Howard Family

Three generations of the Howard Family are buried here. Theophilus Howard (c. 1818-1891) married Diana Ball (c. 1812-1885), formerly enslaved by Archibald Henderson, Commandant of the Marine Corps, at Christ Church in 1846. Theophilus worked as a sexton for Christ Church from 1858 to 1869, during which time he was drafted by the Union Army (1864) and detailed to the Navy Yard. Theophilus Howard owned property at 638 Independence Ave SE and variously worked as a white washer, oysterman, and peddler. Theophilus and Diana had two children: Alice Howard Lee(1849-1868) and Theophilus Howard Jr. (1853-1883), who attended Howard University and worked as a teacher. Theophilus Howard Jr. married Mary Ella Eskridge (1860-1937), a house servant, and they had four children: Eugene Howard (1877-1905), a porter; Alice Howard (1879-1905), a house servant; Losceola Howard (1881-1931), a hairdresser; and Hermon Howard (1884-1946), a desk helper at the Government Printing Office. When T. Howard, Sr. died he left his estate to his four grandchildren, with the proviso that “if any become drunkards or gamblers or pursue an immoral life, the proceeds of the estate shall be shared only by those who do not violate the moral law.” Mary Ella Howard was also mother to Grace Howard Butler (1894-1972). Grace and her husband, James Butler (1894-1970), are also in the family plot. Christ Church, the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, and individual donors provided funding for the installation of the Howard family headstone.