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- Washington Post article, March 7, 1907:
GOES INTO THE WORLD
Member Woman's Community [known as Sanctified Sisters] Now Federal Clerk.
Ambitious To Do Something.
Miss Susie Carter Accepts Position with the Agricultural Department, but Retains Membership in the Community Which Stands for Celibacy and Communism -- Never Thinks of Marriage. Miss Susie Carter, a member of the Woman's Commonwealth, a community that makes celibacy and communism its religion, whose founders came to Washington a little more than two years ago from Texas, has been appointed to a position in the Department of Agriculture. This is a new departure, for in all the history of the community no member has broken away and gone so far into the world as to seek an outside occupation. Of course many sew or paint or write and they keep boarders, but for one of the young women to mingle with the world is most unheard of, and a matter which, at the Commonwealth, as their residence, 1437 Ewing street, is called, is not to be discussed. Miss Carter became a member of the community at the age of two, her mother, Mrs. R.S. Carter, joining at that time and taking with her three little daughters, one of whom died a short time ago. The other sister of Miss Carter is still a member. Unlike her companions, Miss Carter gave way to her ambitions to do something for herself, and the education usually given to the young girls of the community not satisfying her, she entered several schools, making a particular study of stenography and typewriting.
Got Clerkship in February.
In this she became expert, successfully passed the civil service examination, and last month was appointed a clerk in the Department of Agriculture in the division of publications. March 1 she was transferred to the forestry division. Miss Carter is a charming young woman, level headed, and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She rather resents the attitude taken toward her by the public in general, or those she meets in her work. "They look at me as though I were a curiosity," she says. "They point me out and speak of me as being one of the man haters, I don't know why, but everybody seems to know about me. Nobody seems to understand. It is my life and the members of the community are my people, and I love them all." When asked about men and whether she was afraid of them, or if she ever thought of marriage, she said: "Why, no; we don't believe in it, and besides, we never meet men in a social way. We never have anything to do with them except strictly on business."
Community is Wealthy.
The community is a wealthy one. In addition to the house on Irving street, it owns a fine country place in Montgomery County, Md., where the members can go when they feel so inclined. There are now about fifteen or sixteen members, all of whom are women past middle age, with the exception of Miss Carter, her sister and two other young women. Miss Fanny Holtzclaw is president of the organization.
Great notoriety was given the community two years ago by the elopement of one of the young woman members, and for months after the other young women, whose names were made public in connection with the affair were deluged with communications from all over the country, proposing marriage, offering money and homes, and wishing exchange of letters and pictures. All this annoyed the president so much that no newspaper representative is allowed now to cross the threshold of the home."
[Note: Within four years of this article's publication, Susie had left the commune and was giving Valentine dances in her home.]
Washington Post, 6-7-1958:
CARTER, SUSIE E. On Monday, January 6, 1958, at her home, 1841 Columbia rd., nw., SUSIE E. CARTER, aunt of Mrs. Walter E. Binley and Mrs. Josephine Binley Reavis, Miss Carter rests at the Warner E. Pumphrey Funeral Home, 8434 Georgia ave., Silver Spring, Md. (parking facilities). Graveside service on Wednesday, January 8 at 2 p.m. in Rock Creek Cemetery.
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1878 - 1958 (79 years)
