Exploring the History of Your Home
The History of Our Home
What follows is the basic outline of the history of our home. As the project progresses, and I find more sources of information, sections will be added to the webpage to dive into some of the stories, including racially restrictive covenants, foster homes, protecting your neighborhood from unnecessary encroachment of large development projects, and the basics of maintaining an old home.
The Maywood Story Map creates a great way to find out who the property belonged to in 1900, prior to the 1st Deed of Dedication for Maywood. By zooming in, one can find a specific property, then zoom out and see who the property was deeded to in 1900.
Using both the Arlington County Land Records site and the Census data available using my Arlington County Library card, I was able to trace the transfers of Deeds as well as get a snapshot of the owners and residents of our home from 1913 thru the present day.
The Heirs of Robert Cruit
On January 20, 1912, the remaining Heirs of Robert Cruit sold to The Conservative Realty Company a parcel of land that is clearly described - completely clear, if you are a land surveyor and know your neighbors’ property landmarks.
The surviving descendants of Robert Cruit were Evania F. Mackall, Kate D. Owen, and Jessie Owen Cugle (along with her husband, Charles D. Cugle). In 1906, their aunt, Anne Cruit, the sole surviving daughter of Robert Cruit, brought an appeal all the way to the US Supreme Court (Cruit v. Owen, 203 U.S. 368, 1906), arguing that she should be the sole heir to the Robert Cruit’s estate, since her three sisters were deceased and the rights to the inherited property should not pass to the three granddaughters (daughters of her sister Catherine). The granddaughters won.
This property started the 20th century under the ownership of women, a theme that would continue for much of the century.
Land Description in the Deed of Sale from the Heirs of Robert Cruit to the Conservative Realty Company
An excerpt from the 1900 Alexandria County map showing the outline of Maywood in white and the land owned by the Heirs of Robert Cruit
Maywood Deed of Dedication
On March 14, 1912, a Deed of Dedication was created that subdivided the land and established the 3rd Addtion to Maywood:
Mary Elizabeth Smith
On March 24, 1913, The Conservative Realty Company sold the property, which included lots 216, 217, and 218, to Mary Elizabeth Smith. This deed included a racially restrictive covenant that was included by reference in subsequent deeds, including the current one.
Determining the actual age of the house needs more research. Our home has a plaque that notes the erection date of the home as 1911. There is a LIS PENDENS (pending lawsuit) admitted to the land records on July 14, 1916, with a plaintiff Thomas C. Hendricks vs Mary Elizabeth Smith for labor and material costs for construction of the “dwelling house” on her property.
During a previous renovation project in 2020, we found newspaper scraps in an old wall dated Monday, March 8, 1915. The big news on the section on the left were the events of the Great War. This included the assault by the British and ANZAC troops in the Dardanelles. The Battle of Gallipoli was a little over a month away. If you haven’t seen the movie Gallipoli, I highly recommend it.
This area of the house may have been part of a follow-on project to enclose the back porch, but it’s possible that original house was under construction in 1915.
So, we just have to figure out if the house was built during the Taft administration or the Wilson administration.
This would lead one to believe the house was constructed somewhere between 1913 and 1916. Stay tuned as we figure this out.
The 1920 Census shows a 61 year-old Mary E. Smith as homeowner. Living with her were her younger sister Alice S. Rock, older sister Hettie C. Brooks, her husband Seth C. Brooks, and six “Roomers”, including two married couples and two single women.
Four of the residents (including Mary E. Smith) were Clerks in “Government Service”. One was a Patent Examiner for the Government, one was a Stenographer for the Railroad Office, one was an automobile machinist, and one was a File Clerk for a Patent Medicine company.
While I am still trying to figure out how ten people (including three married couples) could fit in a four-bedroom house, the number of Roomers speaks to the importance of Maywood’s location as a trolley neighborhood with great access to Washington, DC.
Newspaper shreds that we found in a wall from Monday March 8, 1915 - many stories of the Great War, including the Allies assault on the Dardanelles
Ten, that’s right, ten people living in a four bedroom house
Victoria G. Peacock
On May 9, 1921 Mary Elizabeth Smith sold the property to another woman owner, Victoria G. Peacock. Ms. Peacock apparently wanted to expand the land around the house, and on May 7, 1921, she purchased two adjoining lots (219 and 220) from Hugh A. Thrift (the namesake of Thrifton Hill Park), taking ownership of a tract of land that currently is split between five different houses.
The Deed of Sale from Ms. Smith no longer included the racially restrictive covenant, yet the Deed of Sale from Hugh Thrift, just two days earlier, did include the restrictive language.
The 1930 Census shows a 60 year-old Victoria as the owner, with two “Lodgers”. Victoria was a Cataloguer for the Geological Survey, while Gertrude L. Woodin was Cataloguer for the Smithsonian, and Margaret M. Cole was a Stenographer for the War Department.
Although not included in the Deed from Mary Elizabeth Smith, the Deed from Hugh A. Thrift and his wife included the original racial restriction.
A little easier to accommodate two lodgers in a 4 bedroom house
The Meyers and the Jessups
On April 25, 1935, Victoria G. Peacock sold the property with the now consolidated lots 216 thru 220 to Charles B. Meyer and Ruth S. Meyer.
The 1940 Census shows the owners Charles and Ruth (both 34) and their 12 year old son, Charles. Charles Senior was a Salesman and Ruth was a Teacher.
On December 4, 1944, Charles and Ruth sold the property to Morris K. Jessup and Kathryn R. Jessup.
While the racially restrictive covenant was no longer specifically spelled out in the Deed, both documents are “Subject” to these restrictions by reference.
Different Language, Same Effect - the Meyer Deed and the Jessup Deed, both include the racially restrictive covenant by reference
Catherine A. Kaufman
It just seems right that the ownership of the home, first owned by single women and later referred to as “The Grande Dame of Maywood”, should pass to two sisters and remain under one sister’s ownership for almost 20 years.
On October 1, 1945, Morris and Kathryn Jessup sold the property to Catherine A. Kaufman and Gertrude M. Kaufman.
The 1950 Census shows a 55-year old Catherine as the sole homeowner (Gertrude had passed away in 1947). Catherine lists her occupation as “Manager”, ”Foster Home”. Three girls ages 17, 14, and 4 are included – Marie Keough, M. Louise Upperman, and Diana Jacobs – and are each listed as “Foster Daughter”. They were each born in the District of Columbia. The other residents listed include her cousin George Toole and his wife, Kathleen.
Catherine classifies herself as a Government employee in the census. In trying to find out more about the role the home had in foster care, I reached out to Arlington County Foster Care within the Department of Human Services. The department was formed in 1968-69, so the use of the home as a foster home would not be included in any records there.
I will keep exploring other avenues to attempt to find out how long the home was used as foster home, how many children lived in the home during those years, and more about how these programs matured over the years. With the Social Security Act in 1935, the Government approved the first federal grants for foster care.
The 1950 Census with Catherine Kaufman, three foster daughters and her cousin and his wife
Catherine Kaufman notes her occupation as “Manager” “Foster Home” and employed by the Government
Catherine Re-Subdivides the Property
Catherine began a process of subdividing the property that would eventually be split into five parts.
On July 21, 1961, Catherine sold lots 219 and 220 to Don R. Rapier and Esther M. Rapier. Based on what the house cards for these properties show, Don was a builder and must have built the houses while Catherine owned the two lots, then bought the lots from her, selling lot 220, as shown to the left, to Samuel A. Cravotta and his wife.
At the age of 68, Catherine then executed an interesting plan for lots 216, 217, and 218. Finalized on October 1, 1963, but evidently in planning well before then, Catherine re-drew the lot boundaries as she subdivided them into new lots 216A, 217A, and 218A, as shown in the image to the right.
Even before the lot boundaries were official, Catherine had two houses moved - one to lot 216A and one to lot 217A - as they were to be condemned and taken over by eminent domain due to the construction of I-66. The house cards, one of which is shown below, indicate that the houses were moved by Ewing House Movers on August 19 and 20, 1963.
The House Card for 2341 N Edgewood Street, that was built on lot 220
The Resubdivision of Lots 216, 218, and 219
On August 13, 1964 Catherine sold lot 216A to Ruth E. Brown, on May 8, 1965 Catherine sold lot 217A to Lewis Rex Long and Elizabeth R. Long…
The House Card showing the house originally at 2738, condemned by I-66, and now moved to newly configured lot 217A.
Ned and Frances Helf
…and on August 26, 1964 Catherine sold lot 218A to Ned C. Helf and Frances K. Helf.
As homeowners, Ned and Frances were the ultimate DIY couple, according to their daughter, Susan and as evidenced by some of the improvements that they made. The brick walkways, ramps, and back patio were all laid by them, and they built the brick steps, as well. Hauling the bricks from Alexandria in a vehicle that was not exactly a construction site pick-up, they were very exacting and meticulous in the work. Aside from roots that are pushing up some bricks, the paths are in great shape.
They “worked like beavers” to repair and refurbish the interior spaces, as well as the exterior of the house, changing out wall paper, de-greasing the kitchen, regrading around the foundation outside to deal with the “river” that would flow in the basement, repaired rotted wood, and removed an old “ghastly” chain link fence that ran across the front of the yard.
Frances is responsible for all of the color we see in our front yard with a nearly full-year cycle of flowerings. She also realized the importance of the porch to the overall appearance of the house, which kept Ned committed to the constant upkeep of the porch. When he declined invitations from friends or neighbors to go out of town, he would usually say he had to work on the porch. “Ned, you are always working on that porch”, they’d respond.
Ned, once the Maywood Community Association President, was instrumental in fighting I-66 and keeping it from encroaching even further into Maywood. He attended community meetings, participated in protests, and stood watch over much of the work, protecting individual trees from being indiscriminately ripped out in what is now Thrifton Hill Park.
They both lived extraordinary lives. They rented out the house while they worked in various locations overseas, often meaning that the work they did on the house was performed at a remarkable pace, when they were here. They participated in protests against the Vietnam War and Ned attended Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech on the National Mall.
They did a great job of preserving and, at the same time, revitalizing the “Grande Dame of Maywood”, as Susan calls the house.
Ned and Frances laying the Brick Walkways, that along with Frances’ flowers(below) and the wrap-around porch, are signature features of the home
Ned’s quotes in the Washington Post with colorful descriptions of I-66 has been one of my favorite parts of researching the history of the home
Beth and Joe
Our daughter, Rebecca, and Beth getting ready on the day of the wedding; in the background are the great bookshelves that Ned Helf built years ago
To bring us up to the present time, Susan H. Culhane and Linda D. Helf (daughters of Ned and Frances) sold the home to my wife and me.
We had just returned from years abroad in Germany, and wanted to return to a place back in Arlington, where we had lived for about 14 years previously. When we first visited the house, I heard an excited breath from Beth and I found the house and yard beautiful and stunning. We shared a common experience of living in Germany with Linda and a common belief with both sisters in appreciating and preserving the historic nature and elements of the house.
The house was in good shape, but we were ready to channel the Ned and Frances DIY powers immediately removing the carpet and restoring the wood floors, removing wallpaper, plastering, sanding, and painting.
We’re empty-nesters, but hosted what we believe to be the 3rd set of wedding festivities when our daughter was married. Our grandchildren when they visit us, walk in like they own the place, and are always ready to discover new favorite spots in the house.
A Lot Of Help from Great Resources
A number of on-line resources and some discussions with some great people helped build and shape the history and stories, so far. Their enthusiasm for researching and understanding the lessons to be learned from history are inspiring. Here are some of the people to thank for some great discussion, guidance in shaping the site, and a list of resources available to research the stories in your home:
Arlington County Land Records Division
Arlington County Library
- Arlington County Center for Local History
- Ancestry Heritage Site for Census Data
Arlington County Digitized Collection of House Cards
Arlington Historical Society
Peter Vaselopulos
Historicmaywood.com
- Maywood Story Maps - thanks Allison Davis-Holland
Dr. Janine DeWitt
Ms. Kristin Neun
Susan Culhane
Donald Reinecker
The Washington Post Archives
Beth Andrews
Rebecca Andrews Barton
Colin Andrews
Sean Andrews