. Her mother, a slave belonging to his mother, had been raped at age 12 or 13 by David Dickson. As we peek into the pages of the acclaimed events of history behind Kent Anderson Leslie's book, Women of Color, Daughter of Privilege, centering on the life of Amanda America Dickson. She learned to read and write, and assumed the social graces of white Southern affluence. In July 1886, Amanda purchased a home on Telfair Street in Augusta, furnishing it elegantly including the Dickson silver, oil paintings . Amanda America Dickson's birthplace, Hancock County, Georgia, is in the fertile so-called black belt of the state, 125 miles south and east of Atlanta, between the pre-Civil War capital of Milledgeville and the river-port city of Augusta (Map 1). Kent Anderson Leslie uses the events of Dickson's life to explore the forces driving . Born with fair skin, Amanda (Jennifer Beals) has been raised and educated as if she were white by her devoted father and grandmother Elizabeth (Shirley Douglas). She was intermittently unconscious from nervous shock. Legally, Amanda was still a slave until her grandmother's death in 1864. [1]:47. Her father had stipulated that Amanda, and her children after her death, were the beneficiaries, and no future husband or Dickson family member could "interfere". This fascinating story of Amanda America Dickson, born the privileged daughter of a white planter and an unconsenting slave in antebellum Georgia, shows how strong-willed individuals defied. [1]:41, At the age of twenty-seven, Amanda chose to leave her father's plantation in Hancock County, Georgia to attend the normal school of Atlanta University, where she studied teaching from 1876 to 1878. In his will David Dickson stated that the administration of his estate was to be left to the sound judgment and unlimited discretion of Amanda Dickson without interference from any quarter, including any husband she might have. Therefore, they either never officially married, or they married out of state before returning to Georgia (but there is no surviving proof of a legal marriage. I read Dr. Kent Anderson Leslie's biography of Amanda Dickson Toomer several years. The front porch is getting new crown molding and new columns. a Sort of Mystery: Jean Toomers Georgia Heritage, Georgia Historical Quarterly 77 (winter 1993): 789-809. Amanda America was born to 40-year-old slave master David Dickson and 13-year-old slave, Julia Lewis in 1849.Legally, Amanda was still a slave until her grandmother's death in 1864.By the 1860s David Dickson was the richest planter in Hancock County, with 150 slaves, 350 cattle, 600 hogs, 200 sheep and 57 mules and horses.Amanda was still a teen-ager when she married her father's nephew . Have you taken a DNA test? When her father died on February 18, 1885, Amanda became the center of a famous lawsuit. In the winter of 1885 David Dickson died, leaving the bulk of his estate to Amanda Dickson and subsequently to her children after her death. When he was 40 years old, David Dickson had raped 12-year-old Julia Dickson, and she became pregnant. The votes are in! Amandas family said her father became devoted to his daughter . She is Mrs. Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. New Georgia Encyclopedia, 10 March 2003, https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/amanda-america-dickson-1849-1893/. Amanda, then15, had a relationship with her 29-year old white cousin Charles Eubanks and had two sons, Julian and Leslie, near Rome, Georgia. 1900), who married Kate Holsey, the daughter of Harriet and Bishop Lucius Holsey of Augusta. After four years of being married to (or living as a married couple with) Charles Eubanks, Amanda left her husband and returned to her father's plantation in 1870, shortly after giving birth to her second son, Charles Green. A host of David Dickson's white relatives contested the will, but the superior court of Hancock County ruled in favor of Amanda Dickson in November 1885. . Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Come celebrate the 2022 results. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Jonathan Bryant, Race, Class, and Law in Bourbon Georgia: The Case of David Dicksons Will, Georgia Historical Quarterly 71 (summer 1987): 226-42. I am so glad that a his torical marker has been placed at her home in Augusta.. Features: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. The Supreme Court ruled in 1887 that Amanda was legally entitled to the inheritance under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that property rights are equal for blacks and whites, including the offspring of black and white citizens. Woman of Color, Daughter of Privilege: Amanda America Dickson, 1849-1893 (Brown Thrasher Books) Paperback - October 1, 1996 by Kent Anderson Leslie (Author) 86 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $9.30 Read with Our Free App Hardcover $30.00 17 Used from $4.91 4 Collectible from $24.99 Paperback When Julian Henry Eubanks Dickson was born in May 1866, in Georgia, United States, his father, Charles Henry Eubanks, was 29 and his mother, Amanda America Dickson, was 16. Citing the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision, saying that the rights and privileges of a black woman and her children would be the same rights and privileges of a white concubine or an illegitimate white woman and her children. Amanda remained married to Nathan Toomer until her death from Neurasthenia, or nervous exhaustion, considered to be caused by an unbearably hot train ride home from a month's stay in Baltimore for her health. The marker was placed at Toomer's last Augusta residence448 Telfair Street. [1]:81100 Then, in March 1886, the white relatives filed their appeal with the Supreme Court of Georgia. On December 26, 1894, they became parents to Jean Toomer. Amanda married first to her father's nephew, Charles Eubanks, in 1866-67 and they lived on a plantation in Rome, Georgia. Kent Anderson Leslie uses the events of Dickson's life to explore the forces driving southern race and gender . My fathers grandmother was a slave of David Dickson, which was Amanda's father. based on information from your browser. Toomer was born in 1839 in Chatham County, North Carolina, the slave of Richard Pilkinson. woman in the (Ti i ted .states has just died. Her independence allowed Amanda to further her education when she attended Atlanta University from 1876-78. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Maintained by: BeNotForgot [1]:42 Amanda also learned rules of social etiquette appropriate for the social standing of her father's side of the family. The funeral was held at Trinity Colored Methodist Church. Old scuppers and downspouts have been removed. This house still stands on 452 Telfair Street. without interference from any quarter. To discourage challenges to the will, anyone contesting it would lose their own bequest. In 1892, Amanda married Nathan Toomer, a wealthy widower from Perry, Georgia. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It would be a mistake, however . A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. She was born on November 20 or 21, 1849, on the Hancock County plantation of her father, the famous white agricultural reformer, David Dickson (1809-85). Heiress, Socialite. When her father died on February 18, 1885, Amanda became the center of a famous lawsuit. In the 1870s he built a handsome house for Amanda and her mother Julia and gave her some property. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Evidence suggests that David Dickson took charge of Amanda's education. Add to your scrapbook. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Amanda America Dickson Toomer I found on Findagrave.com. [1]:120121 Dr. F. D. Kendall, who examined her on the morning of June 9, 1893, noted that her heart and lungs appeared to be fine, but that she was obviously very nervous and anxious to return home. Born November 20, 1849. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Amanda's father was 40 year old David Dickson, son of Elizabeth and a wealthy white merchant, planter and slave owner. Some of the businesses that were destroyed included several . That cotton was produced by the enslaved men, women and children of African heritage, on whose labor the wealth of the South depended. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Executors appraised the estate, which included 17,000 acres of land in Hancock and Washington counties, at $309,000. Amanda Smith emerged as one of the A.M.E. Church's most effective missionaries and one of the most remarkable preachers ever known. She married (or lived as if she was married to) Charles Eubanks, a white first cousin and Civil War veteran. Just one grandparent can lead you to many Amanda was legally held as Elizabeth's slave until her death. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Amanda Toomer (10337890)? Adella Hunt Logan, 1902 The Logan family are African Americans descended from Warren Logan and his wife Adella Hunt Logan. Augusta, GaFriday, May 21, 2021, Formerly enslaved Amanda America Dickson Toomer (1849-1893), who later became perhaps Georgia's wealthiest African American woman in the 19th Century, received a Georgia Historical Marker in her honor. [1]:101102 James Jackson expressed his firm conviction against upholding the will, saying, "I would rather died in my place than uphold the will." [3][4] Charles Green Eubanks married Kate Holsey, the daughter of Lucius Holsey, a bishop in the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church,[5] and his wife Harriet. While white Georgians were establishing segregation as the ruling social order in the public sphere, members of the Dickson family went about their private lives. The storm almost wiped the town off of the map and only a handful of buildings survived. Amanda America Dicksons life reflected the power of family and class to erode the boundaries of race in the nineteenth-century South. We extend our congratulations and best wishes; . Although dozens of white relatives fought the case in court, Amanda prevailed under the 14th Amendment, with the Georgia Supreme Court noting "all distinction as to right's pertaining to citizenship between the two races are abolished, and as to their civil rights, they stand on the same footing.". Clinging to his body, Amanda cried, "Now I am an orphan, though her mother was still alive. I am very apprieciative to the people who have read the book and reviewed the website. She was buried in her wedding dress, in a metallic coffin, which was lined in rose colored plush fabric. Degro woman in the United Staes has just died. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/amanda-america-dickson-1849-1893, Amanda (Walters) Marks (abt.1849-aft.1894), Cedar Grove Cemetery, Houston County, Georgia, US Black Heritage Project Managed Profiles. This fascinating story of Amanda America Dickson, born the privileged daughter of a white planter and an unconsenting slave in antebellum Georgia, shows how strong-willed individuals defied racial strictures for the sake of family. Suzanne bore a daughter Eulalie in Chicago in October of 1796. . You can always change this later in your Account settings. This home is located at 1173 W Grab Creek Rd in Dickson, TN and zip code 37055. Upon John Toomer's death in 1859, his brother Colonel Henry Toomer purchased Nathan's mother, Kit, and seven of her children from the estate. It reached the height of its power by the time it reached Charlotte. As a child Toomer was purchased by John Toomer, who moved to Houston County, Georgia, in the 1850s. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Please reset your password. Show more. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. The son of this marriage was Jean Toomer, the author of the novel Cane (1923). an organ and piano and a bookcase of books. She became involved in philanthropic works, saw both of her sons married, and welcomed grandchildren bearing family names Julia Francis II, David II and Amanda America II. [1]:117 Nathan Toomer was a wealthy, educated African-American man of her class. Amanda and her grandmother Elizabeth had shared a particularly close relationship, with Amanda spending much time in her grandmother's room. [1]:122 She was diagnosed with neurasthenia (general exhaustion of the nervous system), or Beard's disease. A host of David Dicksons white relatives contested the will, but the superior court of Hancock County ruled in favor of Amanda Dickson in November 1885. She bore two children from this marriage, Julian Henry and Charles Green. Amanda America Dickson (November 20, 1849 June 11, 1893) was an African-American socialite in Georgia who became known as one of the wealthiest African American women of the 19th century after inheriting a large estate from her white planter father. Elegant Bridals, a bridal and special occasions destination, is a passion project for Jane . That court ruled in 1887 that Amanda Dickson was legally entitled to the inheritance under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that property rights are equal for blacks and whites, including the offspring of black and white citizens. David Dickson died unexpectedly in 1885, 12 years after the death of his wife, Clara. Her father, David Dickson, was a white planter and slave plantation owner who owned her mother; he was one of the eight wealthiest plantation owners in the county. of Thomas Eubanks and Nancy Dickson [sibling(s) unknown] Husband of Amanda America (Dickson) Toomer married about 1865 (to . In the winter of 1885 David Dickson died, leaving the bulk of his estate to Amanda Dickson and subsequently to her children after her death. But the dreadful secret which has blighted her life threatens to deprive her of the birthright which her . She left home briefly, between the years 1876 and 1878, to attend the Normal School of Atlanta University. On his death he scandalized Hancock county society by bequeathing the vast bulk of his estate (a share with a value estimated at more than $300,000) to his only child, Amanda America Dickson (1849-1893). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. Davids death and his surprising will became news throughout the country. "[1]:123 Amanda America Dickson Toomer died on June 11, 1893, with "complications of diseases" being the cause of death listed on her death certificate. [1]:112114, Amanda America Dickson spent the last eleven months of her life as the wife of Nathan Toomer, from Perry, Georgia, whom she married on July 14, 1892. Son. This 1,200 square foot home, which was built in 2018, sits on a 0.40 acre lot. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Eubanks was a Confederate Veteran. Retrieved Jul 17, 2020, from https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/amanda-america-dickson-1849-1893/. She was born. Get a one year print subscription (8 issues) for only $24! Sho was Mrs, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. His work to protect his daughter proved prescient because in February 1885, he died suddenly, leaving Amanda devasted. Although conceived through the rape of her adolescent mother, Amanda was raised and educated in the Dickson household. Amanda died just one year later after becoming ill during a trip to Baltimore with her husband. From a variety of sources, a great deal of information can be gathered on Mullato Amanda America Dickson, who exempted the traditional role of gender and racial inferiority in Antebellum and post-Civil War southern society. In 1892 Dickson married Nathan Toomer of Perry. The real issue is the . In her late 20s, Dickson attended the normal school of Atlanta University, a historically black college, from 1876 to 1878. In New Georgia Encyclopedia. It was an unhappy marriage, and in 1870, Amanda left her husband, and returned to the Dickson Plantation, where she was legally given the surname of Dickson for herself and her sons. Dickson left Eubanks in 1870 and with her sons returned to her fathers plantation. Born November 20, 1849, on the Dickson Plantation, near Sparta, Georgia in Hancock County, Amanda America was the product of her 12-year-old mother, an enslaved house servant, Julia Francis. Nathan Toomer later married Nina Pinchback. Amanda Dickson Toomer died at her home at 448 Telfair Street on June 11, 1893. Julia relinquishes Amanda to the Dicksons, realizing that her baby will be raised free because she was born with fair skin. Dickson left home briefly again between the years of 1876 and 1878, to attend the Normal School of Atlanta University. In his will David Dickson stated that the administration of his estate was to be left to the sound judgment and unlimited discretion of Amanda Dickson without interference from any quarter, including any husband she might have. The former slave-turned-millionaire purchased a home at 448 Telfair St., Augusta, Georgia, primarily to distance herself from irate relatives in Hancock County, Georgia. 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