Sarah "Sallie" Mason Freeman


Photo from Culver & Smith
 Ran a Boarding House

Nickname:Sallie
Born:February 8, 1875
Died:March 7, 1968, Huntsville, Alabama
Buried:Maple Hill Cemetery, Madison County, Alabama
Residence:205 Lincoln Street SE
Mother of:Alice Freeman
Wife of:Thomas William Freeman (c1870)

Notes:

•  "Sallie and Tom Freeman purchased the property (205 Lincoln Street SE) in 1922 , for $7,500 and in the next quarter century gave it a name, the Freeman House, and an important role in the community. Tom Freeman, as genial a host as any of that distinguished cadre Huntsville has produced, welcomed guests to his home with the same flair he dealt out a poker hand and plied his traveling salesman occupation. All will agree, however, it was his wife, Sallie, Sarah Mason Freeman, who ran the house and made it 'home away from home.' Ken Turvey fondly recalls Miss Sallie always asking him when he 'd be sprucing up to go out, 'Where you going, Ken?' just like he was a member of the family. When his folks came to town they were expected to eat there, too." page 17 - Historic Huntsville Quarterly

•  "From the 'Cotton Boys' to the Music Men, the Freeman House was foremost a place for career-minded young men to live and eat. But, in the 1950's, when the town was bulging at its stretched seams, Miss Sallie took in young ladies as well. They occupied the upstairs rooms. Ken Turvey recalled that several young ladies roomed and boarded when he was there in 1955-1956. But, he protested, 'I was NEVER, NEVER on the 2nd floor!' The House was in transition then. Miss Alyce (daughter of Sallie and Tom) began teaching little aspiring first graders whose birthdays disqualified them from fall entry into public school first grade." pages 19 & 20 - Historic Huntsville Quarterly

•  The home of Tom and Sallie Freeman, at 205 Lincoln Street, had many phases of activity. It was important as people transitioned into their life in Huntsville.
     Generals were entertained there before the officers club at Redstone was ready.
     The "Cotton Boys" lived in the "Little House" (a house behind the big house). They were cotton brokers and enjoyed their poker games.
     Two prestigious musicians boarded there until they were established in town.
     After the flood of newcomers subsided a little, the home was used by their daughter as an educational environment. - Culver & Smith

•  "Tom's and Sallie's children were Harry Mason Freeman, Florence Mai Freeman Palmerlee, Alice Freeman, and Louise Freeman Chunn." page 69 - Historic Huntsville Quarterly

•  Marriage license Nov. 2, 1896, Madison County, AL. (Sometimes the marriage dates are for the marriage license, not the actual wedding.) - MCRC

•  Mrs. Freeman was a student of the Huntsville Female College. - Digital Archives

•  Daughter of J. Thomas Mason and Louisa Brock Mason - Records


Related Links:

•  CEPC - Central Evangelical Presbyterian Church has a page about the Freeman House. (Originally found at http://www.centralpresb.org/get_involved/freeman.)

•  Culver & Smith - Article titled " Memories of Nana & Papa's House" by Sallie Ann Culver and Alyce Parmelee Smith in Historic Huntsville Quarterly, Vol. XXIII, #1, Spring, 1997, Historic Huntsville Foundation. Pages 23-26. Two grandchildren of Tom and Sallie Freeman (parents of Alice) offer stories about the life in their grandparent's home.

•  Digital Archives - Huntsville Madison County Public Library Digital Archives. Photo of "Former Students of the Huntsville Female College" Sallie is included. (Originally found at http://digitalarchives.hmcpl.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15431coll1/id/303/rec/1.)

•  Find A Grave - Page maintained by Gene Hill and was originally created by Bobbie Christian.

•  Historic Huntsville Quarterly - Historic Huntsville Quarterly, Vol. XXIII, #1, Spring, 1997, Historic Huntsville Foundation. Cumberland Presbyterian Church and it's Freeman House (along with associated people) is the focus of most of this Quarterly. References to Tom and Sallie are scattered throughout. Photos of Sallie are on pages 23 and 69.

•  MCRC - Madison County Government Records

•  Records - Alabama, Deaths and Burials as viewed with a subscription to Ancestry.com (Originally found at http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?ti=0&indiv=try&db=fsalabamadeath&h=1455670.)


The Following Pages Link to this Page:
•  205 Lincoln Street SE
•  Alice Freeman
•  Culver & Smith
•  Historic Huntsville Quarterly
•  Thomas William Freeman (c1870)