Jennie from the block?
If you’ve done genealogy, especially on ancestry where you map out an ancestor’s birth, locations, occupations, & death – it can feel like you have a well-rounded idea of their life…
Jennie Davy’s Ancestry profile looked like most other ancestors’ profiles.
We knew when & where she was born, where she lived, and when & where she had died. But was that really all there was to her life? According to Tim’s grandfather there was more to her story. We investigate a claim that led us into Kansas City's sordid past.
Portrait of Jennie Davy
Born on the 27th of February 1850, in Wisconsin, to Peter & Rebecca Davy, successful immigrant cattle farmers from Ontario, Canada. She grew up on a farm in Ashippun, WI, with eleven siblings.
Rebecca & Peter Davy Davy Farm in Wisconsin
In 1870, she’s 20 years old, living with her brother John and half-sister Mary. She is working as a music teacher.
On the 13th of November 1871 she is 21, and is married to Almond Annis, 24, in Ashippun. Al
Jennie & Almond's Marriage Record
Sometime between 1873 and 1874 they move from Wisconsin to Kansas City, MO. Although Jennie isn’t mentioned here, we assume they are living together on Locust SW cor. 2d. Almond is listed in the Kansas City directory as a carpenter in 1874 (1. City directories usually collect data a few months prior and up to a year before publishing, 2. Sometimes Kansas City, MO information was published in the Kansas City, Kansas directories)e
rming and doors.
1874 Kansas City Directory
Their only son, Willie Annis, was born on the 23rd of July 1874 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Portrait of Willie age 3
It would seem they went to Kansas City to start a new life together. And their young family was starting to grow. But only 5 years later, in February of 1879, Almond closed his carpentry business. (Although we don’t know where that business was as he wasn’t listed in Kansas City, Wisconsin, or Kansas directories other than once in Kansas City 1874) He had come down with consumption. Then, on June 29th, 1879, Almond died.
Almond Annis's Obituary
We don’t have a death certificate to tell us where he died. His obituary seems to suggest he may have died with his family in Wisconsin. We also found out that his mother purchased his headstone according to the cemetery in Wisconsin.
Almond's updated headstone Almond's mother's receipt of headstone purchase. The original headstone was eventually replaced.
The circumstances around Almond's death are unclear. We don't know the family's whereabouts from 1875-1876. Or whether they were together for Almond's death. We do know that Jennie ended up staying in KC instead of going back to her family in Wisconsin after her husband died. She also was residing in Kansas City while her husband was likely in Wisconsin in 1877. This was also when Willie had his photo taken at age 3.
1877 Kansas City Directory
Widows had limited options on what they could do after their husbands died and this was directly tied to their economic status. Apart from this, women had fewer economic opportunities in the 1800’s. Living with family, living off inheritance, taking in boarders (This was similar to taking in roommates except that the person taking in boarders would typically provide lodging and meals for pay) or remarrying, were common ways women would avoid destitution. (McDonald, 2022)
So, why didn't she go to Wisconsin with her dying husband and back home to her family? Did she discover independence despite her economic status? Some women were able to use widowhood to carve their own way through the difficult confines of society. (Andrews & Lomas, 2020)
1880 Federal Census Jennie Annis listed in the 1881 Directory as a dressmaker
The 1880 census and 1881 directory lists Jennie as a widowed dressmaker in Kansas City.
However, in 1880 within two newspapers we discover a charge against Jennie for keeping a “bawdy house” and a “house of ill fame.”
State vs. Jennie Annis Keeping Bawdy House Sep, 12 1880 Jennie Pleads 'Not Guilty' September 10th paper State vs. Jennis Annis Keeping House of Ill Fame September 17th paper
Jennie pled not guilty and the charges were dismissed. And in the same newspaper article we find Annie Chambers and many other women’s names listed where they all plead guilty to keeping bawdy houses and fined $20 and cost. If you don’t know about Annie Chambers – she was one of the most prolific and wealthy brothel owners in KC from 1870-1923. (Roe, n.d.)
Many first-time offenders were let off the hook. And people like Annie Chambers were well known and established at this time that they simply paid small fines to keep operating. Also, many women operated under false names through advertisements and word of mouth. (Deel, 2019)
Annie Chambers Advertisment from MVSC Kansas City Public Library
This means the real names listed in the paper could have been other Madams (brothel owners) but the research to connect real and fake names is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to do.
What we do know about brothels of this time and area, is that there was a range of types:
Some brothels such as those found in the shanties were places where single women might work alone, typically in the slum areas such as “Hell’s Half Acre”. (Deel, 2019)
Shanty within Hell's Half Acre with the Bluffs above from the Jackson County Historical Society Map Depicting Hell's Half Acre from the Jackson County Historical Society
Others were assignation houses, which had the cover of being law abiding boarding houses. People who owned a home with a few extra rooms may rent a room to prostitutes in a more part-time situation and take a cut of the profits. (Deel, 2019) Although, if word of such dealings made it to 'decent society', the reputation of that house would be tarnished and potentially lose boarders. They could also be fined and penalized for what happened under their roof. (Gamber, 2007, pp. 103-104)
Then up on the bluffs overlooking Hell’s Half Acre you have the wealthier side where you find the ‘Queens of the red-light district’ like Annie Chambers and Laura Lovejoy where these brothels were regarded as higher-end resorts. These resorts were much bigger and often had wine rooms and lounges. (Deel, 2019)
Chamber's Resort Entrance from MVSC Kansas City Public Library Chamber's Resort Lobby from MVSC Kansas City Public Library
From the late 1800’s to the 1900’s there was a battle in Kansas City of morals. Virtually Jennie’s entire life in Kansas City saw the likes of Carrie Nation, a famous prohibitionist, and many other reformist groups battling physically and through law to abolish drinking, gambling and brothels, among many societal standards they attempted to enforce. This would prove to be a tough undertaking as Kansas City was greatly thriving from it's vice. So much money was being made that it was called the 'Paris of the Plains'. (Deel, 2019)
Carrie Nation holding her famous axe she used to smash saloons from the American Stock Archive
Even if Jennie wasn’t operating a bawdy house – there were social pressures and groups working against those operating legitimate boardinghouses for the chance that they could become one. Parts of society largely saw boarding houses as temptations for unruly behavior. They didn’t like that boardinghouses offered people the opportunity to move to large cities for work, away from their families. The distance from family as well as the social mixing that inevitably happened made some people believe that boarders were not respectable. These attacks primarily hurt women as this was a common way for women to make a living, especially for widows. (Gamber 2007, pp. 8, 56-59, 102-104)
Boarding houses with all their scrutiny came with an extensive list of expenses and physical labor. Success or failure seemed entirely dependent on chance as much as business acumen. What residences offered in terms of furnishings and services (i.e., laundry, food) could entice or repel prospects. The boarders that residences attract directly tie into the potential for income earned. Meaning the home, as well as the means to furnish and service it, is an economic roadblock for most landladies and even more so for widows. The chance of empty rooms (especially when advertisements were paid for), boarders who behaved badly and ruin the house’s reputation (remember Jennie plead not guilty for keeping a bawdy house), and boarders who didn’t pay, made renting rooms risky. In her book about boardinghouses, Gamber describes the running of a boarding business "Like many of the buildings that housed them, boardinghouse economies were rickety structures, liable to collapse without warning." However, boarding houses such as brothels who pandered to the undesirable boarders of the upper class tended to be much more lucrative. (Gamber, 2007, pp. 53-57, 102-104)
Unfortunately, we don’t have the 1890 census as those records were burned in a fire, so there is a 20-year gap of census information that may have helped shed more light on what Jennie was doing at that time.
In 1895 after 16 years of widowhood at age 45 she was married to Charles McKee, 38, who was a bill poster for the 9th street theater. (Charles moved in with Jennie)
A year after Jennie's marriage to Charles we start to see Jennie show up in the Directories as offering furnished rooms for rent.
1896 Kansas City Directory
By the 1900’s Jennie and Annie Chambers are operating in ward 2. In the heart of Kansas City's red light district and on the doorstep of it's municipal services. The west bottoms where Hell’s Half Acre is located was controlled by Jim (James) Pendergast. Jim and Annie both had their stakes in the police department. (Deel, 2019) This meant Annie could operate while paying small fines to act as her operating license. This also meant she could avoid police raids among other benefits while amassing great wealth. One benefit in particular, a button, which was located in her residence as a convenient way to remove troublemakers from her business. (Grady, 2024) Which, as she lived a few blocks from the police department, was rather quick service. And Jim, who was an elected official could control the vice of the city to his favor financially and politically. Crime under his watch would be forgiven as long as he had his cut of the profits and the votes to secure his rein. (Deel, 2019)
Map from the History Chicks circa 1897
The 1900 census shows us that Myrtle Thomas, 22, was listed as a boarder under Jennie. What I find interesting is that Myrtle’s occupation is listed as a dressmaker.
1900 Federal Census
In the 1910 census we find two women working for Jennie as servants while Jennie has no occupation listed. Her husband Charles is employed as an advertising agent for the Shubert theater. One woman, Mary E. Davis, 33, is a chamber maid with one child, and the other Leota Tucker, 43, a cook. Both are listed as working for a rooming house.
1910 Federal Census
During the time she is renting rooms (officially 1896-1919) there are multiple different addresses listed. If the records exist, deeper research here could tell us what kind of homes she was residing in. Are they small with a room or two to spare? Or large with multiple rooms? Unfortunately, all of the homes we know that she lived in are gone now. We will continue our search for property records to see if they can give us more information.
We do know from the 1900 and 1910 census she is renting those homes. However, the addition of servants may indicate Jennie was growing her boarding business. What is also remarkable is that the first boarder we found as well as both servants are identified as widows.
Some widows would look out for one another. And in some cities they created organizations and charities to help their fellow widows. Some, possibly in the case of Jennie, helped each other out where they could by employing fellow widows. (Andrews and Lomas 2020) Especially at a time when single women and widows could be turned away from being boarders as they were seen as moral risks. (Gamber 2007, 104)
So, was Jennie really running a bawdy house? The documented circumstances around her suggest that she could have been a part of the vice scene as much as it may suggest that she wasn’t. Which forces us to look at the historical context that surrounds her.
Through our research we didn’t find any other charges against her. She was listed as a dressmaker in 1880-1881 when she was charged for keeping a bawdy house. She wasn’t listed as running a boardinghouse (or various terms used for this business) when she was charged or for a many years after. However, people didn’t always list their occupations or how they earned their income entirely. Most of those years we have no record for what she did for income. How was she surviving for those 16 years of widowhood before re-marrying?
Whether she ran a legitimate boarding house or brothel, society would have placed her under limited options for marketing and maintaining her business. Just as Annie’s brothel gained clients through a black book and word of mouth, most boarding houses didn’t openly advertise either. Proper landladies would typically not list their operations in the directory and operated from word of mouth as to limit exposure to undesirable boarders. (Gamber 2007, 36) Therefore, it’s difficult to know when she started and how long she actually rented rooms. Not to mention - knowing who she rented rooms to.
Then in 1910 Jennie has servants to help run her boarding business. Servants could mean Jennie had more income than typical landladies. Especially when, for most women, renting rooms was more likely to afford them just to get by. (Gamber 2007, pp. 39-41) Whether she needed the assistance then, as she was 60 at this point, or not, she was still able to afford the help. My research into this period indicates that although it wasn’t impossible for women to increase their wealth through legitimate boarding houses, it was not very common. Women were more likely to increase wealth and quicker through brothels. Jennie lived most of her life in the red-light district. She also had been able to obtain multiple properties throughout the years while in the same wealthy district as Annie. Obtaining rental property would have been tough for a widow running a risky boarding business without a husbands income. (Gamber 2007, pp. 53-57) Then the year after she remarried, she is listed as renting out rooms for at least 17 years (based on the directory).
Did she meet Annie Chambers that day in court or possibly as a dressmaker? Annie was known to request specific types of dresses for her working girls and Jennie was a dressmaker at first. (The Kansas City Public Library 2012) Annie and Jennie seemed to be kindred spirits, both widows, and both trying to earn a living in a world that was strict on what women could and could not do.
What conditions was she left in when her young husband died in 1879, leaving her alone in a new city with a young child? Why did she stay in Kansas City? “Unless a woman was married, she didn’t have a place in the world.” As the Kansas City Public Library put it when they performed a meet the past series depicting Annie Chambers in a retelling of her life. (The Kansas City Public Library 2012)
And when did Almond leave for Wisconsin? The obituary references him having a short residence in Kansas from 1873-1874. (Kansas City, MO boarders Kansas City, KS and the two often get mixed up) Did he leave before or after Willie was born? Did Jennie move with Almond to Wisconsin in 1874 then back to Kansas City in 1877? We don't have a birth record for Willie to confirm his birth location. He claims to have been born in KC on his documents, however, he was very young when his father died.
We could not locate Almond between 1875-1878 in Wisconsin, Missouri, or Kansas.
The obituary mentions that Almond’s Christian life was greatly revived and quickened by J. T. Woodhead. And that the last months of his life were months of happiness, peace, and triumph.
Did Almond leave Kansas City because of the crime and corruption that earned it the nickname “Modern Sodom”? (Deel 2019) Was it because his wife could have been a part of this vice? After all she did get called into court in 1880, shortly after his death. She pled not guilty and charges were dismissed, however that doesn’t necessarily mean she didn’t do it as first time offenders could be let off. How long did it take for questions to arise about her business practices? Was she renting rooms first as a married woman or did she start as a widow?
But, again, this is all speculation and hard to prove one way or the other. Until more documents show up we will have to continue digging into the many nuances of the past to better understand our ancestors.
Despite all that was going on around her; the vice, the moral policing of society, she survived it. Which seems to have been a tough feat whether it was a bawdy house or regular boarding house.
We all know how the game telephone works and how information through time and through different people can skew that information. Family legends could hold some kernels of truth while others are flat out lies.
So, when Willie (Jennie’s only child) - told Orcelia (Willie’s daughter) - who tells Norman (Orcelia’s son), who then tells Tim as they are sitting, looking through their genealogy books, points at Jennie’s picture and says “She ran a house where ladies turned tricks.” We must look into the claim and dig through convoluted and hidden history, read between the lines, and discover what kernels of truth we can find. Understanding the historical context around our ancestors could offer more insight into their lives.
As for Jennie, we don’t have hard proof of this claim. But, hey, what’s a story without a little mystery?
References
Andrews, Maggie, and Janis Lomas. 2020. Widows: Poverty, Power and Politics. December 01. https://womenshistorynetwork.org/widows-poverty-power-and-politics-by-professor-maggie-andrews-and-dr-janis-lomas/.
Deel, Karla. 2019. Storied & Scandalous Kansas City. Kansas City: Globe Pequot Publishing.
Gamber, Wendy. 2007. The Boardinghouse in Nineteenth-Century America. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.
Grady, Bill. 2024. Uniquely Kansas City. may 04. https://www.kshb.com/news/uniquely-kansas-city/uniquely-kansas-city-how-the-owner-of-a-famed-brothel-helped-city-union-mission-get-its-start.
McDonald, Charlotte. 2022. Mariner Eidows in Eighteenth Century Salem. August 29. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/mariner-widows.htm.
Roe, Jason. n.d. The Pendergast Years: Annie Chambers. https://pendergastkc.org/articles/annie-chambers.
The Kansas City Public Library. 2012. Meet the Past: Annie Chambers. August 17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt3ssD_KZIg.