Ned Washington, A Name Carried Forward

Uncle Ned was a brother of my maternal grandmother (Lucy Washington Brown) and the only one of her brothers that I ever met. He was born on 17 July 1900 in a rural area of Mississippi to Peter Washington and Mary Barrett Washington. His father was a farmer per the 1910 census of Holmes County, Mississippi where Ned is listed as nine years old. Uncle Ned was part of the Great Migration --  born in Mississippi, moved north to Ashtabula, Ohio for job opportunities and a better quality of life and finally settled in Chicago, Illinois. He is also part of a line of Ned Washington namesakes.

In the 1920 census, he was 20 years old and had made his move to Ashtabula, Ohio where he worked as a laborer on the railroad. His household included his wife, Virginia, their newborn son George and Uncle Ned's 18-year old brother, Gilbert. Uncle Gilbert was also a laborer on the railroad.

By the 1930 census Uncle Ned and his family were living in Chicago, Illinois and he was listed as a molder in a factory. His family had increased to include a daughter Mamie and two more sons; Ned, Jr. and Gilbert. Uncle Ned appeared to have the same job at the same company in the 1940 census. He was again listed as a molder and this time his employer is given as Harvester Company (International Harvester Company)

"For most of the twentieth century, International Harvester (IH) was one of the leading industrial corporations in the United States; its operations were concentrated in Chicago and its suburbs. . . By 1910, when IH grossed about $100 million in annual sales, it had over 17,000 workers in the Chicago area, making it the leading employer in the region. By that time, IH had established its own steel mill on the city's far South Side . . . In the 1930s, IH was the nation's leading manufacturer of trucks, IH had a sales network of about 11,000 dealers across the country. During the 1940s, when the company's national workforce grew to about 70,000 people, many IH workers joined one of two rival unions, the Farm Equipment Workers and United Auto Workers (UAW)."   From: Encyclopedia of Chicago, Dictionary of Chicago Leading Businesses (1820-2000)

Uncle Ned about the age I remember him.

While Uncle Ned wasn't named after his father, he was given the name of an uncle --  one of his father's brothers -- Ned Washington who was born  about 1876 in Georgia. So far, the only record I have found of this great-granduncle is the 1880 federal census of Barkers, Floyd County, Georgia. Young Ned is a 4-year in the home of his parents Ned and (?) Dorcus Washington. 

The eldest Ned Washington is my 2nd great-grandfather, born about 1822 in Georgia. According to the 1870 census he was a farmer, living in Cedar Town, Polk County, Georgia with his wife, their children and a 75-year old woman who I have shown to be his mother in the post, Connecting to Enslaved Ancestor -- Sylvia Adair Washington.

"The Neds" are one of a few naming patterns within my Washington family, naming patterns which have helped me keep track of this family branch.

Copyright © 2020 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.

The "Legendary" Idlewild, Michigan

Postcard from the collection of Sandra Williams Bush

I have fond memories of Idlewild, Michigan where my grandparents, Richard and Anna Davenport, owned and operated the Golden Hor-Shoe Motor Court. It wasn't until well into my adulthood that I learned that Idlewild was legendary as a vacation destination for African Americans.

I remember making the long drive with my grandfather at the wheel of his station wagon with the wood on the side.  The car would be packed to overflowing with food to eat along the way, food to hold us a few days when we got to our destination, some clean linens, and supplies. We made the trip from Buffalo, New York. Popoo didn't stay the entire summer because he had to get back to work at Bethlehem Steel. However, Deety did stay the whole summer, along with Auntie Joan (my father's sister).

While Idlewild was heralded as a summer resort, there were people who lived there year-round. In particular, I remember Sister Young who would drive us into the town of Baldwin to the laundromat, post office and other necessary errands after Popoo went back to Buffalo. 

My fractured memories include maintaining a worm "garden" with Deety, who was an avid fisherwoman, helping Auntie Joan change the linens and clean the guest rooms, hanging out with Miss Smith, the teacher from Cleveland who had a cottage next door, going to church with Sister Young -- but mainly playing in the sand and in the water's edge.

Deety made transition April 1970 and when Popoo made transition less than two years later, the property was lost -- unfortunately neither of them had a will.

Historically, Idlewild was a vacation haven for African Americans when we were not allowed in "mainstream" hotels and other resorts. I didn't know any of the history when I spent time there -- for me it was about the fun of being doted on by my grandparents and aunt.

Books about Idlewild:

Black Eden: the Idlewild Community by Lewis Walker and Benjamin C. Wilson

Idlewild: the Rise, Decline, and Rebirth of a Unique African American Resort Town by Ronald J Stephens

Idlewild: the Black Eden of Michigan by Ronald J. Stephens

FYI --  the movie Idlewild was not about Idlewild, Michigan.

Copyright © 2020 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.

Happy New Year Beginnings

When I think of beginnings at this time of year, two of the New Year traditions that I grew up with come to mind. 

In many African American homes, the first person to come through the door HAD to be a man -- this would ensure good luck throughout the year. That man would often have the "job" of visiting several homes as the first to walk through the door on New Year's Day. My husband is from the Bronx and told me that there was a neighbor who went from door to door to fulfill this tradition. Within his South Carolina family, an uncle would perform the tradition. In our family it was Uncle Arthur, my mother's brother, who visited our home, among a few other homes of friends and family. 

The star of New Year's day dinner is always black-eyed peas and greens -- the beans to bring good luck and the greens for financial fortune. It wasn't until I became an adult that I learned that this particular food tradition was so steeped in the African American experience. There are a variety of explanations on how this meal came to represent good luck and fortune and why it is a New Year's Day staple.

As in most cultures, food and food traditions define the African American experience. Here are some cookbooks that reflect on the history and origins of African inspired cooking throughout the diaspora:

Soul & Spice by Heidi Haughy Cusick

Black Family Reunion Cookbook by the National Council of Negro Women

Sweet Home Cafe Cookbook: A Collection of African American Cooking by Albert Lukas

An African American Cookbook: Tradition and Other Favorite Recipes by Phoebe Bailey

Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin

  

Copyright © 2021 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.