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Pieces of Natchez history are missing

Published 12:03am Friday, August 3, 2012

I am a lifelong resident of Natchez, born on Woodlawn Avenue. I graduated in 1940, the year of the terrible fire and never knew of the accomplishments of any blacks other than George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington of Alabama.

Those that showed special potential or ability left here or something happened to them. I have been trying to find out information about 10 men who pledged $700 each to buy the Colored Cemetery. It was a huge sum of money. Great leaders, but what happened to them?

They were J.H. Henry, William Casey, D. Lewis, J.R. Ross, Henry Ireland, C.P. Hunter, Jas. Cosgrove, A.A. Newell, G.W. Brumfield and G.L. Sanders.

Surely they should be mentioned in our history. If you have any information about these men, please send it to me at 11 West Woodlawn Ave.

Oh, it was whispered that Duncan Morgan’s father, a brick mason, had something to do with building the Catholic church. True?

And why is Mike Ryan, sheriff of Adams County never mentioned? I know that he saved many young men from disappearing. He would take them to Brookhaven, put them on the train and they would never return.

Natchez’s history is not good to remember, but maybe some things would be helpful to know.

Many things would be best forgotten and forgiven as we try to do.

Meanwhile, our deepest gratitude to those Christian citizens who helped and showed us Christ’s example of how he wants us to live together.

 

Thelma White, 89, is a retired teacher and Natchez resident.

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  • Anonymous

    Looks like Ryan made the young men disappear?

  • Anonymous

    The problem is that too many people are too interested in screaming about their  history, and not even knowing it.  The reason it is lost is that one part of society wants everyone else to forget about the positive things that happened to them, they only want the negativity to be remembered. They also want everyone to forget their own history, because they do not even remember their own. This is why the story of Natchez is disappearing, no one wants to offend one part of society, and that part does not even care for the truth.

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    That fire caused by the burning moss that killed a large number of blacks and  I was always told that they loaded up these people in coffins and took to churches all over Natchez and Adams county and left inside this churches. Some of these churches didn’t have regular sunday meeting and the bodies laid there and deteriated for a period of time till they were found in this shape. Ms. White was this correct??

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