rights efforts made it a point to seek out the advice and counsel of white house workers during the roosevelt administration. as a result, many white house workers encountered improved attitudes towards the household staff and african-americans in particular. throughout the century, working conditions he white house would improve. over the 20th century, hundreds of people have worked behind will the scenes at the white house preparing family meals, search say the dinners and welcoming visitors. today a household staff of frostily 95household staff of frostily 95 work together to maintain and preserve the 132 room residence. many of these workers today are

african-americans and many notable figures of the past have also been african americans who have spent decades employed at the white house. some of the most famous are lillian rogers parks who was a seamstress and maid who first came to the white house as a young girl helping her mother, a white house maid, during the taft administration. her tale would eventually become a book and tv mini series called back stairs at the white house. she and other long time workers such as elon sew fields, butler a and, and eugene allen, chief butler from 1952 to 1987, have been integral to the white house and have helped define its culture over these many years. elon sew fields eloquently observed i don't feel like a servant to a man, i feel i was a servant to my government and to

my country. for more than 200 years, the white house has depended on work hes would origins can be traced to many nations and cultures reflecting the racial and ethnic composition of our population have kept the white house running smoothly over the years. thomas jefferson, famously employed french men, as well as irish servants. john quincy adams retained belgium. ulysses s. grant and william howard taft brought filipino to the white house when he become president in 1909. between 1860 and 1940, waves of african-american migration from the south brought an influx of new comers to the nation's

capital. almost a reverse tide as we've heard from al lebs exander this morning. some found jobs in the white house and established decade long careers at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. this afternoon, we are going to hear stories of a free man enterprising labor and life on the square. and a sink xwu lar event often called the white house tea incident that reflect the growing tide p black contribution to economic, social and political life in washington in the 19th and early 20th centuries. first we'll hear from don graves who has spent decades researching his family's contributions. don called me out of the blue one day to inform me about his research and out of that conversation has grown a wonderful relationship with him with a goal toward integrating

wormly's legacy into our studies and present takess of history on la fayette square. please welcome warmly don. >> good afternoon. thank you all for joining us today. thank you also to president neal and his colleagues and staff for the opportunity to open for public examination this relatively seldom reported aspect of 19th century life in the district. i have self designated my role in this forum as a history reporter because i come to you to report on just a few aspects of the story of the wormley family.

my purpose is not to interpret but just report on a few aspects of the family and to bring forth matters of interest as evidence evidenced by historical reportage and others con temp rain krus with that era. i selected the title because only recently has will been an expanding public interest in the impactful historical existence of blacks in this area of washington. primary will you tloot the internet and search engines and existence of clarence davis and bill branch of the d.c. archive, i can nows assemble firsthand records of the details behind the existence of these every day people. this is an an abbreviate difference story of a family free plaque blacks who lived ad in and around the presidents park.story of a family free blacks who lived and worked in and around the presidents park.

to help us keep track the players, i will share with you a trunk indicated version of the wormley family tree during the first full century of our nation's existence. we begin request lynch and his wife mary who reportedly came to the district in the second decade of the century. two of their sons, william and james, became the first most well-known members of the family with james achieving the greatest prominence. in turn, james and his wife raised four children in the golden era of life in washington with two of their sons, james t. and william h.a., expanding on that solid found indication into the 20th century. today we will see how the family interfaced on a daily basis with almost all of those who lived, worked and toiled in this internationally famous yet intimate neighborhood. lynch was the illegitimate son of an unknown black worm and ralph wormley whose wife was

elizabeth wormley. the wormleys were a wealthy family of virginia plantation owne owners. elizabeth was the daughter of -- her brother, benjamin taylor, was a residents of la fayette park on madison place. as we will see later, this connection played in to the emergence of the wormley family as the reputation grew in the hospitality industry. most accounts indicate that lynch and his wife and his family arrived in d.c. mere the e mere t near the end of the water of 1812. lynch owned a two store dwelling on 18th street between pennsylvania avenue and h street. not only were blacks held as

slave, free blacks were so restrict difference, it became nearly him possible to eek out a living except in a few narrow and closely related businesses. one enterprise available for free blacks was to enter the hat business. in order to obtain a hack license, applicants would have to show evidence of their freedom. lynch wormley was obligated to purchase such evidence even though he was reportedly always free and by 1818 already had entered in to the trade by buying carriage and harness from william galloway for $175 for this series of promissory notes. unfortunately then as now the poor were at true economic advantage. if less than one year, this very same used carriage was in such disrepair that the $135 in repair costs exceeded the remaining balance of the purchase price. still owing on his initial purchase with his means of

income shut down, there was no way that lynch could prevail. galloway sued him for the balance of the purchase price and repair costs in february of 1820 and seized the carriage causing lynch to be incarcerated in did debtor's prison. no wonder lynch bought the certificate. the law in the district at the time required that any negro residing in the city who could not establish his or her title to freedom, quote, shall be committed to the jail of the county of washington as absconding slaves. things became so bad that lynch's house on 18th street was put up for tax sale in 1826. this practice was common for insolvent debt ares at the time. richard cutts, who originallied had built the dolly madison house across the street, became unable to pay his own debts.

around 1827 when lettened with imprisonment, he was forced to liquidate. he had a relative by marriage named president james madison who redeemed the house and thereby louds the cutts family to retain their homestead. interestingly, as part of that cutts catastrophe, richard smith, another name and bankruptcy trustee sold another property of mr. cu it cutts. it was a growing time of slavery andcutts. it was a growing time of slavery acutts. it was a growing time of slavery acutts. it was a growing time of slavery acutts. it was a growing time of slavery acutts. it was a growing time of slavery autts. it was a growing time of slavery and oppression in the united state states. william wormley, one of the sons of lynch, was a founding member of laurel lodge number 7 of the free masons in 1823. he and his associates, john cook

and francis statute, formed a columbian harmony society to establish a cemetery for free blacks. he also was the district of columbia agent for william lloyd garrison's abolition publication the liberate tore in the 1830s. around that same time, he built a schoolhouse for his sister, mary, oichlt street between 15th and 16th foot education of free blacks which was damaged in the riots of 1835. it should be note that had francis scott key of star spangled banner fame, who happened to be a investigation terment in this very same church, was the strict attorney at the time and was tasked with prosecuting young black man whose alleged transgressions of being drunk and attacking a white woman precipitated the snow riot. during this time, the children of lynch rebeingwere actively e. samuel, owen, will william and

james were finding other means of employment by serving as laborers.ill william and james were finding other means of employment by serving as laborers.ll william and james were finding other means of employment by serving as laborers. william and james were finding other means of employment by serving as laborers. william and james were finding other means of employment by serving as laborers.william and james were finding other means of employment by serving as laborers. also developing the family hack business. several of the sons were paid for cleaning rooms in the treasury after its construction complete in 1838. i'm chilled when i think of the fact that my son, don jr., who is district tore of the presidents council on jobs and competitiveness and an assistant second of the u.s. treasury has an office in that building where an ancestor worked as a laborer over 170 years ago. imagine working in an office as a senior executive where a great uncle three times over was paid to clean rooms for more than a few cents a day. today we are heard much about the legacy of the decatur house. you may have heard about how susan fell upon hard times after

the death of her husband. it is particularly germane to our discussion today as part of her way to see herself true those times, she ultimately transferred a property nearby on i between 15th and 16th to lifrn a lim lynch and mary wormley. she did this because she was unable to pay lynch and mary for the services by their son, john, as a servant to her. it this property was ultimately used by james wormley to be used as yet another component in this hotel enterprise. during 209 year period leading up to the civil war, the wormley family had become firmly ensconced in the hack business in the city. lynch and at least four of his sons were actively using the carriage trade as their primary business. lynch was living and operating his business on the site

purchased from the cutts liquidation right at the corner where the -- yes, the commerce building is. his eldest son, william, had been living with his son for well over a decade and was listed there since at least 1827. their patrons frequented the white house, capitol, various government entities and home and businesses in between. james having also been trained as a steward began to attend to the needs of smt most famous states men of the age. in several newspapers he's reported have stao daniel webster, henry clay and stephen douglas. one of his patrons was lord ashburton whose residence while residing in washington is now the rectory to the church in which we are presently meeting. in fact james gave the ashburton

name to his eldest son, william henry ashburton wormley. james and his family were among the black members of the 19th street baptist church whose white slave holding pastor was named brown. sometimes i wonder. what must it have been like to have your religious leader, a slave holder, as with this pastor? while serving as a pastor at this church, reverend brown also served on the boards of the columbian college with william cochran and on the mercantile board with george rigs. jamess and his wife were married in 1841 by this pastor. in that that the wormley family anded this church, one can readily see that these great figures were very pam with the family and james in particular. shortly after 1850, lynch passed leaving each off spring to continue their personal growth

in the fashion most suitable in their minds. drawing upon his skills as a nurse and catering to the rich and powerful, james became the first stewart of the newly established exclusive washington club on la fayette park. based upon several newspaper accounts, his reputation grew substantially among washington elite. members of the club included jefferson davis, william cork ran, george rigs, george washington park, governor john floyd, seward and many others. the club was located in what had previously been known as the rogers planks on madison. this house ultimately became the civil war era residence of william seward and one of the victims of the lincoln related assassination attempts. another story known by most folks revolves around the

violent shooting of a washington club member, phillip barton key. according to published sources, james retrieved key's withering body from the sidewalk and brought him inside. the prosecution of daniel sick he wills was hammed by one member of the club, robert old, as the district attorney. defense was handled by another member, edwin stantostanton. both of these men would figure prominently in james' life during and after the war. stanton regularly would be in contact with james while he served as a member of the cabinet. even subsequent to the war, they were involved in several business transactions. old on the other hand returned to virginia and served in the confederacy as the commissioner, a prisoner exchange for jefferson davis. during one of the negotiations conducted at informatifortress

james accompanied the union delegation and prepared a special meal for his friend old for the negotiations. apparently upon seeing old, james commented i knew he hadn't seen a square meal in a long time. after the war when bob old returned to d.c., james invited him to come to his restaurant to share a glass of wine. james asked him how he enjoyed the wine to which old commented it was a fine wine. james then let him know that it was a wine from old's personal collection. had turned out that james had preserved most of old's personal effects and was pleased to return them to him as the war had ended. during the 1850s while the washington club was emerging, james also operated his own businesses in the properties on i street directly behind us today. his early hotel patrons were people like general scott. it had begun to develop quite a

following. though daughter of an alabama senator, she speaks to how the hotel was was, quote, a sin know minute for delightful living.kn minute for delightful living. as the war approached, the membership of the washington club declined and after the sick he wills shooting in 1859, the club folded 37sickhe wills shoo the club folded 37 public notices were posted in the papers that a meeting of the members was to be held on james restaurant on i street. james and his sons were pulley acquainted with president wherein con and other members of the white house family it and staff. when willie lincoln had become ill, james wascon and other mem the white house family it and staff. when willie lincoln had become ill, james was called into apply the nursing skills for which he had become famous.

the stew arrest the stew arrested of white house well knew the family.arrested o well knew the family. unfortunate unfortunately, both women passed before the end of the decade. the slave family knew the wormleys because they extend attended the same church which you heard about this morning. another little money fact is that james wormley was called upon to attend to president lincoln at his death bed.fact it james wormley was called upon to attend to president lincoln at his death bed. it's documented in news paper accounts. general mcclellan during the war years lived on and around la fayette square including madison house and was noted as dining frequently at wormleys giving elaborate meals for 20. by now the reputation of wormleys was international in

scope. it was widely known as the residence of choice for many european and south american delegates and financiers and was described by the famous european author in his multivolume treatment of his travels in america. while in washington in 1860, he was a frequent guest of benjamin taylor. he engaged rooms at the wormley's establishment on i street. in his book about his travels, he described wormley as thusly. i'm bound to say that my friend did well for me. i found myself put up at the house of one wormley, a colored man in i street to whose attention i can recommend any english man who may chance to watch porters in washington. i conceive myself to be greatly in luck. in 1863 when blacks were finally allowed to join in the battles of the war, james' brother, samu samuel, and two of his sons, had registered for the draft and served in the army.

being the very first to enlist in the new d.c. regiment, william served with charles and john cook jr. as quoted in the tribune. as further evidence of the role the family played in abolition, james actively engaged in slave running. on a visit with governor seward, a correspondent wrote seward had comment that had he and james had spirited slaves down the james river on their schooner to freedom a year and a half prior to the emancipation proclamation. i often contemplate what a dichotomy that james wormley maintained his personal relationships with confederate leaders such as jeff davis, floyd, and old while at the same time he was fighting for freedom

and abolition and his son lives were on the line in the civil war. when the 13th amendment was passed, there was a custom that members of congress would circulate copies of the document among colleagues for signatures to have as a memento of its passage. charles sumner, one of its supporters, had obtained on his copy over 150 signatures, including of that president lincoln. as evidence of his friendship, he gave his copy to james. that copy containing the most original signatures in existence today, is now part of the collection at the indiana university library and is called the wormley sumner copy. from before the warriors until his death, charles sumner had a very close relationship with james and his family. not only did james assist him with his needs while in the district, they also met regularly to discuss current political trends. james was at his bedside in his final hours and accompanied the body for funeral services at

kings chapel in boston. their friendship was finally memorialized when james donated sum they'neum they'rne's portra. james purchased the largest number of artifacts which were used to furnish the sumner parlor at the hotel. during the war, james not only conducted a hotel and restaurant, he also operated a catering business, meeting the great demand for such services by the war effort. he regularly catered meals at the various government departments. also was paid to provide mealses for confederate prisoners of war. among his hotel guests in the original complex on high street in 1867, with the japanese commissioners who arrived with great national interest. their stay lasted six weeks and

was followed closely in the new york and other papers giving detail descriptions of their daily activities including a description of their menu. in fact if you go to the white house historical association exhibit, you'll see two bronze urns that were donated at the time of their visit will at the white house. -- at the wormley hotel.will at white house. -- at the wormley hotel. in 1868, james was elicited to accompany him to help set up his house hold in london and to introduce the chesapeake delicacy to the diplomatic core. while there, he travelled to par ris to gather other service items and recipes for his kitchen. for the latter years of the war,s the thisinitial effort to social club arose and had rooms in a building located on the southwest corner of the intersection of 159 and 8th street where the american bar

association building now stands. james was its first steward and was highly cared, but th regard. by april of 1869, and not 1971 as asserted, james had taken over the building and opened the next major phase in the evolution of the wormley hotel business. in his new and larger facilities, james had greatly expanded his capacity with 150 rooms, dining rooms, barer shop, liquor stores, his establishment has become even more the center of political and social life of washington.establishment has be more the center of political and social life of washington. it housed members of congress in comfort. its proximity to la fayette square made it the residence of choice for the elegant and wealthy members of society and

government. during this same time, jamess' sons were actively combatting the long established discriminatory practices in commerce around the district. one of them was ejected from the dress circle of the national theater. james t. wormley felt as long as he could pay the price of admission, he should be able to sit where he wished. this con fliblflict was reporte the major news papapers of the . their effort to eat in a downtown restaurant was chal mged. as part of their struggle to enhance education for black, william h.a. wormley had been 2345i named to the first board of education for td.c. coloschools colored children.

james t., his brother, expressed his wiyearning for further education. ultimately becoming howard university's very first graduate of any of its departments from the medical school in 1870 being the only one in its class. in 1873, many members of the wormley family clan opened bank accounts in friedman's bank at the southern end of the square even though their primary banking relationship was next door with rigs bank. one of the most famous events at the hotel was what has been commonly known as the wormley compromise. this xlo compromise was allegedly the culminating meet has gone finally brought resolution to the disputed presidential election of 1877 between rutherford b. hayes and tilton marking the end of

reconstruction. they took up a several month residency at the establishment of their friend james. even after they moved in to their home across 16th street from here, they continued to patronize the hotel along with their friends john and clarence where they became known as the five of hearts. hey called upon james on assist in personal needs he had throughout his time in the city. the hotel had become so promise meant in the social ser kell of the elite in d.c. that in the early part of 1878, the spanish minister hosted the spanish ball at the hotel, which was declared one of the most elegant events ever he ever held in washington. the screene was described in th following manner. while approaching, an awning was arranged forming a cover from the street to the front door.