White House Historical Association

Alvah H. Thurston

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"Alvah H. Thurston," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/1008.
Position
Custodian
Years in President's House
circa 1942 – 1944
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Biography
Alvah Harold Thurston was born in 1897, in Mineral, Virginia. (1) Thurston served in the U.S. Army during World War I, and later worked as a train car cleaner for the Pullman Company in Washington, D.C. (2) By 1940, he was a janitor in a government office building; that building may have been the White House East Wing, as just two years later he appears on government records working as a custodian there. (3) According to a 1944 White House staff roster, he served on the night cleaning force for the East Wing. (4) Further details about Thurston’s tenure on staff are unclear, but his death certificate listed his occupation as “retired custodian.” Alvah Thurston died on September 28, 1980, and was buried at Mount Gilliam New Site Baptist Church Cemetery in Louisa, Virginia. (5)
(1) There are many discrepancies regarding Thurston’s date of birth. His World War I draft card uses the date May 3, 1896; his World War II draft card states May 5, 1897, and his death certificate states June 5, 1897. His grave states 1897, hence the inclusion in this biography. See Alvah Harrold Thurston U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, Ancestry.com; Alvah Harold Thurston, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For District of Columbia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 229, Ancestry.com; Alvah Harold Thurston, Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014, Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015; “Alvah Harold Thurston,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49448818/alvah-harold-thurston.
(2) “Alvah Harold Thurston,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49448818/alvah-harold-thurston; Boyd’s Directory of the District of Columbia (R. L. Polk and Co., 1935), pg. 1944; Boyd’s Directory of the District of Columbia (R. L. Polk and Co., 1936), 2217; Alvah H Thurston, 1930 United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0024; FHL microfilm: 2340027, Ancestry.com.
(3) Alva H Thuston, 1940 United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Mineral, Louisa, Virginia; Roll: m-t0627-04274; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 55-16, Ancestry.com; Alvah Harold Thurston, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For District of Columbia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 229, Ancestry.com.
(4) "Roster of White House Employees, Revised, April 1, 1944," Folder: Investigative Case Files, 1934-1945, Records of the United States Secret Service, 1933-1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York.
(5) Alvah Harold Thurston, Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014, Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015; “Alvah Harold Thurston,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49448818/alvah-harold-thurston; “Alvah Thurston,” The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA), October 1, 1980, pg. 16.
Birthplace
Mineral, Virginia, USA