The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-06
Aunt Mary Ann Galloway, 40,
Given Party B Her White Friends
BY BILL KEZIAH

4SAoAU ]AnA 1o1AoWo5 Ildu d party
Thursday night, not a birthday
party, her 10th birthday was on
October Is. This was just a Party
and both Aunty Mary's colored re-
latives and her white friends were
there by the scores. 1t is not often
that any one gets a chance to at
tend a party in honor of a person
who has passed her 10th mile
stone.
Recently Carl Goerich of Raleigh
sent the writer a hurry-up call to
find out if Aunt Mary Ann was still
alive. We knew she was still alive,
but not how much alive. In re-
Spouse to Carts urgent message,
we galloped around to her home
to see how much alive she was.
We found her busy at an ironing
board, humping away with an old
fashioned nat iron and with half a
dozen more irons on her red hot
stove, all in readiness for the work
that Aunt Mary Ann would put
them at in turn.
Talk about old time negroes,
Aunt Mary Ann is the personihca-
ton, and more, of all that a per-
son has heard of these old time
colored people. Interrupted in her
work by a visitor, she quickly re-
placed her iron on the stove. got
a clean white apron and was ready
to entertain or be entertained. A
clean apron is a ritual; regardless
Of how clearly she may be dress
ed when u visitor arrives, Aunt
Mary Ann always has to bring out
a fresh one when company comes.
Born a slave in the Galloway
family, prominent in the early
days of the Cape Fear country, the
descendants of Aunt Mary's white
people are now scattered from
Maine to Texas. Recently a distin-
guished member of the Galloway
family residing in Washington, D.
c., sent us a check for $40 to give
to Aunt Mary. Along with that he
self an exhaustive history of the
Galloway family from the time
they immigrated from Scotland.
Aunt Mary Ann had originally be-
longed to the great-great gand-
father of this Washington man.
Her girlhood and early woman
hood was spent as a house servant
Of the Galloways. Then came the
war and her freedom. Her white
people scattered, but descendants
of them still live in considerable
number in Brunswick, New Han
over, and Columbus counties and
with many more at various points
in the state.
Aunt Mary Ann set up for her
self. For more than the allotted
three score and ten years she has
worked as a washWoman. During
that time she has accumulated a
corner lot and a comfortable home
of her W in Southport. She has
never had children of her own but,
nieces and nephews and great
nieces and great-nepheWs by the
dozens have found her home a
haven for many years. Several
greatg-great-great nieces now live
with her. Inspired by Aunt Mary
AIMS vigorous example, they all
work. The women folks taking in
washing from the white people and
Aunt Mary Ann presiding at the
ironing.
A couple of years ago she had a
stroke of paralysis. She was then
1903 years of age and previously
to the stroke she had hardly been
absent from her wash tub during
a week day in half a century. The
stroke effected her right side all
the way, including the muscles that
controlled the lids of her right eye.
AS a result, she practically became
blind in this eye, owing to being
unable to lift the lid. 1t was also
thought that she would never
again be able to use her right arm
or leg. In fact, no one who knew
of her great age thought that she
had a chance to recover.
Six months after the stroke Aunt
Mary Ann was able to walk about
the house by supporting herself
against the walls and chairs. She
never used a stick or crutches dur.
ing her convalescene and within a
year from the time when she sui.
fered the stroke she took up reg
ular duty at the ironing board. She
has never gone back to the wash
tub, but she plies her iron all day
long and the work she now turns
out would put any modern laundry
to shame.
Mentally, she is as sound as a
person of fifty. In fact, she is I'm.
commonly bright and intelligent.
Although she is a hard worker,
she is never too busy to lay aside
her work and be hospitable to
visitors who come to her home.
She has never learned to read and
has never worn glasses. A remark
able fact is that she still has a
pretty good mouthful of her own
teeth and she always eats her two
square meals a day and goes to
church on Sundays. The church is
her one big hobby, except for her
ironing.
While still a slave, Aunt Mary
Ann married a fellow slave, Mon
day Galloway, several years pre-
uin11c to tho Civil Mnr Che hac