Main Content
Graduation photograph of Zipporah Marcella Joseph
The Statesman, June 1, 1901.
A newspaper clipping about Zipporah Marcella Joseph's graduation.
The Statesman, June 1, 1901.
A photograph of Joseph later in life.
The Statesman, June 1, 1901.About this Gallery
Nancy Syphax was a member of a prominent Washington, D.C. family that was considered to be among the “Black Elite” during the nineteenth century.1 Unfortunately, Nancy did not share the same status as most of her family. Instead, she worked as an enslaved house servant in the President’s Neighborhood at Decatur House for John Gadsby from at least 1836 until his death in May 1844. Most of her other family members in the District of Columbia were freed by 1837 through the efforts of her father William Syphax—however both she and her brother Charles remained enslaved until 1862. Zipporah Marcella Joseph was a great-grandchild of Nancy Syphax. These are a graduation photograph of Zipporah Joseph, a newspaper clipping about her graduation, and a photograph of Joseph later in life. Zipporah Marcella Joseph is the author's grandmother. Click here to read the full article about Nancy Syphax.
In 1821-1822, Susan Decatur requested the construction of a service wing. The first floor featured a large kitchen, dining room, and laundry; while the second floor contained four rooms designated as living quarters. By 1827, the service wing was being used as an urban slave quarters. Henry Clay brought enslaved individuals to Decatur House, starting a trend that was solidified by
