House built for Julia Levy David at 424 Poplar St., near the Ochs mansion
photo by From the Pat St. Charles, Jr., Collection scanned by Sam Hall, Chattanoogahistory.com
The aunt of famed newspaper publisher Adolph Ochs built a large frame house on Cameron Hill's Poplar Street.
Julia Levy David moved to Chattanooga in 1885 after the death of her husband, Jacob David, at Lexington, Ky. The Davids had lived in Lexington for many years.
The six Levy children had come to the U.S. with their parents from Bavaria in 1850. Julia was the younger sister of Mrs. Julius Ochs, who lived on West Fifth Street until the family moved to New York City.
Julia David first lived on Oak Street after her arrival in Chattanooga with her children. She was in a house on Houston Street before moving to her new home at 424 Poplar around 1890.
The two-story frame house had a front and side porch as well as an interesting large porch on the second floor.
Julia David in Chattanooga was endearingly known to her many friends as "Aunt Julia." She was "endowed with a bright intellect and was a keen observer. She was always an optimist. She was a favorite of young and old."
Mrs. David sold the house on Poplar Street and moved about 1910 to live with her daughter, Mrs. William Gutman, in Wheeling, West Va. She was still with the Gutmans when she died in 1922 at the age of 82. Her body was returned to Chattanooga for burial beside her daughter, Fannie Mae David, at the Mizpah Cemetery. Her brother, David Levy of New York, was the only survivor of the six Levy children.
The sons of Julia David included George B. David of New York City and Edgar David, who was involved with a steamship company traveling from New York to Hamburg.
The house next went to Joseph C. Fryar, who worked at D.M. Thomas & Co.
By the 1920s, Thomas D. Alexander, a traveling salesman for the Stagmaier Company, was living there.
It later went to James E. and Clama L. Estes, who rented out the second floor to Edward L. and Nell S. Kessler. Mr. Estes was manager of W.H. Lessly & Co., and Mr. Kessler was baggage master for the Southern Railway.
Alex and Elizabeth Bowie later lived there. He was branch manager of I.F. Cherry Dry Cleaning. Upstairs was Fred W. Pike, secretary for the D.B. Loveman Company and cashier for the Loveman Bank. The Bowies later moved to 310 Poplar.
Mrs. H.M. Guyton was living there at the start of World War II with Mrs. J.H. Amidon upstairs.
In the last days of Cameron Hill, Ronald H. and Helen R. Bonine presided at the old David home, and their renters included W.L. Wells, James Gilford and L.D. Wells.