Document text
pebruary 6, 1939.
Mrs. Isabel marmwell,(86)
2116 Pearl Plaos,
ItArreot name)
(&arly chool-teachor
Asuman county).
nose Olepherd writer.
MRS.ISAB'L flxt11LL, ell0c1, rlAchrsn.
We had an appointment at 2:30, and as I rang the bell I
psereit through the latched screen door and saw mrs. parnwell
the writing leek in the plain, but eomfortably furnished living
room. it is unusual for any door to be locked in the bungalow,
ant as she welcomed me after unlatching the door, i said:
"Afraid somebody will carry you off?"
"Oh, no. I learned not to ti afraid years ago. At's just
that the wind ia blov-ing rather strong today, and the screen stood
half epen'allthe time, so i latched it.
Well, it has been a long tie since you were here, and i
have thought of so Lany things about the old place." .111e, referred
to her old family home, a epanish grant in nassau county, the deed
for willich has been in the hands of her family since 1792).
She seated herself in a comfortallle position on the wicker
lounge, arranging the cushinns about her back and shoulders, vith
her left leg half on the lounge. Mrs. Barnwell is a cripple. ;In
accident to her left knee kesulted in a stiff joint, so that the
limb Ices not benl wtleL he site down. This corner is her favor
its resting place vhen she reads or gives an interview.
"YOU take the old black rocker, so you can write, and we'll
have it mood old tima,"she said, laughing.
"Why 411 the LOW oushiona?"
"1 had an old fenther4ted- my folks don't like feathenOto
sleep on, the, would rather have inner -springs so I took the
25988
r,rs. Barnwell
2.
feathers, .7s.ot some red sprahgled cretonne and mo.d new cushions
all 'round. zlee in the dining roomy"
Sure enough, all the rockers, and there were three of then
in front of the wide, fire -place, had fat feather cushions in both
the seats and backs. The family -has grown amallar by one in the
past year, a beloved son, Woodward, a t1overnment aviation instruc-
tor, having lost his life in a glider accident on ternandina neaoh
in may, 1937. The dining table is shoved against tha wall. Three
places are indicated for mother, daughter (a stenographer in
public work at the windsor natal), and the daughter-in-law, belle,
who makes her home here sinus being widowed.
"Yes, nalle.is with us not, and we are glud.to have her, it
is not so lonesome. nhe is a receptionist what a new-fangled
-name for office work:- in Dr. npenuer's private hospital. the
4overnment pays her woodward's pension of 010.00 a month, and she
a week
makes 015.09/at the doctor's. uf course, she cannot contributo.
muuh to me, but we manage.
remarked how well ere. narnwell was looking, her eyes
bright, and lighting up so readily.
"Yes, i have much to be thankful for. (No one has ever heard
her complain about her stiff knee, although when she goes out she
has. to lean heavily on a eanO, my health is good for one of my
age, aad I feel fine. ay son in nalifornia just sent me a bottle
yeast pills,
of a thommny and j. have been taking them for fi mouth or so. They
sure do pep you up. Vitamines everybody had gone vitamin-orasy,
you know. ay son said they helped him, too, he is an old. man new.
fifty-five."
Mrs. harnwell
3.
I concealed a smile by sneesing, and she went on:
"Ban you drive a oar?"
I came lieur strangling at this remark, as I told her, I was
very sorry; that i had never had the ambition to own or drive an
automobile, hence had never learned to operate one.
"I cannot understand how i have reached the age 1 have and
not learned. An automobile is a handy thing. I had the opportun-
ity to buy one at a bargain you know woodward left me a little
insurance. Its a Y-8, right out here in the garage in. good condi-
tion, and if you could drive it, we'd go over to new Hope (name
of her plantation in nassau county) right now. It's early, and
we would have plinty-of time. my girls do not drive, although
they are learning, but are afraid in heavy traffic or on long
journeys, so when re do go out in it, I have to run all over the
neighbxhood to ferret out a driver."
I explained I wanted some information about her early expert
James as a school -teacher, as a compazison with present-day *Mir,
oational matters.
"My mother and her people, the Gunbys, were educated in
ot. Marys, Georgia. There wasn't any sarnandina then that sec-
tion was only a plantation, belonging to Don Domingo ternandes.
Later Mr. sernandez sat aside a portion of land for a town. Lt
was laid out Ind called 'Fernandina' for his family. (utephen
Pernandes mArried my mother's sister, aliza Gunby. they had four
ohildred card's/4 now). Mother went to school to Ar. oharah,in *t
Marys, Aunt sliut died and bnole otephen gave'lais children to my
father and mother to raise, and there were eleven of us.
"Mother was the best speller in Mr. ohureh's school. oho
and my father were married november 8, 1830, in ot. Marys., they
Mrs. sarnwell 4.
came to rernandina to live. When the children began to be of an
ag4 that they needed instruction othor than my mother could give,
a miss Matilda neton, daughter or an early settler of vld town,
was secured as our teacher.
'"My father built a house of logs two rooms near the
'big house', as it was called, and this was our family school
house.
"When the boys became larmir, my father thought best tc
place them under .11 man teacher. co he wrote Lord and Taylor, in
sow lork tity, with whom he did a great deal of business, to se-
cure a tutor for his sons. in course of time, the.' sent down a
mr. Lincoln, a cousin r,f ^brahem Lincoln. He staid. until along
in the late 18E00's, beeominghomesiokt.he returned to sew York.
Then father hired a mr. base. He staid a little over two years,
but when it seemed war was imminent, he, too, reterned to new
xork, where he expected to join the troops. ne vos my first
teacher.
"When ler. Lincoln and mr. seise were teaching us children,
some oZ the neiThbors' boys came to school oleo: Uol. uooper's
son, Walter Ossinhman, General Ansgan,s boy, the sons of the
Ugilvie's (the family keptthe drawbridge at Amelia ftiver).
nhen my Wither, James, was sufficiently advanced through
instruction from mr. Lincoln and mr. Seise, he vent to Harvard,.
My bnother. John, want to a oollege in ncheneotudy, S. Y., my
Tudy
sister, gi2X2212, (ars. Bacon), went to a girls' school at mil-
ledgeville, Georgia; mL sister, Mary, went to Athens, Georgia; to
a college there, and my sister, Plorenoe, attended Troy rental'
Seminug in Troy, new York. missOrances nillard was then the
irinoipal. nhe later became famous in the women's uhristian
mrs. narnwell 5
Tsmperanoe union. he was .tt brilliant woman, and her sohool
was oonsidered tha finest girls' sohool in the united otates.
There is no doubt she w.,s ia advanc• of h'r time, and later be-
oame a model as an emmsple Or women's rights. ley sister 'was a
graduate of this sohool.
"rhen the nut OW:a I on, John was at schoa in be hioneott.. dye
Florence in troy, teary, (or. s rife) and Tudy Odra. ,Danon)
were married..
"J-hn and aloren,oe were terribly alarmed, as lines were
olosed and they ter* feari-ul of getting buck to Fernandina safe-
ly, and it was neoossury for them to make arrangements for their
return hurriediy. 'they got in touch .?orie way v ith Mt. i4nco1n,
their early teacher, and. he provided a way through the west, a
ed.
long tedious route, by whiah thoy finzlly reachihomo in safety.
"When 'natters became unsetticd in ornundina, with 'federal
gunboats in tha harbor, thy fz.s.ther took us awl 411 M., slaves to
middle "Lerida, hamilton uolanty, near White Opringe, where we 7
lived in plenty 4.144d unmolested all durinl: that terrible period.
"i just remember, uol. uooper's son was :.amed John; the
sloashman boy was young waiter, ;en. Finegan's son rue word, and
the Ugilvie's son vuve.
"A funny inoidont about vane, which gave him a niokname he
always b, re, was vhen Ian. .00190 asked him on, day to rrite a oom-
positi on. ne asxed, *about v. hat 3 Mr. noise saiti 'About s ane
thing. you /mow about. von't try to writs about .somethin7 away
off that you have n3vor seen.' Well .uave, who was about fifteen,
brought in his essay 011 the '13ow.' tie tolA all he 3ould think
of, and wound up rith -'yno of nudity's oows is on the lift.'
Barnwell 6.
mr. Boise ask him what he meant, and he answered, 'She's dmin
and can't itet up, even if she would.' iverybody laughed, and
aftJr that vave was dubbed 'Woudn't if he could, and couldn't
if he would.'
"All of these boys boarded with us uiid v e also took care
of the toucher. The boys came from across the river, some as far
awa.tyas tv.alitymilis, so they stayed with us until each k end.
11.4
ink'faidher had his eleven children, the rernandez' four
children, and tho tour extra boys, and the tutor, it made a sohool,
Ltokarly twenty. I was younz, just learning my AB's. I still
have Lour picture cards gilren me as 'Reward of merit' for good.
8‘.)holAirship at deportment.
"à L said, in iLeril, 1b61, we refugeed to fotediton uounty.
si star riot alio taught us. She was a most wonderful oung
woman well educated, good looking, -*Aged, intelligent and ac-
complished. as there ware no schools in Ramilton Uotuity during
that period Lial she felt sorry for other youngsters in that sec-
tion, sh3 persuaded father to let her huv) axle 1' the nagro houses
which she had. cleaned up, whiti-washad and nade into a v ry pre-
sonto."ole schoolroom.
"11.4 brother, John O'Neill, YiL,.:1 a Uolonel in the uonfed ;rate
Army; thillles acted as a Uommissariat; Isador was in thz) artillery
and took part in the battle of ulustee, an my brother, .oluibar,
wa9 with the Army of VirTinia, Lee's troops in Virginia. D. R.P.
vho arried t u ous in, velyn !Po =and. z LandDr.
Henry bacon, my sister Tudy's husband, were also with the Uonfed-
arate troops. Their ohil:ren were with us and had to be educated,
so eventually, sieteF rlorenue -had quite a sehoot, 32 pupils in
all.
rr
Mrs. Barnwell G -A
"One of the girls, a Miss Mary Messily, oame from quite a
distaaoe away, and she boarded at my father's house. She had a
piano, and brought it along, too, so that rlorenoe could give her
music lsesons, for which service those who wished could have the
privilege of also uraotioing on the piano. You see, we had a
lovely grand piano in the old home at pornandina, but re had to
flee for our llies, gathering what few rereonhl belongings we
could, gather and the slaves taking oars of the farming machinery,
and sad to say, when we returned after the War, not a piece of
furniture was in the house piano and salvers on.. So we were
glc,d to have Miss mosely's riano in our new home. Music was a
delight to all of us, and we four sisters used to sing a ;Treat
deal. Ny-olAer sister, Mary, had a voice like oalli enrol. It
was wonderful to hear her in solos.
*Ns kept up with the musio of the times, having quits a stook
of sheet music on hand, all of Which had been sent from thn musics
Department of Lord a Taylor's in new York.
"My mother took particular oars of our music, as it was
expensive, and when she had sufficient quantities to make a bows&
volume., this was shipped to new York to the same firm, and returned
to us, so that it Mould be better taken care of. Ihave several
of thee old volumes now, one composed entirely of Jenny bind's
repertoire when she made her long -remembered kmerioan appearance.
"But to get beak to schools rlorenoe_would lather the
children in the neighborhood each morning and bring them imtfor
the day, returning them to their homes at night. She kept this
up for the four-year varied of the War, and not a cent was charged
any of the parents.
*Yes, w• had the old blue-baok speller, and she taught um te
mrs. Barnwell T.
mead and writs well, and of course, we had spelling and arithme-
tic,. ',hen we got older, we also learned algebra, chemistry, sal
she taught the girls music an& French. mho tried to teaoh me'
/Atilt, but it didn't 'take' for some reason, but I learned to
speak trench readily. Is hat philosophy, aolld all the higher
branches, as we reaohed the age to learn such studies. We did
not have ainy blacitboarde, but each rapil had a big elate on which
we wrote with slate -pencils. These Wallin to hams gone out in the
last few years, being classed as 'unsanitary' and ohildren.nowa-
dais write altogethJr with pencils and rens.
"After the war, when we returned to Yernandina, my sister,
are aaoon ana my scoter, klorenoe O'Weill, opened a school for
young ladies in Oeneral ainegan's old home, and taught quite ego-
oessfally for on. year. Then Bishop lounge the Agecopel Bishop
of this Diocese, realising the possibilities of swell establish-
ed girls' school in this section, came to Fernandina ani equipped
this same old house, the tinegan home, as a select bearding-soheel
Tor young ladies. It was right where the school house is today,
en the very same site.
"I was about fourteen then: my sister went to Beaufort,
S. C. after she married a cousin of my future husband B. W.
Barnwell and I went with her and otudied two years at Beau-
fort. They had three children, all of whom are living in hew
York Oily.
"Later she and Mr. Barnwell moved to Abbeville, 3. 0., sal
than to suwanneel Tennessee, where she still taught coaching
the young men at the Uumannte University. She educated three
boys, by getting them scholarships there. One was my son, #78111114
0110111 barmen who new lives in Beverly Hills, California.
Zr.. larmWeil 8.
"Shoo also eduoateCher own children at Uuwanneo. When she
and Mrs. Mason had the girls school in fornandina, it was full
of young iodise of other families, who were glad to avail them-
selves of high class tuition.
"Did ws ever try to teach thq Negroes on the plantation?
The, we did. If they were interested, we taught them to readowille
and spell, but it ilad to be done surreptitiously. I do not know whoth-
or there was a dtato law, or if it was just net oonsidored the
proper thing to do, but it is a fact, we taught them on the sly,
for fear of being. criticised.
"Mr. Barnwell', in South Uarolina, used to teach hie/aggro,.
whim he had any who would study.
"Ths young people of that time were raised under strict
discipline. I remember one day John Cooper, and his sister, sea
and daughtar of *moral tiooper„ now grown, came over on horseback.
They were dressed in riding clothes, blouse and kniskerbockers,
and were lounging on the steps of the wide powoh, when my father
who had been riding around the 4aatation on his favorite mount
'Adelaide' rod.. up, and saw them. Re said 'Row is thisv John,
you and your sister mount your horses, go home and get properly
dressed, and when you come back pewill be very happy to ego
you, and have you stay to dinmr.'
"Thin is quite a contrast to the way in which young people
get away with manners and deportment now, running around in bath-
ing suits, shorts, and what -not, all half naked, and nobody to
object by a word, to our heathenish dresaing:
Mrs. Barri/ell
9.
'I forgot to say that when my fathor settled in the early
4.4.48 at St. Marys with his mother and two sisters, Mrs. Shaw, who
was the duughtor of tathaniol 4reene, lived attpungeness' twelve
miles from fornandina, an oli plantation, the land having boon
granted to 4eneral 4rione for distinguished servioe in the Het*-
lutionury war. urn. Shaw had a Lephwo, James sightingale, who
wui not inclined to study. mho came to mt. Vurys and begged my
grandmother to lot hor have my father, Henry O'Neill, as a com-
panion to young nightingale, thinking it might mouse him to take
more interost in his studies. he had a tutor brought from
Inaand, and my father studied under him at 'Dungeness' for eight
years, so he wus well educated, and he saw that all of his ohil-
dren had a good education. he sahool-house was at 'Dungenoss'
for several yours after the War, so was our Old sohool-room at
NOW Hope. But they ars all gono now.
"Bishop Young's seminar at rornandina prospered. se had tho
very test tuschers he oould secure one was a miss pallor, and
another, a Miss Stoney. Be also asked my sister, florence, to
become a membor of his staff, but she married shortly afterwards
and vent to live in Beaufort, S
It was more of a finishing
school, although he tA)k a sellout class of ;.ounger girls, inter-
mediates.
."This WaS about 1870. The school beowle well known, with a
oplendid reputation for scholarship and high class objectives in
learning and Ohristian influence. The sch.00l was located, as I
said before, on old uonter btreet now Atlantic !MMUS. On the
dtai sit, now is a public school.
"When my husband and i moved tick to fernandina from Savannah
in 1888, after my mothor's death, a Nbroa llie otos to no and said
S
mrs. Barnwell 10.
Hailroad
we 0ould get a public school at theinteSion named for
our family, if-1 would ugreo to teaoh. SO a man came from taloa..
hassee,_conhectod with the dopartment of Sdueation, and conducted
a sort of institute Lot u month. I qualified, and was granted
a certifiouta to teaoh tho school. in the course of tho seven
years j. taught here, thu school grew. in attendance so that it
had to be enlarged twice new rooms being addsd ou to the origi-
nal room in the -.Corm of a 'T'. aome children walked four miles
twice a day to attend, slIerybody brought lunch from home. there
were no fanoy lunch baskets, thormes jugs, or *amid paper. duet
plain broad &ilia meat, with cookies, and sometimes cake and pie.
no, we had no hot drinks. 1always oarriod a jug of water from
Bew.nope, as it is the best water in the world, vie did not have
4 10 a. in. reuses just the hour lot lunch. And in the after-
noon, we loft as ao0n as'I cicala finish my .twenty caisson you
see i had all irates from the primer to the advanced, and it was
generally about three o'clock when the last cause was over. It
was most interesting work, and was .known as 'the great teacher
of eessau uounty.'
"1 wanted my son, woodward, to be well educated, so when he
was far enough advaucod, i taught him and VPO young ladies, miss
Uhuroh and mists muvis, advanced studies like ihilosophy, snglieh
History, rrenoh and othor of the higher brunches. the girls,
uurrie Chureh and Daus'. Imola, had only one book between them in
the physiology class, studying togetner. um, day uurrie said:
*Do you believe all, the lies in 'that book?' and boogie answered:
1
'Shucks Course I do.' Ho i. a surprised one day when uarrie
1
church said; sUrs. nurnwoll, titers is a training class for nurses
in Jacksonville. Do you think I could qualify?' 1 told her to
mrs. harnwell 11.
put in most of her time on Physiology* mho did, and later be-
came one of the first nurses in the old et. Luke's hospital.
he narried a Mr. Dodge and I never heard of her after she left
Jaekeonrille.
'ten
"The county sunerin4ent of schools was mre L. L. Owens,
and he utled tp earn, and give the examinations. They•were oral,
as written examinations did not come in uttil several years
later..
"I remember one time Mr. Owens said, 'If you keep up an
average of Esep attendance, we will give you two months extra.
I would TO two or three miles out of my waw on rainy moraings
to pick up the children and Tat them to echool, so as to main-
tain the required averwTe. The school -hoes wile 60 wards from the sta-
tion. I would leave home about 8:16 a. m. with woodward, in a.
one-oeuted buggy, and my horse 'Lady', would trot me to the
sobool-house in seven minutes. oh. was high spirited, and so
happy, it seemed to me, in Totting ma to school on time, that
sometimes she woull jumn straiTht unl one time she run nnuy
but that's another story.
"On leaving the echo° alum after a 11,!...rd day's work, I
would go back to the old plantation ani do another day's work
in the latter afternoon ani Tvening cookinT supper, getting
ready for the next day, and on baturday I would o to town with
butter, eggs, vegetables eto., to sell.
"After the war, my father hired hand's to work the fields
payiag the Negro men 60 cents ner day and the women, par
twelve years he cultivated truck, selling quantities et vegetables
oarvots, oabbage, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, green
corn, cucumbers. The land would grow anything, it was as fertile.
Mrs. barnwell 12.
"lye had a large packing house near the wharf on Amelia is-
land where the vegetables were stored. A freighter Gulled once
a week, and the truok was loaded onto two flats (flutboate) and.
swung alongside the ship Where they were unloaded into the 'hold.
"mid i have any trouble disciplining pupils?. v411, yes,i.
had one experience j. will nzlwa. forget. As a rule the children
were anxious to learn and r:ierc vary tractable but there was a
holiness family moved into that section, they were styled Jumpers'
a fanatical .sect 4/14 the father oA.d so much lear-ingSlas dan-
gerous and sinful. (one of his sons tried to choke me one day,
and in.our•strugglo pulled out a handful of my hair, but I final-
ly ()conquered him, and told him he could not come back, or I would
expel him, it did not ttor much, howevnr, as there was only
one more•week of school.. uome of thn eountry people did not
care much for 4,14 oduoation. The children would say 'My father
and mother do not know how to road and write, an they make a
good living.'
"I used to talk to my pupils about the value of an education
and would tell them -'If you write a letter and it is proporly
written and the words 37,111aa correctly, people will say -'That is
an educated portion.' And 'If you can figure, you can make your-
self valuable in business, and similar talks.
"Not lotg ago 1 mat a man ncv living in Atlanta who went to
my School at u'llaill btation, and he said: 'mro. Barnwell, if i
had only headed all the talks you 5tave me, I would have been a
great man.'
-"What salary did i receive? At,first, ;40.00 per month,
which after four years was increased to 01400. I furnished my
own horse and baggy and drove the 3and one-half miles to teNsill.w