Fractious Family House Photographs

In 1867, the Freedmen's Bureau created a settlement to accommodate some of the African Americans coming to Washington, DC during the Civil War. The Bureau acquired 375 acres from the Barry family across the Eastern Branch (later Anacostia River) in what was then called Washington County. The land from Barry Farm was divided into 356 one acre lots to be sold to the newly freed people. William Fractious, born in Virginia around 1827 and his wife Lucy, were likely among those who acquired lots in the new development. A carpenter by trade, Fractious acquired lot 7 of section 3, which came with the materials needed to build an A-frame style two room house. In the 1940s, when sewage and water came to Elvans Road, the family built an addition which included a bathroom and another bedroom. The Fractious family house on the 2100 block of Elvans Road served as the family abode for several generations over more than 140 years. By 2009 however it was abandoned, and shortly thereafter, it was razed. It is believed that this was the last example of the A-frame houses originally built in Barry Farm.