Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

Duplication is restricted for materials copied from the Massachusetts and Virginia Historical Societies.

Preferred Citation

Wormley Family. Papers, 1773-1991 (bulk 1880-1960). Accession 42649. Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA 23219.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. Freida H. Wormley, 27 April 2006.

Biographical Information

The Wormley family is a prominent African American family from Middlesex County, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. At the time of the donation of this collection, it was assumed that this family was related to the Wormeley family of Rosegill, Middlesex County, but subsequent genealogical research has determined that this is not the case.

Lynch Wormley (aka Pere Leigh Wormley) (ca. 1780-1855) and his wife, Mary Wormley (ca. 1786-1804), moved to Washington D.C. from Middlesex County, Virginia, around 1814. He owned and operated a livery stable and the Liberia Hotel in the city and had ten children: William, John, Owen, Harriet, Betsey Elizabeth, Samuel, Mary, James, Andrew, and an unidentified daughter.

William Wormley (ca. 1800-1855) was a hack driver and married to Louisa King (b. ca. 1800). John Wormley (ca. 1800-1840) and Owen B. Wormley (1808-1834) were both unmarried and lived in Washington, D.C. Harriet Wormley (b. ca. 1806) married James Johnson on 10 June 1830. Elizabeth "Betsey" married John Browne and was the mother of the famous black educator, Hugh Browne (1851-1923). Hugh Browne studied at Princeton Theological School and was ordained as a minister of the Presbyterian Church. He taught at the College of Liberia in Africa and returned to America teaching at M Street High School, Hampton Institute, Institute for Colored Youth in Pennsylvania, and started the Training School for Teachers. Samuel Wormely (ca. 1811-1864) was a boat stewart and married to Remetha Williams. Mary M. Wormley (ca. 1816-1835) was unmarried and lived in Washington, D.C. Andrew Wormley (ca. 1822-1878) married Mary Jane Smith (ca. 1830-1895), was a billiard parlor operator and musician, and lived in Washington, D.C.

James Wormley, the ninth child of Lynch and Mary Wormley, was born 16 January 1819 in Washington, D.C., and died 18 October 1884 in Boston, Massachusetts. He married Anna Thompson (1823-1892) of Norfolk, Virginia on 30 January 1841. James owned and operated the popular Wormley Hotel in Washington, D.C. During the drawn-out, disputed Presidential Election of 1876, Wormley's Hotel became the venue for the secret meetings between emissaries from the Hayes and Tilden camps. The meetings culminated on 26 February 1877 in which the Wormley Agreement settled the stalemate in favor of Rutherford B. Hayes. Wormley cultivated friendships with many politicians and city business leaders, including U.S. Senator Charles Sumner, and was an activist for black public education. James and Anna had four children: William Henry Ashburton, James Thompson, Garrett Smith, and Anna Matilda Wormley.

James Thompson Wormley (1844-1927), second son of James and Anna Wormley, was the first graduate of the Howard University Pharmaceutical School in 1870 and owned the first black drug store in Washington, D.C. He married Josephine Slade in 1865 and Mary A.A. Ringgold (1845-1922) in 1870.

Garrett Smith Wormley (1846-1903), third son of James and Anna Wormley, worked as a caterer and confectioner in Washington, D.C. He married Amelia E. Brent (1847-1922) in 1866.

Anna Matilda Wormley (1850-1929), daughter of James and Anna Wormley, married J. William Cole.

William Henry Ashburton Wormley (1842-1908), first son of James and Anna Wormley, was a U.S. Marshall and lived in Washington, D.C. He was married three times: Rachel Slade (1843-1865) in 1862; Adelaide Shadd (1846-1890) in 1867; and Sara E. Ford (1863-1924) in 1892. Adelaide Shadd was the daughter of Absalom Shad (1815-1857) and Eliza Julia Brockett (1829-1898). Absalom Shad ran a hotel in Washington D.C., but around the early 1850's moved the family to Canada so that the family could be brought up in freedom. Adelaide Shadd Wormley's cousin was Mary Ann Camberton Shadd (1824-1893), a famous abolitionist, newspaper owner, and lawyer.

Miriam Hunster Wormley (1889-1980), daughter of William Henry Ashburton and Adelaide Shadd Wormley, married Clarence F. Lewis. She was a teacher at Shaw Junior High in Washington, D.C.

Lawrence Riggs Wormley (1885-1962), son of William H.A. and Adelaide Shadd Wormley, married Mary Elizabeth Burruss (1885-1938) of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They lived in Washington, D.C. and had a son, Stanton Lawrence Wormley. Stanton L. Wormley was born in 1909 in Washington, D.C. and died in 1993. He married first Margaret Just in 1936; second Alcibia Robinson; and third Freida Alma Hare (1922-2005). Stanton L. Wormley attended Howard University and received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1939. He taught at Virginia State College from 1932 to 1938 and Howard University from 1938 to 1971. He was the German and Russian Department Head and served as president of Howard University 1967-1969. He was the author of many published books and articles and also served as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of State. He retired from Howard University in 1971. Their son, Stanton L. Wormley, Jr. (b. 1951) is a computer software specialist and free lance writer.

Francis L. Cardoza (1837-1903) was the son of a Jewish businessman of Charleston, South Carolina, and his free black wife. He attended the University of Glasgow in Scotland and moved to Connecticut, where he served as a Congressional minister. In 1865 Cardoza returned to Charleston to teach for the American Missionary Association and was instrumental in establishing the Avery Normal Institute, a school that trained black school teachers. He married Catherine Romena Howell of Connecticut in 1864. Cardoza was elected to the constitutional convention of 1868 and became the first black state official in South Carolina's history, holding the positions of Secretary of State (1868-1872) and Secretary of Treasurer (1872-1876). In 1876 the Democrats launched a campaign of violence and his work for the state was called into question. He was cleared of any charges and in 1878 was appointed a clerkship in the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. In 1884 he became the principal of the Colored High School of Washington, D.C.

Scope and Content

Papers, 1773-1991 (bulk 1880-1960), of the Wormley family, a prominent African American family from Middlesex County, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Includes awards, Bible records, birth and death certificates, biographies, census information, certificates, chancery dockets, church records, city directories, clippings, correspondence, deeds, employee records, estate inventories, eulogies, genealogical charts and notes, histories, marriage records, oaths, obituaries, patents, photographs, poems, publications, receipts, report cards, taxes, and wills. Most of the papers are copies or abstracts. Also included is information regarding the related Burruss, Cardoza, and Shadd families of Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Canada. The records were meticulously documented and gathered by Stanley L. Wormley Sr.

The papers are organized into five series. Series have been designated for Series I. Miscellaneous Information; Series II. Information on Individuals and Family Groups; Series III. Lineal Information and Charts; Series IV. Photographs; and Series V. Supplemental Volumes. The papers were originally organized into eighty-three photograph albums and arranged into subgroups according to the "Index to the Wormley Family Papers," compiled by Stanton L. Wormley Sr., Stanton L. Wormley Jr., and Paul E. Sluby Sr., in 1981. The Index is filed at the beginning of the collection and contains a complete list of all records within the collection. Unfortunately a full name index is not included in the collection, so some cross checking of various files is necessary to obtain all the information on a given family member. Following is a more in-depth description in the series level scope and content notes.

SERIES DESCRIPTION

SERIES I: MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION (1822-1981) (bulk 1880-1950)

This series includes copies of birth and death certificates, church minutes, city directory listings, clippings, estate accounts, plats, and wills relating to the Burruss, Shadd, and Wormley families. Includes personal interviews, ca. 1950-1981, of Jessie A. Wormley, Miriam Wormley Lewis, West A. Hamilton, Homzellah Allen, Maria Scott Ogle, and Helen Ogle Atkins regarding family genealogy. Also includes publications such as "The Negro History Bulletin," 1948, including an article about the Wormley family of D.C.; Berean Baptist Church Centennial Celebration 1877-1977; Dunbar High School 50 Year Reunion 1926-1976; Howard University News, 1942, 1965, 1966, 1967; and various thesis including, "The Wormley Family: An Historical Look"; "James Wormley: The Acquisition of Wealth By a Free Black in Ante-Bellum Washington"; "James Wormley: A Most Unusual Man"; and "Wormley's Hotel: A Reflection of the Reconstruction Period." Also includes abstracts of minutes from the Berean Baptist Church and Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church of Washington, D.C., in which family members were mentioned. The series also includes a list of sources consulted to obtain the records for the family.

SERIES II: INFORMATION ON INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILY GROUPS, 1773-1981 (bulk 1870-1960)

This series includes genealogical research and notes regarding the Wormley family, along with papers for specific individuals. The general genealogical information on the Wormley family can be found in "Wormley Beginnings and Rosegill, Vol. 1-5" and "Wormley Family of Virginia, Vol. 1-3." The research focuses on the ancestors and descendants of Sir John De Wormele of York County, England, and descendants who settled in Virginia. The Wormley family of Washington, D.C., traces their lineage to Ralph Wormeley (1744-1806) of Rosegill, Middlesex County, Virginia. The files on "Wormley Family of Virginia (17th and 18th Centuries)" includes genealogical notes and charts, published copies of marriage and military records, articles from the Virginia Historical Magazine, and copies of letters, tracing the families lineage in Virginia. Much of the information from these records was copied from the Massachusetts and Virginia Historical Societies. Photocopying from these files is restricted.

The individual family papers include information on Miriam Wormley Lewis (1889-1980), Garrett Smith Wormley (1846-1903), James Wormley (1819-1884), James Thompson Wormley (1844-1927), Lawrence R. Wormley (1885-1962), Lynch Wormley (ca. 1780-1855), Mary E. (Burruss) Wormley (1885-1938), Mary M. Wormley (1817-1835), Stanton L. Wormley Sr. (b. 1909), Stanton L. Wormley Jr. (1951-), and William H.A. Wormley (1842-1908). Also included is information on the Burruss family of Pennsylvania and Shadd family of Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Canada. The papers include Bible records, bills of complaint, biographies, census information, certificates, chancery dockets, church records, clippings, deeds, employee efficiency ratings, estate inventories, eulogies, letters, marriage announcements, oaths, patents, photographs, poetry, publications, report cards, tax records, and wills.

Included are papers for James Wormley (1819-1884), containing numerous advertisements, biographies, and articles about the Wormley Hotel in Washington, D.C. The papers on James Thompson Wormley include letters written while serving as a sergeant in Company 1, 5th Massachusetts Cavalry, 1864 to 1865. Also includes articles from Howard University publications and The Washington Post regarding his career and education.

The largest collection of papers relate to Stanley L. Wormley, Sr. (b. 1909). The papers include birth certificates, clippings, commencement programs, employee appointments, honorary certificates, letters, recommendations and report cards, documenting his academic and employment career. Of note are letters from Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, 1966-1967, regarding an honorary degree received from Wormley, president of Howard University. Included are publications to which Wormley contributed, for example the Virginia State College Gazette and The Germanic Review and reviews of books he had written. Also of note are clippings, concert announcements, photographs, and programs from the Howard Glee Club, 1929-1931, and Virginia State Glee Club, 1933-1937.

SERIES III: LINEAL INFORMATION AND CHARTS, 1980-1981

This series includes genealogical notes entitled The Wormley Family of Washington, D.C. , compiled by Stanton L. Wormley Sr. and Stanton L. Wormley Jr. in 1980. Also included is, Schad-Shadd , compiled by Stanton L. Wormley Sr. and Stanton L. Wormley Jr. in 1981. The genealogical notes are very complete and well documented and a good place for researchers to start studying the family.

SERIES IV: PHOTOGRAPHS, c. 1860-1950 (bulk 1890-1930)

This series includes photographs, c. 1860-1950, of the Burruss, Cardoza, Shadd, and Wormley families. All of the photographs are identified and included are a few tin type photographs. Included are photographs of the family homes and family members, c. 1860-1950. Most of the photographs are taken in studios with a few of the family in front of homes and on horseback. Included is a photograph of William Stanton Wormley and Lawrence Riggs Wormley at National Guard Camp in Harper's Ferry, c. 1860-1870, and a photograph of Jordan Woodford Burruss in a policeman's uniform. The photographs are a good source of not only African American life, but social life and fashion in Washington, D.C. and America during the 19th and 20th centuries. Included are Burruss and Shadd family photographs, c. 1890-1950. Photographs can also be found in Series II.

SERIES V: SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION, 1820-1991 (bulk 1860-1900 and 1978-1989)

This series includes information on Francis L. Cardoza and additional Wormley family information. The papers of Francis L. Cardoza, 1859-1902, include appointments, certificates, correspondence, and receipts documenting his career with the American Missionary Association and his political careers in South Carolina and Washington, D.C. Of note is correspondence from Frederick Douglas, 11 October 1871, declining an invitation to South Carolina; correspondence, 1869, from Daniel H. Chamberlain, as Attorney General, concerning bond issues; and correspondence, 1875-1877 regarding the upheavals in South Carolina politics and numerous letters of recommendation for Cardoza from Daniel H. Chamberlain, as Governor of South Carolina. Includes a certificates of election as Secretary of State of South Carolina 1868 and a Report of the finances of the State of South Carolina, 1873. Also includes appointments as Auditor of the Treasury for the Post Office Department,1878-1882, and his appointment as teacher in Washington, D.C.

The Wormley Family Information Appendix 3-5 contain a variety of papers including the emancipation papers of Lynch Wormley, 1820; correspondence, 1983-1984, with the New York Public Library containing a description of the hotel and list of better known guests there; Maryland Historic Trust State Historic Sites Inventory form regarding the Wormley house; The Charles Sumner School rededication booklet, 1986; copies of marriage and divorce licenses; brochure from the James Wormley exhibit at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., 1993; and numerous clippings.

The series includes a copy of Historic Buildings in Middlesex County, Virginia, 1650-1875 by Louise E. Gray, Evelyn Q. Ryland, and Bettie J. Simmons. Also included is a copy of Wormeley-Wormley ca. 1160-1991: The Father-To-Son Lineage of Stanton L. Wormley, Jr. , compiled by Stanton L. Wormley Sr., Stanton L. Wormley Jr., and Paul E. Sluby Sr. The genealogy traces the ancestors and descendants of Ralph Wormley (1744-1806) of Rosegill, Middlesex County, Virginia, and England.

Arrangement

The papers were originally organized into 83 photograph albums and arranged into five subgroups following the "Index to the Wormley Family Papers," compiled by Stanton L. Wormley, Sr., Stanton L. Wormley, Jr., and Paul E. Sluby, Sr., 1982. The original arrangement was maintained, the five subgroups becoming five series (Miscellaneous Information; Information on Individuals and Family Groups; Lineal Information and Charts; Photographs; and Supplemental Volumes). Papers were removed from each photograph album and placed in individual folders according to title of the album. The final arrangement follows the exact order of the "Index to the Wormley Family Papers." Most of the papers were photocopies and for albums in which the copies could not be removed due to the glue, the albums were photocopied and these new copies serve as the final product. The album pages were also numbered and that system was maintained throughout. The index lists the papers contained in each folder (album) but there is not a full name index key for the collection.