Monday, June 8, 2015

Lizzie Coulter Goes South, Part II

Last month, I reported in this blog for May 8 on the journey that Lizzie Coulter and Mary Adee took in 1868 to Virginia, where they were to teach freed black men and women. The journey, including a stay of almost a week in Boydton, Virginia, took a bit over two weeks.

On April 21, Lizzie traveled to her final destination, Clarksville. She arrived in muddy conditions and the next morning began her school with twenty-two pupils. She noted that “some of them are quite mischievous the same as other children.” Lizzie found Clarksville more pleasant than Boydton. She noted that she had “a good boarding place at the hotel.”

By May, she had “sixty eight day scholars and twenty four night scholars.” Some of her students were able to read while others were still learning the alphabet. “The greater part of them learn very fast,” she noted. The month of May went by pleasantly for most part. She started writing “letters for the colored people” and was receiving much welcomed letters from home. The weather was pleasant, noting in her diary that she was “not suffering with heat any yet.” She went on to record that she was “quite contented and happy although I am slandered and despised because I teach the colored people.” May 19 was not such a good day for Lizzie. She came home from school very tired, noting that “some of my scholars behaved very badly today. I punished one of my large scholars for pinching another.” Coulter went on to say that “I almost feel discouraged yet I must remember that they have not had the privileges that the whites enjoy at the north.” The rest of the month seemed to go better. One day she noted that “strawberries and cherries are ripe and had some new potatoes for dinner….”  She found time to make a trip to Boydton to visit her friend (probably Mary Adee).

The May 8, 2015 entry in this blog told the story of Lizzie Coulter's trip south in the spring of 1868 to become a teacher for the Freedman's Bureau in southern Virginia. She spent a few days in Boydton, Virginia before finally reaching her final destination on April 21, Clarksville.

By May, she had “sixty eight day scholars and twenty four night scholars.” Some of her students were able to read while others were still learning the alphabet. “The greater part of them learn very fast,” she noted. The month of May went by pleasantly for most part. She started writing “letters for the colored people” and was receiving welcomed letters from home. The weather was pleasant, noting in her diary that she was “not suffering with heat any yet.” She went on to record that she was “quite contented and happy although I am slandered and despised because I teach the colored people.” May 19 was not such a good day for Lizzie. She came home from school very tired, noting that “some of my scholars behaved very badly today. I punished one of my large scholars for pinching another.” Coulter went on to say that “I almost feel discouraged yet I must remember that they have not had the privileges that the whites enjoy at the north.” The rest of the month seemed to go better. One day she noted that “strawberries and cherries are ripe and had some new potatoes for dinner….”  She found time to make a trip to Boydton to visit her friend (probably Mary Adee).

The weather began to get to Lizzie in June. She started to lose her voice and found that she could not teach as many hours as she had been. Reducing her hours some did seem to help. She continued to notice the various fruits and vegetables that were available: “Had some pine apples, mulberries, huckleberries and cucumbers to day and yesterday had peas, plum and raspberries.” Lizzie soldiered on through July and the weather grew hotter and more humid. In early July, she recorded that “the thermometer stood at 103 degrees on Wednesday and on Thursday 105 degrees.” Things cooled off a bit by the end of July, helped by some rain. She continued to have a large number of students, numbering in the 70s. For the most part, she seemed to do well with her students, but did record that one day “one of my scholars had a fit in school.”

August was such a busy one that Mary Adee joined her to help her in her “laborious work,” but by mid-month, Lizzie's health worsened. On August 15, she noted that she “had a bad cold.” She had hoarseness, a sore throat and a cough. “I fear I will have to return home soon if my cold does not get better.” Her fears were realized that day when she met with a doctor about whether or not she could stay. The doctor advised her not to teach any longer. “I therefore concluded to return home.” She closed her school on the 20th and “parted with my Sabbath school on the 23rd.” Her scholars were very sorry to see her leave – “many tears were shed at parting…”

Coulter left Clarksville on August 24 and her trip home was essentially a reverse of her trip down in April. She was joined in Boydton by Mary Adee and “two colored girls one is for Mr. Graham and the other is going near Bloomville.” They traveled to Richmond and on to Aquia Creek, sailing on the Vanderbilt back up the Potamac. She took a bath on board and “slept well until morning…” when she went out on the deck. She traveled on to Washington and Baltimore.

Unfortunately, her travel diary ends on August 28, before she completed her journey home. She received a number of letters from her scholars in Clarksville after returning to Bovina (these have been transcribed and are also at the Delaware County Historical Association). They wrote about how they missed her and what has been going on since her departure from Clarksville. She also had several letters from an Ann Smith, who appears to have stepped in to carry on Coulter’s educational efforts. Some of the letters also congratulated her on a life changing event that took place barely two months after her return – her marriage. On October 26, 1868, Lizzie married Henry Scott Murray in Bovina. They would be married for 38 years until Henry’s death in 1905. Lizzie would have three sons but only one, David Hamilton Murray, would survive her at her death in July 1907. Elizabeth and Henry spent much of their time living in Andes, but both are buried in Bovina.

Mary Adee, who returned with Coulter, also did not return south. She was married by 1870 to Charles Martin (1824-1908). She had several children but died at the age of 38 in 1884 and is buried in Oneonta.

Another player in this whole story was the Freedmen’s Bureau agent, George W. Graham. His story needs considerably more research concerning his time in southern Virginia (the records of the office he ran in southern Virginia are at the National Archives). He ended up serving for a couple of years as a Virginia State Senator and appears to have been essentially a carpetbagger. Stay tuned for this story.

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