Document text
October 11, 1939
Mary Elizabeth Moore (Negro)
311 Dixon Street
Charlotte, N.C.
Cora L. Bennett, Writer
Dudley W. Crawford, Reviser
No Names Changed
Mary Elizabeth Moore is one of those kindly souls
known by all as "Aunt Jenny" and is a God -mother to all
the children in the community. She is the one who is
called into the homes when illness occurs, serves as the
mother of the church nnd is a friend to all. Seventy years
old, slender end active, she lives alone in a four -room
cottage. Her furniture is antiquated, pictures large and
small almost cover the walls. Clusters of flowers dot the
well -kept yard and an arch of ivy extends over the entrance
gate in the white picket fence.
',my life has always been happy even though I was left
an orphan. There were three children, one other girl and
a boy. We were separated at the death of our parents and
taken to different homes. We had an uncle, who let anyone
take us that asked for us. When I first remember anything
about my childhood I was living in New York City with a
rich white family who had taken me to live with them. They
say we came from Tennessee, but I don't remember my life
there. I was a grown girl before I found where any of my
relatives were.
"This family, Greenlee by name, took me and treated
me as one of the family. They taught me to read and write,
just as they did their awn grandchildren. They had two
married daughters. They were quite pleased with my progress
and were anxious that 1 po away to school. T never attended
a public school in my life. On Sunday I was sent to Sunday
School just as the other children were end when I returned
was not allowed to play, but had to spend the evening study-
ing my Sunday School lesson for the next Sunday.
"I was sent to Scatis to school for one year and to
St. Augustine for the remaining three years of my schooling.
The young man who afterwards became my husband was also a
student there. He became an Episcopal Priest and after we
were married we went to Jacksonville, Fla. where he served
many years. We also spent same years in Pensacola, Fla.
While we were in Florida I taught school with my husband.
It was a Parochial school and never was I happier than
while I taught there. Never was I bored with the work, it
meant more to me than the salary that was paid me. Nowadays,
most every teacher you see grumbles with being bored by
their work and the salary means more to them than anything
else. Today schools are so much better equipped than they
were when I taught. We taught the children the three R's
and the doctrines of the church. Now they are taught so
many different things and very often the Bible is left out
of the picture completely.