{52 Ancestors #2} Ms. Julia Estelle Herndon - Dillard University's Delta Dear


I'm a little late posting this, but thought it fitting to write about my oldest family soror on the 101st anniversary of our esteemed sorority.

Julia Estelle Herndon was born in February of 1894 in Oxford, North Carolina to Harriett Herndon and a yet unknown father. She had two sisters -- Florence and Alice -- the former of which was my great-grandmother (Garfield Cross's wife).

Aunt Julia was an amazing, smart, strong woman who lived most of her adult life in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was a life-long educator and active member of her community. While she never married or had children of her own, she raised my great-aunt, Julia Margaret Cross (Garfield Cross's only daughter).

She also owned land in Oxford, NC, Mississippi and New Orleans:
Notice of Sale - 23 September 1951

More to the point, she helped charter the Beta Gamma Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. at Dillard University in 1937.

Aunt Julia left a legacy of dedication, service, and education; but not only that, she also left books, papers, letters and photographs that tell the story of her amazing life. I'm still putting it all together and hope to share more soon. I am so grateful for the glimpse into her life, and the life of those around her, that she left...for me.

Comments

  1. Hello Cousin Nia and family, I am Sylvia Florence Cross Davis and my family and I live in Durham , NC about twenty miles from Granville County, Oxford, NC. My daughter, Daphne, and I have visited the Court House and examined the records there. While there, we found records of my father, Solomon P. Cross and Grandmother Florence whose name I was given. Your records listed a Sylvania George from which my name is derived. Incidentally , Sylvia means woods or forest and I think of how valuable trees are to all forms of animal and human life.
    While we were in the records, we were told by the docent that there was a Doctor Herndon who lived there and had three daughters. We're still searching for added information , but did locate our
    grandmother's marriage certificate to Solomon Philpott. You are aware that grandma Cross re -married to our wonderful Uncle Garfield Cross's father and added the Cross name to my Dad's name. No one ever explained this phenomenon to us, but I am relieved to be a Cross because we would have been mercilessly teased in school with a last name PHILPoTT. no disrespect to the Philpott
    heritage because we found a whole bunch of them. There are highways flowing through Suffolk, and Martinsville, Va. with the name A.L. Philpott. This may be the reason Granma Cross moved
    to Portsmouth , Va. In those days, children were seen and not heard.
    We have researched our Mother's family tree to Nigeria, Senegal, and Guinea. Arielle has traveled to
    Gambia, Morroco and Senegal. Seikou has traveled to The Gambia and Senegal, and Daphne to
    Sierra Leone. Our tribal group is Yoruba. We're so delightfully to continue our journey and free ourselves from generational brain washing.

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