Fredericksburg Parent

www.FredericksburgParent.NET 23 Cabin, Fauquier Street, Fredericksburg, taken between 1927 and 1929, by Frances Benjamin Johnston. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA An Emancipation Williams was able to purchase his father from Council mem- ber and bank director Douglas Gordon for just $5, "a nominal sum that may reflect the regard Gordon held for one or both Williamses," Waltonen writes. Williams emancipated his father 10 years later. "Know all men by these present that I, Colin Williams of the Town of Fredericksburg, have manumitted, emancipated and set free … my Negro man named Colin Williams … bought by me from D.H. Gordon … and I hereby do declare him … to be entirely liberated from Slavery," the 1858 deed of emancipa- tion reads. Because he could not read or write, Williams signed the deed with an X. Williams, his wife, Susan, and their nine children lived in 307 Fauquier Street and combined the two tenements into one residence. A Dangerous Fight In 1872, when their third son, also named Collin, was 17, he was involved in a "potentially explosive racial situation" that was written up in the Fredericksburg Ledger and heard by the Mayor's Court, Waltonen writes. A white police officer, James Taylor, struck Robert Scott, an African American boy, with his cane, and when the boy's mother "interfered," according to the article, he "turned upon her, using violent language and threatening her life." A "gang" of young men, including the younger Collin Williams, declared that "it was wrong to strike a woman" and that they would "murder Taylor." Luckily, the situation didn't escalate further, and Williams and the other young men only had to pay a fine. The older Williams died in 1874, leaving 307 Fauquier Street to his widow and children. They moved to south Princess Anne Street and rented it to tenants as an additional source of income along with their jobs as domestic servants. The family was active in Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site). In 1911, the surviving siblings conveyed the property to the youngest brother, Charlie. He was a chauffeur and his wife, Leila, was a teacher at a "colored" elementary school located at the corner of Wolfe Street and Princess Anne Street. They had eight children who grew up in 307 Fauquier Street—five of whom went on to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. Charlie Williams sold the house to Charles Harris in 1930. Harris owned Harris's Garage in the 1300 block of Princess Anne Street, which was advertised as staying open all night. He was a veteran of World War I, serving as an infantry sergeant, and is described in his obituary as "a longtime Fredericksburg Negro leader." He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The next owners of 307 Fauquier were two sisters, Hannah and Sophie Washington, who according to a 1932 article in the Free Lance-Star were related to John Washington, "the Immigrant," who crossed the Rappahannock River to freedom during the Battle of Fredericksburg. The Washington sisters opened "The Little Tavern" in the building. According to the 1933 Fredericksburg business directory, they served lunch and "afternoon tea in the garden." Before buying the building, they had rented it and operated the Little Tavern Lending Library of "new popular books" out of it, according to the Free Lance-Star article. In 1947, the Washington sisters sold the property to Eva Pierson, who worked for 37 years as assistant executive secretary for the Kenmore Association. The home was a rental property for most of the period between then and 1990, when it became owner-occupied again. Williams purchased 307 Fauquier Street for $1237 in the 1860s.

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