Peter M. Wolf and the 'Sugar King of Louisiana'

** IMPORTANT UPDATE **

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Peter M. Wolf will not be available this evening to give his talk on Leon Godchaux, the “Sugar King of Louisiana,” at the meeting of the Natchez Historical Society. However, Jeff Mansell, lead historian for the Natchez National Historical Park, will be on hand to share his presentation, “In Search of Respite: Natchezians at the Northern Resorts.” The program is free to the public. It will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. with the presentation at 6 p.m. All are invited, members and non-members alike. 

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Another excellent column by Alan Wolf

“Although the arc of Godchaux’s life is located largely in New Orleans and the wider Louisiana, its themes, challenges, and issues will resonate with the Natchez experience of the 19th Century." -- Alan Wolf 

Come hear Peter Wolf’s talk on the “Sugar King of Louisiana” at Nov. 28 meeting of Natchez Historical Society

** IMPORTANT UPDATE **
 
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Peter M. Wolf will not be available this evening to give his talk on Leon Godchaux, the “Sugar King of Louisiana,” at the meeting of the Natchez Historical Society. However, Jeff Mansell, lead historian for the Natchez National Historical Park, will be on hand to share his presentation, “In Search of Respite: Natchezians at the Northern Resorts.” The program is free to the public. It will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. with the presentation at 6 p.m. All are invited, members and non-members alike. 

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Mark your calendars!

 

The public is invited to author Peter Wolf’s lecture on Leon Godchaux, the "Sugar King of Louisiana,” at the Tuesday, Nov. 28. meeting of the Natchez Historical Society at Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 S. Commerce St., in Natchez. The program, which is free, will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. with the presentation at 6 p.m. All are invited, members and non-members alike. Wolf is the author of “The Sugar King: Leon Godchaux: A New Orleans Legend, His Creole Slave, and His Jewish Roots” (Xlibris, 2022). He is the great-great-grandson of Godchaux.

For more information, visit this link: https://listenupyall.com/2023/11/17/peter-wolf-to-talk-about-sugar-king-of-louisiana-at-nov-28-meeting-of-natchez-historical-society/

You may also visit natchezhistoricalsociety.org or call 601-492-3004. Emails may be sent to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org

#NatchezHistoricalSociety #NatchezHistory #NatchezCulturalLegacy #Godchaux #SugarKing #PeterMWolf #HistoricNatchezFoundation #NewOrleans #Slavery #Jewish #VisitNatchez

Peter Wolf to talk about ‘Sugar King of Louisiana’ at Nov. 28 meeting of Natchez Historical Society

** IMPORTANT UPDATE **
 
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Peter M. Wolf will not be available this evening to give his talk on Leon Godchaux, the “Sugar King of Louisiana,” at the meeting of the Natchez Historical Society. However, Jeff Mansell, lead historian for the Natchez National Historical Park, will be on hand to share his presentation, “In Search of Respite: Natchezians at the Northern Resorts.” The program is free to the public. It will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. with the presentation at 6 p.m. All are invited, members and non-members alike. 
 

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By Roscoe Barnes III, Visit Natchez

Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Nov 17, 2023 | 3:28 PM
 

Peter M. Wolf is author of "The Sugar King: Leon Godchaux: A New Orleans Legend, His Creole Slave, and His Jewish Roots."

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Noted author and biographer Peter M. Wolf will talk about Leon Godchaux, the “Sugar King of Louisiana,” at the Tuesday, Nov. 28. meeting of the Natchez Historical Society.
 
The program is free to the public and will be held at the Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 S. Commerce St. It will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. and the presentation at 6 p.m. Members and non-members alike are invited to attend.
 
Wolf is the author of “The Sugar King: Leon Godchaux: A New Orleans Legend, His Creole Slave, and His Jewish Roots” (Xlibris, 2022). He is the great-great-grandson of Godchaux.
 
Wolf’s book tells the story of Godchaux, who arrived in New Orleans in 1837 as a “penniless, illiterate, Jewish 13-year-old from France.” Although he had hopes and dreams, he never learned to read or write in English or French. However, by the end of his life, Godchaux became the owner of 14 plantations and the largest sugar producer in the region, as well as the top taxpayer in the state, which earned him the name, “Sugar King of Louisiana,” according to Wolf’s website. Wolf noted, however, that Godchaux refused to enter the sugar business until the end of slavery.
 
“Although the arc of Godchaux’s life is located largely in New Orleans and the wider Louisiana, its themes, challenges, and issues will resonate with the Natchez experience of the 19th Century,” said Alan Wolf (no relation to Peter), a director of the society and its program chair. Additionally, Alan Wolf noted, two African Americans — Joachim Tassen and Norbert Rillieux — played important roles in Godchaux’s success. Tassen was enslaved and Rillieux was a free man of color and inventor.
 
Peter Wolf is a fifth generation native of New Orleans. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, a Master of Arts from Tulane University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from New York University.
Peter Wolf’s online biography notes his research has taken him to Paris as a Fulbright scholar and to Rome as a visiting artist and scholar at the American Academy in Rome. He currently serves on the advisory board of the Tulane University School of Architecture, and as a trustee of the Louisiana Landmarks Society.
 
Peter Wolf is the author of many books. His titles include “My New Orleans, Gone Away, A Memoir of Loss and Renewal” (Delphinium Books Inc., 2013); “Land Use and Abuse in America: A Call to Action” (Xlibris, 2010); “Hot Towns: The Future of the Fastest Growing Communities in America” (Rutgers University Press, 1999); and “Land In America: Its Value, Use and Control” (Pantheon Books, 1981).
 
Peter Wolf’s  biography of Godchaux, “The Sugar King,” has been widely acclaimed. Henry Lewis Gates, Jr., wrote, “Peter Wolf’s The Sugar King is an absorbing ancestral journey.” Walter Isaacson, praised the book as “a story of ambition and humility, otherness and assimilation, and the wondrous complexities of the South and America.” Lawrence N. Powell noted “There are eye-openers in nearly every chapter.”
 
This Nov. 28 program held by the historical society is funded in part by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, visit natchezhistoricalsociety.org or call 601-492-3004. Emails may be sent to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org

Natchez woman who fought in all-black female battalion in WWII posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal

By Roscoe Barnes III

The Natchez Democrat

(Published 12:42 pm Wednesday, November 8, 2023) 

Photo of Group Honoring Louise Bruce are: James W. Theres, G. Mark LaFrancis, Roscoe Barnes III, Darrell White, Larry Smith, Kilpatrick Wilson and Ryan Hannon

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Before the showing of his film “The Six Triple Eight” on Monday at NAPAC Museum, James Williams Theres, the film’s director and producer, stopped by the Natchez National Cemetery to honor the late Louise R. Bruce, who served with the 6888th. 

Theres announced that Bruce is a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, an honor bestowed on her as a member of the 6888th Central Postal Director Battalion. 

The medal is considered the U.S. “Congress’s highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals, institutions or groups,” according to a U.S. Senate website.

President Biden signed the “Six Triple Eight” Congressional Gold Medal Act into law in March 2022.  Bruce (1913-1996) was one of the 855 black women in the first and only all-black female battalion who served in Europe during World War II, according to Theres. 

He said her battalion cleared a two-year backlog of mail and helped to deliver more than 17 million pieces of mail near the end of the war.  

Theres placed a wreath on Bruce’s grave. He was joined by G. Mark LaFrancis, president of the Home with Heroes Foundation; Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez; Darrell White, local historian; Larry Smith, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army; and Kilpatrick Wilson and Ryan Hannon of the Natchez National Cemetery. 

“It was an honor to recognize Ms. Bruce’s service to her country,” said Theres. “Her unit played a critical role in sustaining morale for the troops overseas in Europe during World War II.” 

Smith echoed similar remarks, noting he was fortunate to participate in the ceremony.

“It was an honor and privilege to pay my respects to Private First Class Louise Bruce, placing a wreath next to her headstone in the Natchez National Cemetery, recognizing her selfless and historic service in the Six-Triple-Eight during the Second World War,” he said. “As a fellow veteran, I’m sure she’d be pleased to know that her service is still recognized today and has not been forgotten by a grateful nation.” 

Interestingly, Theres noted, “Bruce is buried not far from Natchez National Cemetery’s only Medal of Honor recipient, U.S. Navy black Civil War veteran, Wilson Brown.” 

LaFrancis said The Home with Heroes Foundation was proud to be a part of the wreath ceremony. 

The organization plans to create a photo display with the 6888th in its new Military Museum and Veterans Welcome and Information Center at 107 Jefferson Davis Blvd., he said. 

“I’d like to think that maybe the 6888th might have helped my father’s mail get to him and to our family during World War II,” LaFrancis added. “These were extraordinary women.” 

Another Natchezian who may have served with the 6888th was Gwendolyn Mamie Freeman Johnson (1924 – 2017), according to researcher Marsha Holder, who penned a biographical note about Johnson on Findagrave.com. When contacted by email, Holder wrote: 

“I got on board to help with the 6888th Central Postal Battalion monument project at Fort Leavenworth back in May 2018. The project manager, Carlton Philpot, had talked to ‘Gwen Johnson’ previously and from their conversations and her knowledge about the group, he knew for sure she was a member of the 6888th.” 

To date, no military records show that Johnson was a member of the 6888th, according to Theres.  However, her membership with the unit is strongly suggested by anecdotal evidence, he said. 

Theres explained there are a few members of the 6888th who were not identified, and Johnson may well be one of those unnamed members. 

Renza Grennell, mother of former Natchez Mayor Darryl V. Grennell, said in a recent interview that Johnson was married to her uncle, James Johnson, and they both served in the military during World War II. Renza said she did not know what job Gwendolyn did in the military, but she’s certain that she served with the Women’s Army Corps. 

Renza said she remembers when Gwendolyn returned to Natchez after the war. “I was a little girl then,” she said. “She and her husband later moved to Chicago where she worked in the post office.” 

Renza said Gwendolyn also worked in the Natchez Post Office. “She may have been the first black who ever worked inside the post office,” she said. “Then she became a letter carrier.” 

NAPAC museum provided a free showing of Theres’ film on Monday, Nov. 6.  The film presented the history and cultural context of black women serving in the military during the Second World War. 

In addition to interviews with the veterans, the documentary included historical photographs and stories about the challenges of the women facing segregation and other Jim Crow practices in the military. 

Despite their challenges, however, the film shows that the women were not only eager to serve, but they also succeeded with their mission. 

Theres noted the stories of the women have garnered praise and national recognition. He said that even Tyler Perry is working on a movie about the women of the 6888th. 

Betty Lou Hicks, who watched the film, said she thoroughly enjoyed it. “Those who did not attend missed seeing a fascinating documentary,” she said. “The story is another little-known but very significant episode in American history.” 

“The documentary was a deeply moving and highly interesting account of her unit, a story that everyone should see,” said Smith. “It’s a part of the Bruce family, Natchez, and American history that deserves to be remembered. I enlisted in 1983 into an Army decades after integration. 

“I served alongside African American women and men of all ranks. I wish that we had been aware of the contributions of the Six-Triple-Eight and of inspirational women like PFC Louise Bruce.”

Read more at: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2023/11/08/natchez-woman-who-fought-in-all-black-female-battallion-in-wwii-posthumously-awarded-the-congressional-gold-medal/

 

Congrats to Stacy Conde!

Natchez’s very own Stacy Conde was featured on “Next Stop, Mississippi” on Friday, Nov. 3. She talked about the 3rd Annual Natchez Allumer Light Art Festival set for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10 and 11.

It starts at 02:22

Listen to her interview here: https://shows.acast.com/5d8932fa719a100a4a0192c0/654532cb8235ab001234e427

 

 

Interviewed for documentary

 

I recently enjoyed an interview for a documentary. I was honored to talk about the cultural legacy of Natchez. Miss. Photo by Devin Heath

Ser Boxley creates poster on civil rights movement

By Roscoe Barnes III

Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Oct 26, 2023 | 7:48 AM

Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley created the poster, “This No. 9 St. Catherine Street Yellow House” to tell the story of the civil rights movement in Natchez. His image as seen here was provided by Kathleen Bond, superintendent of the Natchez National Historical Park. Photo by Ben Hillyer

NATCHEZ, Miss. — Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley says the poster he created earlier this year provides critical details about the civil rights movement in Natchez, where much of the history springs from the “yellow house” at 9 St. Catherine St.

During the 1960s, the house served as the home of NAACP President George Metcalfe and the headquarters for the local NAACP. Today, the house is known as the Dr. John Banks House or the Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum. It is also the site of Natchez’s first Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker.

Boxley’s poster is titled, “This No. 9 St. Catherine Street Yellow House.” It is designed on one side of a 12×18 cardstock with two black-and-white, historic photos and a colored photo of the yellow house. The written content, presented like an essay, is about 1,900 words.

The idea for the poster grew out of a concern about “the whole truth” being told about African American history in Natchez, Boxley said. For too long, he added, “only the White, European, segregated history was being promoted.”

Boxley said the public needs to know that the history of the modern civil rights movement in Natchez came out of the house on St. Catherine. His poster, he said, is “designed to arm people with what really happened in the civil rights movement and not just the story of Dr. John Banks” and his work as a physician. “This is all in the interest of wholistic history,” he said.

The historical narrative presented on the poster is based on Boxley’s research and his personal experience in the civil rights movement. In 1965, when Boxley returned to Natchez to visit his mother, he attended a meeting with the Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice, a paramilitary group that provided armed protection for the civil rights workers and the Black community.

Boxley said he became a member of the Deacons, and he assisted them with fundraising and acquiring firearms.

Visit ListenUpYall.com here: 

https://listenupyall.com/2023/10/26/ser-boxley-creates-poster-on-civil-rights-movement/

Boxley’s poster essay opens with a reference to NAACP President George Metcalfe living at the yellow house and operating a boarding house on the site. He notes the use of the house by many in the civil rights movement.

He writes: “On July 21, 1964, as part of the state-wide Freedom Summer Project, SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ) workers returned to Natchez and attempted to organize a Freedom Ballot and begin a small COFO (Council of Federated Organizations) voter registration project, with the help of Goerge Metcalfe and the Natchez NAACP at this yellow house.”

The SNCC members included Dorie Ladner, Chuck McDew and Charles “Chico” Neblett, Boxley writes, adding Bill Ware, George Greene, and Burt Watkins also came to Natchez to assist in the movement.

Boxley notes that when members of the Ku Klux Klan tried to assassinate Ladner and other SNCC members by bombing Freedom House No. 1 at Jake Fisher’s place in the 600 block of South Wall Street, the ladies stayed at Metcalfe’s boarding house.

Boxley writes that Metcalfe and his friend, Wharlest Jackson Sr., were “two strong leaders” who emerged from the house. Both of them worked at Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company and both were active members of the NAACP.

Boxley lists the key members of the NAACP who were instrumental in bringing about change in Natchez. In addition to Metcalfe and Jackson, he lists Archie Curtis, John Fitzgerald, Mozana Green, Holy Family Church’s Father Morrissey, George West Sr., Jonathan Grennell, Rayfard Baptist, and Robert Johnson Sr., among others.

Readers of Boxley’s poster will see detailed information about the Natchez movement. It features, for example, the harassment Metcalfe received from the Klan that included threats and shooting into the window of his home. The essay also covers the Aug. 27, 1965, bombing of Metcalfe’s car by the Klan, which he survived, but suffered serious injuries.

Also featured is a behind-the-scenes look at the movement, including the work of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and State NAACP Field Director Charles Evers, brother of slain State NAACP leader Medgar Evers.

Boxley covers the establishment of the Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice under the leadership of James “Big Jack” Jackson and their role in providing armed protection for the black community. He recounts how the black community, angry and motivated, stood up to the White oppressors. They held nightly mass meetings and demonstrations. They also called on the city to denounce the Klan and other white supremacists.

According to Boxley, the Black community’s use of armed self-defense, economic boycott of white-owned businesses, and enforcement of the boycott, resulted in the city conceding to the demands of the NAACP.

Boxley ends his essay with a quote by historian Lance Hill, who wrote, “The Natchez campaign was the single greatest community victory for the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi.”

For more information:

Boxley’s poster on the civil rights movement is available for a $10 donation plus $5 for shipping and handling for one copy. Payment should be made to Friends of Forks of the Road, P.O. Box 2188 Natchez, MS  39121. For more information, call 601-442-4719 or send email to Forksyaroads@aol.com.