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Farming For A Better Future, page 94
the number of landowners decreased with time. In 1900, there were 12 African American landowning farmers in Collinsville. They represented only 6% of the total households, but more than a quarter of the households of color. The following decade the number of landowners dropped to 10 or 4% of the total households and 21% of the African American households. The trend continued in 1920 - there were only 7 landowners - and bottomed out at 3 farming landowners of color in 1930 and 1940. They represent less than 1% of the total households.
Although there were not as many landowning farmers as elsewhere in North Alabama, there were several families that owned a farm for several decades. For instance, Tony Wofford (born c. 1857) owned a farm in Collinsville from at least 1900 to 1940. The census offered no notation other than “Old Highway” for their location. Tom Abernathy (born c.1870) and wife, Lela, owned a farm in Collinsville from at least 1930 to 1940. The same is true for Fred Webb (born c. 1880) and his wife, Stella. Sol Kelly (born c. 1873) and wife, Sarah, owned a farm on Lookout Street in Collinsville in 1910 and 1920. Peter Kelly (born c. 1840) owned a farm in 1910 and passed it on to his son, Guy Kelly, who is recorded as owning a farm in 1920. Also, Henry Hoke (born c. 1861), and wife, Jane, owned a farm in Collinsville from at least 1900 to 1910; as did Joseph Kelly (Kesley) (born c. 1851) and his wife, Missouri.
Finally, Tony Collins (born c. 1820) and wife, Elizabeth, who were most likely born into slavery, owned a farm in 1900 and 1910. In 1910, he was about 90 years old, and she was 83 years old.
31
Fackler
The community of Fackler is located in eastern Jackson County along the Tennessee River, southwest of Stevenson. In the early 20th century, Fackler was comprised of approximately one quarter African American households. The peak number of households of color occurred in 1910, but the peak number of farms owned by African American farmers was in 1920 when 30 of the 70 households owned a
* Indicates a Historical - Non-Extant Resource
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(Left) 1936 USGS Topographic Map of Fackler, Wannville, Alabama Quadrangle (Bottom Left) 1950 USGS Topographic Map of Fackler, Wannville, Alabama Quadrangle
farm - or 12% of the overall households and 43% of the African American households. In 1940, the last year of the available census, the population of Fackler constituted 291 total households. A total of 79 (27%) of these were families of color and 33 families (11%) owned their own farm.
The rate of retention of farms from decade to decade was fairly high in Fackler in the early 20th century. Eight of the 23 farms owned in 1910 were owned in 1900; by 1920, a total of 14 of the 30 farms were owned since 1910 and 4 of those were owned since 1900. The trend continues in 1930 with 14 of the 24 farms owned in 1930 were owned in 1920; 6 of those 24 were owned in 1910 and 2 of those 6 were owned since 1900. By 1940, there were 13 of the 33 farms owned in 1930; 8 of 13 were owned in 1920; half of those were owned since 1910; and one farm, was owned by Henry Wagner from at least 1900 to 1940.
African American households in Fackler in 1900 made up 26% of the population, or 63 of 240 households. The total households peaked in 1930 with 307 families in Fackler. Meanwhile, the African American population rose to 29% in 1910 and fell to a low of 21% (64 of 307) by 1930 and recovered to 27% (79 of 291 total households) in 1940. Although the percentage of African American households held relatively steady throughout the early 20th century, the number of African American-owned farms fluctuated from decade to decade. Overall, the number of farms owned by African Americans in Fackler grew from 15 in 1900 to 33 in 1940. While the highest number of farms were owned in 1940, the highest percentage of farms owned by African Americans compared to the total households and to the number of African American households was in 1920. In that year, 30 African American farmers owned their farms. These 30 farms consisted of 12% of the overall households in Fackler and 43% of all African American households. The following two decades continued with over a third of the African - (4622)