His estate included 17,000 acres of land in Hancock and Washington counties in Georgia. Shortly after that birth, Amanda returned to her fathers home in Hancock County, saying she wanted to be near her papie. Charles sought to get her back, but she refused. 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. Learn more about managing a memorial . Amanda Dickson Toomer is known as one of the richest black women in the 1800s. The Spirit of America Foundation was established to encourage and promote volunteerism, and the foundation presents awards to honor local individuals, organizations or projects in appreciation of community service. The funeral was held at Trinity Colored Methodist Church. MORE: Augusta Historical Marker Part of Georgia Civil Rights Trail All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Born on November 20, 1849, Amanda America Dickson was Davids daughter, the product of his rape of thirteen-year-old Julia Francis Lewis, the enslaved property of his mother. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Get a one year print subscription (8 issues) for only $24! Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? 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). Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Amanda Smith emerged as one of the A.M.E. Church's most effective missionaries and one of the most remarkable preachers ever known. In 1892, Amanda married Nathan Toomer, a wealthy widower from Perry, Georgia. 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. [2] In what became known as the David Dickson Will Case, seventy-nine white relatives of David Dickson disputed the will in court, mainly arguing that David Dickson was not of a sound mind when he wrote the will, that he was "unduly influenced" by Amanda America and Julia Dickson, and that Amanda America was not his child. 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. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Both were born into slavery, but their lives turned out very different. This episode is sure to set a fire in you to go for your dreams! Old scuppers and downspouts have been removed. Amanda, then15, had a relationship with her 29-year old white cousin Charles Eubanks and had two sons, Julian and Leslie, near Rome, Georgia. Suzanne bore a daughter Eulalie in Chicago in October of 1796. He never woke up. To use this feature, use a newer browser. 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). 1900). [1]:81100 Then, in March 1886, the white relatives filed their appeal with the Supreme Court of Georgia. Sho was Mrs, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Her enslaved mother, Julia Frances Lewis Dickson, was just 13 when she was born. Elegant Bridals, a bridal and special occasions destination, is a passion project for Jane . Dickson was born in 1849 to prominent Hancock County plantation owner David Dickson and a 12-year-old slave. The bulk of his estate, 17,000 acres, valued at $500,000, went to Amanda -- making her the largest property owner in Hancock County. Features: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Amanda America Dickson Toomer I found on Findagrave.com. This led me to the Toomer family web site to view what we call OUR slave deed . 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. Amanda was treated as part of the Dickson family. Kent Anderson Leslie uses the events of Dickson's life to explore the forces driving southern race and gender . This browser does not support getting your location. Her mother, a slave belonging to his mother, had been raped at age 12 or 13 by David Dickson. A Devoted Mother And Daughter. The doctors diagnosed her with neurasthenia, a disease characterized by profound physical and nervous exhaustion. This account has been disabled. She was kind-hearted, generous, and charitable, and her benevolent work was indeed extensive.. David Dickson died unexpectedly in 1885, 12 years after the death of his wife, Clara. Shutters are being built for the house's front. Their plan was foiled. She was kind-hearted, generous, and charitable, and her benevolent work was indeed extensive. Her legacy is preserved in the historic marker on Telfair Street that tells this complicated story of race and family in 19th-century Georgia. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Before the supreme court decision, Dickson purchased a large house at 452 Telfair Street, in the wealthiest section of the then-integrated city of Augusta. Kent Anderson Leslie uses the events of Dickson's life to explore the forces driving southern race and gender . The New Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from A More Perfect Union, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. They serve as an inspiration and testament to the strength of the human spirit and the will to succeed. Her mother, Julia Frances Lewis Dickson, and her second husband, Nathan Toomer, both petitioned in court to be designated the temporary administrator of her estate. This house still stands on 452 Telfair Street. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. based on information from your browser. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Her mother was a household slave, assigned as David's housekeeper, and she was raped by him, producing Amanda. By the time the courts settled the Dickson will case, she had firmly ensconced herself in this new home and decorated it with Brussels carpets, oil paintings, a walnut dining room table and chairs, and books. She left home briefly, between the years 1876 and 1878, to attend the Normal School of Atlanta University. [1]:123, Amanda America Dickson Toomer's funeral took place at the Trinity Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in Augusta, Georgia. In 1865, according to family history, Amanda married her white cousin Charles Eubanks in the North. It is the first project from Atkinson Way Films, the production company created by Waterston and. Upon his death in 1885, Dickson bequeathed most of his wealth to Amanda. On July 14, 1892, Amanda married Nathan Toomer of Perry, Georgia. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. She was quickly tended to by Dr. Eugene Foster, in place of their family physician, Thomas D. Coleman, who was out of town. 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. This time the family argued fornication was banned and interracial relationships were a felony, so . [1]:120121, In June 1893, with the kidnapping drama (involving Mamie Toomer, Charles Dickson, and Charles Dickson's co-conspirators) behind them, Nathan and Amanda America purchased two first-class tickets from a sales representative of the Pullman Palace Car Company to transport them from Baltimore, Maryland back to Augusta, Georgia. She died at 5 p.m. June 11, 1893. At the time of her birth, her mother was 12 year old Julia Frances Dickson, a house servant belonging to Elizabeth Dickson. . At the time, David Dickson was forty and the wealthiest planter in the county. Museum Address. She was intermittently unconscious from nervous shock. Amanda's birth resulted from the rape of her black slave mother, Julia Frances Dickson, by her white master, Mr. David Dickson. [1]:117 Nathan Toomer was a wealthy, educated African-American man of her class. "[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. In her childhood, she was taken into the Dickson family and tutored by her paternal grandmother Elizabeth Sholars Dickson. She was. Amanda America Dickson was born in November of 1849. As a young man, Nathan had served as the personal assistant to Colonel Henry Toomer, and in that capacity learned the ways of white upper-class gentlemen. 2251 Florin Rd. Jonathan Bryant, Race, Class, and Law in Bourbon Georgia: The Case of David Dicksons Will, Georgia Historical Quarterly 71 (summer 1987): 226-42. 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. The name David Dickson is intertwined in early Hancock County history. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Nesia Wright, owner and CEO of the Georgia Soul Basketball Team. In the early 1880's, Dickson gave Amanda three-quarters interest in 13,000 acres of Texas farmland, several thousand dollars worth of property bonds and a home in Augusta, Georgia, where she and her mother often stayed during shopping trips. Amanda America Dickson spent her childhood and adolescence in the house of her white grandmother and enslaver, Elizabeth Sholars Dickson, where she learned to read and write and play the pianothe survival skills of a young lady but not ordinarily the opportunities of a enslaved child. [1]:123, When David Dickson died suddenly on February 18, 1885,[1]:33 Amanda America Dickson inherited the majority of his vast estate, which included 17,000 acres of land. of Thomas Eubanks and Nancy Dickson [sibling(s) unknown] Husband of Amanda America (Dickson) Toomer married about 1865 (to . Buy Woman of Color, Daughter of Privilege: Amanda America Dickson, 1849-1893: Amanda America Dickson, 1849-93: Read Books Reviews - Amazon.com . Failed to report flower. 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. So, the same laws governed the rights and privileges of women of both races. from funds loaned by planter David Dickson. Kent Anderson Leslie, Amanda America Dickson: A Wealthy Lady of Color in Nineteenth-Century Georgia, in Georgia Women: Their Lives and Times, vol. In July 1886, Amanda purchased a home on Telfair Street in Augusta, furnishing it elegantly including the Dickson silver, oil paintings . [1]:81100, Judge Logan E. Bleckley filled his vacancy and refused to hear the case again. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Born on November 21, 1849, baby Amanda's parents couldn't be more dissimilar her father, the renowned white agricultural plantation owner, and writer, David Dickson; her mother, Julia Frances Lewis Dickson, was an enslaved child-servant to Dickson's mother Elizabeth Sholars-Dickson. . Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Meanwhile, her father had begun to secure his daughters and grandsons futures. Thank you for your time. Kent Anderson Leslie's 1995 biography Woman of Color, Daughter of Privilege: Amanda America Dickson, 1849-1893, was written about her life, and from this book came the 2000 film, "A House Divided," starring Sam Waterston and Jennifer Beals as David and Amanda Dickson. Hancock was a rich county and one of its wealthiest planters was David Dickson. [1]:36061, In 1866 at the age of sixteen, Amanda America moved to a small plantation in Floyd County, Georgia near the city of Rome. Daughter of David Dickson and Julia Frances Dickson She learned to dress in a modest, elegant fashion and how to present herself as a "lady". By studying her life, one is able to gather information about the "The Way It Was" in the South during the 19th . Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. At that time she and her children took the last name of Dickson. [1]:122 She was diagnosed with neurasthenia (general exhaustion of the nervous system), or Beard's disease. Historical evidence suggests that DuSable must have settled in Chicago prior to 1779. [1]:117 But some were willing to accept children of wealthy planters, especially if mostly white. 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". On December 26, 1894, they became parents to Jean Toomer. Associate justices Samuel Hall and Mark Blanford remained to deliver the ruling regarding whether the white relatives would receive a new trial. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. My mother is a descendant of Amanda America Dickson. In her youth, Amanda was taken into the Dickson family home and raised by her paternal grandmother where she was taught to read, write, and play the piano. 95822. 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