In the years that followed the death of Rosa, Allen later married Pheoby Self of St. Helena, Louisiana, and as a result of their union, they had several children together. According to the 1900 United States Federal Census, Emma was living with her paternal grandmother Martha Green Vining, aunt Elizabeth Vining, and her sisters Bernice and and Judy. Judy was eleven and Emma was thirteen at the time. Also living in the house was a 10 year-old girl named Mamie. I recall talking several years back to a cousin named Sandra Brown, who is a descendant of Bernice lineage. Her grandmother told her that Mamie was her sister. Consequently, Allen and Rosa may have had four daughters.
Emma's grandmother Martha Green was married to Frank Vining in 1874 in St. Helena, Louisiana. Their children were: Allen, Julia, Caleb, Sarah, and Frank Vining.
Emma's first husband was Thomas Richardson. The couple had four children: Josephine, Alexander, Rosabel and Alma "Mandy" Richardson. After she and Thomas divorced she later married Jim Williams they had four children: Ethel, Jimmy, Arthur, and Victoria "Dot" Williams.
It was after reading a comment from one of our younger family members, who stated that she she was unaware that Grandma Emma had other children from a second marriage, that I decided to write and post this blog. "Several members of our family have passed away, " including my mother Isabell Harrell Cook, Cousin Earl Lee Richardson, Sr., Cousin Nathaniel Richardson, and Jo-Ann Lewis Frazier who recounted and shared the Richardson and Williams family history. Our history must be preserved and passed on to the generations, as exemplified by the character of Kunta Kinte in the 1977 television series Roots.
We are blessed to have images of six of her eight children. If anyone has a photograph of Grandpa Emma, Grandpa Thomas and Jim Williams, Arthur and Dot, please share with me so I can share it with others. Please don't just hold on to it for yourself, share it with the family.
