White House Historical Association

Telemachus Ford

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"Telemachus Ford," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/450.
Position
Unclear From Context Unclear from Context
Years in President's House
circa 1877
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Rutherford B. Hayes
Biography
Telemachus Ford was born in Maryland around 1830. (1) Between 1868 and 1870, he worked as a plasterer in Washington, D.C. (2) In 1871, he was employed as a laborer on Eighteenth Street. (3) In 1877, Ford began working at the White House as a laborer within the first few weeks of President Rutherford B. Hayes’ administration; the duration of Ford’s service is currently unknown, as are his exact responsibilities at the White House. (4)
The 1880 Census lists him working as a laborer for an unspecified employer and mentions that he owned a home in D.C. (5) Ford died on September 30, 1882, and was buried at Columbian Harmony Cemetery in Washington, D.C. (6) Burials there were later disinterred during Metro construction and reinterred at National Harmony Memorial Park in Maryland.
(1) “Tolemecus Ford,” in 1870 United States Federal Census [Washington Ward 1, Washington, District of Columbia] (National Archives and Records Administration, 1870), 84A (roll M593_123), https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2038211:7163.
(2) “Tolemecus Ford,” in 1870 United States Federal Census [Washington Ward 1, Washington, District of Columbia] (National Archives and Records Administration, 1870), 84A (roll M593_123), https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2038211:7163; “Tolemecus Ford,” in 1870 United States Federal Census [Washington Ward 1, Washington, District of Columbia] (National Archives and Records Administration, 1870), 84A (roll M593_123), https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2038211:7163.
(3) “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 - Ancestry.com,” https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1036346185:2469?tid=&pid=&queryId=f70397009f065118f44f943fac5f5a50&_phsrc=ump246&_phstart=successSource.
(4) Julie Mayle, Curator of Manuscripts, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, e-mail message to the White House Historical Association, August 17, 2023; “U.S., City Directories, 1878,” Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1039137940:2469?tid=&pid=&queryId=f70397009f065118f44f943fac5f5a50&_phsrc=ump246&_phstart=successSource. He may have also continued to work as a laborer in addition to serving at the White House.
(5) “Telemachus Ford,” in 1880 United States Federal Census [Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia] (National Archives and Records Administration, 1880), 98B (roll 121), https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/35411365:6742.
(6) Telemachus Ford, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Death Certificates, 1874–1931, accessed via Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62876/records/271149.
Birthplace
Maryland, USA