Lottie Jones and the Wright Family

(Revised 11/5/23) Lottie Taylor was born in Kentucky in 1874, the same year Katharine Wright was born in Dayton, Ohio. Lottie married young at the age of 19 to John Luther Jones also originally from Kentucky, December 18, 1893. The year Lottie began to provide laundry services to the Wright family is open to debate. Her obituary states that her relationship with the Wright's began when she was just 17 years old (1891), however, according to a 1936 account, the Wright's became a client when she was 21 years old (1895). In either case, Lottie provided laundry and maid services to the Wright Family for almost her entire adult life. In addition to that, she was also a good friend to the family. She even purchased and lived in the birthplace home of Orville and Katharine Wright, 7 Hawthorn, from late 1923 through 1936, eventually selling the home to Henry Ford for relocation to Greenfield Village at Dearborn, Michigan.

As written by Charles J. Bauer in the Dayton Daily News in 1936, "Lottie Jones was a vigorous young woman of 21 when she started doing the Wright's washing. To her they were just another customer. But one day something happened that made her cross them off her list. 'I never had no trouble with the boys,' Lottie recalls (meaning by 'the boys' Orville and Wilbur); 'and I only had trouble with Miss Katharine once. You see, I used to charge a certain price each week for the washing. One week Miss Katharine put a blanket in the wash. Well, you know people ain't supposed to put no bedclothes in the wash. When I brought the wash back I told her it would be 25 cents extra. She wanted to know what for. When I told her she said she wouldn't pay it; said it wasn't worth that much. I asked her what she thought it was worth and she said: 'Ten cents'. 'Well, give me the 10 cents,' I said, and when she did I walked out. I didn't ever intend to go back. But I used to do the people's washing next door, and I sent my nephew over to pick up their wash,' Lottie continued. 'Miss Wright called him over. She wanted to know why I hadn't been around. 'Lottie ain't gonna do your wash no more,' he told her. 'She says she won't do nobody's wash if they won't pay what it's worth.'  Well, Miss Wright came down after me. She said,'Lottie, if money is all that's worrying you, come on back.' She laughed and laughed about my nephew and what he said. He just told the truth, but pshaw, I didn't expect him to repeat what I said. I went back and I've been with the Wright's ever since."(1)

 

Photo courtesy of the Dayton Daily News November 22, 1936 issue.

Milton Wright kept a diary throughout his adult life, noting day to day activities of his ministry, or details of family events, mention of letters he received or wrote that day, physical ailments, or really anything that he so chose to write. His interest in Wilbur and Orville's work is well documented. He also occasionally mentioned  Lottie Jones helping at the home. 

Milton Wright recorded in his diary entry of October 30, 1908, "Mrs. Lottie Jones spends the day in sweeping and cleaning the house, $1.25. The evening paper reports that Wilbur's motor exploded to-day, while his Flyer was in the air. Lorin & Netta called in the evening." During this time, Katharine had been at Ft. Myer with her brother Orville while he was recovering from the September 17 accident in which Lt. Thomas Selfridge was killed. They would return to Dayton November 1. Milton also records that Carrie Grumbaugh "came to look after our dinner...". November 10, Milton wrote, "Lottie Jones worked for Katharine and Mrs. Carrie Davis came back to keep house, in the afternoon."

November 27, 1909, Milton wrote, "At home. Some women visit Katharine in the afternoon. Lottie Jones helps. Katharine goes to Ida Grabill's an hour in the evening."

Apparently time for Spring cleaning, Milton recorded in his diary Friday April 1, 1910, "Lottie Jones helps clean the house." And again Monday April 4, "Lottie Jones and Celia....are cleaning our house." And Tuesday, "Women are cleaning up my room." And Wednesday, "Lottie is still cleaning house."

Milton Wright wrote in his diary entry of February 22, 1911, "...Mrs. J. L. Stevens came and she and Katharine visit Lottie Jones, who has been sick two weeks." Assuming Lottie was at her home, the visit would have occurred at 298 South Dunbar Ave.

The Wright's new Hawthorn Hill home in Oakwood was under construction during 1913 while the family continued to live at 7 Hawthorn in Dayton.  When the March 1913 Dayton flood occurred, all furniture at the first floor level of 7 Hawthorn was destroyed. Lottie and Luther were fortunate to have been just beyond the flood waters at 298 South Dunbar Ave. The amount of cleaning and restoration work required throughout the neighborhood was extensive. Milton recorded in his diary that Lottie worked for Katharine April 19th, and then again on the 26th. Luther advertised in the July 31, 1913 issue of the Dayton Daily News "Plastering and patch-work neatly done. Address Luther Jones, 298 Dunbar Av".

Family life was not easy in the Jones household. By November of 1913, Luther was living separately from the family at 23 Weidner Street, and Lottie had filed complaint of non-support.(9) In November of 1915, it was reported that Luther Jones of "298 Dunbar avenue, arrested Monday night on a charge of abusing his family, will have a hearing Wednesday."(6) Lottie, and her husband were listed as living at 298 S Dunbar Ave through 1920 per the Dayton Directories, but it is not known with certainty from year to year if they both lived there, or if they were separated occasionally. In July of 1919, Lottie reported that her pocket was picked of $4 by a junker while "talking of buying scrap paper...She said he dashed down an alley in the rear of her home after getting the money."(8) In March of 1922, Luther is reported to have been robbed of $84, then living at 205 Dunbar Ave.(4) In June of 1923, Luther "pleaded guilty in police court Thursday morning to charges of false registration and was fined $200 and costs. Jones, according to police, was arrested following a complaint made by the Phillips Hotel company that he had registered under a fictitious name and that several towels had been stolen from the rooms."(7) Then, in January of 1925, Luther was attacked and beaten with a blackjack in front of 32 Hawthorn. "Jones told police that the highwayman followed him from a Fifth street restaurant, and accosted him near his home. He was armed with a revolver and a blackjack, but obtained nothing from Jones."  Luther lived at 20 Hawthorn at this time. (5) Luther becomes absent from the record until 1930 where he is listed living with the family per the 1930 census. The 1930 Census information for Lottie's family is all subject to doubt as there are numerous errors. Lottie's age is given as 50, but she was 56 in 1930. Her son Edward is listed as age 29, but he was 25 in 1930. His wife's name is listed as Wilmar, but her name was Connie. Their six children were listed with ages ranging from 2 years old to 8 years old. Lottie's sons Paul, and Wilbur are not listed in the census. Lottie filed for divorce in September of 1934; Luther was living at 647 Grand Avenue at this time.(10) Lottie was listed as Mrs. Lottie Jones in the 1939 Dayton Directory, either in error, or the 1934 divorce hadn't been finalized. In the 1940 census, Lottie was listed as widowed; however, this was in error as Luther was still living at this time. Oddly, Luther was also listed as widowed in the 1940 census, listed as living with his son Edward's family at 409 Norwood Avenue. Luther would remain here until his death in 1943.

According to notes within the Wright Brother Archives at the Benson Ford Library in Dearborn, Michigan, in a paper titled "Birthplace",  Milton Wright gave the 7 Hawthorn home to his daughter Katharine March 31, 1900. Katharine, in an October 16, 1925 letter to Harry Haskell, wrote "Then I had the house on Hawthorn Street which Father gave me in 1900...".  Lottie stated that she rented the house from Katharine from 1914 to 1922 until September of that year when she purchased it for $4000. Orville Wright's recollection was that Lottie purchased the home in October of 1923. Neither Lottie nor Orville's memory was correct in this case. Per a letter from Katharine to Harry Haskell, dated December 22, 1924, Katharine announced "I am selling our house, on Hawthorn Street, to Lottie, our laundress". The Dayton Directories indicate other individuals living at 7 Hawthorn from 1914 through 1923 in lieu of Lottie and family. The 1924 Dayton Directory lists for the first time Lottie and her son Edward living in the home, and the Directories show Lottie continuing to occupy 7 Hawthorn until 1936.(11)(12)(15) As Katharine was discussing selling the home to Lottie in December of 1924, it is apparent then that Katharine leased the home initially in late 1923 to Lottie, only later making arrangements to sell the home to her. Perhaps Lottie was misunderstood when questioned in November of 1936, meaning to communicate that Katharine leased the home from 1914 through the early 1920's (to others), until finally leasing the home to Lottie and family. Katharine wrote in the October 16, 1925 letter to Harry Haskell, that "Lottie is paying me four thousand for the Hawthorn St. house".  Rather than paying for the house outright, evidence points to Lottie making semi-annual payments of $40 to Katharine toward the principle owed on the home.Later, to settle Katharine's estate (Katharine died in 1929), Lottie borrowed from Orville to pay the remaining balance owed on the home. In a letter written to his nephew Herbert Wright dated December 13, 1933, Orville wrote "I will be sending in a few days for your signature a deed for the Hawthorn Street property. This deed will require either fourteen or fifteen signatures. Lottie Jones, to whom Katharine contracted to sell it, can not now keep up her payments even on the taxes. She worries so much for fear Katharine's heirs will take the property away from her that I have decided to advance the balance for her, have the property  transferred into her name, and I take a mortgage for the money I advance and then let her pay it back when she can." (14)

Lottie Jones' signature from check dated July 9, 1929.

Wilkinson Wright, in a 1996 interview with Ann Deines (Honious), was asked about employees at Hawthorn Hill. He responded, "Well, Lottie- Charlotte Jones- and she was always just called Lottie. She was the laundress and she came, I think, a couple of days a week. You know, Orville had all these stiff collars and cuffs and so on, and she came there to the house and did the washing. Then when the bishop died, he left the Hawthorne Street house to Katharine, and later, and I can't tell you the date, Katharine sold that house to Lottie." Wilkinson's memory was incorrect concerning Bishop Wright leaving the Hawthorn Street house to Katharine after he died. In lieu of this, he had given it to her in 1900.

In her book "Twelve Seconds to the Moon", Rosamond Young wrote "Henry Ford who was building Greenfield Village at Dearborn, Michigan, wanted the old Wright home at 7 Hawthorn Street and the West Third Street Bicycle Shop for his village. He inquired of Orville whether he could buy them. The home had been in Katharine Wright's name and she had sold it before her death in 1929 to Charlotte Jones, the Wright laundress. One day in 1936 Charlotte Jones answered a knock on the door at 7 Hawthorn Street. Standing on the porch were Mr. Orville and a thin man Mr. Orville introduced as Henry Ford. The two men sat on the sofa facing her. 'Mr. Ford is building a museum and village at Dearborn, Michigan. He would like to move this house and the shed behind it and the bicycle shop to the village. He would like to buy the furnishings along with the house. Now Charlotte, will you sell to Mr. Ford?' 'Well, Mr. Orville, if you say so, I will'."

In a phone conversation between Fred Black of the Ford Motor Company and Orville Wright in November of 1936, the negotiations with Lottie in parting with her home for preservation at Greenfield Village were discussed. Fred asked, "Did you have a nice trip to Baltimore?" "Yes, a very nice trip. I've been a little sore ever since", Orville responded. "I imagine the ride gave you quite a jolt", said Fred. Orville mentioned Lottie, "Mrs. Jones came in Saturday morning." "How does she feel about it?", Fred asked. This is funny, Orville responded, "She feels she ought to have a living for the rest of her life." So Fred asks, "What do you think we ought to do, let her wait a while?" Orville agreed, "Let her wait..." Fred mentions he offered Lottie $4000 for the house and various household items.(2)

The Dayton Daily News, on November 22, 1936, headlined, "Old Wright Homestead is Purchased by Henry Ford". "The sale includes besides the house a number of pieces that had belonged to the Wrights- a table, a mirror, a settee, a chair, a washstand and a number of pictures. For these Ford is reported to have paid $100. Mrs. Jones said that a stove used by the Wrights also will go to Ford. While not disclosing the sale price, she said that it is less than $7000 but enough, even deducting the mortgage held by Wright, to build a home elsewhere. Mrs. Jones owns another property on Fitch st. She acquired the Hawthorne st. property by purchase from Katharine Wright in 1922. At the time of the latter's death about five years later, Mrs. Jones said she borrowed on the property from Wright to settle the estate. Removal of the home is to start as soon as the present occupants have moved, Mrs. Jones said. Only the original five rooms of the 10-room structure are to be restored, with such changes in arrangement of the stairway and other features as will replace the house as it was before remodeling."

 

7 Hawthorn home, 1936, with later addition to rear. Note bay window at second floor level. Photo courtesy of The Henry Ford. This addition had already been in place by 1922 (16).

 

Reconstructed 7 Hawthorn home at Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan. Compare with photo above; second floor addition to rear has been removed. Photo by author, August 2018.

1936 views of 7 Hawthorn home from north face rear side and rear view of second level addition, photos courtesy of The Henry Ford. 1 Hawthorn, the darker home pictured above just north of 7 Hawthorn, burned to the ground in 1993.

August 2018 views of side and rear view of Wright home at Greenfield Village, photos by author. Compare to 1936 views above.

After the sale of 7 Hawthorn, Lottie and family lived at 402 Norwood Avenue till 1939, and then to 137 S Williams street until her death August 4th, 1943.

In 2003, in an interview with Lottie's granddaughter Peggy Jones Phillips, Peggy said of her grandmother, "Katharine Wright was a friend of hers. She worked for the family at their house on Hawthorn Street and she also worked for them when they moved to Hawthorn Hill. I loved her, but I told her one day she was stingy. I asked her for a nickle, and she said no, and I flew out of the house."(3) Perhaps if Peggy had offered to perform some chores for the nickle, she may have had better luck!

Lottie Jones, courtesy of Dayton Daily News, from October 5, 2003 issue.

 

July 10, 1929 check, Orville Wright to Lottie Jones.

Courtesy of The Journal Herald, Friday August 6, 1943. Lottie died at her home at 137 South Williams street after an illness of two years. Her estate was valued at $7130. The obituary mentions in error that both Orville and Wilbur were born at 7 Hawthorn. Orville and Katharine were born at 7 Hawthorn, but Wilbur was born near Millville, Indiana.

 

Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio, view from Lottie Jones' grave site looking toward Goose Lake in the distance. Her head stone partially shows in this picture, lower right. Photo by author, June 2021.

 

Orville Wright died on January 30, 1948. His will had been signed June 21, 1937. At that time, his will had a provision to leave a portion of his estate, $300,000, to be received by the Board of Trustees at Oberlin College to be held as an Endowment Fund to provide payments to a select group of seven people who had touched Orville's life. Payments were to be distributed quarterly, for the remaining years of their lives. Named were Orville's brother Lorin, his sister-in-law Lulu, his secretary Mabel Beck, his life long friend Ed Sines, his mechanic and friend Charles Taylor, his housekeeper Carrie Grumbach, and his laundress Charlotte Jones. Orville had outlived Lorin (1939), Ed (1940), and Lottie (1943).

 

Check written to Lottie Jones from Orville Wright, July 31, 1943. Lottie died at her home after an illness of two years. This check was written to Lottie just four days before her death.

Items left to investigate

• The date of Luther Jones death and burial location. Answer 6/26/21- Though the 1940 Census indicated Lottie as widowed, Luther was alive in 1940. John Luther Jones, born in 1873, died September 20th, 1943, six weeks after Lottie passed. Luther's address was given as 409 Norwood Ave, his son Edward's residence. His grave marker is in the area of Lottie's grave site.

  

  John Luther Jones, born November 23, 1873, died September 20, 1943, buried at Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.
  

  
  
  
• 

  Lottie Taylor Jones, born 1874, died August 4, 1943, buried at Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.
  

  
  
• Was the Wright's furniture left at 7 Hawthorn from 1914 through 1923 for use by tenants, or had Lottie removed the furniture to her place of residence during these years?
  

Copyright 2021-Getting the Story Wright

Notes:

1. Dayton Daily News, Sunday November 22, 1936, "A Washerwoman's Recollections of the Wrights" by Charles J. Bauer.

2. Benson Ford Research Center Wright Brother Archives.

3. Dayton Daily News, Sunday October 5, 2003, "Time has blurred Lottie Jone's link to Wrights" by James Cummings.

4. Dayton Daily News, Sunday, March 26, 1922 "Larceny Charged".

5. The Dayton Herald, Monday, January 5, 1925, "Police Searching for Highwaymen"

6. Dayton Daily News, Tuesday November 2, 1915, "Good Morning Judge". Luther had shown a violent side in 1908 by hitting a foreman with a rock the previous winter, chased a man "all over Baxter street with a knife, because he would not give him ten cents."(Dayton Herald, May 25, 1908.)

7. The Dayton Herald, Thursday June 7, 1923, "Registered Wrong"

8. The Dayton Herald, Wednesday July 9, 1919, "Junker Took Coin and Then Ran Away".

9. Dayton Daily News, November 12, 1913, "Non-Support Cases".

10. Dayton Daily News, September 27, 1934, "3 Seek Decrees".

11. Ann Honious, in "What Dreams We Have- The Wright Brothers and Their Home Town of Dayton Ohio", Ch 10, Ann wrote, "When they vacated the home at 7 Hawthorne Street in 1914, the Wrights chose not to sell but to lease the home to Lottie Jones, their laundress. Milton gave the house to Katharine in 1900, and in the early 1920's she decided to sell to Lottie for $4000. This sale was either never finalized or recorded, for the deed was not transferred to Lottie until 1929, after Katharine's death." Ann lists multiple sources including letters from Katharine Wright to Harry Haskel, and interview with Wilkinson Wright, and source #1 in this list, "A Washerwoman's Recollections of the Wrights". Seems unlikely that Lottie would have paid Katharine rent, and then leased the home out to others from 1914 through 1923. Ann further wrote "Since Orville and Katharine purchased new furniture, much of the old furniture was left in the Hawthorne Street home for Lottie and her family." This is confusing, because the Dayton directories do not show Lottie and family living at 7 Hawthorn until 1924. So if the furniture was left at 7 Hawthorn, it was used by the various families that rented the house from 1914 through 1923. Then when Lottie moved in in late 1923, the furniture apparently became hers at that time. Comments anyone?

12. Lottie had been making payments from 1924/5 through 1929 directly to Katharine to pay for the home, in lieu of providing the full cash amount up front. From a 2003 Dayton Daily News story, "Property records uncovered by Rene Mays and James McCowan of the Montgomery County Recorder's Office show that Lottie Jones didn't buy the Hawthorn Street house until 1934, when she paid $3500 for it. She bought it from the estate of Katharine Wright Haskell, who died in 1929. It's unclear if Jones rented the house from 1924 to 1933 or had some other arrangement with the Wright family."(3) Lottie had been making payments toward the purchase of the home, and simply paid the balance owed in 1934.

13. Katharine Wright letters to Harry Haskell December 22, 1924 and October 16, 1925 shared by Harry Haskell's grandson, Harry Haskell with author per e-mail correspondence. Harry shared a document dated May 1931 "Receipt and Releases", in which his Grandfather listed $669.45 identified as "Principle payments on Dayton House by Lottie Jones".  Harry also shared of Lottie that "it seems clear that she had not paid off the purchase price before Katharine's death in 1929, because the house is listed among the assets in Katharine's estate in the probate record of her will dated May 19, 1930. The line item reads: 7/1 (1929) Payment received from Lottie Jones on indebtedness ($)40.00."

14. Another letter concerning this subject, see OW letter to Ivonette Wright Miller, January 15, 1935, WSU Archives.

15.  The 1910 Census listed John L(Luther) Jones and Lottie Jones living at 298 Dunbar, with sons Robert Edward, and Wilbur. The Dayton Directories listings require some interpretation, and are as follows, including Census reports:

• 1912 Luther Jones (Lottie) 296 (typo?) S Dunbar Ave
• 1913 Luther Jones (Lottie) 298 S Dunbar Ave 
• 1913 November,  Luther Jones 23 Weidner Street (per news report)
  
• 1914 Luther Jones (Lottie) 298 S Dunbar Ave
• 1915 Edward J Borton (Edna), Mabel Borton, 7 Hawthorn
  
• 1916 Luther Jones (Lottie) 298 S Dunbar Ave
• 1916 Edward J Borton (Edna), Mabel Borton, 7 Hawthorn
  
• 1917 Luther Jones (Lottie) 298 S Dunbar Ave
• 1917 Mrs. Lottie Jones laundress 624 S.Western Ave
• 1917 Chas Grumbach (Carrie M) 7 Hawthorn
  
• 1918 Luther Jones (Lottie) 298 S Dunbar Ave
• 1918 Frank M Sheller (Myrtl M) 7 Hawthorn
• 1919 Frank M Sheller (Myrtl M) 7 Hawthorn 
• 1920 Census, Luther & Lottie Jones, Edward, Paul, Wilbur Jones 298 S Dunbar Ave
  
• 1921 Mrs. Lottie Jones, 1939 W Eaton Ave (Not sure if same Lottie Jones)
  
• 1921 Clara (wid of Louis) & Eva Acton 7 Hawthorn
  
• 1921 Earl Walker, Henry Otto, John Otto all room at 7 Hawthorn
• 1922 Mrs. Lottie Jones, 1947 W Eaton Ave (Not sure if same Lottie Jones)
  
• 1922 Clara Acton, Eva Acton, Grace Acton, Myrtle Sodder, 7 Hawthorn
• 1923 Mrs. Lottie Jones, 1947 W Eaton Ave (Not sure if same Lottie Jones)
  
• 1923 Clara Acton, Grace Acton, Harry Fear (rooms) 7 Hawthorn
  
• 1924 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Edward Jones 7 Hawthorn 
• 1925 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Edward & Connie Jones, 7 Hawthorn
• 1926 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Edward & Connie Jones, Wilbur Jones, 7 Hawthorn
  
• 1927 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Edward Jones, Wilbur Jones, 7 Hawthorn
• 1928 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Edward Jones, Wilbur Jones, 7 Hawthorn
• 1929 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Edward & Connie Jones, Paul Jones, Wilbur Jones, 7 Hawthorn
• 1930 Lottie & Luther Jones, Edward & Connie Jones, Paul Jones, Wilbur Jones, 7 Hawthorn
• 1931 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Edward & Connie Jones, Paul Jones, Wilbur Jones, 7 Hawthorn
• 1932 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Edwd & Connie Jones, Paul Jones, Wilbur & Rebecca Jones, 7 Hawthorn
• 1933 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Edward & Connie Jones, Wilbur & Rebecca Jones, 7 Hawthorn
• 1934 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Edward & Connie Jones, Paul Jones, Wilbur Jones, 7 Hawthorn
• 1936 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Paul Jones, Wilbur Jones, 7 Hawthorn
• 1936 Edward & Connie Jones 400 Norwood Ave
• 1937 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Paul Jones, Wilbur Jones, 402 Norwood Ave
• 1938 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Paul Jones, Wilbur Jones, 402 Norwood Ave
• 1939 Mrs. Lottie Jones, Paul Jones, Wilbur Jones, 402 Norwood Ave
• 1940 Census, Lottie Jones, Paul Jones, Wilbur Jones, 137 S Williams Street 
• 1940 Census, Luther Jones living with Edward & Connie Jones and their children Charlotte, Marie, Mary, and Katharine at 409 Norwood Ave.
  
• 1942 Lottie Jones (widow of John), Paul Jones, 137 S Williams Street

 16.  The addition with 2nd floor bay window to south can be seen pictured in the following postcard which is postmarked 1922.