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Biography/History:
Ada C. Blackman was born in Mississippi on October 2, 1852. She was the daughter of William Island and Cornelia T. Crittenden Blackman. William Island Blackman was a doctor and dental surgeon in Columbus Lowndes County Mississippi. The Blackman family also included siblings Sumter C. (b. ca. 1861) and Alice (b. ca. 1863). As a young woman, Ada C. Blackman published several poems in local newspapers such as the Columbus Dispatch. She married Elisha Middleton Owens in Lowndes County on November 21, 1882. Their daughter, Corriee, was born on April 23, 1888. Corriee Owens later married James T. Webb.The Owens family moved to Bessemer, Jefferson County, Alabama, in the early 1900s. There, Ada C. Blackman Owens was active in various civic and social organizations. She helped found United Charities of Bessemer and served as its president for twenty-six years. Owens also served on the executive board of Elizabeth Duncan Hospital. For her charity work in Bessemer, Owens was presented with the J. W. Leggett Loving Cup on March 4, 1923. She was also involved in the Culture Club and the Writers’ Club. Owens died on April 5, 1934, and was interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Bessemer.
Scope and Content:
This collection consists of the correspondence, photographs, genealogical materials, scrapbook pages, and magazines of the Blackman-Owens family of Columbus, Lowndes County, Mississippi, and Bessemer, Jefferson County, Alabama. There are also papers reflecting the literary and social activities of Ada C. Blackman Owens of Bessemer.The correspondence includes an 1863 letter and an undated letter fragment. They were written by John Crittenden of Greenville, South Carolina. He was the maternal grandfather of Ada C. Blackman Owens. Both letters were apparently written to one or more of Crittenden’s children. In the 1863 letter, Crittenden discusses the welfare of his sons who served in various Confederate army units. His son, Stanley, was a lieutenant colonel in a reserve unit, possibly the Third South Carolina Reserves, and was stationed in the low country of South Carolina. His son, Whitaker, served in a cavalry regiment that was stationed near Charleston, South Carolina. Crittenden also relates news of other family members. In the undated letter fragment, Crittenden offers family news and a transcription of a poem composed by Corriee (?). Included with the letters is an unsigned 1882 Valentine’s Day note and two empty envelopes.
There are two undated photographs of Dr. William Island Blackman. A third photograph is probably of Ada C. Blackman Owens and her daughter, Corriee, around 1892.The genealogical materials contain information on the Milling-Owens family of Ireland, South Carolina, and Mississippi and the Crittenden-Blackman family of Connecticut, North and South Carolina, and Mississippi. The Milling-Owens materials consist of two typescripts of family Bible information, including birth, death, and marriage dates for various persons. The Crittenden-Blackman family materials consist of a typescript of birth, death, and marriage dates, as well as a typescript of the will of Andrew Blackman.
The 1890 scrapbook pages contain pictures cut from magazines, with handwritten captions providing lighthearted commentary on courtship.There are August 1892 and May 1893 issues of the Delineator magazine, which belonged to Corriee Owens Webb. A Butterick Publishing Company magazine features clothing patterns that were for sale, as well as cooking recipes and craft projects.
The papers reflecting the literary and social activities of Ada C. Blackman Owens include poetry, newsclippings, and miscellaneous materials. There is a handwritten poem entitled “Dedication Day,” which was probably written by Ada C. Blackman Owens in 1879. On the verso of the poem is a copy of an 1869 patent issued to William Island Blackman for improvements to an automatic and detachable railroad-car coupling. Also included is a typescript of another poem of Owens entitled “Our Creator and Our God.” The book of poems contains verses honoring Owens that were composed by members of the Writers’ Club of Bessemer around 1922. The book was presented to her at one of the meetings. It contains an inscription, probably written by Corriee Owens Webb, giving the birth and death dates for Elisha Middleton and Ada C. Blackman Owens. The newsclippings consist of published poems of Owens, as well as articles regarding her work with United Charities of Bessemer and a copy of her obituary. The miscellaneous materials include a calling card of Ada C. Blackman Owens and a handwritten note regarding the inscription on the J. W. Leggett Loving Cup that was presented to Owens.Series Identification:
Box 1, folders 1-12
Box 1, folders 13-15