Tag: Black Homeowners of TC

Not Harry Mudd from the original Star Trek series featured in the episode “Mudd’s Women.” That Harry Mudd was a fictional pimp. The Truxton Circle Harry Mudd was a real live person who walked the streets of Truxton Circle, laid his head down in a bed on 3rd Street NW and may have attended school somewhere on P St NW. And TC Harry Mudd was an African American child, not a swarthy White guy dressed like an Aussie pirate.

Hewitt Harry Mudd was born March 5, 1927 in New York City (or DC depending on the document) the son of Blanch E. Malvin and Harry H. Mudd, about 1 month after they married. He first appears in the TC at his aunt’s home at 1415 3rd St NW in 1930. It was a gynocentric home with his aunt, Bessie Taylor a stenographer, his mom a maid, his 60 year old grandmother Sarah Malvin, and female cousins Blanche (8) and Marguerite (6). Were they Mudd’s Women? He was three so he ruled them with whatever cuteness a toddler could muster.

He was still at 1415 3rd St, revealed to be the family home with his father as the head in 1940. His father Harry Mudd (Sr?) was a 60 year old railroad machinist helper. His mother worked as a charwoman for the federal government. Harry was 13 at the time. He lived with his cousins Blanche (18) and Dorotha (16)(Marguerite??) Anderson, Doris Marshall (9) and Ernestine Wingfield (2), along with two female lodgers.

He remained in the house in 1950 as a married man and father. In January of 1949 HH Mudd married Lavinia Marie Phillips. By the time of the census, Mudd was a 23 year old stock clerk. His wife stayed at home with their 1 year old Hewitt the II and infant Jerry J. HH’s parents were still working as a charwoman and railway machinist.

The house was owned by family members. Sarah Malvin, Blanche Mudd’s mother Hewitt’s grandmother, owned the property with Hewitt Harry’s maternal great-aunt, Bessie Taylor. In 1937, Malvin, Blanche Mudd and her daughters Blanche Mudd and Margie Davenport were the owners of 1415 3rd St NW. In 1939, after the death of Sarah Malvin in 1938, the sisters borrowed $1,300 from the Perpetual Building Assoc.  In 1946, the sisters changed the ownership to the Mudd family, so that Blanche, Hewitt H. and Harry Mudd. So eventually, Harry became a Black home owner via inheritance. The Mudd men sold the property in 1962 to Talley R. Holmes after Blanche’s death.

H. Harry Mudd died October 31, 1986.

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.

William Henry Despert was born April 1st, 1875 in Washington, DC. He managed to avoid the 1880 census so he first shows up in the 1900 census living in Shaw at 456 N St NW with his wife Bertha and 4 year old daughter Beatrice. He worked as a huckster supporting his family.

In the 1910 census there was a divorced William H. Despert  living over on Oakdale Pl living with alone with an unemployed woman lodger, Emma Green. At this point in his life he was a Pullman porter.

According to Land Transfer Books, 1900-1962 held at the DC Public Library he purchased 139 P St NW with wife Emma Green Despert April 24, 1918. When the census came around two years later, 45 year old William the porter was living with wife Emma and her son/ his step-son Herbert G. Green, a 22 year old chauffeur. The 39 year old Emma worked as a hair dresser.

The Desperts borrowed money to purchase their home. In 1933 they paid off that mortgage, but picked up a few mortgages in the meantime. One of those was a 1935 $3,000 mortgage with the Perpetual Building Association. Then they refinanced in 1939 with a $3,800 mortgage with Perpetual,

1930 the residents at 139 P St NW expanded. Herbert, the driver, continued to live there, along with William Henry’s mother-in-law Annie Green, who was 69.

William Despert continued to work into his 60s and 70s. In the 1940 and 1950 censuses he was still working as a porter.

Emma died March 31, 1948.  He was alone in 1950, the only resident of 139 P. A few years after her death, William removed his departed wife and added the name of his daughter from his first marriage to the deed in 1952. Beatrice had married and living with her second husband Jordan Johnson over on K St NW.

At the age of 76 he died at home. He was survived by his daughter Beatrice E. Johnson, his brother Walter Despert, two grandchildren, Mrs. Margaret Smith and Jordon Johnson Jr. and five great-grandchildren.

The property remained with Beatrice Johnson until she lost it to foreclosure in 1974. Real estate character George Basiliko picked it up for a little over $4K who immediately sold it.

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.

There were Black doctors who lived in the same neighborhood as Black laborers and maids. Dr. Charles A. Allen was one of them. He was born in the British West Indies. Before he came to Truxton Circle, he lived over at 1525 5th St NW, as a lodger of a porter.  He also liked to write letters to the Editor regarding matters of health.

He showed up in Shaw in the 1920 census. He was the sole lodger of Nelson and Sadie Harvey at 1525 5th St NW. They also lived with their 6 year old son and Sadies’ widowed mother. The house no longer exists and is part of the KIPP campus.

In the 1930 census Dr. Allen lived in 1217 New Jersey Ave NW as a homeowner. Looking at the DC Recorder of Deeds records, he didn’t become the official owner until 1940.  In July of 1940 the heirs of Lena Rohr sold the property to Moses H. Dade, who in the next document sold it to Dr. Charles A. and wife Cora Allen.

It may be safe to assume that the 42-ish old Dr. Allen married the 40 year old Cora Elexzenia Cupid between 1930 and 1940. Cora shows up in the 1930 census as a single woman. She resided at 422 Florida Ave heading the household living with her brother, 2 sisters, a nephew and a sister in law. She was a 40 year old hairdresser. Prior to that she was a dressmaker. After snagging a doctor husband she made homemaking her occupation.

In 1940 and 1950 Dr. Allen and his wife were the only occupants of 1217 New Jersey Ave NW.

Dr. Allen was 70 years old when he died at the hospital in 1955. He served at the Freedmens Hospital for more than 30 years. He was survived by his wife, a sister, Irene St. Luce and a niece Muriel Pierson. The funeral was held at Galbraith AME Zion Church His wife joined him in death in February 1964.

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.

Thousands of people have lived in the Truxton Circle neighborhood for over 100 years and they have thousands of stories. James Adams was just one of many. He was an African American man born in Charles County, MD. He shows up in the 1930 and 1940 census in Truxton Circle.

James Adams was either born April 23, 1882 or 1883. His World War I draft documentation has 1882. He was the son of Amelia Matthews and John Adams, a farmer. In 1910 he was still on a farm when he was 27.  In the next census he was 37, married to Matilda Florence Gray, and still on a Charles County farm.

As many have done before, he left the country and moved into the city and worked as a porter. In 1925 the Adams purchased 1421 NJ Ave NW ( W0553 lot 000S) from Laura Lee Beck. The money to purchase the home, may have come from Matilda’s inheritance. In 1924 she was listed as one of many heirs of John A. and Maria Gray in a legal matter. When the 1930 census came around the Adams were listed as the homeowners.

In his fifties, James still worked as a porter, handling baggage at Union Station, which is a fair walk from the 1400 block of New Jersey.

When he died at Gallinger Hospital after 33 days on June 9, 1948. On his death certificate his home was listed as 1421 New Jersey Ave NW.  In the 1950 census, his widow, Matilda/ Florence lived as a widow (keeping house) with her 43 year old son Charles and an unemployed 75 year old woman lodger. Charles was separated from his wife (Maudestine Mitchell) and working as a baggage tender.

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.