The John Nelson Deming house has been included on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's 2020 list of places in peril. The house is located at 915 North Oak Street in Valdosta, Georgia on the southeast corner of North Oak Street and West Force Street. It was built for John Nelson Deming about 1897/1898. Deming was a carpenter and is responsible for many beautiful houses and buildings in Valdosta, most notably William Stanley West's the Crescent just a few blocks away, as well as the interior of the First Baptist Church in downtown Valdosta.

The Deming family:

John Nelson Deming Sr was born on 29 February 1848 in Pugwash, Nova Scotia to Joseph Deming and Margaret Anderson. This information comes from his death certificate and allows us to look further into his past before he came to Valdosta. In 1866, Deming enrolled in the 7th Company of the 3rd Cumberland Regiment that was called into service to deal with the Fenian Raids in eastern Canada. This information comes from a bounty declaration that Deming applied for in Valdosta in 1913.

Deming appears with his family in the 1871 Canadian Census for Pugwash. The census indicates that he was absent from the household at the time and working in nearby Amherst. His father Joseph Deming is listed as being a ship carpenter, who was born in Nova Scotia, but was of Portuguese heritage. Joseph Deming is also listed as a ship carpenter in the 1881 Canadian Census. It is very likely that John Nelson Deming began his career in carpentry along side his father. He appears to be one of at least nine children. The 1861 Canadian Census, only lists the head of household, so it is unknown if there were older sibling. Margaret Anderson Deming is regularly listed as having been born in Nova Scotia and being of Irish origin, other censuses have her as being of "Scotch" origin. Joseph and Margaret Deming appear in census records up to the 1901 census. Both are listed as being Methodists in all available census records. Joseph Deming died in 1908 and Margaret died in 1916. Another son of Joseph and Margaret, Edgar Deming, also immigrated to the United States and settled in Flint, Michigan.

The Portuguese immigrant ancestor of the Deming family appears to be Anthony Deming who was the paternal grandfather of Joseph Deming. Anthony Deming was kidnapped in the 1740s from Oporto, Portugal and brought to Massachusetts. The Demings settled in Nova Scotia by the 1760s.

Below are copies of the 1871 Canadian Census for the Deming household:

John Nelson Deming appears twice in the 1871 Canadian census. Once listed with his parents in Pugwash and then also in Amherst, Nova Scotia. In Amherst, he is listed as being the apprentice of Joseph L. Fillmore, a carpenter. A George Deming, a ship carpenter of Portuguese origins, is in the household next door. Research indicates that this George Deming was a paternal uncle to John Nelson Deming.

Below is the 1871 Canadian Census record for the households of Joseph L. Fillmore and George Deming:

Census records differ as to when John Deming immigrated to the United States. In 1900, he responded that he immigrated in 1880, but in 1910, he responded that he had immigrated in 1875. He does not appear in the 1881 Canadian census.

In the 1880 Federal Census for Warwick, Rhode Island, there is a John Deming, born in Nova Scotia and working as a carpenter. This could possibly the John Deming. There are very few Demings from Canada in the 1880 Federal Census, and only one who bares any resemblance to the John Nelson Deming. The first record that can be positively identified with Deming in the United States is a marriage record from 20 Jul 1882 in Bibb County, Georgia. On that date, he married Annie Whittle of Georgia. She was several years his junior having been born on 1 Mar 1866. They remained married until John Deming's death. Annie Griffin Whittle's parents were Sebe Whittle and Francis. Little else about her background can be determined.

The family remained in the Macon area for several years after the marriage. By 1890, John Deming was working as a carpenter in Atlanta, Georgia. Subsequent city directories for Atlanta do not list Deming for several years, but have him listed again in 1896. Shortly afterwards the family moved to Valdosta.

John Nelson Deming and Annie Whittle had the following children:

• Richard Uhlig Deming (19 May 1884 Macon, GA - 13 Jan 1948)

• Regina A Deming (26 Apr 1888 - 27 Apr 1979)

• an infant (April 1890 Atlanta, GA - 17 Jun 1891 Atlanta, GA)

• Lionel Ebbert Deming (21 Mar 1894 Atlanta, GA - 22 Nov 1919 Valdosta, GA)

• Anna Ruth Deming (29 Jun 1897 Valdosta, GA - 30 Dec 1982 Perry, FL)

• Grace Deming (2 Aug 1902 Valdosta, GA - 4 Mar 1983 Valdosta, GA)

• John Nelson Deming Jr (3 Mar 1904 Valdosta, GA - 6 Nov 1985 Valdosta, GA)

• Joseph Whittle Deming (15 Aug 1908 Valdosta, GA - 20 Aug 1997 Memphis, TN)

The 1900 Federal Census indicates that that the Deming family had two children who was already dead by the time of the census. The death date of one of those children can be identified from an obituary in the Atlanta newspapers. John Nelson Deming Sr died on 1 January 1933 at his house in Valdosta. Annie Whittle Deming died on 13 Oct 1946. They are both buried in Sunset Hill Cemetery.

In the 1900 Federal Census record below the Deming family is listed: [NOTE: The birth places for John Nelson Deming's parents are inaccurately given as Scotland].

The 1890s in Valdosta:

Valdosta was expanding at a fast rate by the 1890s. In 1880, the population of Valdosta was 1,515, by 1890 it was 2,854, and by 1900 it was 5,613. This rapid growth can partially be attributed to the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway which reached Valdosta in 1889. This linked Valdosta to markets in the northern portion of the state and also to markets in North Florida. The increase in population created a need for additional housing in Valdosta.

The housing boom in Valdosta crept slowly northward along Patterson Street and Oak Street from the original northern boundary of the city North Street (formally called Mechanic Street). In January 1890, Oak Street was extended from the corner of Oak Street and Gordon Street through the lands of Charles Ogden Force and all the way to modern Five Points. The blocks between North Street and Gordon Street began to be filled in with residences. In 1892, Charles Ogden Force died. At the time of his death, he had owned most of the land between Gordon Street and Mile Branch. The old Force house was moved to allow for the extension of Patterson Street north of Gordon Street in October 1893, and the land of the Force estate was soon surveyed into lots for new homes.

Below is the survey of the lands of the estate of C. O. Force [NOTE: Burgsteiner was renamed Jane Street, and Branch Street was renamed Brookwood Drive]:

The land where the Crescent would eventually come to be built was sold by the Force estate to Benjamin Perry Jones on 3 January 1894. Jones did not hold on to the property for long and appears to have never built on it. On 24 April 1895 Benjamin Perry Jones sold the lots to William Stanley West. West was involved in the naval stores and lumber business in north Florida and also practiced law. He had also been a member of the Georgia House of Representatives since 1892. When he purchased the land he was ready to build a residence for his family. West had previously rented a number of different residences in Valdosta.

An issue of the Valdosta Times from January 1896 reported that West was planning a residence on Patterson Street that was estimated to cost $10,000. Construction did not begin until early 1897, by that point the estimate of the cost of the house was between $15,000 to $17,000. The house was designed by the firm of Bleckley & Tyler based out of Atlanta. It is unknown if Deming had previous connections to the firm while he was in Atlanta, but by 1897 he was the carpenter crafting the house that was to become known as the Crescent.

Below is an early depiction of the Crescent from a postcard [the original is in the possession of the Lowndes County Historical Society & Museum]:

Not long after arriving to work on the Crescent, John Nelson Deming soon began construction on a house of his own in Valdosta. The materials for the house were leftover materials donated by William Stanley West. Deming built his own house just blocks away from the Crescent at 915 North Oak Street. Deming's two-story house at the southeast corner of Force Street and Oak Street was completed about 1898. The Crescent was completed the next year. The 1900 Federal Census shows that the Deming house was among the last ones on the northern end of Oak Street.

Below is a photo of the front of the John Nelson Deming house from February 2020:

Structurally the Deming house has experienced several modifications since its construction in 1898. The earliest plat of the house is from the 1911 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for Valdosta, Georgia. Earlier editions of the Sanborn maps do not extend their coverage all the way out to the northern end of Oak Street.

The major changes to the house include the addition of an indoor bathroom on the northeastern edge of the first floor of the building and the extension of the second floor eastward to over the part of the house that previously been one-story.

One of the noted features of the house is its rain porch on three sides. Rain porches (also known as Carolina porches) are distinguished from more traditional porches by the extension of their eaves beyond the porch floor. The eaves are supported by piers that extend directly down to the ground. This protects the porch floor from the weather.

The portion of the 1911 Sanborn map depicting the Deming house is below:

Below is a floorplan of the house from 2019 by James Horton, Historic Preservation and Special Projects Planner for the city of Valdosta:

The western side of the house that faces Oak Street:

The southern side of the house:

The eastern side of the house:

The northern side of the house that faces Force Street:

Details of the rain porch:

The front door of the house and its decorative doorknob:

The front hallway and staircase:

The living room:

The breakfast area/kitchen:

The family room:

The dining room:

One of two downstairs bathroom:

The staircase to the second floor

The upstairs bathroom:

Third bedroom:

Master bedroom: [NOTE: Presumably this is the room in which John Nelson Deming died in 1933].

Low ceiling room:

Second bedroom:

After the Deming Family and the House's Current Status as an in Peril Structure:

The Deming family maintained sold the property a few years after the death of Annie Whittle Deming in 1946. The family of Ernest McDonald have been one of the more recent occupants of the house.

The property was rezoned in 2006 to allow for potential offices and was purchased by SCG Investments LLC along with several adjacent properties. It has remained vacant ever since.The current owners have sought demolition of the houses and the adjacent houses, but have so far been denied clearance to do so by the local government.

The John Nelson Deming house was placed on the 2020 version of the Georgia Trust’s Places in Peril.

Structures Associated with John Nelson Deming in Valdosta:

It is unknown how many structures in Valdosta helped build. What structures he helped build in Nova Scotia, Atlanta and Macon are completely unknown. The following is a list of known structures associated with John Nelson Deming:

• The Crescent (1899): 904 North Patterson Street. Built for W. S. West.

• First Baptist Church (1899): 200-204 West Central Avenue [Specifically the interior woodwork].

• B G Lasseter house (1899): 1007 North Patterson Street. Deming remodeled a house built originally for B. G. Lasseter in 1905 and added a second story. Dr. Elbert Pinkney Rose purchased the house from Lassester, and his family lived there for decades. For an extensive period it was McGowan Funeral Home.

• Willis Lang house (1902): 1009 North Patterson Street. The Lang family resided in the house until the 1970s. It is currently the offices for Alday, Tillman, Wright & Giles.

• W P Durough house (1903): 1008 North Patterson Street. The was originally built for W. P Durrough, who sold it in 1906 to Walter Dent Peeples.

• Methodist Church (1905): 220 North Patterson. The structure was modeled upon the Methodist Church which stood on the same spot that was destroyed by a fire on 15 February 1904.

• William Alonzo Fender house (1906): 1110 North Patterson. Built for W. A. Fender.

• Lowndes County Courthouse (1907, 1908): Shortly after the Lowndes County Courthouse was completed in 1905, Deming was hired to do some interior woodwork.

• Archie Griffin house (1908): 1108 North Patterson Street. Deming was hired to remodel the previously one-story structure into a two-story neo-classical structure.

• Cornelius Raines Ashley house (1913): 700 North Patterson Street. Built for C. R. Ashley Sr. Harley Langdale briefly lived there in the 1930s. It was divided up into apartments for a number of years. It is currently the office for Robert L. Cork attorney.