Category: DC History

Carter G. Woodson- 1538 9th St NW- House History

Continuing to recognize Black History Month, let’s take a look at the father of Black History, Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s home and office at 1538 9th St NW.

According to the DC Recorder of Deeds database on September 6, 1922, a single man, Carter G. Woodson purchased 1538 9th St NW (Sq. 365, lot C) purchased his home from Dr. Ida J. Heiberger, a white female physician. She attended Howard University for a hot minute in 1881. According to her Wikipedia page she graduated from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, in 1885.

To finance his purchase, he borrowed $3750 from trustees Julius I. Peyser and Theodore D. Peyser. Julius was the president of Security Savings and Commercial Bank and lawyer with Peyser, Edelin and Peyer. Theodore was his brother and the other Peyser in the law firm. They both were white.

October 7, 1927 he was released from the Peyser mortgage.

December 1954 the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, the organization Woodson founded, borrowed $10,000 from Perpetual Building Association. The document noted Woodson’s death and that the Association was the corporate heir.

He died in 1950. He did not seem to leave the property to his sisters or brother. His will appears to have gone through probate in December 1958 in West Virginia. But I couldn’t find the actual will for details.

Despite being dead he was responsible for a tax lien, well him and the Associated Publishers, Inc in 1983. Then later in the 1980s the Association got in trouble with the IRS and there were many IRS tax liens.

WSIC- Nathaniel Taube of Colonial Investment Co.

Nathaniel John Taube (1893-1975) was the vice president of the Colonial Investment Company and the president of the Colonial Mortgage and Colonial Construction Company. This is the company that sold homes to African American buyers in 1950-1951 Truxton Circle that were formerly WSIC rentals.

Taube was born to Russian Jewish immigrant parents in Philadelphia, PA in either 1893 or 1894, there are conflicting dates, Jacob and Rose Taube. Looking at Ancestry, the 1910 and 1930 census has him as in Philadelphia, later working in the real estate business.

He finally appears in Washington, DC in the 1940 census. At that time he was living at 6432 Luzon Ave NW in the Brightwood neighborhood. He resided there alone with a live in maid. His occupation was that of executive in real estate. The newspapers has him in DC in July 1938, involved in a traffic accident, where he was sentenced to a 10 day jail sentence for failing to give the right of way. The two women he hit sued him for $20,000.

The 1950 census has him in Margate City, NJ. His obit has him dying in Margate City and noting he was the president of the Colonial Mortgage Co . in Washington, DC.

Whereas James B. Evans kept a low profile, Nathaniel was in the papers a lot. Most for run of the mill legal real estate stuff, but interestingly he was also named in a Balm Suit. A balm or heart balm suit is an outdated legal term for a civil lawsuit where someone can sue a former lover, partner or a third party who came between romantic or married partners. In this case, the paper said Taube was living at 6432 Luzon Ave NW in 1946 and the The Washington Daily News wrote that Taube of the Colonial Investment Co. was being sued by John B. Williams of Temple Hills, MD for luring Mrs. Williams away. He was sued for $75,000, 1946 money.  The Times Herald had more juicy details. Long story short, Taube was having an affair with Elizabeth Williams, damaging the Williams’ marriage.  The Williams had a 12 year old daughter, who the Times names, which makes the story sad.  Sort of.

In the 1950 census, where he was in New Jersey, his wife’s name is Elizabeth and his fifteen year old daughter had the same name as the twelve year old. It appears, from his obituary he and Elizabeth had a son, John F. Taube. It’s interesting what human stories get unearthed when doing genealogy.  So Taube was a wife stealer. Who knows what kind of marriage the Williams had, maybe he was a rescuer, maybe he was a thief.

Anyway, back to DC.

His name appeared often with the Colonial brand. In several of the large block ads his name would appear, along with stories about developments and projects Colonial was building. Colonial was involved in the growth of the DC metro area with projects in DC, MoCo, PG and Northern Virginia.

Nathan Levin of Colonial Investment Co.- WSIC

In my post about Abraham Levin, I mentioned his brother, Nathan Levin, died of a heart attack while in a Prince George’s County court in 1956. The May 13, 1956 reported that Abraham was in the room when it happened. Nathan was president of the Colonial Investment Company and executive vice president of the Colonial Mortgage Corporation.

Colonial Investment Co. was the company that bought the rental units from the Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC), removed the White tenants and sold them to Black home buyers. The Colonial Investment Co. existed before the 1950s sale of the WSIC houses. They were experienced with VA and other federal loans and large projects. It isn’t clear if there was any Federal money involved in the Truxton Circle WSIC houses.

The May 13, 1956 Evening Star had his obituary and I’ll copy/ paste it

“Nathan Levin, 58, president of the Colonial Investment Co. and builder of several large housing developments in the Washington area, died of a heart attack yesterday while testifying in Prince Georges County Circuit Court in Upper Marlboro. The case on trial before Judge John B. Gray, jr.. concerned a transfer of land, formerly a part of the old John Deere farm near TB. The land concerned was to have been the site of the projected Hoffman City development. which was abandoned several months ago.

Mr. Levin’s brother, Abraham H. Levin, of 409 Pershing drive. Silver Spring, secretary of the Colonial Investment So., was in the court room when Mr. Levin died Mr. Levin had an earlier attack several years ago but was described by his family as an “indefatigable worker”.

An attorney as well as a land developer. Mr. Levin practiced law here before going into the real estate business.

He founded the Colonial Investment Co. now at 923 15th St N.W., more than 30 years ago. He and his as associate, Nathaniel J. Taube, the vice president, who came into the business about 10 years later, also headed the Colonial Mortgage Corporation. Mr. Taube was president, and Mr. Levin was vice president of the latter firm.

Among the areas developed by Mr. Levin are the Avondale Terrace subdivision In Avondale, Md.; Riggs Park, in the vicinity of Peabody and Oneida streets NW.; Templeton Manor Apartments, in East Riverdale, and Wellington Estates in Fairfax.

At the time of his death, Mr. Levin was planning his first venture in a shopping center, the Colonial Shopping Center on Viers Mill road.

Native of Connecticut

A native of New London, Conn., Mr. Levin attended Georgetown University here and graduated from National University Law School in 1921.

He was president of B’nai Israel Congregation at Sixteenth and Crittenden streets N.W.. and was chairman of the building fund for the synagogue. He also was active In the Zionist movement.

Mr. Levin was a member of Woodmont Country Club and of the Washington Board of Trade.

Besides his brother Abraham, Mr. Levin is survived by his widow, Rose, and two sons, Lawrence and Myron, of the home address, 4705 Colorado Avenue N.W.; a daughter, Mrs. Ruth Wagman, 1863 Redwood Terrace N.W.; his mother, Mrs. Hinda Levin, and a sister. Miss Patricia Levin, both of 1336 Missouri Avenue N.W.; another sister. Mrs. Ann Prival, 6611 Wells Parkway, College Heights Estates, Md., and two grandchildren.”

Nathan Levin’s name appears in the timeline of many of the WSIC properties as the seller and repossessor of the property when it fell into foreclosure. Well, until his death on the witness stand in 1956. After that when WSIC properties were resold and foreclosed, Harry A. Badt stood in his place.

The Deadliest Part of Shaw in 1940

If it is 1940 and you’re living between 7th and New Jersey, your days were numbered.

Mount Vernon Square 1968

This is not memory lane. It’s from the National Archives, RG 328, entry A1-13. It’s from after the riots, so I’ll say 1968.

Mt. Vernon Sq. 1968. Note the Carnegie Library.

Click the photo to enlarge.

DC Law & Order: Cops and Robbers

I’m going to highlight something of interest to me. The National Archives will host a virtual Genealogy Fair with a variety of videos with a live Q&A. Something that may be of interest is M Marie Maxwell’s DC Law & Order: Cops and Robbers or how to look up your DC criminal relatives from the past. That last part is not official. This should be scheduled sometime in early June.

I’ve used some things from what is planned for the geni fair on this blog. The post for Thomas Lawler and James Boswell use a National Archives series, Personnel Case Files, ca. 1861–1950.

Multiracial Family in 1920s DC- a Truxton Circle Story

This is a post for something in the future, so I will try to be vague, as not to ‘spoil’ that post. While doing some research for a Truxton Circle house, I came across a couple who appeared to have been in an interracial marriage. They were married well before Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which was used to outlaw the Loving’s marriage in the case of Virginia v. Loving. However, I discovered, with this family, race can be a fluid and changing thing.

Hester DeaN
Black and white photo of Hester Seeney credit www.mitsawokett.com
Hester Dean Seeney. Source- https://nativeamericansofdelawarestate.com/

Hester Dean was born January 28, 1868 to Catharine Morgan and Robert Dean in Delaware. Her parent’s history was recorded for the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Indians of New Jersey in 1980, from an early 1940s source. That history intertwines with the Seeney’s history and American Seventh Day Adventist history.

In the 1870 census the Dean family were living in Kenton, Delaware and listed as ‘White’. This is the opinion of the census taker, so they were either White or white-passing. From an oral history Catharine’s mother was a White woman. Continue reading Multiracial Family in 1920s DC- a Truxton Circle Story

Harry A. Badt and the Washington Sanitary Improvement Homes

I’m writing this post because I link to my own writings for another figure involved with the sell off of Washington Sanitary Improvement Company homes to African American buyers*.

The Colonial Investment Company, which bought the housing inventory from the Washington Sanitary Improvement Co., was represented in the land records by Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans. Nathan Levin, president of the Colonial Investment Co and executive vice president of the Colonial Mortgage Corp. died in 1956. On the deeds Nathan Levin was replaced by Harry Asher Badt.

So who was Harry A. Badt?

Photo of Commodore Harry A. Badt copied from no page # of the 1911 edition of the U.S. Naval Academy yearbook 'Lucky Bag'.He has a Wikipedia page. Harry Asher Badt had a long naval career prior to getting into real estate and retired from the US Navy in 1947 as a Commodore. Naval History and Heritage Command has a biography of his life before and during his service. But very little of his life after service.

He may have gotten connected with the Colonial Investment Company through his wife Jennie Augusta Yudelevit Badt. When researching Harry Badt during the 40s and 50s, I kept finding “Mrs. Harry A. Badt”. She was quite involved with the Hebrew Home for the Aged fundraisers and events. In one December 1952 blurb regarding the Lena Stein Luncheon held at the Hebrew Home, both Mrs. Badt and Mrs. Nathan Levin were mentioned as honor roll members.

Harry Badt was involved with the Colonial Investment Co. prior to that. In 1947 he was mentioned as the spokesman for the company for a project to build homes for GIs (veterans). December 1953, it was announced in the (Washington) Times Herald that retired Commodore Harry Badt was the treasurer in charge of building inspection and disbursement for Colonial Investment Company. In 1957 Badt got his DC real estate license and was the vice president and treasurer of Colonial Investment Co.

He died in Bethesda, MD in 1967.

 

*That other figure is George Basiliko. I have several posts about that land lord and real estate professional: WSIC-1950s Sell Off- George Basiliko; George Basiliko Keeps Showing Up in My Truxton Circle Property Searches Pt 1 & Part 2.

Preparing for Washington DC History Conference- Black Homeowners of Truxton Circle

I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be presenting at the 2024 DC History Conference and I’ll be talking about the Black Homeowners of Truxton Circle.

So if you are available Saturday, April 6th at 10:15 at the Neighborhood History and Housing panel, come see me. Ask some questions.

You can register now for the April conference, and take a look at the program here.

So in order to get ready for the conference I’m going to slightly ignore the blog for a bit. Also I have some personal things I need to deal with. Even once the conference is done, there will still be some personal things that will need to be dealt with, maintained? So I’m thinking of a schedule of one researched post a week with a few Memory Lane posts. I’d like to get around to actually getting something published outside of the InShaw blog about Truxton Circle and that’s going to take some focus and time, in addition to some of those personal things I’ve been ignoring.

Fact of life- people move

and not just during earthquakes.

People move. If you do genealogy you’ll find that people move around, which is a pain in the butt locating people. The Help comes from a line of lumberjacks, who ran around the northern  US border following trees, and they had a common last name. So it is a guess which state they were in for any given census. My people in NC, though staying in the same two counties, moved around those counties, a lot. So that comes in mind when people say gentrification moves people out of their homes. Life moves people out of their homes. Americans are movers with fantasies that they are stable.

Most people move. A few stay, but in time they move too. In the arguments over gentrification the one family that has been in the same house for 30 years, but easily forgotten are all the other people on the street who stayed for 1 -5 years and moved. Some a few blocks over, some completely out of the neighborhood. Moving people are a bit of a problem for me with the census project as I look at the city directories, which you can find on-line in Google Books: Boyd’s directory of the District of Columbia, 1892 and Boyd’s directory of the District of Columbia, 1903. I can’t speak to the accuracy of these sources as I don’t know how the data was collected, but it’s the best source out there, short of hopping in a time machine. In my own house there were one set of people in 1892, then in the 1900 Census 11 people, then in the 1903 directory one person, all with different names. Considering that many people were renters, there really wasn’t anything tying them to one house, thus freeing them to move.

This page contains a single entry by Mari published on July 16, 2010 8:28 AM.