Download
[Page]
[Document]mcc-ns1-153
Farming For A Better Future, page 127
(Left) Clipping from The Pittsburgh Press, April 10, 1933, page 1 (Ms. Towns via Newspapers.com)
of the men listed are property owners. A total of 103 (56%) men were listed as the head of household, which they owned. Another 51 (28%) names could not be confirmed by the census. It is possible that these men owned land or houses somewhere other than Morgan County or the surrounding area, or that they somehow were missed by the census takers, or that their names were not recorded or transcribed properly - making positive identification difficult. The other 29 (16%) names were confirmed on the census to be renters.
The listed men of Morgan County included grocery store owners, carpenters, railroad shop workers, doctors, shoe shop owners, barbers, undertakers, druggists, brick masons, ministers, teachers, dentists, and farmers. On the lists were 15 men that were landowning farmers. These men were considered educated and in good standing within the community -model citizens.
Living and farming within Decatur was William R. Johnson. Farming in the communities of Cedar Lake and Flint were Jim Skinner, Will Martin, Will R. Garth, Hillard Tate, Jr, and Elizes Pryor. Southwest of Decatur was John Carpenter. Beyond Decatur, there were several men in Somerville, Allen L. and Clifton C. Draper, Amos M. Russell, and Oscar A. Jackson; in Danville, Clayborn J. and Bird J. Sharpley; Lee
Bibb of Hartselle. In addition to these Morgan County farmers, the lists included Albert Ruffin, who owned a farm across the river in Limestone County since at least 1920. By 1930, he was in his mid 60s, and perhaps moved into Decatur sometime between the 1930 census and the 1933 trials.
The list of names presented at the trail indicate not only the individuals of the community that were held in high praise, but the professions and characteristics of those individuals. When presented with these lists, the witnesses overwhelmingly chose individuals that contributed to the community at large - homeowners, landowners, business owners, community leaders. While those that were given the chance to testify were the most prominent people of color from the most prominent and entrenched families in Old Town, their testimony clearly expresses the values held by the community and the relationship of those values to landownership.
127 - DEKALB, JACKSON & MARSHALL - (4655)