Walter Thomas Hellen (IV) was the son of Walter Hellen Jr. and his second wife Adelaide Johnson. He was the last of Walter Hellen Jr's children, born only a year prior to his death. It is confirmed he was born in Washington DC in 1814 and Johnson family researchers, plus other sources, note his death in Washington DC in 1850, although no official death record has been found and no date inscribed on the shared marker.
Walter received a BA from Columbian College, now George Washington University, in about 1833. The diaries of Charles Francis Adams, his cousin, note him as remaining close to the Adams family and spending some summers in Quincy, MA with them as a young man. The diary entries of Charles' father, John Quincy Adams, also make frequent mention of Walter during his lifetime as regularly visiting the Adams plus often traveling with them.
Upon reaching his majority in 1835, he received what remained of his inheritance from his deceased father's estate, a major portion recorded as lost due to a bank failure the year before. By 1841, he was noted as a Director of the National Bank of Washington, and appears to have remained in finance until his death, although no further specific records are found.
An interesting aside is that John Quincy Adams noted in his diary in 1843 that Walter owned a slave, Isaac Clark, who had then been given permission to go to New York to attempt to raise money to purchase his freedom. Walter's half sister, Mary Catherine Hellen, had freed her "negro girl", Racheal Clark the day of her wedding to John Adams II in 1828, and that same year, Walter's mother, Adelaide, was noted with an enslaved "Jane Clark". It would appear that an entire Clark family had been owned at one time by Walter Hellen Jr., and likely all inherited by his family afterwards, or later generations born. Nothing is known of any of these Clarks afterwards, all appearing "domestics" , and John Quincy speculated in his diary that Isaac would "never be seen again".
His mother, Adelaide Johnson Hellen, had inherited the Hellen plot after her husband's death and arranged for his internment here.
Allan Garner - Rev: Oct 13, 2023
Walter received a BA from Columbian College, now George Washington University, in about 1833. The diaries of Charles Francis Adams, his cousin, note him as remaining close to the Adams family and spending some summers in Quincy, MA with them as a young man. The diary entries of Charles' father, John Quincy Adams, also make frequent mention of Walter during his lifetime as regularly visiting the Adams plus often traveling with them.
Upon reaching his majority in 1835, he received what remained of his inheritance from his deceased father's estate, a major portion recorded as lost due to a bank failure the year before. By 1841, he was noted as a Director of the National Bank of Washington, and appears to have remained in finance until his death, although no further specific records are found.
An interesting aside is that John Quincy Adams noted in his diary in 1843 that Walter owned a slave, Isaac Clark, who had then been given permission to go to New York to attempt to raise money to purchase his freedom. Walter's half sister, Mary Catherine Hellen, had freed her "negro girl", Racheal Clark the day of her wedding to John Adams II in 1828, and that same year, Walter's mother, Adelaide, was noted with an enslaved "Jane Clark". It would appear that an entire Clark family had been owned at one time by Walter Hellen Jr., and likely all inherited by his family afterwards, or later generations born. Nothing is known of any of these Clarks afterwards, all appearing "domestics" , and John Quincy speculated in his diary that Isaac would "never be seen again".
His mother, Adelaide Johnson Hellen, had inherited the Hellen plot after her husband's death and arranged for his internment here.
Allan Garner - Rev: Oct 13, 2023
Walter Thomas Hellen (IV) was the son of Walter Hellen Jr. and his second wife Adelaide Johnson. He was the last of Walter Hellen Jr's children, born only a year prior to his death. It is confirmed he was born in Washington DC in 1814 and Johnson family researchers, plus other sources, note his death in Washington DC in 1850, although no official death record has been found and no date inscribed on the shared marker.
Walter received a BA from Columbian College, now George Washington University, in about 1833. The diaries of Charles Francis Adams, his cousin, note him as remaining close to the Adams family and spending some summers in Quincy, MA with them as a young man. The diary entries of Charles' father, John Quincy Adams, also make frequent mention of Walter during his lifetime as regularly visiting the Adams plus often traveling with them.
Upon reaching his majority in 1835, he received what remained of his inheritance from his deceased father's estate, a major portion recorded as lost due to a bank failure the year before. By 1841, he was noted as a Director of the National Bank of Washington, and appears to have remained in finance until his death, although no further specific records are found.
An interesting aside is that John Quincy Adams noted in his diary in 1843 that Walter owned a slave, Isaac Clark, who had then been given permission to go to New York to attempt to raise money to purchase his freedom. Walter's half sister, Mary Catherine Hellen, had freed her "negro girl", Racheal Clark the day of her wedding to John Adams II in 1828, and that same year, Walter's mother, Adelaide, was noted with an enslaved "Jane Clark". It would appear that an entire Clark family had been owned at one time by Walter Hellen Jr., and likely all inherited by his family afterwards, or later generations born. Nothing is known of any of these Clarks afterwards, all appearing "domestics" , and John Quincy speculated in his diary that Isaac would "never be seen again".
His mother, Adelaide Johnson Hellen, had inherited the Hellen plot after her husband's death and arranged for his internment here.
Allan Garner - Rev: Oct 13, 2023
Walter received a BA from Columbian College, now George Washington University, in about 1833. The diaries of Charles Francis Adams, his cousin, note him as remaining close to the Adams family and spending some summers in Quincy, MA with them as a young man. The diary entries of Charles' father, John Quincy Adams, also make frequent mention of Walter during his lifetime as regularly visiting the Adams plus often traveling with them.
Upon reaching his majority in 1835, he received what remained of his inheritance from his deceased father's estate, a major portion recorded as lost due to a bank failure the year before. By 1841, he was noted as a Director of the National Bank of Washington, and appears to have remained in finance until his death, although no further specific records are found.
An interesting aside is that John Quincy Adams noted in his diary in 1843 that Walter owned a slave, Isaac Clark, who had then been given permission to go to New York to attempt to raise money to purchase his freedom. Walter's half sister, Mary Catherine Hellen, had freed her "negro girl", Racheal Clark the day of her wedding to John Adams II in 1828, and that same year, Walter's mother, Adelaide, was noted with an enslaved "Jane Clark". It would appear that an entire Clark family had been owned at one time by Walter Hellen Jr., and likely all inherited by his family afterwards, or later generations born. Nothing is known of any of these Clarks afterwards, all appearing "domestics" , and John Quincy speculated in his diary that Isaac would "never be seen again".
His mother, Adelaide Johnson Hellen, had inherited the Hellen plot after her husband's death and arranged for his internment here.
Allan Garner - Rev: Oct 13, 2023
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