Elizabeth Johnson Harris memoir, 1922-1923, 1942, 1942

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Summary

Creator:
Harris, Elizabeth Johnson, 1867-1942
Abstract:
Collection consists of photocopies and original of a bound handwritten memoir (85 p.) by an African American woman from Summerville and Augusta, Georgia, Elizabeth Johnson Harris (1867-1942). Begun in September, 1922, the memoir describes Harris' childhood in Augusta, Georgia, race relations in Boston, Massachusetts and in Augusta, Georgia, her ambivalence about her place in society as an African American, and the history of her church activities and schooling from childhood through adulthood. She conveys anecdotes and histories about her ancestors during Reconstruction, including her grandfather's grant of land in Summerville (Augusta) from a former enslaver, James W. Bones. She includes details about her courtship and marriage, as well as descriptions of the adult lives of several of her children. There are also tipped-in photographs and newsclippings. The appendix (12 p.) contains poetry and news stories by Harris, folk tales, and two obituaries about Harris, 1942. Acquired as part of the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture and the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture.
Extent:
.1 Linear Feet
Language:
Materials in English
Research Center:
Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture
John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture
Collection ID:
RL.11362

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of the original and photocopies of an 85-page handwritten manuscript in a bound notebook, begun in fall 1922 by an African American woman, Elizabeth Johnson Harris (1867-1942) from Augusta, Georgia. It starts on the front side of the pages until the end of the notebook, where it continues from back to front on the backs of the pages. It covers her life in chronological order with the exception of some earlier stories recounted in later sections.

Harris divided the memoir into two sections: her childhood years and her life during and after her courtship and marriage. The manuscript also includes tipped in photographs and news clippings. The photograph on the inside front cover above the dedication is an image of Johnson's adult daughter, Mattie Louise. The appendix (12 pages) contains the majority of the clippings, which consist of her poetry, several folk tales, news stories about the Harris family, and two obituaries about Harris.

The memoir describes Harris' childhood in Augusta, Georgia; race relations in Boston, Massachusetts (observed during a four-month stay) and in Augusta, Georgia; her ambivalence about her place in society as an African American; and the history of her church activities and schooling from childhood through adulthood. She conveys anecdotes and histories about her ancestors during Reconstruction, including her grandfather's grant of three acres of land in Summerville (Augusta) from a former enslaver, James W. Bones. She includes many details about her courtship and marriage, as well as descriptions of the adult lives of several of her children. Her son Charles Jacob Harris (1885-1988), was a classically trained pianist, composer, and teacher whose papers are also held by the Rubenstein Library.

Biographical / historical:

Elizabeth Johnson Harris was a writer born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1867, the daughter of formerly enslaved parents. She had four brothers. She married Jacob Walker Harris in 1883 at the age of 15 and bore nine children. She lived until 1942, surviving her husband and two of her children. She was a deeply religious woman who spent much of her life in service to Trinity Church in Summerville (Augusta), Georgia. She valued education and music, both for herself and for her children. Her son, Charles Jacob Harris (1885-1998) was a classically trained pianist and composer. Harris' poems, plays and vignettes were published in various outlets during her lifetime. She included these in the manuscript of her life story, which she started writing in 1922 and was still writing it in 1923.

Charles Jacob Harris was born in 1885 in Augusta, Georgia, the son of James and Elizabeth Johnson Harris. His parents were both musically inclined and Charles played piano from an early age. He graduated from Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, in 1904 and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he met Roland Hayes, a well-known tenor. Harris toured internationally with Hayes from 1911-1916, serving as his piano accompanist, including a performance before England's Queen Victoria. Following his touring career, Harris taught music at many colleges throughout the South. His longest tenure was at South Carolina State College in Orangeburg. After his retirement in 1951, he taught music part time at North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C. In 1922, he married Georgia Eleta Atwater Harris in Durham. They had three children, Mayme, Johnny, and Eleta. He died at the age of 103 in 1988.

[Source: Durham County Library, Harris family papers online collection guide, viewed July 10, 2023]

Acquisition information:
The Elizabeth Johnson Harris Memoir was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 1984 by Mayme Perry, one of Elizabeth Johnson Harris' descendants.
Processing information:

Processed by Megan Lewis, January 2017.

Description enhanced by Paula Jeannet, June 2023.

Physical facet:
Includes original, preservation photocopy, and use photocopy.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], Elizabeth Harris Johnson memoir, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m12g94