From Francis Morgan:
Although he has left valuable and voluminous notes of others, with the modesty which was characteristic of him, William Owen Nixon Scott has written nothing concerning himself. It is therefore left to those who knew him to pay tribute to his memory.
He was in the truest sense a gentleman; a rare courtesy joined with a beautiful unselfishness characterized his every act.
Highly educated, deeply read, and extensively traveled, he was a most interesting companion. His residence abroad, as well as his University education, made him an excellent scholar, and a fluent linguist.
He had learned very little of his family history from his father, due to the fact that he was only ten years old when his father died. Perhaps this dearth of knowledge of a subject which interested him greatly, only served to whet his interest.
For many years he collected genealogical data concerning his ancestors, and the systematic arrangement of this material bears testimony to a logical mind. A very large proportion of the data contained in this book was furnished by the notes of William Owen Nixon Scott.
His life was spent in unselfish devotion to his widowed mother, and to his motherless children, to whom he was father and mother both.
Much of the life of William Owen Nixon Scott was passed in the national capital, where he had an extensive acquaintance in the most exclusive circles.
The last few years of his life were spent in Colorado Springs, where his daughters resided after their marriage. William Owen Nixon Scott died in Colorado Springs, January 29-1917. In compliance with his written request he was cremated, and his ashes interred by the side of his parents in Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D. C.
Original: https://play.google.com/books/reader?printsec=frontcover&output=reader&id=JBM5AAAAMAAJ&pg=GBS.PA169
Page 171
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Alfred Vernon Scott I and the Scott-Grant Home
After Montpelier, AVSI also owned a large mansion in Georgetown that still stands at 3238 R St. NW.
I first came across this through a 2007 President's Day article about "other" presidential houses in Washington:
"One former Grant home that still stands is located at 3238 R St. NW. Described by the American Institute of Architects as “bombastically Victorian,” the home was owned by Mrs. Alfred Vernon Scott of Alabama, who returned to her home state when the Civil War broke out. Renters included Union Gen. Henry Halleck, who angered the neighbors when he erected a guardhouse on the property, and Gen. Grant himself, who used the place as a summer retreat."
Site: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/feb/14/20070214-103657-7579r/#ixzz2xnF5sgUE
It was quick work to find that the house is called the "Scott-Grant House."
The Glover Park History website disputes the "president's summer house" reputation, saying that "Gen. Ulysses S. Grant accepted Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck’s offer to use his home in Georgetown, D.C. on May 18, was frequently out of town, and left Washington for an extended summer tour on July 24, 1865." They claim that Georgetown papers and other historians would have made more mention of the residence.
Site: http://gloverparkhistory.com/appendix/the-scott-grant-house/
The history in the Francis Morgan book describes the move from Montpelier:
"In 1854 Col. Alfred Vernon Scott purchased the estate of Montpelier, the former residence of President Madison, in Orange County, Virginia. This was a beautiful old colonial residence, surrounded by several thousand acres of land.
The rumored uprising of the negro slaves in that part of Virginia so affected Col. and Mrs. Scott, that they determined to sell their estate in Virginia, and return to Washington. This they did and purchased another house in the same section of the city as their former home. They resided int his house until the death of Col. Alfred Vernon Scott, which occurred May 26-1860...
Mrs. Scott and her children continued to reside at their home called Lee's Hill, on Georgetown Heights, until three or four months after the breaking out of the Civil War. On July 5-1861 she hastily arranged her affairs, and left for the south via the "underground railroad" (running the blockade). This journey during the early war occupied a week."
Site: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=JBM5AAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&authuser=0&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA152
According to a Historic American Buildings Survey by the National Parks Service, AVSI acquired it in 1857 from John E. Carter, John Davidson, Philander Bowen, and heirs of Ignatius David Read (or Reed), acquiring parcels that had been subdivided.
In 1858, it was named to William Owen Nixon I, who "apparently" acquired additional adjacent parcels from the Reads and Davidson. At some point Rebecca (Alfred's wife) appeared on the records, because she is listed in three transactions, 1871 to Robert Frey and to Thomas L. Hume, and in 1893 to Katie M. Joyce, suggesting that the land was again broken into parcels.
The report claims:
"This house is most notable as a mid nineteenth-century stylistically transitional house that combines the symmetrical massing of the first half of the nineteenth century with the picturesque, ornate, three-dimensional detailing that was popular from mid-century until nearly the end of the century. This detailing is most apparent in the exterior window hoods. In addition to these handsome details, the second story fanlight on the front and three-part rear window on the landing are excellent executions of the early twentieth-century Federal Revival Style.
The historical significance of the Scott-Grant House derives from its New Deal occupants and the earlier rentals by Generals U.S. Grant and Henry Halleck. It is commonly accepted, but undocumented that Grant used the house as a summer White House. (Grant's papers have not been edited through his presidency.) During the New Deal, two of President Roosevelt's Brain Trust, Benjamin Cohen and Thomas Corcoran, rented the house for themselves and other young lawyers who drafted the New Deal legislation."
More photos: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=Photograph:%20dc0969&fi=number&op=PHRASE&va=exact&co%20=hh&st=gallery&sg%20=%20true
Alfred Vernon Scott I and Montpelier
William H. McFarland sold Montpelier to Col. Alfred Vernon Scott (d. 1860) by deed on March 21, 1855. Scott, his wife Rebecca Ballard Nixon, and their children moved to Montpelier from Alabama. Again, the tenure of these residents was brief, and by August 1, 1857, the property had been sold to Thomas J. Carson and the Scott family moved to Washington, D.C.
Site: http://www.montpelier.org/research-and-collections/people/montpelier-owners
This would have been just after the painting of AVSI by Charles Bird King
Site: http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=record_ID:siris_ari_221397
MacFarland owned Montpelier only in 1854-5 but this time is noteworthy. Charles Thomas Chapman, research coordinator at Montpelier, brought MacFarland’s year to light as part of his master’s thesis, Who was Buried in James Madison’s Grave?: A Study in Contextual Analysis. Chapman illuminates a motive of MacFarland to own Montpelier; he wanted to own Madison’s remains. MacFarland was a fan of Madison (he gave Madison’s eulogy in 1836), but professional ties were perhaps a great influence on the decision too. MacFarland was a trustee and a member of the board of directors of Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA. Hollywood Cemetery wanted to acquire the remains of the three Virginian presidents (Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe). The cemetery was able to acquire Monroe’s remains but Jefferson and Madison were still missing from their collection. Because of the nature of the deed, MacFarland believed that by owning Montpelier he also owned the Madison family cemetery and Madison’s remains and could give the remains to Hollywood Cemetery. So, on January 4th, 1854 MacFarland purchased Montpelier from Benjamin Thornton. Hollywood Cemetery was not able to obtain the president’s remains and MacFarland sold the house on March 21st, 1855 to Col. Alfred Vernon Scott of Alabama. Hollywood Cemetery settled for helping build an obelisk monument for Madison’s grave which was at the time unmarked, fulfilling the wish of the local people to have Madison’s grave marked.
Site: http://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/blog/?m=201008
Site: http://www.montpelier.org/research-and-collections/people/montpelier-owners
This would have been just after the painting of AVSI by Charles Bird King
Site: http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=record_ID:siris_ari_221397
MacFarland owned Montpelier only in 1854-5 but this time is noteworthy. Charles Thomas Chapman, research coordinator at Montpelier, brought MacFarland’s year to light as part of his master’s thesis, Who was Buried in James Madison’s Grave?: A Study in Contextual Analysis. Chapman illuminates a motive of MacFarland to own Montpelier; he wanted to own Madison’s remains. MacFarland was a fan of Madison (he gave Madison’s eulogy in 1836), but professional ties were perhaps a great influence on the decision too. MacFarland was a trustee and a member of the board of directors of Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA. Hollywood Cemetery wanted to acquire the remains of the three Virginian presidents (Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe). The cemetery was able to acquire Monroe’s remains but Jefferson and Madison were still missing from their collection. Because of the nature of the deed, MacFarland believed that by owning Montpelier he also owned the Madison family cemetery and Madison’s remains and could give the remains to Hollywood Cemetery. So, on January 4th, 1854 MacFarland purchased Montpelier from Benjamin Thornton. Hollywood Cemetery was not able to obtain the president’s remains and MacFarland sold the house on March 21st, 1855 to Col. Alfred Vernon Scott of Alabama. Hollywood Cemetery settled for helping build an obelisk monument for Madison’s grave which was at the time unmarked, fulfilling the wish of the local people to have Madison’s grave marked.
Site: http://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/blog/?m=201008
Photos of Alfred Vernon Scott III and Flora (Grandfather's Brother)
From a memorial page of his wife, Flora, come these pictures:
Site: http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Flora-Scott&lc=4338&pid=160160544&mid=5254837
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Jun. 1, 1933: Grandmother's High School Graduation
With a grandmother of 97, age is a preoccupation--her miraculous vigor is something of a mystery to me. So when I see the list of students in her graduating class, I have to wonder, how many are left?
As grandmother describes the time when she met grandfather, when they were both working at Coffee High, as having separate junior and high school buildings, I have to assume the school had grown a bit in the intervening years, even as the article mentions that her class was the largest ever at the time.
Article: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1wgsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BboEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2968%2C3938910
Diplomas to Be Presented: Coffee High Will Graduate 79
Seventy-nine students will receive diplomas at the auditorium of the Coffee High school this evening at 8 o'clock, when Judge J. Fred Johnson will deliver the commencement address. This is the largest class to graduate from the school during its history.
The program to be presented at that time will be Grand march (Verdi), Mrs. D. A. Springer; address, Judge J. Fred Johnson; presentation of diplomas, J. W. Powell, superintendent of city schools; Alma Mater, class of 1933; prayer and benediction, Dr. D. W. Hollingsworth.
The following will receive diplomas:
Alma Angel, Grace Barnard, Nell Beasley, Mildred Billingsley, Ruth Bounds, Bille Brown, Brooks Brown, Fred Bryant, Elaine Cauhorn, Blanche Copeland, A. W. Darby, Evelyn Dial, Frances Dominick, Virginia Eastham, Josephine Edwards, Ollie Mae Ellis, Margaret Ezzell;
Susan Jane Fleming, Everett Gamble, William Grace, Charles Haley, Mildred Hardeman, Cora Mae Harris, Ruth Hill, Dorothy Hill, Christine Hite, Mildred Holland, Harold Hughston, Betsy Jane Jacoway, Brooks Jackson, Mildred Jaynes, Gertie Jolly;
Ruby Kachelman, Ray Kennedy, Harley Kirby, Billy Lacefield, Cornelius Langer, Marie Langer, Nancy Lucas, Aldine Mackey, Homer Martin, Eliza Malone, Mary Duke Mansell, Edward Meadows, Walter Mitchell, Ellen Moore, Alene Moore, John Morgan, N. P. Morrison, Nellie May Muse, Robert McKinney.
Mary Emma Parham, Lee Porter, Marguerite Power, Dorothy Price, Allen Price, Virginia Reeder, Marilou Reeves, Edith Evelyn Rhodes, Howard Romine, Carroll Rickard, Mary Evelyn Roberts, George Scarce, Leona Sharp, Billie Simmons, Virginia Simpson, Arlin Smith, Billie Stafford, Martha Frances Stafford, Harriet Stone, Jimmie Lou Stribling, Margaret Stumpe, Corinne Stutts, Doris White, Jimmy White, Sue White, Myrtle Williams, Thomas Wilson and Eva Womble.
As grandmother describes the time when she met grandfather, when they were both working at Coffee High, as having separate junior and high school buildings, I have to assume the school had grown a bit in the intervening years, even as the article mentions that her class was the largest ever at the time.
Article: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1wgsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BboEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2968%2C3938910
Diplomas to Be Presented: Coffee High Will Graduate 79
Seventy-nine students will receive diplomas at the auditorium of the Coffee High school this evening at 8 o'clock, when Judge J. Fred Johnson will deliver the commencement address. This is the largest class to graduate from the school during its history.
The program to be presented at that time will be Grand march (Verdi), Mrs. D. A. Springer; address, Judge J. Fred Johnson; presentation of diplomas, J. W. Powell, superintendent of city schools; Alma Mater, class of 1933; prayer and benediction, Dr. D. W. Hollingsworth.
The following will receive diplomas:
Alma Angel, Grace Barnard, Nell Beasley, Mildred Billingsley, Ruth Bounds, Bille Brown, Brooks Brown, Fred Bryant, Elaine Cauhorn, Blanche Copeland, A. W. Darby, Evelyn Dial, Frances Dominick, Virginia Eastham, Josephine Edwards, Ollie Mae Ellis, Margaret Ezzell;
Susan Jane Fleming, Everett Gamble, William Grace, Charles Haley, Mildred Hardeman, Cora Mae Harris, Ruth Hill, Dorothy Hill, Christine Hite, Mildred Holland, Harold Hughston, Betsy Jane Jacoway, Brooks Jackson, Mildred Jaynes, Gertie Jolly;
Ruby Kachelman, Ray Kennedy, Harley Kirby, Billy Lacefield, Cornelius Langer, Marie Langer, Nancy Lucas, Aldine Mackey, Homer Martin, Eliza Malone, Mary Duke Mansell, Edward Meadows, Walter Mitchell, Ellen Moore, Alene Moore, John Morgan, N. P. Morrison, Nellie May Muse, Robert McKinney.
Mary Emma Parham, Lee Porter, Marguerite Power, Dorothy Price, Allen Price, Virginia Reeder, Marilou Reeves, Edith Evelyn Rhodes, Howard Romine, Carroll Rickard, Mary Evelyn Roberts, George Scarce, Leona Sharp, Billie Simmons, Virginia Simpson, Arlin Smith, Billie Stafford, Martha Frances Stafford, Harriet Stone, Jimmie Lou Stribling, Margaret Stumpe, Corinne Stutts, Doris White, Jimmy White, Sue White, Myrtle Williams, Thomas Wilson and Eva Womble.
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