Richard Raymond Jones was born March 5, 1887 to Robert A. and Ellin Jones in Washington, DC. He first appeared in Truxton Circle in the 1900 census as a 13 year old student. He and his family lived at 310 P St NW. He may have attended one of the schools along P St for African American students.
He first appears in Truxton Circle in the 1900 census at 310 P St NW at the age of 13. His occupation was “student” he lived in the house his parents rented with his two older sisters and three brothers. His father was a store porter and his mother worked as a laundress. The work of a laundress allowed women to work from home.
In the next census the family was still at 310 P St. He was an adult living at home. He was a single man working as a driver for a bakery. His father was still a porter, but for a drug store this time and his mother had apparently retired from outside work. Richard lived with his 30 maiden sister Emma who worked as a servant, his elder brother Robert (26) who worked as a baker in a bakery, younger brother George (19) who was an “elevator boy” and sister-in-law Sarah (25) who kept house.
In the 1910 census he was listed as being single, however marriage records say different. According to the DC Marriage Index, he married Lessie M. Brown in September 1908. He’s noted as married with 2 children on his World War I draft registration. On that card his address is 312 P St NW, next door to his parents.
By the 1920 census he had relocated to 1637 New Jersey Avenue NW, still in Truxton Circle. At this point in his life he was working as a laborer for the Navy Yard. His wife was at home with their 2 year old daughter. It seems that at least one child died or relocated between WWI and 1920. He also housed his 50 year old mother in law Alice Brown who worked as a servant.
The last time Mr. Jones appears in Truxton Circle in the census is 1930. Still on NJ Ave NW, in the same house. He was a truck driver for a trucking company. His wife continued to keep house going my her other name Mary instead of Lessie. Living under his roof was his daughters Dorothy A. (21) and Venola L. (13) and two year old son Raymond R. For some reason, Dorothy was over at 219 Q St NW living with relatives in 1920.
By the 1940s Richard had relocated to Morris Rd SE in a house he owned, his days of renting over. And there he lived with his new wife Estelle Watts Jones, a waitress, and his 12 year old son Richard (Raymond?). Mary Lassie Jones died September 21, 1933 at their home on New Jersey Ave. Her funeral was held at the Third Baptist Church.
According to the Ancestry family tree, Richard Raymond Jones died March 22, 1966 in Washington, DC.
Thousands of people have lived in the Truxton Circle neighborhood for over 100 years and they have thousands of stories. The goal of the Truxton Circle History Project is to find every man, woman, and child who lived in the neighborhood using every available source. The Project uses the 1880-1950 censuses, the power of Ancestry and every other online resource to discover and uncover neighborhood history.