Category: Black People of Alexandria

Mr. Lawrence P. Robinson, Alexandria’s Dedicated Photographer and Community Leader

Mr. Lawrence P. Robinson
Mr. Lawrence P. Robinson

Mr. Lawrence (Robbie) P. Robinson migrated to Alexandria in 1968 from Centreville, Virginia. He demitted his membership from the Bull Run Lodge #698 and joined the Alexandria Elks Lodge #48. Robbie had been a member in Bull Run Lodge #698 since 1953. He also became a member of the Alexandria Universal Lodge #1 Free and Accepted Prince Hall Masons as well as a member of the Alexandria Departmental Progressive Club Inc., a private African American club.

Robbie, as his friends fondly called him, immediately advanced through the ranks of these organizations to leadership roles. He implemented educational programs through their Education Departments, and he led several oratorical contest contestants. In each of those organizations, he was elected to the highest level of leadership.

He provided his photography skills to these organizations. Robbie documented the history of those organizations through pictures. His forty-year plus span of photography, he has taken thousands and thousands of pictures of the organizations that he belonged to in Alexandria.

Robbie was born as Lawrence P. Robinson in Centreville, VA in April 1930. He graduated from the Manassas Regional Industrial High School in 1947. His family dates back to James (Gentleman Jim) Robinson, who was born in 1799 as a slave. His master freed Gentleman Jim and he was listed in 1825 as a freed black man. Robbie came from a proud family with a long prospectus history in Prince William and Fairfax, Virginia.

Prior to Mr. Robinson’s migration to Alexandria, Virginia, he was a racecar driver, building his own racecars and engines, winning almost 500 first place trophies. He won the National Hot Rod Association East Coast Championship in E Gas Class (highly modified engines in 1967). He continued for a couple of years competing at racetracks from New York to North Carolina.

He worked for the Federal government at Cameron Station and at the Defense Logistics Agency at Fort Belvoir, VA prior to his retirement with 50 years of services.

Alexandria’s African American history has been made richer by the dedicated work of Robbie given to the City of Alexandria. He was a member of the first Advisory Board for Charles Houston Recreation Center. Other City boards, Committees or Commissions on which he served were: Alexandria Hospital Finance Committee, Alexandria Health Services Corporation at the Alexandria Hospital, Alexandria Chapter of the American Red Cross, Alexandria Residential Youth Service Board, Alexandria Olympic Boys & Girls Club, Alexandria Young Men’s Christian Association, the Alexandria Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where he was elected to serve as the Chairman, Alexandria United Way Allocations Review Panel, Alexandria Forum and Alexandria Concerned Black Citizens. He served on the board of directors of Project Discovery-Alexandria for six years and he is still an honorary member of the board. He continues to be a member of the City of Alexandria Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Planning Committee. He has served for 38 years.

In 2009, Robbie and his wife, Van moved to Prince William County in their new retirement home. At the age of 82 years old, Robbie still comes back to Alexandria and provides his time for the organizations and the City of Alexandria.

Alexandria African Americans World War I Draft Registration – Part 7: “H”

John Henry Haskins
John Henry Haskins

Hackley, Russell – born August 30, 1900
Hain, James – born August 1891
Haley, Edward – born September 15, 1891
Haley, John – born March 25, 1888
Hall, Bernard John – born November 23, 1899
Hall, George – born August 15, 1885
Hall, James Robert – born April 11, 1876
Hall, Richard Edward – born April 1900
Hamilton, Alfred Smith – born October 10, 1885
Hamm, James Henry – born February 23, 1892
Hammersley, Chancellor E – born April 8, 1893
Hammond, Leon F. – born February 5, 1890
Handy, Edward – born October 13, 1898
Hargrove, Calvin – born March 20, 1885
Harris, Aaron – born December 31, 1888
Harris, Albert – birth unknown
Harris, Alfred – born July 18, 1898
Harris, Charlie – born January 10, 1885
Harris, Edgar – born 1877
Harris, Jesse – born March 13, 1894
Harris, John – born September 10, 1881
Harris, John – born March 2, 1890
Harris, John Sidney – born September 13, 1897
Harris, Joseph Milford – born May 24, 1877
Harris, Louis – born April 12, 1896
Harris, Marshall – born July 4, 1892
Harris, Milton – born 1875
Harris, Robert – born March 20, 1884
Harris, Robert Andrew – born November 23, 1894
Harris, Walter – born March 12, 1874
Harris, William Andrew – born November 4, 1882
Haskins, John Henry – born February 8, 1878
Hauls, Courtney – born June 9, 1888
Hauls, Joseph – born January 2, 1898
Hawkins, Augustine – born March 25, 1881
Hawkins, Thomas – born October 28, 1896
Hayes, John Walton – born October 15, 1883
Hayes, Mack Noble – born December 25, 1898
Henning, Howard H. – born July 4, 1874
Henry, Edwin E. – born October 7, 1885
Henry, Thomas L. – born June 17, 1891
Henry, William Benjamin – born August 17, 1873
Hester, Odell – born July 5, 1897
Hicks, Henry – born December 15, 1877
Hicks, Irvine Thomas – born September 26, 1892
Hill, Charles – born November 1899
Hill, David B. – born August 15, 188
Hill, Edmund Jr. – born August 15, 1873
Hill, Frederick W. – born March 30, 1895
Hill, George Gibson – born September 15, 1899
Hill, James – born August 20, 1889
Hill, John H. – born 1892
Hill, Oscar – born December 25, 1881
Hill, Robert – born April 12, 1877
Hill, Thomas – born April 2, 1895
Hines, Isaac Howard – born January 1, 1873
Hines, John H. – born January 16, 1873
Hines, Nathaniel – born August 21, 1889
Hodge, Henry Thomas – born March 3, 1900
Holland, James Henry – born January 1, 1877
Hollin, Lee – born March 17, 1898
Hollinger, William Henry – born July 15, 1875
Hollins, Ellis – born December 28, 1882
Holly, Robert – born February 29, 1880
Holmes, Arthur Richard – born July 4, 1885
Holmes, Claude – born September 28, 1898
Holmes, Herbert Alexandria – born May 29, 1896
Holmes, James – born 1888
Holmes, Jesse Vernon – born August 13, 1881
Holmes, Sterling – born January 1, 1885
Holmes, William – born February 14, 1900
Holt, Harry M. – born May 20, 1884
Hopkins, James – born November 15, 1880
Hopkins, James Byron – born October 25, 1880
Hopkins, John L. – born April 29, 1881
Howard, Alexander – born May 23, 1880
Howard, Courtland – born January 10, 1896
Howard, Ezkile – born December 17, 1882
Howard, Frederick – born May 18, 1888
Howard, James – born February 11, 1893
Howard, James – born 1875
Howell, Joseph – born March 10, 1878
Hughes, John Thomas – born July 28, 1884
Huitt, William Tate – born August 31, 1883
Humes, Junies – born August 5, 1897
Hunter, Charles – born October 4, 1894
Hunter, Clarence – born December 25, 1898
Hunter, Robert – born July 2, 1895
Hyman, Frank – born 1889
Hyman, Isaiah – born July 1, 1896
Hyson, Richard – born June 25, 1874

Alexandria African American World War I Draft Registrations – Part 5: “G”

Andrew Grady – Alexandria, VA WWI Registration

The list below is the African American Alexandrians with the “G” surname.

Gaddis, Albert L – born February 5, 1883
Gaddis, George Robert – born August 13, 1873
Gaddis, Henry – born June 10, 1875
Gaddis, Thomas William – born January 2, 1880
Gaines, Courtland Montgomery – born March 28, 1891
Gaines, Howard – born April 27, 1895
Gaines, James Wesley – born April 25, 1843
Galligher, Louis – born September 13, 1880
Gant, Nathaniel – born September 3, 1877
Gantt, Isadore – born December 25, 1892
Gardner, James Edward – born March 4, 1873
Garner, Edward Thomas – born 1888
Gaskins, Aaron B – born April 15, 1880
Gaskins, George – no birth date
Gee, John N – born 1886
Gibson, Abram – born November 7, 1878
Gibson, Charles – born October 14, 1881
Gibson, George Everett – born March 28, 1900
Gilbert, Henry – born February 22, 1881
Gilliam, George – born January 14, 1890
Gilliam, John W – born August 7, 1887
Gilliam, Warren Samuel – born May 22, 1897
Goldman, Fenton O – born February 1, 1896
Goldman, Harrison – born June 20, 1875
Golf, Hiawatha W – born June 17, 1896
Gore, Mason – born April 10, 1895
Grady, Andrew – born April 8, 1895
Grady, Robert Lee – born January 8, 1873
Granderson, Bernard – born October 25, 1883
Grant, James – born September 20, 1899
Grant, James M – born December 13, 1886
Gray, Charles William – born August 20, 1875
Gray, Clarence – born April 12, 1896
Gray, Clarence Alvester – born February 4, 1900
Gray, Clarence Robert – born February 1, 1874
Gray, Ira Davenport – born February 20, 1886
Gray, James H – born November 6, 1895
Gray, John – born September 3, 1888
Gray, John Hamilton – born November 5, 1891
Gray, Leonard Lucas – born September 8, 1876
Gray, Opie – born March 4, 1888
Grayson, Ludwell – born February 15, 1879
Green, Chester Calvin – born March 26, 1885
Green, Clarence – born January 22, 1892
Green, George – born May 7, 1886
Green, John – born April 20, 1884
Green, Joseph – born March 17, 1881
Green, L Augustus – born July 15, 1898
Green, Lawson – born August 31, 1882
Green, Noah – born June 1, 1882
Greene, Charles Henry – born May 26, 1874
Greene, Ernest – born April 3, 1885
Greene, Herbert Ashton – born June 2, 1888
Grey, Lewis – born October 12, 1875
Griffin, Harold Joseph – born September 22, 1872
Griffin, Webster – born August 13, 1898
Griffith, Fletcher – born May 12, 1894
Griggsby, Arthur – born 1892
Grigler, William – born August 1893
Grinege, Cornelius – born 1895
Grinnell, Charles Edward – born October 15, 1874
Grinnell, Thomas James – born August 20, 1877
Groce, Claude – born August 15, 1899
Guse, Julius – born June 5, 1893

Mr. Robert W. Burke’s Unpublished Autobiography of Alexandria, Virginia

Mr. Robert W. Burke
1898 – 1980

A man with a 7th grade education leaves behind his autobiography to one person whom he knew would cherish it. Mr. Ronald Burke inherited his father’s unpublished autobiographical sketch about his Dad growing up in Alexandria. Mr. Robert W. Burke’s life story was based on his experiences in Alexandria, Virginia from 1900 – 1926, before he migrated to New York. His story is full of love for family, teachers, church, and community during segregation in Alexandria. This short abstract is a partial story of his autobiography about his life as an African American in Alexandria that spanned the first 26 years of the 20th-century.

Mr. Robert W. Burke was born May 30, 1898, to Robert and Lillian Webster Burke at 120 North West Street in Alexandria, Virginia. During the course of his childhood, his family lived at 1218 Princess Street, 324 North Payne Street; for a period-of-time, they lived outside the City of Alexandria, what is now Russell Road, and then they lived at 1310 Queen Street.

Robert started school when he was seven years old. He attended Snowden School for Boys on South Pitt Street, which was 3 miles from where he lived outside of the City. His cousin, Edith Curry came to live with his family for many years. His cousin and his sister attended Hallowell School for Girls, which was located on North Alfred Street, between Oronoco and Princess Streets.

Robert attended Snowden School until the 7th Grade. The school at that time only went to the 7th grade. When he attended school, the teachers were Richard Diggs, Patrick Lumpkins, Henry White, Rozier Lyles, and John F. Parker. Mr. Burke said he had fine teachers. He was at Snowden School at the time when Mr. John F. Parker was principal, and at the time when Mr. Parker’s health was failing. After he completed the seventh grade, he sought employment to work outdoors. Throughout his childhood, he suffered bad health. He thought working outdoors would improve his health. As a child, he worked at different places and on Saturdays, he worked at the barbershop and also carried ice. During summer vacation, he worked for the Fruit Growers Express.

After completing the 7th grade, he worked for a grocery company, the Quartermaster Department during War I, and then he went back to the Fruit Growers’ Express. When he left the Fruit Growers’ Express, he worked for the Banner Laundry located on Oronoco Street as a washer.

In 1918, he married Edith Russell and they had six children, Robert W. Burke, Jr., Lillian, Russell, Wendall, Roscoe, and Ronald.

In 1926, Robert left Alexandria, Virginia and moved his family to New York. He found a job with the Central Branch Y.W.C.A. He retired from that job as the Head Carpenter in 1965. His youngest child, Ronald was born in New York. During the summer, Robert and Edith sent Ronald to Alexandria to spend his summers with their families. The Burkes and Websters’ families were in Alexandria, Virginia decades before the civil War as freed people of color.

To this day, Mr. Ronald Burke has fond memories of his time he spent in Alexandria. Just like his Dad, he is keeping those memories alive for other generations to come. Mr. Robert W. Burke died in Manning, South Carolina on June 19, 1980. Mr. Ronald Burke is the only surviving child of Mr. Robert W. Burke. I give thanks to him for providing me a copy of his father’s unpublished autobiography.