William H. Beckett

Quick Facts

Place of Birth:

District of Columbia

Date of Birth:

February 1833

Place of Death:

Washington, DC

Date of Death:

January 1911

Place of Burial:

Hyattsville, Maryland

Cemetery Name:

National Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery

Early life

Information on William Beckett's early life is unknown. According to Joshua Peirce's 1862 petition regarding compensated emancipation, we know that William Beckett was born on the Linnaean Hill estate and that he was roughly 29 years old. Form this information, it is believed he was born sometime in the 1830s. Additional information gleaned from census data estimates his date of birth to be February of 1833 or 1835.

Emancipation in 1862

A great deal of information can be learned from the petitions of Joshua Peirce filed in 1862. Peirce wrote detailed descriptions about the people he was trying to gain compensation for under the April 1862 Congressional Act for Compensated Emancipation in the District of Columbia.

The petition filed by Peirce tells us that William Beckett acquired many skills while working at Linnaean Hill. Peirce relied on William to be the "foreman in my garden, greenhouse, and nursery." William could read and write well and, in addition to being knowledgeable about the various branches of Joshua Peirce's nursery business, he was also an accomplished coachman.

According to the 1862 Slave Owner's Petition, at the time the document was filed, William was employed by Secretary of State William Seward for $20 per month.

He was described as being "light yellow complexion and about five feet seven inches in height." Peirce claimed that William had a burn scar on his cheek he had received from falling on a stove as a child.

Peirce stated that the service or labor of William Beckett was estimated to be valued at that of $2,000--more than any other enslaved person on the Linnaean Hill estate.

After Emancipation

Court depositions and information from Joshua Peirce's will show how invaluable Beckett and his knowledge were to the Peirce estate. Peirce told a business associate that "he must get William Beckett back, that if he did not get him back that he must stop his business" and that it was "Impossible to carry on his business without him."

Beckett did return to work for Joshua Peirce--who amended his will and issued rules regarding Beckett's handling of the business. A deposition from a DC area business associate who Peirce had spoken with claimed that Peirce stated that "Beckett should not be interfered with by Mr. Klingle or anyone else, and that Beckett, as Peirce's 'bookkeeper, salesman, and gardener,' was to be paid $100/month."

Joshua Peirce died in 1869. In his will written in 1867, many of the formerly enslaved individuals he had listed on his 1862 petition received monetary gifts that were to be paid upon his death. William Beckett was bequeathed $2,000 in land that was held in bond by Peirce's nephew, Joshua Klingle, and an additional $1,000 cash to be paid within a year of Peirce's death.

Beckett reported a retroactive salary for his $100/month for the two years he had been foreman at the Peirce nursery. The case went to court and relatives and neighbors attested to William Beckett's services describing them as "valuable and indispensable."  

William Beckett--businessman

The 1870 census indicates that a William Beckett, born in 1833 married a woman named Elizabeth and had a property and estate valued at $3,000. This coincides with what Beckett was bequeathed from Joshua Peirce, who died in 1867.

It appears William invested his money and operated a wood and coal yard near the intersection of 17th Street NW and M Street NW. According to city directories, he lived in the house next to the wood and coal yard for the remainder of his life. He is listed as being in the wood and coal business for the next twenty years in city directories and newspaper articles. 

He sold the wood and coal yard, but remained in his residence at 1628 M Street in the late 1880s when he went into a different business.

In 1889, the city directory lists William Beckett as a coachman and he is listed as such through out the remainder of the 19th century. It is a business that will bring him additional recognition in 1895.

On October 28,1895, a newspaper article states that William Beckett was selected as the new coachman for President Grover Cleveland. The article states that "Beckett is a large, handsome man of commanding height and dignified bearing. He is described as a brown-skinned man, of excellent character and a most accomplished "whip." He wears a mustache and dark "Dundreary" whiskers and will undoubtedly make a distinguished appearance on the box of the presidential coach. He is a District boy, born and bred, and is said to be in comfortable circumstances, owning his residence, on M Street near 17th, and several horses and carriages. Several years ago he kept a wood and coal yard, but gave it up to go into his present business. All his associates speak of him as careful, reliable driver of most exemplary habits." The article goes on to say that "Beckett is accustomed to driving carriages for distinguished personages, having at various times in his career driven for Secretary Folger, Secretary Usher and Senator Miller of California."

Beckett's final years

In 1900, William took a position as a messenger or doorman for the Library of Congress. Records from the Library of Congress indicate that he was paid $720 a year for his work. He was still living at 16th street with his wife and daughter and a 15-year-old boarder who is "at school." William's home was across the street from the Sumner School- a structure still standing today. William worked at the Library of Congress for the rest of his life. In November of 1910 he fell ill, rallied and returned to work in December. It was apparently too soon for him to have done so, and he fell ill again after falling at the Library of Congress. He died in January of 1911.
His will is brief, bequeathing everything to his beloved wife Elizabeth who was to be his executrix. He bequeathed his (now married) daughter Mamie Beckett Lane a plot of land in Ivy City. Beckett's funeral was attended by thousands according to the newspaper article describing the event. He was well respected and a member of several churches, fraternal orders, and social groups. 

William's body was held in a crypt at Columbian Harmony cemetery and was originally buried there. All burials were re-interred at National Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery in Hyattsville, Prince George's County, Maryland when that cemetery closed.