In this series of looking at the odd numbered side of the 1700 block of New Jersey Ave NW from 1920 to 1930, I decided to look at the other end of the block. The change from 1920 to 1930 for most of the block was from white renters to black home owners. My post The sell off of the 1700 block of New Jersey Ave NW pretty much explains the why.
White Renters
According to the 1920 census 1715 was occupied by the Perkins family. It was headed by 39 year old machinist Brooke. He lived with his wife Florence Moore (nee Shettle), a 35 year old sales woman at a bookstore, 13 year old daughter Florence E., mother Eliza Isbelle McComas Shettle (65) and aunt Anna McComas (55) who worked as a clerk for the railroad.
Here I notice the household has a couple of working women.
The Perkins family of parents and daughter were at 1715 in 1910. However then, Brooke was the manager of a grocery and Florence M. was a stay at home mom to her three year old daughter.
Jumping from 1910 let’s see where the Perkins were after leaving New Jersey Avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Perkins lived at 520 Park Road NW with mother in law Mrs. Shettle. Mrs. Perkins’ career may have improved as she moved from sales lady to an auditor. Mr. Perkins was still a mechanic. Their daughter, became Mrs. Raymond Calvert Firor, sometime after he divorced the last Mrs. Raymond Firor in 1928. In 1930 Mr. Firor’s wife was listed as Betty, a 23 year old bookkeeper. By 1940, she was the mother of two Firor children.
Black Homeowners
According to previous research, Rev. Fred H. Seeney purchased 1715 NJ Ave NW for about $2,800. March 1922 Fred and Hester Seeney sold the home to Cleo M.J. and Melvin J. Key. Melvin and Cleo were living at 1715 for the 1930 census. The Keys borrowed $1,052.68 from trustees Edmund Hill Jr. and Thomas Walker. Then in 1925 borrowed $3,000 from the Prudential Bank and $1,850 at 7% (6% is what I normally see) APR from trustees William R. Baum and Robert T. Highfield. The Keys had many other loans during their tenure in the home. Widow Cleo Key sold the home October 1982 to David M. Logsdon.
Because of my day job, there are times when dealing with historical records I think to myself, ‘Oh, we’ve been here before.’ I’m in an interracial marriage and now I get to look at what appears to be an interracial marriage 100 years ago. Since that aspect and other things about the Seeney’s are detailed and messy, I will give them their own post.
The Keys should be the focus since they resided at 1715 New Jersey Ave NW the longest.
Melvin Key was a reverend, as was the previous owner Frederick Seeney, but a different denomination.
Melvin Jefferson Key was born July 17, 1886 in Florence, Alabama. According to his obituary, he came to Washington, DC in 1912 and became a clerk for the US Government. I will assume in those early years was when he attended Howard University for a degree in Theology. In the 1920 census he and wife Cleo were living at 339 Elm St NW. He was working as a clerk for the Pension Office. Cleo was a hair dresser working out of the home. He also lived with his 56 year old mother in law, a domestic for a private family, Willie Jones and 16 year old brother in law, Alonzo Jones.
It wasn’t until the 1930 census Melvin Key identifies as a clergyman. His employer was the Methodist Church. It could have been the Turner Memorial Church or the Seaton AME church that is currently in Lanham, MD. We are left to assume his mother in law passed away and they were still with Alonzo who was not occupied.
In 1940, the household was a little different. From his obit, we know Key did not retire from the clergy until 1962. But in the 1940 census he job was cited as a clerk. Cleo was a housewife. The Keys lived with lodgers, Richard and Annie Bancraft. There was a 15 year old Sara E. Cooper listed as a daughter. I’m not sure whose daughter she was.
In the last available census, 1715 had been broken up into 2 units. Robert J. Peeler, a clerk-typist for the Federal government lived in unit #1. Pastor Key and Cleo lived in unit 2. It appears Rev. Key was working as a Baptist minister. I suspect this was for the People’s Community Church. Cleo was back in the working world at the age of 58, as a secretary for the Y.W.C.A.
Rev. Key died in 1964. Cleo died in 1986.