Dr. Antoinette Harrell Reveals Family History to Publisher and Editor of the Drum Newspaper

Eddie Ponds
The Drum Newspaper 
Publisher

Dr. Harrell spoke with Eddie Ponds, owner and publisher of the Drum Newspaper about his family history. Eddie expressed his desire to research his family history with Dr. Harrell, a renowned genealogist and local historian in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Eddie explained to Harrell that his father's side fo the family originated from Plaquemine, Louisiana during the course of their conversation. In a matter of minutes, Harrell began searching for information about his ancestry. A gift that she want to give to Mr. Ponds, because he gives so much to the African American community.

Harrell invited Mr. Ponds to join her at the Amite Library Genealogy Department to research his family history utilizing Ancestry on the computer. He was excited to find information on his father and his grandparents.  Mr. Ponds father Eugene Ponds was working at the Louisiana Cypress Lumber Company in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. "According to the 1920  United States Federal Census, Eugene was 28 years old and his birthplace Louisiana." He was living in the Police Jury Ward 4, East Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was living on Bayou Sarah Road. He was laborer at a sawmill and lived as a boarder in the home with Stirling Fields, Bertrand Hampton, Alfred Scale, Eli Allen, Baurnyard McDaniel. 

Eugene Ponds
Military Registration Card

They discovered that Eddie's father Eugene Ponds, Sr.  was born around 1892. According to his military
registration card, he was 27 years old at the time and he was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  His race was African, and he was married. Eugene was married to Ida Mae Davis Ponds. They were the parents of ten children: Mary Loui Ponds, Ella Mae Ponds, Eugene Ponds, Jr., John Wesley Ponds, Isiah Ponds, Paulette Ponds

Eugene's parents were Severley Ponds. Severly was born in around 1860 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His wife Isabella Roner Ponds was born around 1868 and died in 1958. I was happy that Mr. Ponds walked out of the Amite Genealogy Library with some new information on the Ponds side of his family. We'll continue to research his family lineage on his paternal side of his family, 

Clifford Wheat of Amite, Louisiana

Several years ago, I received a call from Joyce about some pictures and documents she inherited. She and her husband Keith purchased Clifford Wheat's home in Amite, Louisiana.  Everyone called him "Node" in Amite. 

"One of the records I saw was an application called" Our Farm and Home Plan for 1948. He owned fifteen acres of land.  His inventory consisted of Livestock and equipment. His asset valued at 1, 858.80.

Coming up to 1956, his Upland Cotton Marketing Card said that he planted two acres of cotton.

He was the son of John Wheat and Delia Leonard Wheat. His sibling was: Emma, John, Jr., Conerly, Percy, Enna, Clifford, and Herbert Wheat.

Clifford Wheat was born on October 17, 1904 and died on September 7, 1985. He's buried in Big Zion Cemetery in Roseland, Louisiana. 

His father John was born in 1872. According to the 1930 United States Census, John owned his home. He couldn't read or write. 

John's mother was named Julia Wheat. His sibling were; Henry, Hezekiah, Ella, Rosa, and Solomon Wheat. Julia was born in 1850 and died on September 10, 1919. She was a servant for a private family. In the United States 1910 United States Federal Census, she was listed as a widow.

Antoinette Harrell documenting the Wheat History

I spent several hours reading and scanning her rich collection for preservation. History of African-American people of Tangipahoa and St. Helena hasn't been preserved up until this point. I spend a lot of time collecting  and organizing my finding for preservation at the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies at Southeastern University.

How could we learn about the history of African-Americans of the two Florida Parishes if it isn't recording and documented for study?

He was an African-American  entrepreneur and employed other people in the community with jobs. He and his father paid people to help them harvest their crops during harvest time. "I worked on the place," said Edwin. I worked around the place doing odd and end jobs. I watered the cows. I never picked beans, cotton, or strawberries for them. I worked for Anthony Girgenti for a short time said Edwin. 

The old wooden house with the front porch was very clean. It was alway freshly painted. The pasture was very well kept and maintain.  Documenting these story is important due to the fact that a lot of people who could recall the time period that I'm documenting has pass away. If anyone have photographs, documents, or stories they would like to share with Preserving Our History in Tangipahoa and St. Helena Parishes, please email me at afrigenah@yahoo.com.

Strawberry Tickets

Credit" Joyce Lafonta

Documenting the History of a Civil Rights Icon Mrs. Vernia McCoy

Antoinette Harrell interviewing Mrs. Vernia McCoy

I spent an hour sitting and talking with Mrs. Vernia, a citizen of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. We sat her dining room table looking at documents and photographs. Several years ago I interviewed her, and when I tell to you, it will take me a year to document her oral history and her rich photograph collection that tell the story and event of many African-American people in the Louisiana Florida Parishes.

Each time I learn so much about her life and the life of her deceased husband Mr. Fred McCoy and the many challenges they faced during integration in Tangipahoa Parish. She was born and reared in Franklinton, Louisiana with her parents and eleven brothers and sisters.  Mrs. McCoy is a retired A.M.E. Pastor of  St. James A.M. E. Church in Hammond,  Louisiana., and educator.

I feel honored to talk with people such as Mrs. McCoy, Dr. Kingley B. Garrison, Mrs. Ella Mae Badon, and Mrs. Grace Walker. They are the living history books that we must treasure and most importantly document according to their experiences as pioneers in the Louisiana Florida Parishes.  As of today,  Mrs. McCoy is involved in many community outreaches.

This is just the beginning of the many hours I will be sitting with her to assist her with organizing her collection for the repository at Southeastern Center for Louisiana Studies. She has accomplished and achieved so in her life and her career. She has so many awards for her accomplishments and achievements over her lifetime. 

What You May Not Know About Willie Temple!

Willie Temple
Photo Courtesty: Edwin Temple

Willie Temple was born in 1933 in Amite, Louisiana. There were six children born to the union of  Charlie Temple and Lena Vining Temple. His siblings were: Caretha, Doretha, Maude, Jacob, and Mary.  Willie grew on fifty-four aces farm on Bennett Road. His family raised livestock, and every kind of produce a farmer could grow. His father Charlie was married twice, first to Eliza Marshall. They had five children: Augustine, Elouise, Margie, Stanley, and Ellis.

Willie's mother and my great-grandmother Emma were sisters. Lena and Emma had the same father.  Their father Allen was married twice. His first marriage was to Emma's mother Rosa Hart. After Rosa passed away, he married Pheby Self. Pheby was Lena's mother.

This would make him and my maternal grandmother Josephine first cousins. He's one of the three first cousins my grandmother have living to this day. Everyone else had passed away that I'm aware of. If there are anymore living first cousin. I would really like to meet them.

No one knows what school he attended or if he went to school.  He could read somewhat said his son Edwin. He worked at the Amite Feed and & Co-op, as a delivery man. He delivered feed and other supplies to local farmers. He was employed at Louisiana Power and Light as a lineman. 

Everyone that knew him called him "Pap," some said they remember him smoking cigars. It takes my mother to talk about the role he played in registering African-Americans people as register voters. "He drove people to the voting polls," said Isabel Harrell-Cook. He was a very smart person she said. Willie farmed, he took some of his produce to J.D. Atkins packing shed. The next morning J.D., took the produce to the French Market in New Orleans to be sold. Some of Willie produce was sold around the town of Amite.  He used his horse "Jim" to plow the field until he purchased his mule called red. His favorite past time was playing cards with some of his neighbors in the community. 

Old Red

Sometime he would visit his sisters in Los Angeles, California. His mother Lena moved to Los Angles with her daughters until her death.  He lived his entire life in Amite, Louisiana.  Willie met and married Helen Johnson Temple and to their union, five children were born. Three of his sons served in the Military. Two sons in the Air Force and one in the Army.One son drove trucks for a living. His only daughter work at the St. Helena Headstart. One of his sons made Alaska his home. 

Many people in the community may not know that Willie put his life on the line to help register African-American people in Tangipahoa Parish to become register voters. Mother said that he was beaten up by some white men for taking the role he did. "He wasn't the same after the beat him," she said.  I want to say before we make a judgment about a person, we should take the time out to learn about that person. This month during Black History, Nurturing Our Roots would like to remember people like Willie who put their life on the line for equality. He knew that he had to do something to change the conditions for African-American people of Tangipahoa Parish, even if it meant him dying for the cause. Now in his 80s, he doesn't talk much about those days. He spends his time sitting on his front porch getting a cool breeze are enjoying the beautiful sunlight. 

Color of Tangipahoa Project " We Want to Hear Your Story"

Help Us Honor Black History Month!

Please help me to continue to document our history, legacy, triumphs, and your family history this month for Black History. For the past twenty years, I have been working to document the rich history of African-Ameican people of Tangipahoa & St. Helena Parishes, Louisiana. 

The genealogy department at the Amite Branch is a vital resource when someone is searching for their family history. When I first started researching my family history at the Amite Library, I couldn't find anything outside of the census. My heart dropped because I knew my family like so many families of African descent contributed so much to our parish and there wasn't any written history about them. I told myself I had to do something about it. I started by donating my own family history to the genealogy department. 

The Amite Branch and I are in a collaboration to collect family history through an oral history collection on Saturday: February 10th at 9:00AM to 2PM. Please help me to continue to document the history of the undocumented people who contributed has been a part of Tangipahoa & St. Helena Parishes since the forming of the Florida Parishes. 

Please contact me to add your name to this list to preserve your family history. I can be reached by phone at 504.858.4658 or by email at afrigenah@yahoo.com.