The Syphax Family in the President's Neighborhood

In this episode of White House History Live, historian Stephen E. Hammond will discuss the Syphax family with White House Historical Association Senior Historian, Dr. Matthew Costello. Mr. Hammond is a descendant of William Syphax, and for nearly fifty years he has researched the Syphax family and its lineage. During the nineteenth century, his third-great-grandmother — Nancy Syphax — was an enslaved resident at Decatur House, which today is part of the Association's campus in Washington, D.C. This conversation will explore Nancy's life, the Decatur House Slave Quarters, and the Syphax story beyond slavery. Mr. Hammond has also contributed to the Association's Slavery in the President's Neighborhood initiative and virtual tour of the Decatur House Slave