Author: Mari

When I see the name Carrie, I think of a shy blonde gal who gets blood dumped on her. But this is not a high schooler with supernatural powers, this Carrie is an African American teacher in 1920s Truxton Circle.

Carrie Howard Thomas was born the second daughter to Jefferson Thomas and Mary E. Stevenson on March 5, 1868 in Washington, DC. The 1880 census had her living at 448 O St NW with her dad, who worked as a school janitor, mom, sister and four younger brothers.

By 1900 the family moved to 1629 New Jersey Ave NW, a home that Jefferson Thomas owned. Jefferson was still a school janitor and Carrie was a teacher. But she was no mere school teacher. She was Dr. C.H. Thomas, graduate from Howard University’s medical school.She also has a Wikipedia entry, which in danger of being deleted for her lack of notability. Here is a description of her career from the entry:

Prior to the 1880s, there had been no consistent teaching of physical education in Washington D.C. public schools for African American children. Thomas played an early role in overseeing the improvement improving physical education, with Edwin Bancroft Henderson later revolutionizing the system. In 1892, she was appointed Superintendent of Heredity and Hygiene, assisting in supervising physical education.

On June 30 that year, she wrote a report, signed “C.H. Thomas,” detailing visits twice a month to the schools, supervising lesson plans, and observing the physical education classes. Dr. Thomas gave weekly talks to teachers on physical education, hygiene, and other topics covered in the physical education classes. When Thomas resigned the following year, she was succeeded by physical education teacher Mary P. Evans.

In 1896, Thomas was living in Washington D.C., where she represented the Lucy Thurman W.C.T.U. (Women’s Christian Temperance Union” during a convention of the National Federation of Colored Women and the National League of Colored Women. Other convention attendees included Margaret Murray Washington (president of the Federation) and Ida B. Wells.

From at least 1905 through 1915, she was serving in the Women’s Relief Corps. In 1911, Thomas also was serving as treasurer for O.P. Morton Women’s Relief Corps WRC), No. 1. Thomas represented the Potomac at the National Convention for the WRC in 1915, where she was the convention’s official physician.

But let’s talk about her house. As noted above, it belonged to her father Jefferson before her. By the 1910 census Jefferson Thomas had died, leaving the house to his widow, Carrie’s mother, Mary E. Thomas. But when we go to the 1920 census, Jefferson is long dead, Mary E. has died, and Carrie lived alone, the owner of 1629 NJ Ave NW.

Looking at the Recorder of Deeds records, the original Thomas family did not use the property to borrow money. The earliest record is from 1944 when the property is sold by Dr. Thomas’ niece, Marietta Kirby Yetman to a Ms. Eleanor Byrd, who then sold it to Clifford L. Brooks. In Dr. Carrie H. Thomas’ will (probate date 8/20/1930) she left the property to Yetman, who resided in Plainfield, New Jersey. It appears she never married. Dr. Thomas died in 1930 and is buried in Suitland, MD. In Dr. Carrie H. Thomas’ will she left the property to Yetman, who resided in Plainfield, New Jersey.

We’ve looked at Carrie Walker before, so we’ll look again. That earlier post was for Property Owners of Truxton Circle, where I look at property owners, regardless of race. Also that previous post went over the loans and the 1950 sale to Lawrence C. and Rosa A. Diggs.

This post will focus on the genealogy of Carrie G. Walker.

Carrie G. Walker was the daughter of John W. Walker and Carrie Johnson, born January 1879. Both Carries have also been Caroline. John worked as a government messenger. In 1900 they lived at 216 R St NW, John was still a messenger and daughter Carrie G. was a public school substitute teacher. In 1910 their address changed to 146 R St NW, where John was still a messenger at the age of 58 and Carrie G., was a clerk in a government office. In 1940 when Carrie was 59, she too was a messenger for the Federal government. She died, according to an Ancestry family tree, April 3, 1950.

But if she died in 1950, how could she sell her home in 1951? I took a look at the deed, and something is a little suspect.I looked at the other documents that would have had her signature, but those just have her name typed out. She was a substitute teacher and a government clerk, she should have been literate enough to sign her name.

I needed to double check her death date as the family tree did not point to any evidence. After poking around the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America site, I found her death notice in the April 5, 1950 Evening Star:

She was very much dead when she supposedly sold 146 R St NW. It seems she wasn’t living there, as she died at 1304 Franklin St NE, near or in Woodridge. It doesn’t matter. That lot no longer exists.

We’ve got another Basiliko property. But before it falls into the hands of the Basilikos, it belonged to African American huckster, Oscar Barnes.

What is a huckster? It is a person who sells small things. They could be a door to door salesman, a peddler, or someone with a small stall/store. And such was Oscar.

In the 1920 census he lived at 308 Q St NW with his wife Florence, a waitress. There was another separate household of renters at 308, the Perrys and their two female lodgers. According to Zillow, the house is 1,690 square feet, so it could have been two units. Two very small units.

Oscar George Barnes was born June 20, 1884 in Colwell, NC.  When he was 31 years old he married 19 year old Florence Pannell in 1915. As far as I can tell, they had no children.

Now looking at him via the census mixed with the land records from the Recorder of Deeds, they don’t stay at 308 Q St. NW. In the 1930 census, Oscar and Florence were living at 1630 5th St NW in Shaw. They owned that property until well after Florence’s death when her family members had to deal with it. For some reason, they moved next door to 1632 5th St NW, to live as renters for the 1940 census. It must have been temporary, because by the time the World War II draft rolled around in 1942, they were back at 1630 5th St NW.

But let’s get back to 308 Q St NW. In 1928 the Barnes were advanced 13 shares of the Oriental Building Association, No. 6, worth $2,600. It looks like there was a total debt of $5,000, but I’m not sure. Later that year, they paid off a 1919 debt. In 1939, they paid off the 1928 debt.

Then on May 18, 1944 they sold the property to Nick and Helen Basiliko, George Basiliko‘s brother and sister-in-law. A few months later, the Basilikos sell the property to Leslie S. Wideman and his wife Mildred. In 1947 he sold it to John Basiliko, George and Nick’s 24 year old brother. Two months later John sold it to Debbruedell M. Branham, who then borrowed from George Basiliko and John Swaggart, trustees in 1947 and paid off the debt in 1952.

Something seems, not right. Too many Basilikos.

I return to the street where I lived, 4th St in Truxton Circle and this tale opens the door to talking about getting old. The next name of an African American home owner the 1920 census gives us, is John P. Davis.

Sadly, I could not find a lot of information about Mr. Davis. He’s in the 1910 and 1920 census, living on 4th St, but that’s pretty much it. Hunting about in the Evening Star, he held several positions in the Knights Templar, an organization (freemasons?), and was involved with other mens’ funerals. He seemed to be part of the Sir Knights of Gethsemane, subgroup of the Knights Templar. John P. Davis died December 8, 1926. He left behind Mary (nee Pierce). His funeral was at Galbraith AME church.

The land records tell the story of the state getting involved with Mary. Below is the first document on the Recorder of Deeds site for this property. The records on the site start around 1921, this document is from 1949, long after the death of John.

Public Notice of Indebitnes… by Mm Inshaw

This is the second time in this series I have seen the state step in and involve themselves regarding a widow’s property. It is the first time I have come across this kind of notice from the Board of Public Welfare.

So the above was the 1st record. So that hints that the Davis owned their property free and clear (no mortgage) and didn’t use the property to borrow money.

So the first document was from October 1949. Two months later, this was followed by an “Agreement.” In the Agreement Rachel Parker agreed to take on the care of Mary Davis for the house. Part of the agreement was that Mrs. Parker would move into the house with her husband and their 2 children. The is immediately followed with a deed transferring the property to Mrs. Parker. None of the paperwork reveals the relationship between Rachel Parker and Mary Davis.

The next year in May 1950 Davis and Parker agreed to borrow $4,500 from the People’s Life Insurance Company. Then they borrow $1,500 from an individual, in July 1950. Then another $1,100 in October 1950. This was followed by $600 in March 1951.

With all this borrowing, the bill comes due. So in July of 1951, Rachel Parker sold the property to Harry Moerman who immediately transferred the house to John Bolds. The property returned to Moerman in 1956 with a trustee’s deed.

 

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.

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.