Although conceived through the rape of her adolescent mother, Amanda was raised and educated in the Dickson household. Dickson, 1849-1893 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1996); Toomer was born on November 20, 1849, in Sparta, Georgia, to a White 41-year-old plantation owner, David Dickson and an enslaved twelve-year-old girl, Julie. Clinging to his body, Amanda cried, "Now I am an orphan,'' though her mother was still alive.The bulk of his estate, 17,000 acres, valued at $500,000, went to Amanda -- making her the largest property owner in Hancock County.On July 14, 1892, she married Nathan Toomer of Perry, Ga. Amanda got sick. Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, "Restoration project, historic plaque to shine light on Augusta's first Black millionaire", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amanda_America_Dickson&oldid=1129851652, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 December 2022, at 11:38. She left Eubanks four years later and returned home to her father's plantation, where she and her mother moved into a new home that had been built on the property. Please try again later. She was kind-hearted, generous, and charitable, and her benevolent work was indeed extensive.. Enter a grandparent's name. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Amanda America Dickson Toomer I found on Findagrave.com. 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. Her birth was the result of the rape of her slave mother, Julia Frances Lewis Dickson, when Julia was twelve years old. My fathers grandmother was a slave of David Dickson, which was Amanda's father. Elegant Bridals, a bridal and special occasions destination, is a passion project for Jane and her husband, Fathy, who opened the shop in 2001. Amanda was still a teen-ager when she married her father's nephew, Charles Eubanks. 20072023 Blackpast.org. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. She left home briefly, between the years 1876 and 1878, to attend the Normal School of Atlanta University. In 1892, Amanda married Nathan Toomer, a wealthy widower from Perry, Georgia. Appears in theFebruary/Marchissue of Augusta Magazine. Try again. Kent Anderson Leslie uses the events of Dickson's life to explore the forces driving southern race and gender . 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. As Amanda grew, her grandmother used her as a domestic servant. woman in the (Ti i ted .states has just died. The Civil War, however, caused the loss of much of that wealth; for Amanda, the war brought legal freedom. Dicksons social status may have enabled the child to live a life of relative privilege while enslaved. "[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. Some of the businesses that were destroyed included several . . without interference from any quarter. To discourage challenges to the will, anyone contesting it would lose their own bequest. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Clinging to his body, Amanda cried, "Now I am an orphan, though her mother was still alive. There was a problem getting your location. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Upon his death in 1885, Dickson bequeathed most of his wealth to Amanda. Eubanks died two years later. She is Mrs. Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. . The next year, the couple had their first child, Julian, and Charles purchased land near Rome. [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. At the time, David Dickson was forty and the wealthiest planter in the county. Julia relinquishes Amanda to the Dicksons, realizing that her baby will be raised free because she was born with fair skin. 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. . There is a problem with your email/password. We extend our congratulations and best wishes; of Thomas Eubanks and Nancy Dickson [sibling(s) unknown] Husband of Amanda America (Dickson) Toomer married about 1865 (to . A few days later he became ill with pneumonia and died. Elegant Experiences. As Henry Toomer's personal assistant, Nathan Toomer learned the manner of the white upper class. 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.. Born into slavery, she was the child of David Dickson, a white planter, and Julia Frances Lewis (Dickson), a young enslaved woman of his who . [1]:117 But some were willing to accept children of wealthy planters, especially if mostly white. 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. In 1865 or 1866 Dickson married her white first cousin, Charles Eubanks, a recently returned Civil War (1861-65) veteran. cemeteries found in Houston County, Georgia, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Amanda (Dickson) Toomer is a part of US Black history. Amanda America Dickson, the daughter of an enslaved woman and her enslaver, became one of the wealthiest Black women in nineteenth-century America when the Georgia Supreme Court upheld her claim to her father's contested will. . The doctors diagnosed her with neurasthenia, a disease characterized by profound physical and nervous exhaustion. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 3 daughters. In 1873, Mr. Dickson deeded 1,560 acres of land worth $10,000 to Amanda. Login to find your connection. When her father died on February 18, 1885, Amanda became the center of a famous lawsuit. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. The funeral was held at Trinity Colored Methodist Church, and she is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Richmond County, Georgia. The will was upheld in Probate Court. (1-1) Philip Brown, of Westbrook, recipient of a Spirit of America Foundation Award. Amanda America Dickson was born in November of 1849. . 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. [1]:123, Amanda America Dickson Toomer's funeral took place at the Trinity Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in Augusta, Georgia. based on information from your browser. She was intermittently unconscious from nervous shock. Executors appraised the estate, which included 17,000 acres of land in Hancock and Washington counties, at $309,000. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. According to obituaries, Amanda was a socialite involved in many types of philanthropic and charitable work, including donations to Paine College and Trinity CME Church (where her funeral was held]. 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. Son. Find-A-Grave, Amanda America Dickson Toomer, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13428942; Mark [1]:112114 White Georgians generally viewed black citizens within the racial caste system, without regard for wealth or class. Immediately after his death, she took measures to protect herself legally. 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. Both were born into slavery, but their lives turned out very different. A system error has occurred. May her Soul Be At Rest. His white relatives challenged the will but Dickson ultimately won a successful ruling in the case. He had been the slave of Richard Pilkinson of Chatham Co., North Carolina, the personal assistant and slave of John Toomer of Houston Co., Georgia, and finally the property of Col. Henry Toomer of Perry. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. 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). Dickson left Eubanks in 1870 and with her sons returned to her father's plantation. 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. This house still stands on 452 Telfair Street. In 1865, according to family history, Amanda married her white cousin Charles Eubanks in the North. By the 1880s, he had deeded Amanda three-fourths interest in 13,000 acres of good land in Texas, as well as several thousand dollars of bonds. Year should not be greater than current year. She . Born Amanda America on the Dickson Plantation, near Sparta, Georgia, Mrs. A. While Dickson left bequests to his nieces and nephews, most of his wealth went to his daughter with the caveat that she bequeath $100,000 to each of her sons, whom he had called his little men. How Amanda used this legacy was left to her sound judgement and unlimited discretion . Dr. Kendall gave her anodyne, a pain-relieving medication. [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. Her younger son, twenty-three-year-old Charles Dickson, who was married to Kate Holsey, became infatuated with stepsister Mamie Toomer, who was only fourteen years old. "Amanda America Dickson." Dickson inherited his estate in Hancock County upon his death in 1885. Executors appraised the estate, which included 17,000 acres of land in Hancock and Washington counties, at $309,000. She was born November 20, 1849, on the Dickson Plantation, near Sparta, Georgia (Hancock County) to a famous 40-year-old plantation owner David Dickson and a 12-year-old enslaved girl, Julia . Explore genealogy for Charles Eubanks born 1835 Hancock County, Georgia including ancestors + descendants + more in the free family tree community. [1]:44, In 1864, Amanda's grandmother Elizabeth Sholars Dickson died. Get a one year print subscription (8 issues) for only $24! Eubanks. Amanda America Dickson was born into slavery in Hancock County, Georgia. His estate included thousands of acres of property in Georgia and Texas as well as the rights to his agricultural seeds and compounds. In 1892 Dickson married Nathan Toomer of Perry. A. Dickson Toomer was, in her time, the wealthiest African-American woman in Georgia and possibly the United States. White relatives did contest it, first at the probate level, then on appeal to the Superior Court, and to the Georgia Supreme Court, arguing that the future of the Anglo-Saxon race, the traditions of the past, and the hope for the future all lay in the balance. The Court decided, however, in favor of Amanda based on the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, making her one of the wealthiest Black women in the nation. . Meanwhile, her father had begun to secure his daughters and grandsons futures. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Amanda Toomer (10337890)? 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. Amanda was raised by Elizabeth Sholars Dickson, her white grandmother and legal mistress. Do you find this information helpful? 12557 . 1900), who married Kate Holsey, the daughter of Harriet and Bishop Lucius Holsey of Augusta. His work to protect his daughter proved prescient because in February 1885, he died suddenly, leaving Amanda devasted. 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. Davids death and his surprising will became news throughout the country. Amanda America Dickson Toomer was born of the rape of 12-year-old slave Julia Frances Lewis Dickson by planter David Dickson in 1849. Antebellum Hancock County was in the black belt, a rich streak of fertile soil that grew the white bolls that made the South prosper. By studying her life, one is able to gather information about the "The Way It Was" in the South during the 19th . Amanda married first to her father's nephew, Charles Eubanks, in 1866-67 and they lived on a plantation in Rome, Georgia. [3], A House Divided (2000) is the television movie that depicts the life of Amanda America Dickson. After her father's death in 1885, Amanda Dickson inherited his estate. She married twice: her first husband was white while her second husband was wealthy, educated, and mixed-race. We have set your language to 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. He was the child of an enslaved black woman, Kit, and a wealthy white Toomer man who had settled in Houston County, Georgia in the 1850s.
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