Legacy Finding Aid for Manuscript and Photograph Collections

801 K Street NW Washington, D.C. 20001

What are Finding Aids?

Finding aids are narrative guides to archival collections created by the repository to describe the contents of the material. They often provide much more detailed information than can be found in individual catalog records. Contents of finding aids often include short biographies or histories, processing notes, information about the size, scope, and material types included in the collection, guidance on how to navigate the collection, and an index to box and folder contents.

What are Legacy Finding Aids?

The following document is a legacy finding aid – a guide which has not been updated recently. Information may be outdated, such as the Historical Society’s contact information or exact box numbers for contents’ location within the collection. Legacy finding aids are a product of their times; language and terms may not reflect the Historical Society’s commitment to culturally sensitive and anti-racist language. This guide is provided in “as is” condition for immediate use by the public. This file will be replaced with an updated version when available.

To learn more, please

Visit DCHistory.org Email the Kiplinger Research Library at [email protected] (preferred) Call the Kiplinger Research Library at 202-516-1363 ext. 302

The Historical Society of Washington, D.C., is a community-supported educational and research organization that collects, interprets, and shares the history of our nation’s capital. Founded in 1894, it serves a diverse audience through its collections, public programs, exhibits, and publications. THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON D.C.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS FINDING AID

Title: MS 549 Woodville Family Papers, 1820-1995

Processor: Gordon S. Brown, Christopher Lambert

Date: October 2002, February 2011

The Washington branch of the Woodville family expired with William Woodville VII, who died in 1996 in the family home in Georgetown. The Woodvilles had come from Baltimore, and were connected with a number of other old Washington and Maryland families including the Shoemaker, Buckey, Lukens, Schley, Ringgold, Caton, and Ogle families.

William Woodville VIII (1908-1995), an architect, lived in Georgetown all his life and never married. He and his two unmarried sisters had lived in the family home at 3008 P Street N.W. since 1904, and as they grew older lived in a semi-reclusive fashion, interesting themselves in family history and the history of Georgetown. The two sisters, Ann Woodville (1902-1988) and Elizabeth Woodville (1906-1983), were both librarians, the elder employed by the District of Columbia Public Library and the younger at the Library of Congress.

Myddelton Woodville (1866-1936), the father of the three last Woodvilles, was a federal clerk and subsequently a railroad agent and lobbyist. His brother, William Woodville VII (1857-1941), was a District of Columbia civil service employee who also lived in the family home in his declining years. Their father, William Woodville VI (1827-98), also a District employee, had moved to Washington after a childhood in Baltimore, service with the Confederacy during the Civil War, and a short business career in New York.

William Woodville V (1782-1863), the first of the American Woodvilles, was originally a British diplomat stationed in Baltimore. There, he met Elizabeth Ogle, of the family that had included a colonial governor of Maryland. He married her and subsequently was a successful Baltimore businessman.

Katherine Buckey Woodville (1874-1971), Myddelton’s wife, was from an old Maryland and Washington family that included the founders of Buckeystown. Of her five siblings, George Buckey died young, Ann G. Buckey (1866-1955) remained a spinster, and Elizabeth Buckey Gurley married William Gurley of Omaha, Nebraska.

Alice Buckey Hoover, another sister to Katherine, married a U.S. Department of the Treasury employee William Hoover (1886-1935) and lived in the Washington area.

2

Edward Linthicum Buckey (1862-1948), the only surviving brother, was a churchman who converted to Catholicism late in the century and rose in the church’s hierarchy to the rank of Monsignor. He was for many years assistant rector, and then rector of St. Matthews Cathedral in Washington, and prominent in Church affairs in the area.

Charles A. Buckey (1820-1890), their father, was a Georgetown merchant and member of the Maryland family that founded Buckeystown. From 1865 to 1888, he and his partner John Marbury operated a hardware store (bought from E.M. Linthicum), located at 31st and M Streets in Georgetown. The Buckey family lived at 3411 R Street, and for many years enjoyed a summer home on Van Ness Street in the District.

Elizabeth Shoemaker Buckey (1829-1917), Charles’ wife, came from an old Georgetown family. Of her six brothers, one – William L. Shoemaker – had something of a reputation as a Washington scholar and man of letters, and wrote many poems published by the Georgetown newspapers. Another brother, Charles Shoemaker (1834- 1865), was a promising artist but died young. Their father, George Shoemaker (1792- 1865), was a distinguished Georgetown official, holding the important job of inspector of flour for the Port of Georgetown for many years, and also serving as president of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank during the Civil War.

Elizabeth Lukens Shoemaker (1795-1881), George’s wife, was from a large Philadelphia family. Her many siblings included Charles, Aaron, Maria, David, Edward, and Rachel.

Ann Cadwalader Schley (1829-1907), the wife of William Woodville VI, came from a Maryland family with many military connections. Her father, William Schley (1799- 1824) was a Baltimore lawyer.

Winfield Scott Schley (1839-1911), Ann’s first cousin, was an Admiral in the U.S. Navy and the popular hero of the naval victory over the Spanish fleet at Santiago de Cuba in 1898.

Samuel Ringgold (1796-1846) was Ann Cadwalader Schley’s uncle through her mother, Ann Cadwalader Ringgold Schley. Samuel was an officer in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of Major before dying an heroic death at the battle of Palo Alto, during the Mexican War. His father, Samuel Ringgold (1770-1829) had risen to the rank of General, while his brother, Rear Admiral Cadwallader Ringgold, followed a naval career that included command of major Pacific and Antarctic exploratory expeditions.

Richard Caton Woodville (1825-1855), the brother of William Woodville VI, was a successful painter of American scenes who had studied in Germany. His son, with the same name, was also a painter, and lived in England.

William Woodville Rockhill (1854-1914) was the nephew of William and Richard Woodville, through their sister Dorothy who had married T.C. Rockhill. William W. Rockhill was a U.S. diplomat, specializing in Asia where he headed diplomatic missions 3 in Korea and China, but also serving as US minister in the Balkans, and ambassador to Russia and Turkey. He is also well known for his early explorations and publications on Tibet.

Scope and Content: The Woodville Family Papers, 1820-1995 were salvaged from the estate of William Woodville VIII only after they had been extensively picked over by estate agents and antiquarians, therefore they are incomplete and fragmentary.

The collection contains material on Georgetown history. The bulk of the papers consist of family genealogical material, correspondence, and photographs. It is arranged in the following series:

SERIES I: FAMILY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY

SERIES II: GEORGETOWN HISTORY, consists of information, history, and photos of the family house at 3008 P Street in Georgetown, and notes and maps (by William Woodville VIII) on the ownership of homes in the neighborhood over time.

SERIES III: FAMILY PAPERS, consists of assorted papers of the following families, arranged in relative order of importance: Woodville, Schley, Ringgold, Buckey, Shoemaker, Lukens, and Ogle, representing all but one of the grandparents of William Woodville VIII. Within each family group, the material is arranged into genealogical material, correspondence, and estate information.

The larger part of the papers is genealogical material, some of it from family records – including English and German branches of the families mentioned above – but much of it in the form of notes, or annotations on family records.

The most interesting items of family correspondence are letters from Elizabeth Shoemaker Buckey to her daughter, Elizabeth Buckey Gurley, from 1897 to 1913, assorted letters between members of the Lukens family between 1816 and 1856, and letters between members of the Buckey, Shoemaker, and Lukens families from 1820 to 1865. The collection also has a number of business letters to Monsignor Edward Buckey, including a letter of congratulation from President Franklin Roosevelt.

Another substantial segment is the set of detailed descriptive notes prepared by William Woodville VIII on the family’s heirlooms, often including information on the artists and artisans who produced the silverware, paintings, or furniture in question.

SERIES IV: PHOTOS, consists of an extensive assortment of family photos, the bulk of them from the Woodville, Buckey and Shoemaker families, includes portraits and more casual photos of most of the family members mentioned above. It is arranged by family group, and then by family member. Chronological order has been observed where possible. The collection ends with an assortment of photos, many only partially or not at all identified, of more distant relations and/or family friends. 4

SERIES V: SCHLEY BUSINESS LEDGERS, 1860-1892. Consists of five ledgers that are believed to be from a Schley-owned sewer contracting firm. The ledgers contain information pertaining to business expenses, invoices for customers, and lists of precisely where work was carried out.

Donor: Riggs Bank, from the estate of William Woodville VIII, 1996.067

Restrictions: none

Size: 4.45 cubic feet (7 containers)

Related Materials: “The Woodville Collection: Five Generations in Georgetown,” by Elizabeth Hanson. Washington History, Vol. 11 No. 2, Summer 1999, pp. 62-72. HSW Object Collection.

Appendix: Woodville family tree

Container List

Container 1 SERIES I: FAMILY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY

Folder 1: Family tree, six generations, prepared by Daughters of the American Revolution, post 1971.

Folder 2: Ledger book with genealogical notes, on the Buckey family and its ancestors: Roemer, Pfeiffer, Shoemaker, Lukens, Potts, Leech families, and others.

Folder 3: Exercise book with Woodville genealogical notes prepared by William W. VIII, with notations on Woodville, Shoemaker, Ringgold, Schley, Buckey, Pyfer, Ogle, Caton, Cadwalader, Lukens, and others. (Pages 13-32 missing) An exercise book with family heraldry, prepared by William Woodville VIII.

Folder 4: Pages from a Buckey family book, with genealogical information on Buckey, Shoemaker, Hoffman, Pyfer, Roemer, and Lukens families. (Ink badly faded in places) Pages from a Buckey family register with notes on Buckey, Shoemaker, Roemer, and Wall families. Notes on family history by William Woodville VIII, with information on Schley, Rockhill, Caton, and Ogle families. Miscellaneous notes on family and general background information.

SERIES II: GEORGETOWN HISTORY

5

Folder 5: William Woodville VII’s notes on Georgetown history, including notes on three historical views of Georgetown. A 1808 letter from Robert Fisher of Baltimore to John Wirt of Georgetown. Miscellaneous press clippings.

Folder 6: Notes and hand-drawn maps on Georgetown buildings and their history, prepared by William Woodville VII.

Folder 7: Manuscript history of the house at 3008 P Street NW, by William Woodville VIII. Architectural drawings of the house.

Folder 8: Photos of 3008 P Street

Folder 9: Sketches and measurements of architectural features, various houses, some unidentified

SERIES III : FAMILY PAPERS

Woodville Family

Folder 10: Genealogical material, including family trees, extensive notes by William W. VIII on family history, and family register entries, undated. Also high school diplomas of Ann, Elizabeth and William and newspaper clippings describing Elizabeth’s graduation.

Folder 11: “A Brief History of the Family of Woodville,” a 77 page typescript, author and date unknown

Folder 12: “The Family of Woodville,” a bound typescript of 98 pages by Hugh Caton Woodville of Devon, England.

Folder 13: Correspondence on family genealogy of William Woodville VII and VIII, 1920-1986. Includes many letters from, and a few letters to, Humphrey Caton Woodville of Devon England, a distant cousin.

Folder 14: Family correspondence. Miscellaneous letters and postcards to Ann and William Woodville 1908-1986.

Folder 15: Miscellaneous personal correspondence and papers. Letters to William Woodville VI, Myddleton, Katherine Buckey Woodville, William W. VIII, Ann and Elizabeth Woodville, 1890-1980. Includes correspondence from the Navy Department on the launching of the two USS Ringgolds in 1917 and 1942, letters form Ann’s school friends, correspondence with Mrs C. Walter Buckey re family paintings, correspondence with the Walters Gallery of Baltimore and the High Museum of Atlanta concerning the 1950 and 1972 exhibits of the work of Richard Caton Woodville, an announcement of the marriage between Myddelton Woodville and Katherine Buckley, Elizabeth’s birth 6 certificate and Social Security Card, and assorted holiday cards. Journal kept by Elizabeth Shoemaker located in Container 5.?

Folder 16: Items concerning Richard Caton Woodville. Includes descriptive letters by William Woodville VII, photos and catalogues of R.C. Woodville’s work

Folder 17: Items concerning William Woodville Rockhill. A biography by Paul A. Varg, and article on Tibet by Rockhill, and press clippings.

Folder 18: Material on family heirlooms – descriptions of silver, furniture, and artworks by William W VIII, including information on artists and artisans.

Folder 19: Correspondence on family lace pieces, and miscellaneous notes by W. Woodville VIII.

Folder 20: Estate issues: Various Woodville obituaries. Estate tax filing of Katherine Buckey Woodville. Guardianship and conservator documents for Elizabeth Hoover, cousin to William VIII. Estate documents of Elizabeth Woodville, plus correspondence on the estate as well as notes by William. Wills of William Woodville VII and Myddleton Woodville.

Folder 21: Financial records: Home repairs and expense books kept by Katherine B. Woodville 1938-46 and 1948-55. Ann Woodville’s income register 1965-7 and 68-69. Elizabeth’s bank savings book 1929-61. Discussion of rent for 3008 P St., 1930. Contract to landscape house, 1974. Bill for typewriter, 1894. Property taxes, 1875, 1890. Elizabeth’s insurance record, 1957. Gas tax bills, 1935-37. Checks paying taxes 1937-39. Assessment of house, 1961. Sale bill for oil burner, 1955. Audit of Elizabeth, 1957. Bill for sale of house by Elizabeth, 1957.

Bible “Presented to Ann C. Woodville by her Father, June 15, 1869”

Book of Common Prayer with Hymnal, belonging to Ann Cadwalader Woodville, 1909 (stored in Container 3)

Schley Family

Folder 22: Schley family history. Genealogical information, clippings on Admiral W.S. Schley, history of Board of Inquiry concerning his role in battle of Santiago Bay. Diplomas. Passage praising the abilities of William Schley as barrister.

Folder 23: Letters to William Schley, 1830-70

Folder 24: Will of Ann C. Schley

7

Ringgold Family

Folder 25: Family history: Genealogical notes on Ringgold, Cadwalader, Lloyd, Chew, and Gallowan families. Folder includes diplomas, memoir on Major Samuel Ringgold, memorial on Admiral Cadwalader Ringgold, memory book kept by Ann Ringgold, and notes on music dedicated to the Ringgolds.

Folder 26: Clippings on the Mexican-American War and the death of Major Ringgold.

Folder 27: Documents on estate of Samuel Ringgold (1910)

Container 2 Buckey Family

Folder 28: Genealogical material: E.L. Buckey’s correspondence on family genealogy. Letters from William J. Potts on Lukens family history, and Denzill Hollis on Leech family. Correspondence and notes from S. Carr on Leech and Penrose families. Miscellaneous notes on Buckey and Roemer families. Assorted invitations.

Folder 29: Family correspondence: letter from Elizabeth Shoemaker Buckey to her daughter, Elizabeth B. Gurley, 1897-1913. A letter from Katherine Bukey (?) describing a trip to the West, ca. 1890.

Folder 30: Business correspondence: letter to Charles A. Buckey from E. M. Linthicum, 1866. Assorted calling cards.

Folder 31: Parish and church letters to Edward L. Buckey , including 1940 letter of congratulation from President Roosevelt.

Folder 32: Material on Monsignor Edmund L. Buckey: Church documents and press clippings

Folder 33: Wills of Elizabeth Lukens Buckey, Edward L. Buckey, Ann G. Buckey,. Documents concerning their estates. Obituaries.

Bible of Elizabeth L. Buckey, including family record, November 20, 1856 (stored in Container 5)

Book of Common Prayer with Hymnal, 1893, belonging to Katherine Buckey (stored in Container 3)

Shoemaker Family

Folder 34: Shoemaker genealogical information, obituaries. 8

Folder 35: Family correspondence. Letters from George Shoemaker to Elizabeth Lukens, 1820, 28, and 40. Letters from Elizabeth S. Buckey 1840-1861. Letters from Elizabeth Lukens Shoemaker 1841 and 65. Letters from Charles Shoemaker 1853-61. Letters from William Shoemaker 1859 and 63, the latter with Civil War news. Part of a 1869 journal of Elizabeth S. Buckey.

Folder 36: Poetry by William L. Shoemaker, as published in Georgetown newspapers.

Folder 37: Ephemera: Prayer booklet, school awards

Lukens Family

Folder 38: Genealogical notes

Folder 39: Family correspondence: Letters from Charles Lukens (Elizabeth’s brother), 1816 and 1817. 1819 letter to Elizabeth Lukens from George Shoemaker. Letter from Elizabeth L. to David Lukens, 1822. Letters from Charles Lukens to George Shoemaker, 1831 and 1834. Letters from Rachel Lukens to Elizabeth, her sister, 1831 and 1843. Letter from Charles Lukens to Mary Lukens, 1856.

Folder 40: Ephemera: poems copied by Elizabeth Lukens. Invitations (Shoemaker and Lukens). Assorted school papers owned by David Lukens located in container 6.

Ogle Family

Folder 41: Newspaper and magazine articles on Ogle family

SERIES IV: PHOTOGRAPHS

Woodville Family

Folder 42: William Woodville VIII

Folder 43: Ann Woodville

Folder 44: Elizabeth Woodville

Folder 45: Katherine Buckey Woodville, some photos with her children

Folder 46: Group photos including William, Ann, Elizabeth, or Katherine B Woodville

Folder 47: Myddleton Woodville

9

Folder 48 : William Woodville VII

Folder 49: William Woodville VI and Ann Cadwalader Schley Woodville

Folder 50 : William Woodville’s photo album. Mostly unidentified snapshots taken in the 1920’s

Folder 51: Woodville family photo album, ca. 1900. Photos of Woodvilles, Potts, Ross, Fisher, Schley, Ringgold and Key family members. (One unidentified Woodville aunt) (Album is in Box 3.)

Schley Family

Folder 52: William S. Schley, Ann Cadwalader Schley, Admiral Winfield Scott Schley.

Ringgold Family

Folder 53: Photos of Admiral Cadwalader Ringgold.

Buckey Family

Folder 54: The Charles A. Buckey family home at 3411 R Street NW, in Georgetown, with family members.

Folder 55: Photo of the Buckey and Marbury hardware store, and more pictures of the house at 3411 R Street.

Folder 56: Charles A. Buckey, V. Buckey

Folder 57: Elizabeth Shoemaker Buckey

Folder 58: Ann G. Buckey

Folder 59: Alice Buckey Hoover, William Hoover, and their children Bart and Elizabeth (Bessie)

Folder 60: Edward L. Buckey, as a young man

Folder 61: Later photos of Edward L. Buckey

Folder 62: Elizabeth Buckey Gurley

Folder 63: William Gurley, Elizabeth Buckey Gurley and their home in Omaha

Folder 64: George Buckey

Folder 65: Group photos, some unidentified individuals, family snapshots 10

Folder 66: Photo album believed to be Elizabeth S. Buckey’s, ca. 1900, with many photos of Shoemaker and Buckey family members identified. A 19th century photo album with largely unidentified portraits; Elizabeth S. Buckey’s name on flyleaf. A photo album believed to be Elizabeth B. Gurley’s. (Albums are in Container 3)

Shoemaker Family

Folder 67: Elizabeth Shoemaker and her son George, William L. Shoemaker, Mr. And Mrs. David L. Shoemaker, Elizabeth Shoemaker Buckey, Edith Shoemaker.

Folder 68: Early 20th century Shoemaker family album, with Shoemaker, Lukens, and Buckey photos. (Album is in Container 3)

Lukens Family

Folder 69: Mary Lukens, Lewis Lukens, Rachel Lukens and her husband Samuel Tyson. A photo of Mary Lukens Meyers.

Folder 70: Photos of unidentified or partially identified relations and friends, including a group of photos of the Walton family

Folder 71: Photos of unidentified or partly identified family friends, mostly 19th century

Folder 72: Photos of unidentified or partly identified family friends, mostly 20th century

Container 3 This box contains the photo albums noted at folders 51, 66, and 68.

Container 4 (oversize) The numbers in parentheses refer to the pertinent folders where the items were originally noted:

Folder 73: Family trees: Caton (10) Diplomas: Ann, Elizabeth and William Woodville VIII (15) Samuel Ringgold Schley (22) William Schley (22) Samuel Ringgold (25)

Folder 74: Patent: Issued to Samuel Ringgold (22) Church documents of Monsignor E. L. Buckey (31)

Folder 75: Georgetown maps (hand-drawn) by William Woodville (6) Architectural drawings: Georgetown houses, most unidentified (9) Sheet music: Pieces dedicated to Commodore C. Ringgold (25) Marriage Certificate of Lukens to Armstrong (unlisted) 11

Container 5 The numbers in parentheses refer to the pertinent folders where the items were originally noted:

Folder 76: Journal kept by Elizabeth Shoemaker (15)

Folder 77: Memory book kept by Ann Ringgold (25)

Folder 78: Unidentified recipe book

Folder 79: Unidentified school book

Container 6: The numbers in parentheses refer to the pertinent folders where the items were originally noted.

Folder 80: Loose recipes; Katherine Buckey’s recipe book, circa1855 - 1902.

Folder 81: Autograph book, n.d.

Folder 82: Eastern High school paper in French, 1902, and school papers with hand writing exercises kept by David Lukens, n.d. (40)

Container 7: Buckey and Woodville Bibles, described above, 1856, 1869.

Container 8:

SERIES V: SCHLEY BUSINESS LEDGERS

Folder 83: Ledger, 1884-1885. Lists street addresses where work was carried out. In addition, the ledger lists money paid out to individuals and companies.

Folder 84: Ledger, 1884-1885. Lists cash on hand and expenses incurred.

Folder 85: Ledger, 1884-1885. Lists expenses incurred. The ledger also lists where work was carried out.

Container 9:

Folder 86: Ledger, 1884-1885. Collection of invoices and itemized bills showing work done for customers.

12

Folder 87: Ledger, 1860, 1892. Contains a few invoices for work done for customers and the amounts paid. Randomly towards the back of the ledger, there is an entry dated May 1892. It outlines rules of grammar.

Items not included in folders

Dance booklet (?) in a chased metal cover Object collection

Game material: riddle cards Object collection

Painting: of the St Luke mosaic in St Matthews cathedral Art Collection

Drawings and sketches of Alexandria and other unidentified urban scenes done by Ward Brown, architect and apparent Woodville friend