Know any sober gardeners in the area? If so, in 1857, the could have earned $200 per year, with room and board. Good Hope Hill is an area in, what is today, Anacostia. It was later the location of the German Orphan Home.
What Good Hope Hill in Anacostia was Like in 1857: Earn $200 Per Year as a Sober Gardener!
Wow, right before the war.
I found a Charles V Gordon in the 1880 Census who was a Real Estate Agent. He was 58 in 1880 so that made him about 22 when this was listed.