Posts Tagged ‘Wessyngton’
Monday, May 23rd, 2011
Washington Hall
On May 3rd, I had the honor of giving a presentation on The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation to the Austin Peay Women’s Book Club in Clarksville, Tennessee. To my surprise, one of the book club members presented me with a photo of Washington Hall taken in 1965 a few months before it burned.
George Augustine Washington Jr. and his wife Marina “Queenie” Woods, began construction on the magnificent home in 1896. Washington Hall was a three-story white brick mansion with forty-four rooms. In its heyday Washington Hall was one of the showplaces in the South, where some of the crowned heads of Europe had been entertained.
In 1965 the Washington Hall mansion burned to the ground. The grand entrance gate is the only remnant of its former glory.
Tags:George Augustine Washington, Glenraven, Queenie Woods Washington, Southern Homes, southern hospitality, southern mansions, Washington family, Washington Hall, Wessyngton
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Civil War, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | Comments Closed
Friday, May 1st, 2009
Joseph Washington's Money Purse
{Money Purse}.
Joseph Washington came to Tennessee from Virginia as did many young men after the Revolutionary War. He carried this money purse with him. When he was twenty-six, he left his parents in Virginia, bringing several slaves and all his wordly possessions. His sister and one of his brothers came to Tennessee later.
The money purse in now in the possession of Joseph’s great-great-great-grandson, Stanley Frazer Rose.
Tags:Founder, Joseph Washington, Revolutionary War, Settler, Slavery, Slaves, Southampton County Virginia, Tennessee Land Grant, Wessyngton
Posted in Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Research, Uncategorized | Comments Closed
Friday, March 13th, 2009
I invite you to listen to an indepth interview: On with Leon Presents John F. Baker Jr. with host Dr. Leon Wilmer.
http://www.wilmerleon.com/shows/022109-JB.mp3
Tags:African American History, Black History Month, Civil War, DNA Research, Dr. Leon Wilmer, education, Emancipation, Genealogy & DNA, Slavery, Tennessee history, Wessyngton
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Civil War, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research, Videos & Audios | Comments Closed
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
On March 7th I had a book signing at Borders in Nashville. The event was well attended by many family members and friends. I met several new cousins there. The event also brought together descendants of Wessyngton’s founder Joseph Washington, and African American descendants, whose ancestors came from the plantation. A group photograph was taken of both families.
Wessyngton Descendants at Borders Book Signing
Tags:Borders, descendants, Washington, Wessyngton
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Current Events | Comments Closed
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
The book tour in Atlanta went very well. On the first day of my trip I visited the home of Mrs. Ann Nixon Cooper and presented her with an autographed copy of The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation. I was very honored to have Mrs. Cooper sign a copy of the book for me.
Baker presents Mrs. Cooper with The Washingtons of Wessyngton
The second day of my tour I was interviewed about the book by Dr. Collette Hopkins, director of the National Black Arts Festival, who graciously accompained me to the book signing at Waldenbooks.
Collette Hopkins Director of the NBAF with John Baker
Baker at Waldenbooks
On the third day of the tour Dr. Opal Moore interviewed me at the Auburn Research Library. I later gave a presentation followed by a book signing.
Baker interview with Opal Moore at National Black Arts Festival
Baker presentation at NBAF
Baker at NBAF book signing
The event was well attended and I met two new Washington cousins Jonathan and Jordan Terry who live in Atlanta. They were excited to find their names on the Washington family tree among more than 600 names.
Baker meet new cousins at NBAF
Jordan and Jonathan Terry display Washington Family Tree
My good friends Beverly Shelley and her daughter Kimberly attended the event. Their ancestors also came from Wessyngton.
Baker meets with Wessyngton descendants Beverly and Kim at NBAF
Tags:Ann Nixon Cooper, Atlanta, Black History Month, family tree, Genealogy & DNA, National Black Arts Festival, Waldenbooks, Wessyngton
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Current Events | Comments Closed
Saturday, February 21st, 2009
While in Evansville, IN a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting a new cousin, Mildred Moore Robinson. When she saw my book cover she was very surprised and told me that she had the same picture in an old album. It turned out that the photograph she had was an original and had my great-great-grandfather’s name (Emanuel Washington) written on the back of it. He he had paid forty cents for the photograph which was nearly a day’s pay. The photo had been passed to his daughter Martha Washington White, who was Ms. Robinson’s maternal grandmother. I was honored when Cousin Mildred gave me the photograph.
Original 1891 Wessyngton Photo
Tags:baptism, cedar hill, school, Wessyngton
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Plantation Life | Comments Closed