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Welcoming Kidlit Creator Lisa Mezoff

9/20/2023

Absolutely delighted to have you stop by, Lisa! Your work fills me with the happiness of sunshine after a gloomy day!

I’m so glad my work makes you smile!

It really does! Do tell. How did you find your way into becoming a kidlit illustrator?

It was a long journey! When I graduated college, I decided that as much as I loved illustration, the freelance life was not really for me. So, I chose to pursue a career as a designer and creative director. I did lots of illustrations in the context of my corporate design work, but it wasn’t until my kids left for college that I decided to finally focus on illustrating for children. I used evenings and weekends to take online courses to help build my portfolio and started going to SCBWI conferences and engaging with the kidlit community. It’s been a huge effort to pursue a second career, but it’s so rewarding!

SCBWI is a nurturing place for kidlit creatives! Now that you've arrived to the kidlit path, what do you love about illustrating children's books?

It’s actually a joy on multiple levels! First, I just really love to draw and paint—to imagine people and places and make them come to life. I’m also a truly passionate reader, so it’s a thrill to contribute to the world of books and use art to tell stories that are meaningful to kids. I have to say though, the biggest surprise has been how much I have enjoyed sharing my work on school visits. When Only My Dog Knows I Pick My Nose my debut picture book written by Lauren Tarshis came out, I did dozens of school visits with the author. We had conversations with kids not only about the story itself—its inspiration and meaning—but also about the creative process and our collaboration. The kids were so excited! They went on to draw their own pictures and tell their own stories. Often, teachers sent me the kids’ drawings and thank you notes later—that was amazing!

I can imagine it would be! So nice you were able to join with the author, too!

Why did you especially enjoy illustrating Only My Dog Knows I Pick My Nose that features a boy whose dog has nothing but unconditional love for his not-so-perfect human?

Most of the time, in the children’s book industry, a publisher buys a manuscript and then chooses an illustrator—the author and illustrator rarely even meet. This book was a little different. The author and I are good friends and we collaborated on the project from the beginning. Lauren came to me with just the title (which I love!) and we worked together as the story took shape. We often went back and forth, deciding which elements of the story really needed words, and which ideas could instead be conveyed visually. I feel so lucky to have had that experience—it was so much fun to work together, and I think our partnership made the book much better than it would have been if we had we worked separately.

You're right. An author and illustrator creating the book before it's acquired is not how it usually happens, but so cool that Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic did acquire it as a complete project! I just love the hilarity of the text and illustrations--a perfect picture-book blend!

Glad you enjoyed it! You can learn more about how I made the illustrations HERE in the blog post I wrote for Scholastic.

I'll check it out! Well, thanks oodles, Lisa, for stopping by and for sharing a little about yourself and your process. May Only My Dog Knows I Pick My Nose become a classic in the years to come!

Thanks, Dionna!

Lisa Bronson Mezoff loves to paint people and scenes that are filled with energy and joy. When she is not drawing and painting, Lisa is busy creating award-winning design projects as the creative director at Pappas MacDonnell, a marketing and communications agency. Besides painting, Lisa also loves to read and eat desserts. Only My Dog Knows I Pick My Nose, written by Lauren Tarshis a New York Times best-selling author, and published by Orchard Books, is Lisa's first illustrated children's book. Follow Lisa on Instagram @lisamezoff to see her latest work, and learn more about her HERE.

Purchase your copy today!

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Mama's Chicken & Dumplings #NFPost No. 5

9/11/2023

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Successful Business Owners

George Minor Carr

The photograph of the above storefront was taken on November 16, 1914. Peek inside and you will see George Minor Carr (1882-1933), shop owner and operator of George M. Carr & Company, just one of many businesses located in Vinegar Hill, a thriving African American residential and business district of Charlottesville, Virginia, that was razed in the 1960s.

True, Mr. Carr's establishment at 269 West Main Street was a second-hand clothing store. But as you can tell from the fine feathered hats for women in the storefront window, and the men's suits hanging inside that it was no rinky-dink establishment. It was someplace African American men and women of the era could purchase clothing to look their finest when walking about town. And how distinguished they looked when posing for a photograph at the Holsinger Portrait Studio!

We know from the J.F. Bell Funereal Home records that George Carr's father, David Carr, had been born in Africa, and that his mother Elnora Garland Carr was born in Virginia. We also discover that George's wife's name was Virginia May Carr. Mr. Carr passed away In 1933. Virginia Carr obviously kept the doors of her husband's business open after his death, for she was listed in the 1934 city director as operating a second-hand clothing store at 265 West Main Street.

Anthony and Eileen Buckner

On August 12, 1918, Anthony T. Buckner (1846-1923) commissioned the above portrait to be taken with his nine-year-old granddaughter Eileen Wood Buckner (1909-1985). When I learned Eileen's mother, Geneva Tonsler Buckner (1886-1919), would die from tuberculosis a year later on August 29, 1919, while being admitted to the Piedmont Sanitorium in Burkeville, Virginia, it made me wonder: Was Eileen's mother ill when this photo was taken? Was that the reason Mr. Buckner had the photograph made? Surely, an ailing mother would greatly appreciate having a copy of this lovely image.

Another thing I wondered was how, as a young man, Mr. Buckner endured physically, emotionally, and mentally while serving as an enslaved body servant to Mr. Fife, a Confederate soldier, during the Civil War. What I do know is he survived, and once Freedom came, after working just a few years at the University of Virginia, he had saved enough money to open up a successful general store and grocery at 904 West Main Street in Charlottesville--a fine establishment that remained open until his death in 1923.

How inspiring to see him standing there so tall, refined, and dignified, despite being a survivor of such enduring times!

"Buckner had made a host of friends for himself during his long sojourn in the community and was especially liked by the residents in the University section. Many had formed the custom of stopping in to converse with him as a token of their esteem and the high place he had won for himself." *

Mr. Buckner had five children with his wife, Louisa E. (1860-1909)--three girls and two boys. Unfortunately, all but two of them died when they were very young children. Only his son George Walker Buckner (1886-1928) lived well into adulthood.

George, Eileen's father, grew up in Charlottesville. He attended college, and obtained degrees from Hampton Institute and the Virginia Union University. He worked as a teacher, and economics and sociology instructor at the Tuskegee Institute. Later, he remarried and worked for the National League on Urban Conditions, and then served as the vice president and manager of the People's Finance Corporation in St. Louis, Missouri.

George caused quite a local stir when he wrote an opinion piece entitled "The New Negro" in the February 12, 1921 edition of The Charlottesville Messenger, an African American newspaper. In it he demanded better pay for African-American teachers and the desegregation of streetcars in Charlottesville, among other things. He wrote: "We are tax payers and law abiding citizens. We know our strength and will accept nothing short of justice."

Inge's Grocery

George P. Inge

In 1890, George Pinkney Inge (1859-1948) purchased the building and lot located at 331-333 West Main Street for $3,000, and in 1891 he opened his grocery store when West Main Street was nothing but a dirt road.

Despite being born into the institution of slavery, Mr. Inge graduated from Hampton Institute in 1879. For a few years, he taught at Jefferson School in Charlottesville.

Mr. Inge's grocery store was known throughout Charlottesville as a fine establishment. His patrons included the hospital of the University of Virginia, professors of the University, the Gleason Hotel, boarding houses, and fraternities. His store was the only supplier of fresh fish and oysters in the city, which were delivered by way of the C & O Railroad. Small game caught by local hunters; vegetables from the Inge's gardens, and eggs and poultry from their chickens were also sold there. Before the Model T came along, the Inges delivered their produce using a horse-and-buggy.

Children loved to purchase penny candy and five-cent ginger snaps from the glass jars sitting on the store's shelves. My main character's favorite thing to purchase at Mr. Inge's store is Mary Jane candies.

Inge's Grocery

Mr. Inge and his wife Kate Virginia (Ferguson) Inge (1864-1941) had nine children. They raised them in living quarters attached to the store and required them to pitch in and help run the business. Often, African American visitors to Charlottesville found lodging at the Inges' home. The children often spoke about their father's friend and former Hampton classmate, Booker T. Washington, who stayed with the family whenever the educator and speaker came through Charlottesville. He was one of the Inges' most famous guests.

The Inge children all had successful careers. Three of his daughters were teachers. His sons' occupations included: an educator and high school principal in Texas, a biology department head at Hampton Institute, a New Jersey State Senator, a realtor, and two physicians. Thomas Ferguson Inge, Sr. (1903-1993) ran the store until 1979 along with his son, Thomas Ferguson Inge, Jr.

Nannie Cox Jackson

Viola Green Porter

For decades, Nannie Cox Jackson (1865-1953) was an inspiring domestic science (home economics) teacher at Jefferson School. She taught her students--boys and girls--how to cook, sew, crochet, and knit so they could live respectably and independently.

How proud Mrs. Jackson's students must have been to be able to design and sew their own dresses like the eighth-grade graduation dress Viola Green Porter (1898-1985) is seen wearing above.

Mrs. Jackson had a big and generous heart. She ensured that every child at Jefferson School had a hot meal for lunch. She even helped establish the first hot lunch program within the city's public schools. During segregation, Mrs. Jackson was a huge supporter of Jefferson School's football team. She helped them acquire uniforms and provided them with transportation to and from practice and away games using a truck owned by her family's business. After home games, she fed both teams, their coaches and doctors a hearty meal that began with soup. A favorite menu item on the dinner plate was Mrs. Jackson's homemade meatballs.

William E. "Bill Post" Jackson, Jr.

Besides being known as an educator, Mrs. Jackson was known throughout Charlottesville as a landlord who took care of her property, and who rented at rates African American families just starting out could afford. According to some, at her death, her estate was worth a million dollars! Of course, that was mainly due to the value of her properties.

Mrs. Jackson's son William E. Jr. ( "Bill Post" Jackson) (1888-1972) and her grandson Edward R. Jackson ran a family business--Jackson Poster Advertising. It was a home-based operation installing billboards all over the area, and it provided the family with a decent living. It was skillful work, placing paste on the back of huge lithograph printouts then putting them together like a puzzle on a board. But they did it, and well, too!

I found it very interesting to discover that Nannie Cox Jackson was the great-great granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. President. But I wonder if it was her mother, Elizabeth Scott, that Nannie was most proud to be a descendent of. After all, Elizabeth was a wonderful example of what it meant to be a hard-working woman with a persevering spirit. After Freedom came, Elizabeth cared for her five children, including Nannie, her youngest, by crafting dresses for local women to proudly wear.

Photo Credits

1. "George Carr." Photo: Rufus W. Holsinger, 1914. Holsinger Studio Collection, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA, Call No. 9862, Image ID. 33256, accessed September 10, 2023.

2. "A. J. Buckner." Photo: Rufus W. Holsinger, 1918. Holsinger Studio Collection, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA, Call No. 9862, Image ID. 33148, accessed September 10, 2023.

3. "Inge's Store, 331-333 Main Street, Charlottesville, Independent City, VA." Drawing: Johnson W Pitt, 1933. Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress, Image 8, accessed September 10, 2023.

4. Photo of oil painting of George Pinkney Inge by unknown artist, found in Inge's Store, 331-333 West Main Street Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia, compiled by Timothy L. Bishop, University of Virginia School of Architecture, 1979. Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Call No.: SVA: No. 49:1979, YX001 117 764. Used with permission from the Estate of George P. Inge.

5. Photo of the inside of Inge's Grocery, date unknown, reprint found in “Inge’s Store Has a Place in Main Street’s History and Future," by Ray McGrath, The Daily Progress, November 11, 1979, used with permission from the Estate of George P. Inge.

6. Nannie Cox Jackson. Found in "Nannie Cox Jackson," CVillepedia. Accessed September 10, 2023.

7. "Viola Green" Photo: Rufus W. Holsinger, 1916. Holsinger Studio Collection, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA, Call No. 9862, Image ID. 34283, accessed September 10, 2023.

8. William E. Jackson, Jr. Courtesy Teresa Walker Jackson Price.

9. Jackson Post Advertising Sign. Courtesy Teresa Walker Jackson Price.

While I have diligently sought to establish and contact the copyright owners of these images, I believe their inclusion here is within the confines of fair use, and/or that they are in the public domain.

Selected Bibliography

*"Buckner, Anthony T." Daughters of Zion Cemetery, accessed September 9, 2023.

"Buckner, Eileen Wood." Daughters of Zion Cemetery, accessed September 9, 2023.

"Buckner, Geneva J. Tonsler." Daughters of Zion Cemetery, accessed September 9, 2023.

"Buckner, Louisa E." Daughters of Zion Cemetery, accessed September 9, 2023.

Correcting the Narrative. "Why Name a School for Nannie Cox Jackson?" December 3, 2019, accessed September 10, 2023.

CVillepedia. "George P. Inge." Accessed September 10, 2023.

CVillepedia. "Nannie Cox Jackson." Accessed September 10, 2023.

Daily Progress. "Progress Past." June 13, 2018, accessed September 10, 2023.

George Minor Carr J. F. Bell Funeral Home Records Entry. Digitized by the Virginia Center for Digital History, University of Virginia, accessed September 9, 2923.

Getting Word. "Nancy Colbert Scott." Monitcello.org, accessed September 10, 2023.

Heritage Trail. "Nannie Cox Jackson (1864-1953), Teacher." Jefferson Heritage Center, accessed September 10, 2023.

"Inge's Store: 331-333 West Main Street, Charlottesville, Virginia." Historic American Buildings Survey: HABS No. VA-1015. Digitized by the Library of Congress, accessed September 10, 2023.

Interview with Mrs. Teresa Jackson Walker Price. September 23, 2023.

Mangione, Wilma T., Editor. “Recollections of Thomas Ferguson Inge, Sr.” From Porch Swings to Patios: An Oral History Project of Charlottesville Neighborhoods, 1914-1980. The City of Charlottesville, 1990, accessed September 8, 2023.

McGrath, Ray. "Inge's Store Has a Place in Main Street's History and Future." Daily Progress, November 11, 1979.

Munro, J.F. "Anthony T. Buckner." Holsinger Portrait Project, February 10, 2022, accessed September 9, 2023.

Munro, Julia F. "George Carr." Holsinger Portrait Project. University of Virginia, February 10, 2022, accessed September 10, 2023.

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Mama's Chicken & Dumplings #NFPost No. 4

9/10/2023

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HURRICANE!

Library of Congress

It happened in the middle of the night on September 2, 1935. It was Labor Day weekend, and little did the residents of the Florida Keys know that a category 5 hurricane was barreling toward them. But when the monstrous storm made landfall, everyone realized the danger. Waters rose. Biting rain pounded. Sustained winds battered at 185 mph!

On Metacumbe Key, a storm surge caused ocean waves to crest between 15-20-feet. Soon, every building, every tree, every living thing on the island was being ripped to shreds. On Lower Metacumbe Bay, 260 U.S. World War I veterans were surrounded by the storm. They'd been working on an overseas highway and hadn't been given ample warning or opportunity to evacuate. A train was sent to rescue them, but the storm surge pushed it off its tracks. Help was not on the way.

Tragically, all the men lost their lives.

By the time the storm subsided, the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane had claimed at least 485 victims.

Digitized by the Library of the University of Virginia

Allie, my main character in Mama's Chicken & Dumplings, overhears her mama talking about a hurricane brewing in the Atlantic, but that's the only mention I make of it in my work of historical fiction. If the storm had greatly impacted Charlottesville, Virginia, I would have included more. But by the time the storm moved inland it had weakened.

The local newspaper, the Daily Progress, however, did report on three days of heavy rains from the storm, which destroyed corn and apple crops. And it reported that the town of Scottsville, Virginia, located about 20 miles south of Charlottesville, had flooded when the the James River rose 23 feet above its normal level. No doubt, the overflowing waters of Mink Creek, which passed by the Methodist Church on Main Street, were also responsible for the town's streets being turned into waterways navigable only by rowboats.

I wondered if the residents of Vinegar Hill had a fundraiser for the African American family from Scottsville who lost everything when their two-story home was swept away by a flooded creek while the family was stuck inside. (Thankfully, the house floated and became lodged onto a bridge and the uninjured family was subsequently rescued.)

Following the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the Weather Bureau determined to improve hurricane warnings and evacuation orders. Nowadays, the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use powerful tools like satellite imaging and supercomputers to sound hurricane warnings to give residents of coastal areas plenty of time to evacuate, thus minimizing loss of life.

Photo Credits

1. "Rescue Train Swept off the Tracks by the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane." Library of Congress, Control No. 2021670725, accessed September 8. 2023.

2. Front page of the Daily Progress. Charlottesville, VA, No. 16, 104, September 5, 1935, accessed September 8, 2023.

3. Dorrier, Edward L. Dorrier. "Sept. 6, 1935 Flood Photo of Main Street in Scottsville, VA." Irene and Edward L. Dorrier Collection, Scottsville Museum, Scottsville, VA, accessed September 8, 2023. Photo used with permission from Irene Dorrier and the Scottsville Museum.

Bibliography

Daily Progress, September 5, 1935, p. 1, digitized by the University of Virginia Library, accessed September 1, 2023.

Daily Progress, September 6, 1935, p. 1, digitized by the University of Virginia Library, accessed September 1, 2023.

HurricaneScience.org. "1935-Labor Day Hurricane." The University of Rhode Island, accessed September 1, 2023.

Library of Congress. "Rescue Train Swept off the Tracks by the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane." Item Description, accessed September 1, 2023.

McDonald, W. F. "The Hurricane of August 31 to September 6, 1935." Monthly Weather Review, 63, 269-271, accessed September 1, 2023.

National Weather Service. "NOAA Weather Radio in the Florida Keys." NOAA, accessed September 1, 2023.

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Mama's Chicken & Dumplings #NFPost No. 3

9/9/2023

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Doctors Serving the Vinegar Hill Community

Seated: Dr. George Franklin Johnson, Mrs. Peachie Carr Johnson, and Mr. Conley Greer
Standing: Mrs. Emma Carr Clorinda, Mrs. Mary Carr Greer, and Fannie Carr Washington

In 1935, when Mama's Chicken & Dumplings takes place, the medical needs of Vinegar Hill residents were cared for by five African American physicians and dentists whose home offices or joint practices were either within the neighborhood or located in nearby neighborhoods of Charlottesville, Virginia like Starr Hill.

The 1934 Hill’s Charlottesville, Virginia, City Directory names them: George Johnson, Edward Stratton, Jr., Bernard Coles, John Jackson, and Edgar Long, Jr.

Dr. George Franklin Johnson (1876-1945) was born in Orange County. He was a 1911 Howard University medical school graduate who practiced at his home office at 123 4th St. NW in Charlotteville for 30 years. He married Peachie Suporah Carr (1889-1977), an Albemarle native, in 1914.

According to a participant at Family Photo Day held at the University of Virginia on March 9, 2019, the man in the photo below is that of Dr. Johnson. However, when I showed the image to Charlottesville native and longtime Jefferson School educator, Mrs. Teresa Walker Jackson Price, whose mind is as sharp as ever at 97 years, she said with certainty that it was not Dr. Johnson.

I also shared the photo with Peachie Carr's grandniece and her grandnephew's wife. Neither ladies recognized the man in the photo as Dr. Johnson. So I'm pretty sure the photo below has been misidentified, but wanted to include it here anyway. Above however, is the photo the Carr-Geer family shared with me, in which they identified Dr. Johnson as sitting next to his wife, Peachie.

Photo likely misidentified as George Franklin Johnson, M.D.

Peachie Carr Johnson (later Jackson) was a teacher in Orange County for two years then at Jefferson School in Charlottesville for decades. She graduated from Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute (now Virginia State College) with a teaching degree in 1912. In 1933, she obtained a bachelors of science degree from the same university. Later, Peachie did graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania.

"Dr. George F. Johnson in company with Mrs. Mary Greer motored to Virginia State College at Petersburg, to witness the Commencement exercises. Mrs. Peachie C. Johnson was a member of the graduating class." *

Besides being a teacher, Peachie Carr Johnson was a civic minded individual who was quite involved in various literary and social clubs as well as benevolent societies organized by Charlottesville's African American women. From 1954-58, she was the president of the Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. I'm sure you'll find the primary research that's been done by the Ivy Creek Foundation about Peachie's family, the Carr and Greer Families, quite fascinating. I certainly did! (Find it HERE.)

According to Peachie's obituary, Dr. Johnson died suddenly in 1945.

Howard University Dentistry Class, circa 1900

Seen below is Dr. John Andrew Jackson (1888-1956). According to the 1934 Hill's Directory he was living at 125 4th Street NW, next door to Dr. Johnson, and practicing dentistry at 406 Commerce Street NW, right across from Jefferson School. Dr. Jackson received his D.D.S. degree from Howard University in 1913.

Dr. Jackson's wife's name was Otelia Love (1889-1966). Otelia was actively involved in civic organizations serving the African American community of Charlottesville. The Jacksons had seven children--five sons and two daughters. Two of their sons Ellard "Punjab" Jackson and George Franklin Jackson became dentists like their father. The entire Jackson family was quite involved in volunteering with the National Association of Colored Dentists, now the National Dental Association, a professional organization founded in the 1900s by Dr. David Arthur Ferguson of Richmond, Virginia.

John Andrew Jackson, D.D.S.

In addition to their city property, the Jacksons owned 82 acres of farmland that was just outside the city. Dr. Jackson's father, Andrew W. Jackson, once had a working farm there. The land was located within a bustling, rural African American community called Hydraulic Mills-Union Ridge. During the summer months, Dr. Jackson, who was scoutmaster of Charlottesville's African American Troop No. 15, allowed his land in the country to be used by the local African American Boy Scouts who camped, gardened, competed, and swam there.

"Week before last, our city was host to the Old Dominion Dental Society. What an asset this convention was, to our city. If nothing else were enumerated, the inspiration allotted to our young people is really worthy of note. Without any attempt at exaggeration I have heard about ten young men and women express their desire to become dentists. Dr. J. A. Jackson and Dr. B.. A. Coles deserve great credit for their unselfishness in planning the public meeting. . ." **

Dr. Bernard A. Coles (1894-1971) a dentist, and Dr. Edgar A. Long, Jr., a physician, took care of the needs of their patients in an office located inside Vinegar Hill at 271½ West Main Street. Most likely, Dr. Long also visited infirm and ill patients in their homes. Dr. Coles lived at 313 8th St. NW in Charlottesville with his wife Ruth. Dr. Long, Jr. lived at 321 6th St. NW with his wife Marie.

Dr. Coles along with Dr. Jackson awarded graduating seniors of Jefferson School who had maintained the highest average in English with a five dollar gold piece, and awarded a five dollar prize for the best essay written by a student in any class!

Edward W. Stratton, Jr., M.D.

Dr. Edward W. Stratton Jr. was listed in the directory as practicing at his home at 206 6th Street NW. His wife's name was Marguerite. As a volunteer in the 1930s, he served as the physician for Jefferson School's football team. On the left is an image of him cropped from a photo that was taken with the undefeated Jefferson School football team in 1935.

Just who was Dr. Edward W. Stratton, Jr.? More research needs to be done. But I wonder if he was the Edward W. Stratton who was the son of a Samuel Stratton, an African American clerk who built his family's home in Columbia, South Carolina in 1887. I also wonder if he was the young man with the same name who was listed in Howard University's 1933 Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity roster.

I was truly delighted to discover from Mrs. Teresa Walker Jackson Price that I was correct in assuming that Dr. Edward W. Stratton, Jr. of Vinegar Hill was the same Dr. Edward W. Stratton, Jr. who was a prominent obstetrician in Los Angeles during the 1950s and 60s. And when I showed her a picture I found of that Dr. Stratton (HERE), she quickly said, yes, it's him! And she should know. Dr. Stratton was her "godfather" who saw his patients in a basement office located in her family's basement, and who ate supper with her family every night!

I really enjoyed finding out more about the physicians and dentists whose names were marked with a "C" in Hill's 1934 Directory (indicating their color). Learning even just a little about them, their wives, and families filled me with something akin to familial pride. And I felt it not just for them, but for all those back then who were professionals serving their communities--though they were born just a generation away from the Dark Days of Slavery.

As Charlottesville newspaper man T. J. Sellers, said: "They deported themselves with a decorum, born of culture and dignity."

It was my privilege to shine a small light on them by naming the doctor in Mama's Chicken & Dumplings Dr. Stratton.

Photo Credits

1. Carr-Greer Family Photo. Courtesy Helen Theodosia Lemons.

2. "Untitled" Photo: Ralph W. Holsinger. April 4, 1912. Holsinger Studio Collection, Albert and Shirley Small Collections Library, University of Virginia, Image ID 39856, neg. no. X00167A, accessed August 29, 2023.

3. Howard University Dentistry Class. Photo: William Edward Burghardt, circa 1900. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Control NO. 2002695672, accessed August 29, 2023.

4. John Andrew Jackson. Found in History of the American Negro & His Institutions: Virginia by A.B. Caldwell, January 1921: A.B. Caldwell Publishing, Atlanta, GA, p. 438, accessed August 29, 2023.

5. Edward W. Stratton Jr. Photo (cropped from 1935 Jefferson School Undefeated Football Team): Ralph W. Holsinger, 1935. Holsinger Studio Collection, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Image ID. 41491, neg. no. Y21177B2, accessed August 29, 2023.

6. Surgical Kit. Photo: Marjory Collins, February 1943. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Call No.LC-USW3- 017701-D, accessed August 30, 2023.

I have diligently sought to establish and contact the copyright owners of the images used in my #NFPosts. Those on this page, I believe, are used within the confines of fair use, and/or are in the public domain.

Bibliography

"A Spirit of No Boundaries." Dental Economics, February 2014, p. 14, accessed August 28, 2023.

African-American Genealogy Group. "About the J.F. Bell Funeral Home and Family." The Virginia Center for Digital History, accessed August 29, 2023.

Central Virginia History Researchers. "The Hydraulic Mills / Union Ridge Community." Accessed August 29, 2023.

CVillepedia. "B. A. Coles." Accessed August 29, 2023.

*"Dr. Geo. R. Ferguson." Journal of the National Medical Association. February 25, 1933, volume 1, pp. 36–37, accessed August 24, 2023.

Ezell, Ray. "Review of Black Boy Scouting in Central Virginia, 1915-1949." Central Virginia Boy Scouting Preservation Project, accessed August 29, 2023.

Heritage Trails, No. 3. "Dr. John A. Jackson Home & Office: 125 Fourth Street NW." accessed August 29, 2023.

Howard University. The Bison, 1933, p. 107, accessed August 29, 2023.

Obituary of Dr. George Franklin Jackson, D.D.S. Dignity Memorial, accessed August 29, 2023.

Jet, December 17, 1973, page 14, accessed August 29, 2023.

Kessler, Bryan S. "David Arthur Ferguson (1875–1935)." Dictionary of Virginia Biography, Library of Virginia, 2015, accessed August 29, 2023.

Miller, Ed. "Excluded Elsewhere: UVA’s First Black Students Found Community of their Own." The UVA Magazine, Summer 2021, p. 47, accessed August 29, 2023.

Monroe, Bruce, Orange County historian. Email Correspondence, September 21, 2023.

Munro, Julia F. "Dr. Johnson." Holsinger Portrait Project. University of Virginia, February 17, 2022, accessed August 23, 2023.

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. "Waverly Historic District." National Park Service, November 16, 1989, accessed August 29, 2023.

** Sellers, Thomas. "Old Dominion Dental Society." Reflector, April 21, 1934, issue no. 37, p. 4, col. 1, accessed August 29, 2023.

Yager, Jordy. "Black Land, Black Schools & Eminent Domain." Mapping Albemarle/Mapping CVille, January 19, 2021, accessed August 29, 2023.

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Mama's Chicken & Dumplings #NF Post No. 2

9/1/2023

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Jefferson School, Charlottesville, Virginia

Left to right, (front row) Margaret L. Terry, Maude M. Gamble (principal) and Cora B. Duke; (second row) Ella J. Banks, Rebecca Fuller McGinness, Peachie Carr Johnson, Mary Kathleen Chisholm, Carrie W. Michie, and Gertrude Inge; (third row) Nannie Cox Jackson, Marion B. Wyatt, Jane C. Johnson, and Helen E. Jackson.

I love the above picture so much! It's of the faculty of Jefferson School in Charlottesville, Virginia, during the era of segregation, taken as best I could figure during the 1926-7 school year. To me, the image is absolutely beautiful for many reasons. For one, I love the dignity, confidence, and determination these women project on camera. And it's no illusion! They were dignified, confident, and determined on many levels, despite the harsh racial conditions of the times. I found it easy to imagine the African American men of the local area tipping their hats in courtesy as these ladies walked by. My imaginings made me want to write a scene in my middle-grade Mama's Chicken & Dumplings where a gentleman of Vinegar Hill tips his hat out of respect for Allie's best friend, Jewel, while she walks by pretending to be as sophisticated as the ladies in the above image, despite Jewel being only ten years old.

Isabella Gibbons

The history of Jefferson School in Charlottesville stretches back to right after the Civil War ended and all those with African descent were freed from the institution of slavery. Anna Gardner, an educator with European decent from Nantucket, an island in Massachusetts, arrived in Charlottesville around 1867. She opened a New England Aid Society's Normal School, which prepared men and women for the task of teaching the newly freed citizens of the area. Later, the school became a Freedmen’s School under the direction of the Freedmen's Bureau. Anna named her group of students the Jefferson School.

One of the first teachers of color at Jefferson School was Isabella Gibbons who had once been enslaved at the University of Virginia. Despite the law of the times, Gibbons had learned to read and write beautifully, and had taught her daughter Bella to do the same. Isabella's husband William Gibbons could also read and write. He became a well-respected Baptist minister after Freedom came.

Jefferson School became a public school of the City of Charlottesville in 1871. Benjamin E. Tonsler was one of the school's earliest principals. He was a beloved member of the community. Many graduates from Jefferson School attended historically Black colleges and universities like Hampton University, and obtained degrees in all types of disciplines, including those in medicine, engineering, and science, even though they had to complete their high school studies outside of Charlottesville since Jefferson School graduated students after the eighth grade.

Rebecca Fuller McGinness

The name I chose for Allie's fifth grade teacher was Mrs. McGinness. I chose it out of respect for Rebecca Fuller McGinness, a tireless educator who spent decades teaching at Jefferson School. If you examine the oral histories of those who attended Jefferson School as students, the name Mrs. McGinness often comes up. They mention her as a teacher who inspired them to achieve their personal best. Mrs. McGinness was a graduate of Jefferson School before there was a high school. She finished her studies at Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, now Hampton University, graduating from there with her teaching certification in 1915, and later a bachelor's degree. When she was 100, Hampton gave her an honorary doctorate degree. Mrs. McGinness lived to the ripe age of 107.

Cora [Murray Brown] Duke

While I named Allie's principal Mr. Duncan, the real Mr. Duncan--Owen Duncan-- was the principal of Jefferson High School in the 1940s. In 1935, the year Mama's Chicken & Dumplings takes place, Cora B. Duke was the principal of the "Old" Jefferson School--the one that housed grades one through five. Mrs. Duke was known as a woman who put the students' needs ahead of her own. When she retired, the school community threw her a grand celebration thanking her for her educational leadership and community involvement. Doesn't she look grand in her feathered hat in the photo taken in 1915 at the Holsinger Portrait Studio located in Charlottesville? Indeed!

After the building to house Jefferson's junior and high school grades opened on the same campus as the older building in 1927, extracurricular activities for the African-American youth of Charlottesville began to thrive. There was a debate team, science club, marching band, literary clubs, a choir, a dramatic club, and more. For years, Jefferson School's after-school groups were well-known throughout the state as being top performing. They competed against other African American schools located throughout Virginia. Below is the undefeated "Red Devils" football team of 1935.

I really enjoyed imagining Allie playing the flute in the Jefferson School band, vying for first chair.

From left to right, (front row) Charles L. Jackson, Lloyd Quarterman, Billy "Goat" Lewis, John Locket, William "Shortie" Brown, Carter "Red" Wicks, Earl "Cap" Fortune, Alfred Bynum, Bernard Dabney; (second row) DuBois Johnson, Raleigh Kelly, William Cox Jackson, Charles "Chink" Lee, Grover Henderson, Carl Johnson, Phillip Sellers, Carol Allen; (third row) Nannie Henderson, Thomas Martin, Edward McCreavy, Beverly "Pep" Thomas; and (standing) Team Physician Edward W. Stratton and Coach James "Wop" Edgar.

The African American community of Charlottesville supported Jefferson School's extra curricular activities by hosting fundraisers, purchasing transportation, and by donating their time and resources. Nannie Cox Jackson was a huge supporter of the football team.

The education and edification of the young ones growing up in the neighborhood was obviously important to the adults living in the once thriving African American community of Charlottesville during the unfair days of Jim Crow. It was my privilege to share that spirit of togetherness while writing Mama's Chicken & Dumplings.

Photo Credits

1. Jefferson School yearbook photo. Found in Pride Overcomes Prejudice: A History of Charlottesville’s African American School. Charlottesville, VA: Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 2013, p. 75.

2. Isabella Gibbons. Found in "Isabella Gibbons." Cvillepedia, accessed August 14, 2023.

3. Rebecca Fuller McGinness 1915 Hampton yearbook photo from the collection of the Hampton University Archives, Hampton, VA. Found in Elizabeth Howard Papers, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

4. Cora Murray Duke. Photo: Rufus W. Holsinger, 1915. Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Rufus W. Holsinger Studio Collection: MSS Call No. 9862, Image ID: 35479, Negative No., X02970A, accessed August 13. 2023.

5. Jefferson [High] School 1935 Undefeated Football Team Photograph. Photo: Rufus W. Holsinger, 1935. Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library Holsinger Collection, UVA Library ID: Y21177BB2, accessed March 13, 2023.

While I have diligently sought to establish and contact the copyright owners of these images, I believe their inclusion is within the confines of fair use, and/or that they are in the public domain.

Selected Bibliography

Bryant, Florence Coleman. Rebecca Fuller McGinness: A Lifetime, 1892-2000. Charlottesville, VA: Van Doren Company, 2001.

CVillepedia. “Cora Murray Duke.” Accessed August 13, 2023.

Daughters of Zion Cemetery. "Tonsler, Benjamin E." Accessed August 13, 2023.

Discovery Virginia. “In the Fullness of Time.” Elizabeth Howard Productions. Narrated by Rita Dove. Virginia Humanities Digital Archive, 2004, accessed December 25, 2022.

Douglas, Andrea, editor. Pride Overcomes Prejudice: A History of Charlottesville’s African American School. Charlottesville, VA: Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 2013.

Douglas, Andrea and Vincent Musi. “The Jefferson School, a Modern American Story.” LOOK3 2015 Charlottesville Festival of the Photograph presentation, accessed July 31, 2023.

Finger, Jascin Leonardo. “Anna Gardner (1816-1901): Teacher, Abolitionist, Women’s Rights Advocate, Author.” Nantucket Historical Society, accessed March 14, 2023.

"Funeral of Rev. William Gibbons." National Republican, July 2, 1886, Newspapers.com, accessed August 20, 2023.

Jefferson High School Football Team Item Details. Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library Holsinger Collection, UVA, accessed August 13, 2023.

Jefferson School City Center. “Jefferson School History.” Accessed March 15, 2023.

Jefferson School Oral History Project: Interview Transcripts, Volume One. Albemarle County Historical Society, October 2004, accessed December 25, 2022.

Jefferson School Oral History Project: Interview Transcripts, Volume Two. Albemarle County Historical Society, October 2004, accessed December 25, 2022.

Jefferson School Student Handbook. Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Call No.: LD7501.C4J39.

Mangione, Wilma T., Editor. “Recollections of Rebecca McGinness.” From Porch Swings to Patios: An Oral History Project of Charlottesville Neighborhoods, 1914-1980. The City of Charlottesville, 1990, accessed December 25, 2022.

Munro, Julia F. “Cora Murray.” Holsinger Portrait Project, University of Virginia, February 25, 2022, accessed August 13, 2023.

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Mama's Chicken & Dumplings #NFPost No. 1

9/1/2023

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Sampson's Happy Pals

Below are pictured the members of Sampsons' Happy Pals, a band that performed live jazz and swing numbers during the 1930 and ’40s throughout Charlottesville, Virginia, and surrounding counties. When this picture was taken, the members included: (left to right) Earl Sampson (tenor sax), George Jones (guitar), T. J. Sellers (drums), Theodore “Duke” Chisholm (piano), Kermit Jones (alto sax), George Bowles (trumpet), Percy Sampson (trombone), and Clarence Bryant (bass).

Photo courtesy the family of Elmer "Sonny" Sampson, found in Charlottesville: The African-American Community by Agnes Cross-White (Dover, NH: Arcadia Publishing, 1998).

While on her West Main Street quest in Charlottesville to find her mama a husband who loves to sing, 10-year-old Allie, the main character in MAMA'S CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS my forthcoming novel for young readers that takes place in 1935 Vinegar Hill, asks Mr. Journey, a fictional character who owns a sewing machine shop. . .

"I’m wondering, Mr. Journey,” I say. “I mean, it’s obvious you know a thing or two about fixing things . . . but can you sing?”

Mr. Journey stops dusting and looks at Jewel and me like we’re a math equation he’s trying to figure. “Every now and again, I sing with Sampson’s Happy Pals.”

It was pretty cool to find mention of the band in The Reflector, "Charlottesville's Only Negro Weekly," which was published by T. J. Sellers from 1933-1936. For example, there was this lighthearted inclusion in the "Around Town" society news column with C.S. Kelly in the number 3 issue that came out on August 26, 1933:

"Rumor has it that Jerry Bowles is practising with 'Sampson's Happy Pals'. What's that? Did I hear some one say that he likes suspense? Here's a bit. We are not telling you where Mr. Bowles bought the instrument, or what kind it is or how much it cost, but we will say that we expect him to make his debut soon. If you do not wish to miss this treat, you had better follow 'Sampson's Happy Pals' around the town."

Orange County News, Volume 11, Number 47, 16 March 1933.

A more sobering mention was found on the front page of the June 9, 1934, issue of The Reflector. It said:

"Readers of this issue of 'The Reflector' will notice an announcement concerning the John Stratton Benefit Dance, to be held next Thursday, June 14th.

This entertainment, to be staged at the Odd Fellows Hall, will represent an effort, on the part of Sampson's Happy Pals, to assist a former member of their orchestra in the securing of medical attention that has been advised for him.

Stratton, as Charlottesville knows, was the little man "behind the drums" in Sampson's Happy Pals. Several months ago, he became ill and has been confined to his bed ever since. In these economically topsy-turvy times, when even well men find the going tough, it is not difficult to understand why it is a worthwhile movement on the part of the orchestra to provide their former orchestra member with financial assistance.

The intentions of the band are commendable, but unless the public catches the spirit and supports this movement, these intentions will amount to very little in a material way. Negro citizens of Charlottesville should keep this fact in mind and make arrangements to help make his movement a successful one because such a splendid display of brotherhood on the part of these ten musicians should be encouraged."

Despite his band mates' efforts to get him needed care, Mr. Stratton sadly passed away on August 27, 1934, at just 28 years of age.

Photo courtesy Chris Farina and Rosalia Films. From West Main Street, https://vimeo.com/273521741, accessed April 27, 2023.

Above is Elmer "Sonny" Sampson. He's seated in front of the home he was born in, located on 6th Street SW. Sonny played for a short while with his older brother Percy in Sampson's Happy Pals. Sonny was an accomplished trombone player who played with well-known musicians like Lena Horne. Sonny was one of the first two African Americans invited to join Charlottesville's Municipal Band in 1968 after Jim Crow laws lifted.

I sure wish I could find a recording of Sampson's Happy Pals!

Bibliography:

Cross-White, Agnes. Charlottesville: The African-American Community. Dover, NH: Arcadia Publishing, 1998.

Cvilleband.org. "African Americans and the Band," accessed July 29, 2023.

J.F. Bell Funeral Records. John Stratton. Virginia Center for Digital History, University of Virginia, accessed July 29, 2023.

Kelly, C.S. The Reflector (Charlottesville, VA), Number 3, 26 Aug. 1933, p. 3.

Orange County News (VA), Volume 11, Number 39, 19 January 1933, accessed July 28, 2023.

Orange County News (VA), Volume 11, Number 47, 16 March 1933, accessed July 29, 2023.

Sellers, T. J., ed. The Reflector (Charlottesville, VA), Number 7, 16 Sept. 1933, p. 3.

Sellers, T. J., ed. The Reflector (Charlottesville, VA), Number 44, 9 June 1934, p. 1.

West Main Street. Produced by Chris Farina and Reid Oechslin. Rosalia Films: 1995, accessed April 27, 2023.

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Welcoming Kidlit Creator Lisa Mezoff

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Mama's Chicken & Dumplings #NFPost No. 5

Successful Business Owners

"Buckner had made a host of friends for himself during his long sojourn in the community and was especially liked by the residents in the University section. Many had formed the custom of stopping in to converse with him as a token of their esteem and the high place he had won for himself." *

Mama's Chicken & Dumplings #NFPost No. 4

HURRICANE!

Mama's Chicken & Dumplings #NFPost No. 3

Doctors Serving the Vinegar Hill Community

"Dr. George F. Johnson in company with Mrs. Mary Greer motored to Virginia State College at Petersburg, to witness the Commencement exercises. Mrs. Peachie C. Johnson was a member of the graduating class." *

Mama's Chicken & Dumplings #NF Post No. 2

Jefferson School, Charlottesville, Virginia

Mama's Chicken & Dumplings #NFPost No. 1

Sampson's Happy Pals

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