Col. James S. Piper's wife Elizabeth

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

The question of Elizabeth Piper's identity has been plaguing me for some time, and I've thrown myself into looking for her several times in the last year or so. Working on Col. James S. Piper, 1863 Part Three yesterday got me to thinking about who she might have been. 

Then I decided to experiment with my tentacle approach in FamilySearch's full-text search. I entered "Elizabeth Piper" in the name search box. Since the only known place of residence for Elizabeth and James S. Piper was Washington, DC, I entered just the word Washington in the keyword search box. My search was not confined to a time period or place. There were several results beyond the District of Columbia. Since Elizabeth Piper was born in Maryland in about 1820, I checked results from Maryland. The records coming in from Prince George's County, Maryland, looked the most promising.

I got very lucky with Orphan's Court proceedings. The estate of Elizabeth Burch Clubb was being settled down into the 1870s, and that generated a large number of documents that were very specific. On 14 August 1855, Elizabeth Burch Clubb, a childless, married woman, wrote her will even though her husband Horatio Clubb was still living. Granted, she wrote her will with his permission. She left all of her property to her husband, Horatio. Her property was substantial; she had purchased a farm with a dwelling house. At Horatio's death, the property was to be sold, and the proceeds were to be distributed to Elizabeth's niece, nephew, and step-daughter. The niece was Elizabeth Piper, wife of James Piper.  

"my niece Elizabeth Piper wife of James Piper of the City of Washington and only daughter of my sister R. Ann Powers the share or proportion to which my said niece would be entitled, to be subject to and under this express provise nevertheless that my said Executor shall not be compelled to pay into the hands of the said James Piper any part or portion of the money which I herein bequeath to my said niece, but that the same shall remain in the hands of my said Executor for her sole use and benefit, to be paid to her at such times and in such sums as she may require for her own personal and necessary purposes, and that any receipts or other writings witnessing the payments of  sums and signed by her, though covert, shall be sufficient discharges to my..."

The City of Washington or Washington City was a common reference to Washington, DC, during that time period. To my knowledge, there was only one couple named James and Elizabeth Piper in Washington, DC, at that time. This portion of Elizabeth Clubb's will suggests that Elizabeth Piper was probably an only child and that her mother, R. Ann Powers, was likely deceased; otherwise, it seems like R. Ann Powers would have received a bequest instead of her daughter. 

Elizabeth Burch Clubb wrote another will on 17 July 1867, without her husband's permission, stating that she was weak and feeble. In that will, she left everything to her husband Horatio, but did not mention any other heirs. This will would have superseded her previous will. 

By 17 September 1867, Elizabeth Burch Clubb's will was being probated.  In 1872, Horatio Clubb's estate was being probated and litigated. 

With these clues, I went into the FamilySearch tree and found Horatio Clubb and his wife, Elizabeth Burch Smallwood. Then I began searching individuals in the Smallwood family, trying to locate R. Ann Powers. Even though she was right under my nose, she was difficult to pinpoint because of her name.

In the will of Elizabeth Burch Smallwood's unmarried aunt, Elizabeth Wilson, that was written in Prince George's County, Maryland, on 12 August 1823, Elizabeth Wilson left a bequest to her sister Chloe Smallwood and to Chloe's children: Nathaniel Augustus Smallwood, Rusha Ann Powers, Elizabeth Burch Club, Lucy H. Smallwood, and named Aquilla W. Smallwood as executor. This information provided me with a first name for R. Ann Powers - Rusha. So why wasn't she in the family tree?

Then I went back to reread the 1811 will of John Smallwood, father of Elizabeth Burch Clubb. What was  I missing? Then I saw her - Jerushan Smallwood. Oh, good grief. On the FamilySearch tree, she was Jerusha Ann Smallwood. Rusha Ann! 

In 1823, all the heirs of John Smallwood signed a bond with husbands signing in right of their wives. Horatio Clubb signed for Elizabeth Burch (Smallwood) Clubb, and Thomas Powers signed in right of his wife Rusha Ann Powers. 

Rusha Ann Powers' inheritance from Elizabeth Wilson was an eight-year-old slave named Elizabeth, who was to be freed when she reached the age of 33. In 1847, Elizabeth Greene filed suit for her freedom against Rusha Ann Powers of the District of Columbia. Elizabeth Greene would have been 33 in 1847. 

This placed Rusha Ann Powers and probably her daughter, Elizabeth, in the District of Columbia in time for Elizabeth to meet and marry James S. Piper. They would have married prior to William H. Piper's birth in about 1848. 

The 1853 Washington DC City Directory lists a Mrs. Powers, widow, living on the north side of E street between 6th and 7th streets. That is roughly the same address as James S. Piper and a family. Was she living in an apartment in the same building? Was she living in a house next door? Did she own the property??

So far, I do not know when Thomas Powers died. I cannot find Rusha Ann or Jerusha Ann or Jerushan Powers on the 1850 census. However, I found out when she died. I did not know it until now, but I've had it in my notes for a long time.

In the records for the Washington Congressional Cemetery, J. S. Piper paid $3 to have a grave dug for Mrs. Ann Powers on 17 December 1857. 

James S. Piper was not paying to have a random woman's grave dug; he was paying for the burial of his mother-in-law!

Eventually, I found Ann Power's death notice in the Alexandria Gazette, published on 23 December 1857. 

The records for the Washington Congressional Cemetery indicate that Mrs. Ann Powers was buried in range 33, no. 178. When Elizabeth (Powers) Piper died in 1863, she was buried next to her mother.

There is more research to be done at a later time - there is some indication that a woman named Mrs. Ann Powers was running a tavern on 7th Street in Washington, DC, in about 1843.