University of Virginia Library

15. Reminiscences of my Life
and Work among the
Freedmen of
Charlottesville Virginia
>From March
1st 1866 to July 1st 1875
Vol. 2.

Chapter Fifteenth
Visitors

During the first and second
years of my work in Charlottesville
we had occasional visits from a Mr. Frost
who was, I think, located at Gordonsville.
I have no numbers of the Freedmens
Record for 1866, and do not remember
what position he held under the Society
in Boston, but I think he had some
kind of supervision over the schools in
that vicinity. I recall that our supplies
of books etc came through him. It
was only for a short time that he was in
any way connected with our schools.

Although it was likely we had other
visitors that year, I do not now recall
their names or the circumstances of their
visits, greatly to my present regret.

June 7, 1867 We were surprised

by a visit from a party of teachers
and army officers, who came to call on us
and visit the places of interest about
Charlottesville. The party consisted of Miss
Jane Hosmer, and Miss Harriet Stone, teachers
at Gordonsville, Maj. Morse Provost Marshall
at Gordonsville, and Maj. Hopkins, and
Lieut. Poor located at the same place. Capt.
Carpenter Provost Marshall at Madison Court
House, accompanied by his wife, and Dr.
Nason, whose position I do not now recall.
They had hired an omnibus, and invited
us to accompany them to Monticello.

Just as we were about to start a colored
woman — Mrs. Young came to invite us to
a supper on her grounds, and when she saw
our large party of guests included them
in the invitation. One can easily imagine
how anxiously Miss Gardner and I had been
studying the problem of entertainment for
so large and unexpected a company, and
this opened a way out, as all agreed to

accept the invitation

It was a pretty jolly party that drove through
the town, forded the river, and climbed
the rough sides of Monticello. The trip was
a hard one, but all felt well repaid when
we reached the summit and looked around
us upon what several persons who had
travelled extensively, assured us was the
most beautiful view they had ever seen.

At the house we met a one armed young
man whom Miss Gardner and I recognized
as one of the pupils in Mr. Williams school.
He made himself very helpful in showing
us about the place, and we appreciated his
courtesy all the more as we had every reason
to believe he had been a Confederate soldier,
and these officers wearing the uniform
of the United States were his one time
enemies. But no word or act of his showed
that he remembered it

Everything we saw was so interesting
that we stayed longer than we were aware, and

when we arrived at Mrs. Youngs it was
already dark, and supper had been kept
waiting a long time for us. They had hung
Chinese lanterns in the trees to light up
the table so that it made a charming picture
as we drove up. The table groaned (or rejoiced)
under the burden of a profusion of delicacies.
Beside ourselves there were perhaps, a score of
the most prominent colored people of the
town and vicinity. Poor Mrs. Carpenter
was ill, and obliged to go into the house and
lie down, but everyone else had a good appetite
and felt in high spirits, in view of the
bountiful collation provided

Our visitors spent the evening with us
returning to Gordonsville on the midnight
train, Miss Hosmer declaring that it had
been a day that deserved to be "marked
with a white stone." Lieut Poor came again
not long after and formed a political
organization among the colored people
called a "Union League." He was one

of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention
at Richmond later on. Miss Hosmer
and Miss Stone also visited us several
times while they taught in Gordonsville.

I find in my diaries the following
names of persons who visited us, of whom
I remember nothing whatever: Mr. Manley,
Lieut. Higgs, Dr. Bridges, and Mr. Cole, but
I think one of these must have been a young
man who came there on some mission to
the colored people, but on what mission or
by whom sent I remember nothing. He
told us some of his exciting experiences in
places he had visited, farther south I think.
At one time he was attacked by a mob in the
house where he was spending the night. He
stood at the head of the stairs, and
fought them off until they finally gave
up and went away. The next day when
he appeared on the street, some of the same
men who formed part of the mob of the night
before, shook hands with him and

congratulated him upon his brave and
successful defence.

In another place
he was siezed by a mob and carried to
a lonely spot where a rope was formed
into a noose and put around his
neck preparatory to hanging him, when
the sudden appearance of a black
man upon the scene diverted the
attention of his captors for the moment.
Taking advantage of this he slipped
the noose over his head and ran for
his life. In his course he came upon
a stream several feet wide, which he
cleared at a bound, and so escaped
his pursuers.

Mrs. E. D. Cheney with her daughter
Margaret and Miss Lucretia Crocker made
a tour among the schools in the spring
of 1869 and reached Charlottesville on
May 22d of that year remaining with
us a few days. Mrs. Cheney made us
one or two other visits in the time we

were there.

I think we could not have been in
Charlottesville more than two years, when
Mrs. Rogers, wife of Prof Wm. B. Rogers came
to Charlottesville accompanied by Maj.
Copeland, to erect a stone over the grave
of Mrs. Rogers brother Maj. Savage who died
a prisoner in the hospital at C. and was
buried in the University cemetery with
about fourteen other Union soldiers who
died prisoners here. Prof. Rogers held
at one time a position in the University
of Va. so this had been Mrs. Rogers home
and she knew many of the people here.

Miss Abbie Francis, a teacher in one
of the Richmond schools, and Miss Lydia
B. Chace from Louisa Court House, visited
us once in company, and I think
Miss Francis had been in Charlottesville
once before. She was naturally interested
in the school here, as she paid the
salary of Paul Lewis, one of the Primary

teachers Miss Francis gave her own
services in the work. She was a
niece of Lydia Maria Child.

Feb. 15th 1870. We had a brief call
from Gen. Armstrong who had come
to Charlottesville to see if he could
induce Judge Rives to act as one of
the trustees of the Hampton School.
I remember Gen. Armstrong as a breezy
earnest man wide awake and keenly alive
to the importance of educating the
Freedmen. I had some correspondence
with him later on, in regard to a
very bright boy Tonsler who wished to become
a teacher among his people, but whose
mother was a poor widow, and he, being
her oldest son she felt that he would
be obliged to give up school to help
support the others. I arranged with
Gen Armstrong that he should be allowed to
work enough to pay all his expenses at the
school so finally his mother consented

to let him go. He came home in two
years fitted to teach, and was employed
at once in the Charlottesville schools.

Feb. 6th 1871 Miss Holmes came
to Charlottesville on my invitation
to attend an Exhibition of my school.
This was our first meeting.

We were surprised one day by a call
from from a stranger who introduced
herself as Mrs. Vernon. She had come to
Charlottesville to open a pay school
for colored pupils, but had not been
successful, and having used all
her money was in destitute circumstances
so she came to us for aid and sympathy.
She said she had acted as a spy for the
United States government at some time
during the Civil War, and told how she
carried messages in a small silver
tube under her tongue, mentioning
interviews she had held with President
Lincoln and other prominent men.

She was a Southern woman and said
that her father was a large slaveholder. To
tell the truth we had very little confidence
in her, or her stories, but as there seemed no
reason to doubt her need, we could not
refuse her a little aid, and we advised
her to open a school for colored children
in some place where free schools had
not already been established. The desire
of the colored people to learn even a
little would make them willing to
do what they could to support such
a school. So taking our advice she
left Charlottesville and we heard no more
from her.

Not very long before the romantic
marriage of the Princess Louise
of England to the Marquis of Lorne, that
gentleman, accompanied by a friend
whose card bore the name of Mr. Arthur
Strutt, visited our schools. He was then
travelling in the United States, and

dropped in upon us in passing through
Charlottesville. He had time for but two
rooms, Miss Gardners the highest and one
of the Primary schools, so I did not
have the good fortune to meet him
personally — only had a passing glimpse
of the future son-in-law of Queen
Victoria, and sometime Gov. Gen. of
Canada to which post he was appointed
after his marriage.

Mr. Ruffin Ruffner the State Superintendent
of schools living in Richmond came
to see us once but I have forgotten
the circumstances, as well as the
date of his visit.

Mr. & Mrs. John W. Pratt came from
Orange Court House to visit us on
some now forgotten date, and Miss
Lucy Chase from Gordonsville was present
at the dedication of our new school
house

A sick and destitute Union soldier

came to our house late one afternoon
and asked for food. According to his
story he had tramped a long distance,
— from Georgia, I think — and was trying to
reach Staunton where he had a brother
living. He had a bad cough and was
very much emaciated, and looked
indeed as if he were not long for this
world. He had sold every article of clothing
he could spare, and what was left was
very shabby. He seemed intelligent and
honest, and was diffident about coming
up to see us when we sent word for him
to do so. We put a good meal on the
table for him, and he told, his story
while he ate. He thanked us warmly
for his food, and started off, but we called
him back and gave him a little
money to help him on his journey
to Staunton which was only thirty miles
from Charlottesville. Had it been much
farther, I doubt if his strength would
have carried him through.

On two occasions some of the boys from
Mr. Williams school, which I have mentioned in
a former chapter as being located only a
few rods from our own, came in to visit
us. The first call was rather unpremeditated
on their part, and happened in this way.
About a dozen boys ranging in age from eight
or nine to twelve or thirteen years were seen
one afternoon looking into our windows,
so I sent a boy out to ask them if they
would like to come in. They seemed
pleased with the invitation, were ushered
in at once. I told them to find seats
wherever they could in the room and
they scattered themselves about among
the boys of the school, giggling among
themselves at the strangeness of the
situation. I took no notice of this but
went on with the work as usual. Their
visit was a short on — not more than
twenty or twenty-five minutes, when they

rose to go. Some bowed as they passed
through the door, while others pushed
through in awkward haste. I asked
them to call again, and so ended
their first visit. A few evenings later
Mr. Williams, their teacher, called saying he
had been told of their visit, and came to
learn particulars, as he feared that some
of the boys might have been rude and
unmannerly, but I relieved his apprehensions
by assuring him that they had conducted
themselves like gentlemen. He seemed
gratified to hear so good an account of
his pupils, and probably told them what
I said, for our school seemed to become
suddenly popular with these boys, and
not long after a much larger delegation
consisting in part of young men well
on in their teens, asked permission to
visit the school. We gave them a cordial
welcome, and when they left they urged
us to return the visit. Miss Gardner and
I accepted the invitation, and a little
later on found an hour we felt we could
spare from our school duties and made
our call. They did what they could to
make our visit a pleasant one, and we
were urged to come again, and several
times after that when out walking we
would meet some of the boys; who would
tell us on what days they were to have
extra exercises, recitations etc, and want
to know if we couldn't manage so as to come.
I do not think we ever repeated the visit,
although it was well for us and the cause
in which we were employed to encourage
all friendly advances on the part of the citizens,
and it is pleasant now to recall the fact
that there was never any friction, so far
as we knew between the boys of the
two schools, although of different races
and in such close proximity.

Sometime in the early seventies
Mr. Robinson ("Warrington" of the Boston Journal Transcript)

visited Charlottesville, and called into the
schools unexpectedly early one morning
accompanied by Dr. McKee Superintendent
of Charlottesville schools. Mr. Southall
Editor of the Charlottesville Chronicle,
and one other gentleman whose name
I have forgotten. It happened at the time
they came in I had a class at the
blackboard working out problems in cube
root — problems similar to this: A room
is 17 feet long, 14 feet wide and 8 feet high
Required the length of a line reaching
from the top of the wall at the right
hand corner to the floor at the left hand
corner of the room: Some of the visitors
were much interested in the process of
solving these problems, particularly when
the pupils explained the method of extracting
the cube root by the use of blocks. "That's
pretty smart" said one. "I couldn't couldn't
do that." Before they left Mr. Robinson
gave the pupils some good advice urging
them to make the most of their present
opportunities, and appreciate what was
being done for them

Other visitors of whom I catch a
fleeting glimpse in the mirror of my
memory were Mr. Chapin, employed by
the Freedmens Aid Society — a Mr. Brown
colored, of whom I now only recall the one
fact that he was a vegetarian, a Quaker
named Jones who was interested in placing
young colored men and women in positions
as teachers in schools in small county
places, and a man who called upon
us and gave his name as Frederick W.
Lincoln. At that time the Hon. Frederick
W. Lincoln was Mayor of Boston, and as
we knew nothing of His Honor travelling
in the south, we concluded that our
visitor was an imposter. If it were the
real, genuine Mayor, he must have
concluded that we were not overwhelmed
by the honor of the visit, It now seems

a remarkable piece of stupidity on our
part that we did not make some effort
to ascertain if Mayor Lincoln was visiting
in the south at that time. We had
become accustomed to keeping our eyes
open for imposters that we did not like
to be too cordial to strangers who could
not show their credentials.

Scores of other persons dropped in upon
us for an hour or two, of whom I now
remember nothing — not ever their names
but travellers passing through the town
would often call, some from interest
in the work, and some merely out of
curiosity. They came from all classes,
and were of various nationalities. Most
of them were cordially welcomed because
they showed an intelligent interest in
our work, but we occasionally had callers
whose object was to boom some matter
of their own personal interest, and wanted
win favor with us that we might influence

the colored people in their behalf. To all
such we turned the cold shoulder.