304 Davis Road
5 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms
Built before 1908
Inhabitants
| Names | Years |
|---|---|
| Abraham Wiseley Risser & Eleanor Searle Landell Risser | fl. 1918–1920 |
| Lieutenant Ford Richardson & Miriam Ethel Jones Richardson | fl. 1930 |
| Adam Bucher Brubaker & Anna Laurie Erb Reist Brubaker | fl. 1940–1955 |
| Edward W. Preston | fl. 1943 |
| Frank McClatchy | fl. 1943 |
| William Everett Ferguson, Jr. | at least 1962–1963 |
| Harry Baynes | 1963–1975 |
| Paisy Cugnini & Lois Cugnini | 1976–2015 |
History
The house was originally painted white with ruddy ornamentation. Around the time of its 2016 resalt, its original coloring was destroyed and replaced with a greyish-brown and black exterior.
The house was present on the 1908 map of Haverford Township, and the Risser family lived in the home at least as early as 1909, at the time of the birth of their daughter Eleanor.
1910 census: Merchant Abraham is living with his family and maid of African-American descent.
| Name | Age | Relation to Head of Household |
|---|---|---|
| Abraham W. Risser | 32 | Head |
| Eleanor L. Risser | 27 | Wife |
| Eleanor L. Risser | 0 | Daughter |
| Emma L. Hessing | 63 | Aunt |
| Margaret Brown | 21 | Servant |
Tragedy struck in 1917 when Abraham committed suicide. He was parked on the street in Lower Merion Township and found that Abraham had shot himself in the head with a revolver. His suicide note indicated that it was over financial worries, yet his sister-in-law stated that he was (mentally) unwell for a long time, and that it perhaps contributed to his death. The Inquirer rudely described his wife as "hysterical" in the aftermath of his death.
Delaware County Daily Times, November 16th, 1917 page 9 & Philadelphia Inquirer, November 16th, 1917 page 1
1920 census: Widowed Eleanor is living with her daughter of the same name.
| Name | Age | Relation to Head of Household |
|---|---|---|
| Eleanor Risser | 37 | Head |
| Eleanor Risser | 10 | Daughter |
1930 census: Maryland-origin Army officer Ford is living with his family.
| Name | Age | Relation to Head of Household |
|---|---|---|
| Ford Richardson | 45 | Head |
| Ethel J. Richardson | 41 | Wife |
| Ford Richardson | 15 | Son |
| James Richardson | 13 | Daughter |
| M. Ethel Richardson | 8 | Daughter |
1940 census: Salesman Adam is living with his wife and two children.
| Name | Age | Relation to Head of Household |
|---|---|---|
| Adam B. Brubaker | 54 | Head |
| Anna E. Brubaker | 50 | Wife |
| John A. Brubaker | 20 | Son |
| Mary L. Brubaker | 19 | Daughter |
During the house's ownership under the Brubakers, Edward Preston and Frank McClatchy rented apartments in the home.
1950 census: Chocolate salesman Adam still with wife and son.
| Name | Age | Relation to Head of Household |
|---|---|---|
| Adam B. Brubaker | 66 | Head |
| Anna Brubaker | 66 | Wife |
| John A. Brubaker | 30 | Son |
In 1950, Mr. Brubaker was hit in a car crash, but survived. The Brubakers lived in the home to at least as late as 1955
The Daily News, October 13th, 1950, page 22
William Everett Ferguson, Jr. lived in the house at least as early as 1962, and sold the house in 1963 to Harry Baynes for $17,500, who sold the house in 1976 to Paisy Cugnini for $52,500. The home was given to his heirs in 2004m and was then sold to developers in 2015 for $275,000 and then to the current owners in 2016 for $585,000.