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Chase County Kansas Obituaries
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White, Mary Ann Hatton
The death of Mrs. Mary A. White, mother of William Allen White, editor of the Emporia Gazette, at Emporia, Kansas, occurred Tuesday, May 6th, following a long illness.
Mrs. White was 94 years of age and her life in young womanhood was closely linked with the early day history of Lyon, Chase, Morris and Butler counties where she came as a young woman and where she taught school and was latter married and lived.
Mrs. White was born near Quebec, Canada, January 3rd, 1830, of Irish parents. Her maiden name was Mary Ann Hatton. During the Civil war Mrs. White lived in southern Illinois where she taught school. She was a great student and always anxious to improve her education, so in 1865 hearing of the opening of the Kansas State Normal at Emporia, Kansas, she decided to come west, for the purpose of attending the normal.
Upon arriving at Emporia, however, she could find no boarding place
so went to Council Grove where she taught school. She was then 35 years of age and a black abolitionist Republican. At Council Grove she defied the school board of the school she taught by inviting Negro children to attend the school. The year following this she came to Cottonvood Falls and taught school here. She boarded with the Sam Wood family while she taught here and became a
strong friend of the family. It was while teaching school here that she first met Dr. White her future husband at a dance held in Emporia. They were married soon after and William
Allen White, their only living child
was born in Chase county. T he story of her trouble while teaching at Council Grove when she permitted colored children to come to her school is probably best told in her biography which appeared in yesterday's issue of the Emporia Gazette, written by Miss Laura M. French, a close friend of Mrs. White and for many years a writer on the Gazette.
"I got into trouble my first Sunday in Council Grove," said Mrs. White, in relating the story. "I went with the Wrights to the Congregational Sunday school and was asked to teach a class of little girls, which of course I did.
One especially bright little dark-skinned girl, attracted me, and it did not occur to me that she was a colored child, though among Congregationalists that would have made no difference, I told all the Little girls I hoped I would see them at school next day, and added a special invitation to the little girl to whom I had been attracted.
I told all about my experiences at dinner, and the Wrights said I'd sure enough put my foot in it now, as that little girl was a colored child, and no colored child was allowed to go to school in Council Grove. I said I was perfectly willing to teach a colored child, and I was going to do it if I could.
"News of my inviting a `nigger' to come to school had spread, and next morning when I went to the schoolhouse there was an air of excitement among the children, and they stood around in groups, whispering. The big bell had been taken away by a member of the school board, but I called the children together with the little bell I carried with me�and by the way, that little bell is still in my possession�and I gave the little colored girl a seat.
A pretty little white girl asked to sit by her, which I allowed her to do. Just then came a knock at the door. "I want to talk to you�come outside," a man said to me. "No, come in," I said. "There's not much talking to do," he said "I've come to put out that damned nigger�show her to me." I refused, and he couldn't pick her out among the other children. He was chagrined when he found his own child was sitting by the 'nigger.' Other members of the board came, and several of the parents, and by the end of the first recess my school of 70 pupils had dwindled down to 20, as they took their children home. The primary teacher also declared she "didn't come there to teach niggers," so she, too, went home, after 1 told her she'd teach them if she taught with me. Her friends made up a purse for her and she never came back. One of the larger girls taught the primary children.
But that wasn't the end of my troubles. The next morning, I found the windows of the schoolhouse nailed down and the door locked. I called on Mr. Wright, who was a member of the board, to help me out. He opened the door and rang the bell, and we had school that day, but it was a light attendance.
"That night, the pro-slavery people held an indignation meeting. Mr. Wright asked to be allowed to talk, and he introduced the late Sam Wood of Cottonwood Falls. Wood was on my side, all right, but he
rolled to the other side, and said oh may be the parents didn't
want to send their
children to school with 'niggers'. The 'nigger' might get ahead of the white children in their studies and that would be embarrassing. He kept the crowd in good humor, and talked for two hours, about everything under the sun, and when he sat down it was time to go home, and the indignation meeting was a fizzle.
"Sentiment was so strong, however, that it seemed best for me not to urge the colored children to come to school. But I went out among the people, and told them that if the colored children couldn't come peaceably to school the board had to provide a school for them, and I nagged them till they did it. They rented a room, hired another woman to teach the colored children, and that was the start of the school for the colored children in Council Grove.
Chase County Leader News, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, May 13 1924.
by Lorna Marvin
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