Visited Tuskegee last year

A few days after Christmas last year, I made a half-day visit to Tuskegee, Alabama, home of the Campbell family. It sits on a sort of high ridge, between Montgomery and Auburn.

I took pictures of the large First Baptist Church on Main Street, built in the 1850s, where Ava Lucerne Campbell (Granny) got married in 1884 to David Graham Hill of Texas. I had planned to take the tour of The Oaks, Booker T. Washington's home, but the National Park Service had closed the house that day. I took pictures of the town square and Macon County courthouse; and I spent quite a while in the Tuskegee Cemetery photographing the graves of our ancestors and their relatives, which included Granny's parents, her paternal grandparents, and the Wright family. I didn't have time to visit the Tuskegee University campus, since I had a long drive ahead of me.

Early in January I visited our cousin Gloria in Louisiana. She has a painting which her father David Gatlin Hill (Uncle Dege) made, based upon memory, of the Campbells' home. Amazingly, the house in this photo caught my attention in Tuskegee, and its architecture is remarkably similar to the real Campbell home in the painting -- which reportedly burned down a long time ago.

Historic Abilene buildings

The City of Abilene, Texas, has some photos of historic buildings & historic sites on their website, including two Texas Pacific Railroad buildings and the Elks Club, which is presumably the one to which our great-grandfather David Graham Hill belonged:

http://www.abilenetx.com/About/tpdepot.htm

Covingtons of Tennessee and Texas

Onie Shapard's second husband Charlie Shapard died of tuberculosis; after only two years of marriage & one week after the birth of their daughter Cassie Shapard, in March 1888.  Cassie was apparently named after Dr. Shapard's sister-in-law, Cassandra or Mrs. Henry Shapard of Shelbyville, Tennessee.  So at this point in time, 30 year-old widow Onie had a ten year-old son, Lawrence Hill, and an infant daughter. 

Approximately ten years earlier in Robertson County, Tenn., north of Nashville, Leroy "Bascom" Covington (b. 1851) married his second wife, after first wife Julia Jernigan died.  The first union had produced a son, W. Leonard Covington, born in 1875.  His second bride was Mary A. Martin; they had four children:  Annie May, Olivia Adelle, Leroy "Roy," and a little boy Robert who lived only one & a half years. 

Here is a picture of Bascom & Mary Covington, circa late 1870's, in Tennessee.  Mary Martin Covington may have died when Robert was born, in 1887.  Bascom moved his children to Texas about that time.

Bascom Covington married Ione Morgan Shapard in 1890, in Callahan (or perhaps Taylor) County, Texas.  He was about 39 at that time, and she was about 32.  This couple had four (more) children, all born during the 1890's in Callahan County.  At some point while the children were growing up, the family moved into Abilene, in Taylor County.

Here is shown a picture of Bascom Covington in Abilene, circa 1900-1914.  (He died in 1915.)

Finally we have a portrait of Onie Covington with five of her children, which was taken around 1920.  Back row:  Alto Bascom Covington, Cassandra Morgan Shapard, Morgan Talmadge Covington.  Front row:  Emma Alice Covington, Mary Ione Morgan Hill/Shapard/Covington, Marie Dovie Covington. 

Picture of Mary Ione Morgan - Circa 1879

This picture was taken in Monroe, Louisiana.  I believe it shows Ione "Onie" Morgan at about age 21, with her first husband Oliver Hill and son Lawrence Hill.

Mary Ione Morgan was born in 1858 and married Mr. Hill in 1877.  Lawrence was born in 1878.

Around December 1882, after Dr. Haynes L. Morgan had passed away, Ione Morgan Hill and three of her siblings moved to Texas. 

Oliver Hill died some time between 1879 & 1886; because 1886 is the year in which Onie married Dr. Charles Shapard of Tennessee.

Post script: George W. Campbell

George W. Campbell is mentioned in the history section of the Tuskegee University website, www.tuskegee.edu, and also in the www.wikipedia.org article about Tuskegee University.

The best place to read about his contributions is in the multi-volume set, The Booker T. Washington Papers, Louis R. Harlan, Editor, published by the University of Illinois Press, 1972. Volume 1 is a compilation of Washington's biographical writings. George Campbell is mentioned many times in both Up From Slavery and The Story of My Life and Work. Volume 2: 1860-89 also contains many references to our ancestor and has his picture in the illustration section.

Here is the title of one example from Volume 2, taken from pages 212-13:

ANNUAL REPORT OF GEORGE W. CAMPBELL, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE TUSKEGEE COLORED NORMAL SCHOOL, FOR THE YEAR ENDING AUGUST 31, 1882

In 1881 the State legislature appropriated $2,000 for the school, and this report for the first year accounts for every penny expended, with $226.71 as an ending balance!
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In 1981, the college was commemorating its Centennial Year. On February 12, 1981, or Charter Day, the descendants of George Washington Campbell and of the ex-slave Lewis Adams were recognized and honored with the Tuskegee Institute Centennial Award. These two men, along with M. B. Swanson, were the original,designated State Commissioners, as well as Trustees. Responding to the recognition for the Campbell family were Mrs. Flora Campbell Woodruff and Mr. Charles W. Campbell, children of George Lee Campbell. Our grandmother Lucerne, or Mrs. Hiram G. Haynie, was in attendance as another of the grandchildren of Mr. & Mrs. George W. Campbell, being the daughter of Mrs. Lucerne Campbell Hill. Gloria Hopkins, or Mrs. George D. Hopkins, was in attendance as a granddaughter of Lucerne Campbell Hill.

This program was held in the Tuskegee Chapel. Speakers included the Governor of Alabama and the President of Virginia's Hampton Institute, the place which originally educated Booker T. Washington and recommended him to George W. Campbell for the post of heading up the new normal school, which used to be the term that was used for schools which educated teachers. This school taught many different subjects and trades, right from its beginning. It evolved into a world-class university.

Lawrence Hill's letter - Circa 1892

A few editorial notes to go with this letter:

Lawrence was about 14 years old in 1892, the year of his trip from Texas to Virginia. He may have been "slow" for his age. Nonetheless, I think this is a charming letter; and I'm so glad that it was saved for us to enjoy, along with the two letters from the adults in Va. [After Ione Morgan Covington died, these things were kept by her son Alto & his wife Effie Covington.]

Lawrence's reference to "cars" means, of course, train cars.

Agnes and Kate are Rev. McCluer's daughters, half-sisters to the children of Lizzie Morgan McCluer & Uncas McCluer. Evidently Kate was away from home during this period; she was 17 yrs old. The other McCluer children & their approx. ages in 1892 were Lacy, age 10; twins Netta & Patty (given name Mattie), age 8; Morgan, age 3; and Robert "Dabney," infant....These five children were first cousins to Onie Covington's children.

An endearing bonus is the page devoted to Lawrence's little sister Cassie Shapard, who was 4 years old at the time. And the reference to "brother" would be to Morgan Covington, who was 1 year old. The last postscript is inquiring about their dog & horses, I presume! Oh, and "Mattie & Vera" are other Texas cousins, children of Emma Morgan Mixon, I think.

I couldn't understand the postscript he wrote to his mother.

Well Mamma I wrote you a letter last night and will write some more to night. I went to the Store this eve and got a par of drawers you sent me. I had to send 9ct. to Abilene to the P.O. Master to put on that bundle. he wrote me a card that there was not a nough Stamps. You thought Agnes was little. She is biger than I. I got acquainted with Some boys here. Aunt Lizzie looks like Aunt Alice. Lacy got a letter from Kate. She said I [was] bold to come here by myself. At Memphis I saw the lectricity. Cars crosed the Mississippi River at night but got to see it. did not take any cold. did not get sick. any way enjoyed my trip fine. went throu one Tunnel it like to made me deaf the Cars sound so loud. I am sory Mr. Harrel house got burnd down heap rather it would have ben Trents. is halken rider or what ever his name is going to mary Julia Trent? it has ben cold and wet wether untill the last 2 or 3 days but think it is fixin up for bad agane. I haven't ben homesick any yet feel like I am at home. well I can't think of any more so I will close. your ever loving Son Lawrence Hill

Postscript I guess you think I can back the boss [?] letters.
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Dear Sister I will write to you a litle letter. Morgan is a bout your size. have you got your litle Waggon and your tu dolls? Aunt Lizzie says you are geting pretyer than you was. are you and brther well? Uncle Mc. says I will hft to [be] a litle patent with Morgan. he is so much like I usted to be. the Twins are so much a like that I can't tell them apart without examimine closely. have you ben to see Mattie and Vera? I will close. your loving broter good Night Lawrence Hill

Postscript how is Shep ageting a long and the Horces?

Description of Granny

On May 5, 2007, I wrote to Gloria, Dad's first cousin, saying in part that when I had e-mailed Dad the previous year to ask what role Granny played in their family life, he said something to the effect that she just sat in her rocking chair, knitting. I felt sure that there was more to her than that. So I wrote that I was certainly interested in Granny's journal, as well as in any pictures that she might have.

Note that the vital statistics we have for Granny, Ava Lucerne Campbell Hill, from various sources, are: Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, October 3, 1858. A recent e-mail from Dad says that he believes Granny rode the Texas & Pacific RR to the end of the line, which was the "tent city" of Abilene, in 1881 to visit her brother and met her future husband. Married David Graham Hill in Tuskegee, December 12, 1884, and then the couple departed for Abilene, Texas.

Granny became a widow when she was about 70. Dad has confirmed that she lived for a while in Memphis, being sort of a substitute mother for two of Dad & Gloria's cousins (Florence and Hank), as our great Uncle Henry Hill had become a single parent. Then, when Dad was between 8 and 12, Granny returned to Abilene and lived with the Haynies for the rest of her life, or approximately ten to fifteen years. She died August 7, 1949, at age 90.

Here is a transcription of Gloria's reply, dated July 13, 2007:

Dear Sandi,

I'm sorry to take so long to answer your nice letter. I have been very busy and I can't say exactly why. If time flies I certainly don't and that is one problem. I can't tell you how many times I have started and mentally composed a letter to you about Granny, but I never completed my thoughts well enough to present them to you.

I did not know Granny like Hi did because we always lived in another city and saw her only on visits to Abilene. She was pretty in the face with sparkling brown eyes, that run in the Hill-Campbell family. My daughter Judy and son George luckily have those big soft brown eyes like my Daddy, your [great] Uncle Dege (short for D.G.). Granny laughed a lot when I saw her and had a nice soft tinkley kind of laugh. She was gentle but I feel she had a very strong personality. From her memories she was a bit mischievous when she was young. She was raised in a strict Baptist family. She did not like the restrictions imposed by the Baptist religion. For instance she loved to dance (so do I, still), when she went to Abilene to visit her brother who went there after the war and opened a Bank like his father, Grandfather Campbell (G.W.) had the first registered Bank in Alabama. There she met Grandfather Hill who was raised on a large homesteaded ranch in Texas and educated in Galveston.

Granny came to N.O. when all the family lived in the Pontalba Bldg. in the Fr. Quarter. She did not stay long. The dampness was bad for her arthritis. She had come to stay with Auntie Mace and Uncle Roy McCullough, your great aunt, the twins' mother. I'm sure Granny was very spunky and brave for a young woman raised in a very protected home with a loving mother, and slave servants watching over her. When she was very old and airplanes were first beginning to fly Granny flew to New York and visited the McCulloughs up there. She had six children without much help as Abilene was such a new, small town at the time. Her father, went out to visit her and took a black maid, former slave, to work for her and help with the children and Granny sent her back to Tuskegee as she said she was more trouble than she was worth.

Granny went back to Tuskegee for the birth of her first three children and went through N.O. staying at the old St. Charles Hotel. Daddy remembered going with her.

Much love. I've run out of space -

Gloria

Granny went to college, stayed in dormitory there -