethany
Paramount
Redeemer Italian
Salem
Second
Shiloh
Springfield
Southern
St. Phillips
St. Stephan’s
Tenth
Third
Vermont Avenue

Methodist
Galbraith
Hemingway Temple A. M. E.
Israel C.M. E.
John Wesley A. M. E.
Miles Memorial C.M. E.
Mt. Vernon

Catholic
Holy Redeemer
Church of the Immaculate Conception
St. Aloysius

Lutheran
Luther Place Memorial
Mt. Olivet

Others
Ascension and Saint Agnes Protestant Episcopal
Bible Way
Chinese Community
Church of God & Saints of Christ
Full Gospel Tabernacle
Holy Trinity
Lincoln Temple Congregational Christian
Mt. Zion Pentecostal
New Tried Stone Church of Christ
Rehoboth Church of God
Third Church of Christ Scientist
Third Church of God
Twelve St. Christian
Verbycke Spiritual

Two Block Fringe Area

Baptist
Berean
Florida Ave
New Hope
Peoples Seventh Day
Walker Memorial

Methodist
Asbury
Metropolitan AME
Turner AME

Catholic
St. Mary Mother of God
St. Paul the Apostle
St. Augustine

Others
Church of the Holy City
Eckington Presbyterian
Fifteenth Presbyterian
Grace Reformed
National City Christian
St. Luke Protestant Episcopal

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 202 Bates Street NW

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.photo of property

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 202 Bates St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 202 Bates NW to Louis and Mattie C. Cunningham.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Cunninghams borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Feb 1, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 202 Bates St NW to Frank and Nora Coleman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Feb 1, 1951) the Colemans borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • May 1956 the Colemans lost their half to foreclosure and via an auction it returned to the ownership of Evans, Levin and Taube.
  • June 1958 the Cunninghams lost their half to foreclosure and through an auction Colonial Investment partners Harry A. Badt, James B, Evans, and Nathaniel J. Taube.
  • June 1958, as part of a property package, the Badts (Harry A. and wife Jennie) transfer/sold their interest in 202 Bates St NW to Nathan Levin’s survivors.
  • March 1959, as part of a larger property package, Badt, Evans, Taube, Levin’s survivors, and their spouses sold 202 Bates St NW to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • Between 1971/72 and 1982 Basiliko sold the house. I suspect to DC RLA but I can’t find the document for that and other properties.
  • April 1982 the BSA Limited Partnership sold/ transferred the house to the District of Columbia government.
  • January 1983 the District of Columbia government sold it to its current owner.

Well that was short. Sold in parts, and both parts foreclosed upon and landing in the portfolio of a slumlord within 9 years.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 200 Bates Street NW

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.photo of property

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 200 Bates St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 200 Bates St NW to Ida J. and James W. Grayson.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Graysons borrowed $3,025 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 200 Bates St NW to Cleo T. and William Willis.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Willis borrowed $3,025 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • August 1956 the Willis family lost their home to foreclosure and with an auction it returned to Evans, Taube and new partner Harry A. Badt.
  • August 1956 (recorded 8/1958) as part of a larger property package, the Badts (Harry A. and wife Jennie) transferred their interest in 200 Bates St NW to Nathan Levin’s survivors.
  • November 1961 the Graysons lost their half to foreclosure and via an auction the property went back to Evans, Taube and the Nathan Levin survivors.
  • November 1961, as part of a larger property package, Evans, Taube, Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold 200 Bates St NW to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • November 1971, the Basilikos sold 200 and 204 Bates Street NW (document 1971023182) to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
  • Sometime after 1971 the DC RLA transferred or sold the property to the BSA Limited Partnership.
  • April 1982 the BSA Limited Partnership sold the property back to the District of Columbia government.

Let’s go down the checklist: Property sold in halves, check. Foreclosures, check. George Basiliko ownership, check. DC RLA ownership, check. Just another sad WSIC story.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 206 Bates Street NW

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.photo of property

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 206 Bates St NW:

  • January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the whole of 206 Bates Street NW to Sylvester Butler and Bettie H. Garner.
  • January 1951 Butler and Garner borrowed $5,050 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • August 1952 Butler and Garner transferred the property to Edith E. Matthews, who transferred half of the property to Bettie Garner and the other half to Sylvester Butler.
  • August 1953 Miss Garner borrowed $2,320.72 from Levin and Weightman.
  • August 1953 Mr. Butler borrowed $2,320.72 from Levin and Weightman.
  • February 1953 Butler and Garner were released from their 1951 mortgage.
  • August 1953, Butler lost his half of the house to foreclosure. Through an auction the property returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
  • June 1959, new partner Harry A. Badt, Nathan Levin’s survivors, Evans, Taube and their spouses sold the foreclosed half to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • February 1963, Bettie H. Garner was released from her mortgage.
  • March 1972 the Basilikos sell the property to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency.

I’m stopping here because the documents onward are confusing. I cannot find out what happened to Ms. Garner and her half, it just gets lost. But as part of the usual story, we have a foreclosure, a sale to the Basilikos and the DC Redevelopment Agency.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 40 O Street NW

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.photo of property

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 40 O St NW:

  • February 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 40 O St NW to Nellie and John R. Burton.
  • February 1951 the Burtons borrowed $3,125 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • February 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 40 O St NW to Helen O. and Robert M. Pyndell.
  • February 1951 the Pyndells borrowed $3,125 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • March 1958 the Pyndells lost their half of the property to foreclosure and through an auction the property returned to Evans and Taube and new partner Harry A. Badt.
  • March 1958, as part of a larger property package, the Badts (Harry A. and wife Jennie) transfer/sold their interest in 40 O St NW to Nathan Levin’s survivors.
  • August 1958 the Burtons lost their half of the property to foreclosure and the property returned to Badt, Evans and Taube via an auction.
  • August 1958, as part of a larger property package, Harry and Jennie Badt transferred/sold their interest in 40 O St NW to Nathan Levin’s survivors.
  • March 1959, Badt, Evans, Taube, the Levin survivors, and their spouses, as part of a large property package, sold the whole of 40 O St to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • July 1971, as part of a large property package, George & Sophia Basiliko sold 40 O St NW to the Housing System Development and Construction Corp.

Once again it appears that the scheme set up just set Africans American buyers for failure. And as a bit of irony housing expressly built to improve renters lives wound up in the hands of a slumlord who did not improve the lives of his tenants.

Robert Martell Pyndell, before buying 40 O St NW, was a Black truck driver living with his in-laws at 521 2nd St SE in 1950. In 1947 he married Helen Odessa Shepard. After this loss in Truxton Circle the family managed to buy a home in 1961 at 306 Channing Street NE. Funnily, looking at the Channing St deed, there is covenant language on document 1961001489 stating that the property should not be sold, leased or conveyed to any person of negro or part negro blood. Mr. Pyndell appears to be unmistakably black. This was in 1961, after racial covenants were found to be unconstitutional in 1948. The Pyndells eventually wound up in Alabama, with Robert selling a plot of land (parking spot? Sq 3554 lot 0106) in 1985.

Unfortunately, there were two John R. Burtons and two Nellie Burtons (married to different people) buying and owning property in DC at the time. I found a John Burton, an Afro-American barber married to a Nellie (nee Lane?) living at 505 O Street NW in the 1920 census. But I’m not 100% sure these are the same people.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 219 P Street NW

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.photo of property

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there was the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 219 P St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 219 P NW to Ethel M. and Jacob S. Miller.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Millers borrowed $3,250 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • February 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 219 P St NW to Arthur and Blumne Lipscomb.
  • Feb 1951 Mitchell borrowed $3,400 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • January 1952 the Lipscombs transferred their half to Margaret Johnson who transferred it back to Arthur Lipscomb and Blumer Whitehead, who I will assume is the same person as Blumne Lipscomb.
  • October 1961 the Millers are released from their mortgage, owning their half free and clear.
  • April 1962 the Lipscomb mortgage is released.
  • August 1970, Shellie F, Bowers administrator for the estate of Henry A. Lipscomb sold his interest to Elizabeth Edwards.
  • August 1988, Elizabeth Edwards was noted to have a 1/4 interest in 219 P St, sold her interest, as well as the heir-at-law of Blumer Whitehead (died 6/30/1985) to Freda D. and Junella M. Gaines.

I have no idea what happened to the Millers. It’s safe to assume they died. They just disappeared. Junella A. Gaines was the heir of the Millers as there is a water sewer lien sent to them in 1986, two years before the other half of the house was sold her. There is a 2002 Quit Claim Deed stating that the Gaines were heirs of the Millers.

As we can see from the 2004 photo above, the house was abandoned and vacant in total. The city condemned the property in October of 2004 when it was owned by FDG Funding Services.

Comparative White DC Home Owner- Capitol Hill- Charles E. Speiden- 232 South Carolina Ave SE

To get an idea to see if what I am seeing with the Black Homeowners of Truxton Circle is normal, or not, I am comparing them with white home owners.  I am looking at blocks that were over 90% white in 1950 but also in the same “red lined” zone, which was F1.

photo of property

The first document to show up for this Capitol Hill property is a release, which means a debt has been paid, from 1921 for a 1915 debt. It was in Charles E. and Emma F. Speiden’s name who appear in the 1930 census for 232 South Carolina Ave SE in Washington, DC. On March 30, 1948 the home was sold by Charles and Emma’s survivors to Constance Wilson who sold it to Erika B. Ezzell a few days later.

 Charles Edwin Speiden Sr.
Charles Edwin Speiden (1863/1864-1946)

So who were Charles and Emma Speiden?

Well Charles Edwin Speiden was born January 16, 1863 in Washington, DC to William R. and Sarah Ann Perkins Speiden, one of nine children. In 1880, the family lived at 228 K St SE. His father was a blacksmith, his older brother was a blacksmith and in the 1900 census he was a blacksmith.

In 1885 Charles married Emma Florence Scott. In 1890 the blacksmith and his bride lived at 1206 I St SE. In 1900 they were living with his in-laws, Jasper Scott the iron molder, at 503 12th St SE. That year the Speidens had five children between the ages of 13 and four.

Emma was born in 1863 to Jasper A. and Mary Jane Murray Scott in the District of Columbia. She was about one of five children and she in turn had five children, Addie Florence Speiden Adams (1886–1953), William Jasper Speiden (1887–1971), Emma Viola Speiden Huff (1891– 1956), Mary Jane Speiden McClay (1894–1961) and Charles Edwin Speiden Jr. (1895–1901).

By 1930 Charles Speiden was a business owner, iron worker, running East Washington Ornamental Iron Works at 618-620 C Street SE. His adult daughters Emma Huff, and Addie Adams lived with him and Emma, with and her daughter Florence. Their adult daughters were listed as widows, however the 1940 census revealed that Addie was divorced.

Charles died January 31, 1936 at home. A couple years later, Emma Scott Speiden died January 2, 1948.