Category: Black People of Alexandria

Alexandria African American World War I Draft Registrations – Part 2: B

Roiser Burke
WWI Draft Registration Card of Rosier Burke

The Draft registration was an act called the “Selective Service Act (Selective Draft Act),” was enacted on May 18, 1917. That act authorized the Federal Government to create a National Army. Prior to WWI, the United States had a small military force compared to the European countries.

The Selected Service Draft Act required all males age 21 to 30 to register for military service. The War Department requested Congress to amend the age requirement and by September of 1918, the age was extended to all men from 18 to 45 years of age.

For African Americans who fell within this age group, the draft cards include genealogical information. Even better, if the individual served in World War I, their military records will provide their descendants a window into their lives. Many of the older African Americans born in the 1870s and prior to 1900 were probably the first or second generation from slavery. Their pension records might be the only information about their former enslaved parents. These records are a gold mine for their descendants.

Displayed below are the African American Alexandrians with the “B” surnames.

Baker, Gilbert – born April 20, 1893
Baker, James – born August 9, 1877
Baker, James Walter – born December 22, 1882
Baker, Lawrence – born March 12, 1888
Baker, Robert Curtis – born January 20, 1888
Ball, James A. – born March 31, 1887
Ball, Thomas H – born March 17, 1892
Ballard, Eugene – born April 2, 1885
Baltimore, Charles – born April 15, 1892
Baltimore, Leon C – born February 6, 1889
Baltimore, Preston S. – born March 23, 1892
Banks, Abe – born November 28, 1892
Banks, Edward J. – born February 7, 1890
Banks, Harry James – born July 2, 1899
Banks, James Henry – born August 1, 1873
Banks, Rufus McKinley – born November 26, 1896
Barber (Barbour), Samuel – born December 24, 1882
Barbour, Mathew – born February 4, 1880
Barksdale, Hanes – born June 15, 1894
Barrett, Howard Ashby – born September 8, 1882
Barrier, Fred Pelham – born September 12, 1878
Bates, Henry – born May 10, 1879
Bates, Randall – born February 26, 1885
Beach, Charles – born December 25, 1899
Beale, Moses – born February 22, 1893
Beander, William H. – born November 13, 1886
Beckham, Addison – born April 3, 1893
Beckham, Water Binton – born November 5, 1890
Belk, Thurlow Roy – born February 1, 1890
Belk, Charles Henry – born July 16, 1900
Bell, George – born January 1, 1884
Bell, Howard – born in 1896
Bell, James Edward – born March 17, 1879
Bell, Lewis – born February 4, 1898
Bell, Seabron – born September 20, 1885
Bell, Thomas – born April 18, 1880
Bell, Ulysses Garnett – born August 20, 1888
Bell, William Henry – born May 21, 1879
Belt, James Horace – born May 8, 1873
Bembery, John – born September 15, 1874
Bentley, Louis Laurence – born June 5, 1897
Bentley, Madison Clayton – born September 27, 1890
Bentley, Raymond Asa – born August 25, 1883
Berkley, Henry Strother – born September 18, 1879
Berry, Edward – born October 17, 1894
Beverley, Dan – born August 24, 1886
Beverley, Ernest – born April 16, 1880
Blackburn, John – born September 15, 1893
Blackwell, Walter – born June 2, 1892
Blake, Walter – born September 18, 1872
Blondheim, John – born September 20, 1890
Blue, James Nathaniel – born February 17, 1897
Blue, Randolph Benisford – born June 29, 1885
Bohanan, Robert Henry – born July 7, 1897
Bolden, Lawrence – born May 11, 1894
Bolden, Samuel – born April 27, 1893
Boswell, Maurice Henry – born February 6, 1893
Boswell, Otto – born September 11, 1896
Bouden, James Alex – born June 2, 1899
Bouden, Russia Sterling – born December 25, 1889
Bowen, Austin – born June 26, 1889
Bowen, Clarence C – born February 27, 1893
Bowman, John William – born December 22, 1978
Bowman, Richard Henry – born December 6, 1880
Boyd, Charles – born September 20, 1895
Boyd, Joseph – born July 24, 1899
Boyd, Julian Ashton – born March 22, 1890
Brabson, James Sydney – born October 7, 1899
Bradshaw, Edward – born in 1881
Branch, Charlie – born June 7, 1881
Brandon, David C – born May 16, 1892
Bratten, William Thomas – born January 21, 1883
Braxton, William McLindsey – born November 4, 1876
Breckenridge, John Henry – born September 10, 1897
Breisford, Charles – born June 1, 1897
Brent, Edward – born July 15, 1887
Brice, Boise – born in 1897
Brice, Edward – born August 3, 1873
Briggs, Howard – born in 1885
Broadus, Charles – born October 1, 1887
Broadus, Ulysses – born December 3, 1885
Broders, Marion – born April 2, 1880
Broders, Richard Edward – born April 5, 1875
Brooks, Benjaman – born July 2, 1876
Brooks, Frank Z – born August 1, 1879
Brooks, George Seldon – born May 12, 1896
Brooks, Lincoln Griffin – born June 9, 1878
Brooks, Richard Henry – born February 28, 1880
Brooks, Summerfield – born January 6, 1892
Brooks, William – born June 16, 1890
Brown, Aaron – born in 1890
Brown, Alexander Stanley – born September 24, 1891
Brown, Bud – born in 1879
Brown, Earnest – born August 1899
Brown, Frank – born April 9, 1888
Brown, George – born November 14, 1896
Brown, James H – born December 16, 1893
Brown, Joseph Edward – born May 13, 1899
Brown, Louis – born June 6, 1893
Brown, Maten – born March 2, 1897
Brown, Riley – born January 1, 1890
Brown, Thomas – born May 10, 1882
Bryant, Edward – born December 14, 1876
Bryant, Robert Champ – born November 5, 1881
Bryant, William Henry – born March 27, 1873
Buckner, Henry – born January 1, 1891
Buckner, William Isaac – born September 29, 1873
Buggie, William James – born July 4, 1887
Burgess, Albert – born April 15, 1892
Burgess, Pearl Albert – born September 9, 1890
Burgin, Edward – born August 15, 1897
Burke, Boyd – born October 5, 1883
Burke, Hugh – born September 2, 1880
Burke, Robert – born March 1, 1874
Burke, Robert Jr. – born May 30, 1898
Burke, Rosier – born January 2, 1900
Burr, Louis – born March 23, 1885
Burrell, Charles – born August 16, 1895
Burrell, John Thomas – born March 25, 1883
Burton, Albert – born March 20, 1881
Burton, Arthur – born May 1, 1873
Butler, Emmett – born April 18, 1882
Butler, George – born April 1, 1897
Butler, Isaac – born February 5, 1883
Butler, Junius – born May 9, 1900
Butler, John Lee – born April 23, 1900
Butler, John Matthew – born July 30, 1891
Butler, Lawrence – born June 18, 1886
Butler, Robert – born in 1899
Butler, Robert Henry – born December 19, 1897
Butler, Walter A – born September 6, 1888
Byrd, Charlie Henry – born June 8, 1900
Byrd, Henry – born December 27, 1891
Byrd, James W – born January 1, 1896

Alice Wootton, Civil Rights Organizer

Alexandria Activist
Alice Wootton (Wooton)

Alice Wootton (Wooton) was one of Alexandria, Virginia’s forgotten community leaders. She was a dynamic civil rights leader that was instrumental in advocating for Parker-Gray School to become a high school.

Mrs. Wootton was born in Culpeper, Virginia. She and her husband, Joseph A. Wootton who was a prominent religious, fraternal and labor leader, migrated to Alexandria after 1900. They lived at 610 South Asaph Street. The Woottons had four children, Joseph L, Ruth, Florence and Rose, and they adopted Bertram T. Robertson. Joseph, her husband died around 1920. Alice continued to live in Alexandria, Virginia doing community services until her children migrated to Philadelphia. The family had relatives in Philadelphia.

In 1927, Mrs. Wootton migrated to Philadelphia and continued her community services in civic organizations there. She became very active in her church, Mt. Olive Holy Church in Philadelphia.

On February 14, 1953, Mrs. Alice Wootton died from complications of surgery at the age of 73. She was buried in a family plot at Mt. Lawn Cemetery, Darby, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Alexandria’s African American history is made richer by the contributions of Mrs. Alice Wootton.

Colored Hospital Ward

Alexandria Colored Ward
Alexandria, VA Colored Hospital Ward

In order for African Americans to have access to medical facilities, the African American citizens of Alexandria, Virginia felt they had to raise money to contribute to the new hospital. In 1917, the Colored Citizens Association contributed to the new Alexandria Hospital to set aside two Colored hospital wards for their needs.

They raised and contributed the sum of $357.30 to the trustees of the new Alexandria Hospital. This money was for furnishing two wards in the building for the accommodation of colored patients. The Association hoped to increase the total amount to $500 if possible. The contributions were:

City Churches:
Alfred Street Baptist $34.20
Third Baptist $31.52
Roberts M. E. Chapel $31.15
Meade P.E. Chapel $18.60
Zion Baptist $17.35
Ebenezer Baptist $13.25
Shiloh Baptist $12.50
Mount Jezebel(Jezeel) Baptist $5.00
Beulah Baptist $2.00

Rural Churches:
Gum Spring Baptist $36.00
Woodlawn M.E. $10.00
Gunston Baptist $7.90
Franconia Baptist $5.57
Seminary Baptist $5.50

Lodges:
Elks $10.00
Naomi Household of Ruth $10.00
Lancaster Lodge Odd Fellows $10.00
Lincoln Lodge of Masons $5.00
Acacia Lodge of Masons $4.00
W.N. Jackson (Business Mens League) $5.00

District Solicitors:
Mrs. Maria V Simpkins $33.00
Mrs. Rachel Truatt $7.45
Mrs. Effie Tancil $1.05
S. A. Tucker and Marcellus White $40.10
B.F. Watson $5.75
F.H. Rich $4.90
Public Col. March 6, 1917 $.61
Public Col. March 13, 1917 $.70
Total: $368.10

Disbursements:

Printing, stationery and postage $10.80

Net balance $357.30

Colonel John McKee

Article
Partial listing - Baltimore Afro-American - April 12, 1902

John Mckee was one of Alexandria, Virginia most successful African Americans.   At the time of his death, he was known as the wealthiest African American in the country. 

He was born in Alexandria, Virginia around 1819.  In 1838, he registered as a freed person of color in Alexandria.  The registration stated, “John McKee is a bright mulatto boy, about 19 years old, 5 feet 4½ inches tall, who is straight built with light colored eyes.  He was born free, as appears by oaths of Betsey Beckley and Fanny Beckley.” 

Colonel John McKee
Colonel John McKee

When he was in his teens, Mr. McKee was indentured as a brick maker.  He later ran away to Baltimore, Maryland; but was brought back to Alexandria by his Uncle to finish his time of indenture. 

John was 21-years old when he migrated to Philadelphia and worked in the livery stable.  Later he started working for James Prosser, a well- known restaurant owner on Market Street in Philadelphia.  He married his employer’s daughter. 

When the civil war started, John organized and became the Colonel of the Thirteenth Regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania (N.G.P.) in the Fifth Brigade under General Louis Wagner.  Later, John became the Colonel of the Eighth New Jersey colored regiment. 

From that time on, John was known as Colonel John Mckee.  He became wealthy in real estate.  At the time of his death, he owned 300 to 400 houses.  He was the founder and owner of McKee City on the West Jersey Railroad in New Jersey a tract of 4,000 acres divided into twenty-one farms.  He also owned about 300,000 acres of coal and oil land in Kentucky and Logan County, West Virginia, and a tract of twenty-one acres at Fifty Street and Oregon Avenue in Philadelphia.  He owned over 23,000 acres of land in two-counties in New York, and sixty acres of land on the Delaware River as well as many other properties in other States.  

Colonel John McKee died April 6, 1902 at his home at 1030 Lombard Street in Philadelphia.   His funeral was at Central Presbyterian Church and his internment was at Olivet Cemetery.  John had one living daughter at the time of his death, Mrs. A.P. Syphax.  He also had six grandsons and two of his grandsons lived in Washington, DC.  

John’s accomplishments were outstanding for a black man that was born in the early 1800s.  His total asset at the end of his life was between $1.5 million to $2 million.   Others at the time of his death said it was $4 million.  John left a quarter of a million dollars to family members and friends.  The bulk of his money and property went to the Catholic Church to establish a school for fatherless children of both races.  Even today, there are scholarships for fatherless children in his name.  

 John will be remembered as one of Alexandria most successful African Americans.