449:(general exhaustion of the nervous system), or Beard's disease. Symptoms of neurasthenia, as described by nineteenth-century physicians, include "sick headache, noises in the ear, atonic voice, deficient mental control, bad dreams, insomnia, nervous dyspepsia (disturbed digestion), heaviness of the loin and limb, flushing and fidgetiness, palpitations, vague pains and flying neuralgia (pain along a nerve), spinal irritation, uterine irritability, impotence, hopelessness, claustrophobia, and dread of contamination." Amanda America Dickson Toomer died on June 11, 1893, with "complications of diseases" being the cause of death listed on her death certificate.
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437:, they were denied their first-class accommodations and direct, unimpeded travel to Augusta. The delayed travel to Augusta and the conditions in the Pullman car, most notably the rising temperature, became intolerable for Amanda America. As a result, her health quickly deteriorated. Dr. F. D. Kendall, who examined her on the morning of June 9, 1893, noted that her heart and lungs appeared to be fine, but that she was obviously very nervous and anxious to return home. Dr. Kendall gave her
420:, an order of black nuns, in an attempt to protect her from Charles Dickson's attentions. Charles Dickson conspired with his brother-in-law Dunbar Walton, his sister-in-law Carrie Walton Wilson, and a hired man, Louis E. Frank, to kidnap Mamie Toomer. Their plan was foiled. Walton, Frank, and their lawyer, E. J. Waring, were indicted by the grand jury of Baltimore, Maryland for conspiracy to kidnap Mamie Toomer. Charles Dickson escaped without any legal ramifications for his actions.
400:, which was in a multiracial neighborhood. White Georgians generally viewed black citizens within the racial caste system, without regard for wealth or class. But some were willing to accept children of wealthy planters, especially if mostly white. Dickson became a member of the elite black community in Augusta, Georgia. She was held in high esteem by those who came to know her because of her wealth, elegance, and intelligence.
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play the piano, unlike what was permitted her enslaved relatives. Amanda also learned rules of social etiquette appropriate for the social standing of her father's family. She learned to dress in a modest, elegant fashion and how to present herself as a "lady". Amanda also learned from her father how to conduct business transactions responsibly and how to maintain and protect her finances after marriage.
456:, which resulted in a legal battle after her death for control of her estate. Her mother, Julia Frances Lewis Dickson, and her second husband, Nathan Toomer, both petitioned in court to be designated the temporary administrator of her estate. Ultimately, Julia Dickson, Nathan Toomer, and Amanda America's younger son, Charles Dickson, settled the dispute over Amanda America's estate out of court.
175:, and Julia Frances Lewis (Dickson), a girl he enslaved, who was thirteen when her daughter was born. Amanda was raised by Elizabeth Sholars Dickson, her white grandmother and legal mistress. She was educated and schooled in the social skills of her father's class, and he helped her to enjoy a life of relative privilege away from the harsh realities of slavery before emancipation following the
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311:, and his wife Harriet. After four years of being married to (or living as a married couple with) Charles Eubanks, Amanda left her husband and returned to her father's plantation in 1870, shortly after giving birth to her second son, Charles Green. Charles Eubanks died a few years later on July 31, 1873. David Dickson's wife, Clara Harris Dickson, died the next day.
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she may have. In what became known as the David
Dickson Will Case, 79 white relatives of David Dickson disputed the will in court, mainly arguing that David Dickson was not of a sound mind when he wrote the will, that he was "unduly influenced" by Amanda America and Julia Dickson, and that Amanda America was not his child.
348:. On October 11, 1886, chief justice James Jackson, and associate justices Samuel Hall and Mark Blanford heard the case following the appeal. James Jackson expressed his firm conviction against upholding the will, saying, "I would rather die in my place than uphold the will." A few days later, he became ill with
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The death of her father, David
Dickson, on February 18, 1885, was a pivotal turning point in Amanda America's life. Immediately after his death, she took measures to protect herself legally. Also, in part to distance herself from her disgruntled white relatives whom David Dickson had left out of his
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When David
Dickson died suddenly on February 18, 1885, Amanda America Dickson inherited the majority of his vast estate, which included 17,000 acres of land. His will left his estate to her "sound judgment and unlimited discretion" and prohibited interference from anyone, including any husband that
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Amanda's father showered her with love and affection. Dickson’s social status may have enabled the child to live a life of relative privilege while enslaved. Evidence suggests that David
Dickson took charge of Amanda's education. In her white grandmother's household, she learned to read, write, and
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12-year-old Julia
Dickson, and she became pregnant. After Amanda was weaned, she was taken from her enslaved mother and maternal grandmother, Rose, to be raised in the household of her white paternal grandmother and mistress, Elizabeth Sholars Dickson. As Amanda grew, her grandmother used her as a
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In 1864, Amanda's grandmother
Elizabeth Sholars Dickson died. Amanda and her grandmother Elizabeth had shared a particularly close relationship, with Amanda spending much time in her grandmother's room. Amanda was legally held as Elizabeth's slave until her death. Beginning in 1801, Georgia had
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By 1893, Amanda
America's health had greatly improved, but a distressing family incident led to the further deterioration of her health and eventual death. Her younger son, 23-year-old Charles Dickson, who was married to Kate Holsey, became infatuated with stepsister Mamie Toomer, who was only
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filled his vacancy and refused to hear the case again. Associate justices Samuel Hall and Mark
Blanford remained to deliver the ruling regarding whether the white relatives would receive a new trial. Ultimately, eight months later, on June 13, 1887, Samuel Hall and Mark Blanford of the Georgia
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Throughout Amanda's childhood, her father became wealthier and more famous, renowned for his innovative and successful farming techniques. By 1861, he was known as the "Prince of
Georgia Farmers," having contributed perhaps more than any other farmer in Georgia at that time to the financial
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Nathan and a very ill Amanda
America arrived back at their home in Augusta, Georgia between four and five in the afternoon on June 9, 1893. She was quickly tended to by Dr. Eugene Foster, in place of their family physician, Thomas D. Coleman, who was away. She was diagnosed with
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in Georgia at the time, Amanda America and Charles, as an interracial couple, could not legally marry in Georgia. Therefore, they either never officially married, or they married out of state before returning to Georgia (but there is no surviving proof of a legal marriage.)
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R. H. Lewis ruled in favor of the will. In November 1885, the trial in the Superior Court of Hancock County began, with the eventual ruling siding with Amanda America Dickson and her two sons. Then, in March 1886, the white relatives filed their appeal with the
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in the 1850s. As a young man, Nathan had served as the personal assistant to Colonel Henry Toomer, and in that capacity learned the ways of white upper-class gentlemen. Amanda died on June 11, 1893, eleven months after they were married.
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In June 1893, with the kidnapping incident (involving Mamie Toomer, Charles Dickson, and Charles Dickson's co-conspirators) behind them, Nathan and Amanda America purchased two first-class tickets from a sales representative of the
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They had two sons: Julian Henry (1866–1937) and Charles Green Eubanks (1870–c. 1900). Their mixed-race sons later married prominent members of Georgia society. Julian Henry Eubanks married Eva Walton, the granddaughter of
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412:, whom she married on July 14, 1892. Her health was fragile throughout her second marriage, as she had several health problems which required the continual attention of her family physician, Thomas D. Coleman.
364:, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision, saying that the rights and privileges of a black woman and her children would be the same rights and privileges of a white
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prohibited slaveholders from independently freeing their slaves, requiring an act of legislature (seldom given), for each request. Therefore, Elizabeth and David Dickson had no means to
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226:, Georgia. Her enslaved mother, Julia Frances Lewis Dickson, was just 13 when she was born. Her father, David Dickson (1809-1885), was a white planter and slave
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Years after having completed her teaching degree, Amanda America married a second time, on July 14, 1892. Her second husband was Nathan Toomer from
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198:. His white relatives challenged the will but Dickson ultimately won a successful ruling in the case. His estate included 17,000 acres of land in
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Amanda America Dickson Toomer's funeral took place at the Trinity Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in Augusta, Georgia. Amanda America
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Supreme Court also ruled in favor of Amanda America and her two sons, formally settling the dispute of David Dickson's will. Citing the
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who owned her mother; he was one of the eight wealthiest plantation owners in the county. When he was 40 years old, David Dickson had
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counties in Georgia. She married twice: Her first husband was white, while her second husband was wealthy, educated, and mixed-race.
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who became known as one of the wealthiest African-American women of the 19th century after inheriting a large estate from her white
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man of her class. He was the child of an enslaved black woman, Kit, and a wealthy white Toomer man who had settled in
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fourteen years old. On March 10, 1893, Nathan and Amanda brought Mamie to the St. Francis School and Convent in
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white woman and her children. So, the same laws governed the rights and privileges of women of both races.
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At the age of 27, Amanda chose to leave her father's plantation in Hancock County, Georgia to attend the
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318:, and she legally was known as Amanda America Dickson Toomer. Nathan Toomer was a wealthy, educated
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Amanda America Dickson spent the last eleven months of her life as the wife of Nathan Toomer, from
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722:"Restoration project, historic plaque to shine light on Augusta's first Black millionaire"
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Nine months after Dickson's death, Nathan Toomer married Nina Pinchback, the daughter of
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She arrived in Augusta in 1886 and purchased a large, seven-bedroom house at 452
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to transport them from Baltimore, Maryland back to Augusta, Georgia. Because of
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In 1866, at the age of sixteen, Amanda America moved to a small plantation in
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senator-elect from Louisiana. On December 26, 1894, they became parents to
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Woman of Color, Daughter of Privilege: Amanda America Dickson (1849-1893)
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642:"David Dickson | American farmer and writer | Britannica"
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After her father's death in 1885, Amanda Dickson inherited his
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that depicts the life of Amanda America Dickson. It stars
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251:Amanda and keep her with them in Georgia until the
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152:(November 20, 1849 – June 11, 1893) was an
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179:. In her late 20s, Dickson attended the
882:People enslaved in Georgia (U.S. state)
620:. Athens: University of Georgia Press.
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852:19th-century American women landowners
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475:writer, noted for his modernist novel
773:Harrison, John Kent (July 30, 2000),
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695:. Santa Barbara: Greenwood. pp.
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659:"Amanda America Dickson (1849-1893)"
508:as Julia Frances Lewis Dickson, and
393:, which was a familiar city to her.
305:American Declaration of Independence
140:Julia Frances Lewis Dickson (mother)
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862:19th-century African-American women
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720:Cline, Damon (December 25, 2020).
309:Colored Methodist Episcopal Church
292:laws against inter-racial marriage
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485:Representation in popular culture
384:Amanda America's house in Augusta
857:19th-century American landowners
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754:. University of Georgia Library
441:, a pain-relieving medication.
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612:Leslie, Kent Anderson (1995).
512:as Elizabeth Sholars Dickson.
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114:; died 1893)
842:19th-century American slaves
832:People from Augusta, Georgia
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16:American slave and socialite
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752:"Bishop Louis Henry Holsey"
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431:Pullman Palace Car Company
239:prosperity of the region.
189:historically black college
837:Atlanta University alumni
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867:Literate American slaves
663:New Georgia Encyclopedia
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346:Supreme Court of Georgia
210:Early life and education
471:. He became known as a
324:Houston County, Georgia
54:Hancock County, Georgia
806:Amanda America Dickson
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877:American women slaves
726:The Augusta Chronicle
435:racial discrimination
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284:Floyd County, Georgia
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191:, from 1876 to 1878.
872:Free people of color
808:at Wikimedia Commons
732:on February 28, 2021
331:David Dickson's will
847:American socialites
454:died without a will
418:Baltimore, Maryland
389:will, she moved to
687:Berry, Daina Ramey
504:as David Dickson,
473:Harlem Renaissance
465:Reconstruction Era
461:P. B. S. Pinchback
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264:Atlanta University
235:domestic servant.
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185:Atlanta University
177:American Civil War
78:Atlanta University
804:Media related to
706:978-0-313-34908-9
357:Logan E. Bleckley
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469:Jean Toomer
816:Categories
516:References
352:and died.
204:Washington
167:Born into
46:1849-11-20
782:April 10,
668:April 10,
366:concubine
350:pneumonia
270:Marriages
481:(1923).
164:father.
123:Children
439:anodyne
249:manumit
200:Hancock
173:planter
169:slavery
162:planter
158:Georgia
131:Parents
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355:Judge
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697:58–59
424:Death
232:raped
106:(
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784:2016
760:2021
738:2021
701:ISBN
670:2016
622:ISBN
478:Cane
288:Rome
202:and
187:, a
112:1892
62:Died
56:, US
40:Born
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