Tags: I see it this way! Heritage Shores Bridgville De E.W. Faircloth photography photographer grandmother church baptist methodist

In this group of Mothers is Mary Downing, my mother-in-law.  In the Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church of Bridgeville DE you have to be at least 80 years of age to be a "mother" of the church.  Mary is bottom center in photograph. During today's service, Mary was selected to be the subject of "A Women's History Moment".  Yours truly, read a short biography of her.  I felt quite comfortable standing in the pulpit.  Maybe, I'll be a Baptist or Methodist preacher during my next life:) Here's the bio read at church: -------- ----------------- ------------- ----------- According to Wikipedia.com, an reference site on the Internet: Whitesboro New Jersey was founded by an African-American Equitable Industrial Association about 1901 by a group of prominent Black American investors that included Paul Laurence Dunbar and educator Booker T. Washington. The community was named for George Henry White, the leading investor, a Washington lawyer who had previously served as a Republican congressman representing North Carolina’s second legislative district. White and his fellow entrepreneurs wanted to create a self-reliant community for blacks, without the discrimination faced the southern states. Shares in the planned community were sold to African Americans from North and South Carolina and Virginia. In 1900 Rev. Mathew Standford, his wife and 4 children had moved from Folkstone NC to Brooklyn NY. By1902 George H. White,was in Brooklyn selling lots from a tract of land in Cape May County, NJ. He was approaching potential buyers such as the Standfords, and other Black families to go own their own land and home in New Jersey. Rev. Standford and relative, Henry Beaman, left Brooklyn for New Jersey to check the offer. The men decided this would be a place to live and raise families. Rev. Stanford sent for his wife, Mariah, and their three daughters Pearl, Martha, and Mary. Henry Beaman, and others sent for their families as well. Three families, The Standfords, The Spauldings, and The Boones set up residence in an old hotel. The Beamons moved to an old farm house near the hotel. Henry Beamon would later own the first little country store while Will Spalding would run the Post Office. In 1904 Rev. Standford and others organized a mission which would later become the first church, First Baptist. Rev. Standford pastored First Baptist Church for several years. He later moved to Wildwood NJ and founded the Angel Visit Baptist Church. He remained here until 1918 and moved back to North Carolina. Ten of Rev. Standford's 15 children were born in Whiteboro. Pearl, one of the daughters of Rev. Standford met husband, Fred Henderson, in Whitesboro. Fred's family, originally from NC, had moved from Philadelphia to Whitesboro. Pearl also attended the little one room schoolhouse in Whitesboro. Once married Fred and Pearl Henderson would move to Camden NJ in 1927. They would have 8 children. Born as Mary Elizabeth Henderson or “Mother Downing” as she is known, was educated in the Camden NJ School system and later married William Downing Sr. She has worked as a sales person at Strawbridge & Clothier, which was once a large retailer in Philadelphia. She has been a clerk for the Camden NJ Board of Education. As an administrative assistant for a non-profit organization she received an award for her hard work and dedication in the field of substance abuse treatment. On another job, an award was granted for ten years of dedicated and distinguished volunteer service. Now, after having grandfather, a great uncle, an uncle, a brother and a nephew as pastors, she has been active in church most of her life. Having spent many early years at the 10th Street Baptist Church in Camden NJ, and later in the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Magnolia NJ, she sought out a place to worship once she moved to Bridgeville. After much prayer, Mount Calvary United Methodist Church seems to be the place where God wanted her to be. I need to go back just a bit. From her marriage she had two children, a son , William C. Downing Jr.( whose is deceased) and a daughter, Margo Elizabeth Downing. I got lucky and her daughter married me. Mother Downing has 4 granddaughters, two great grandsons, 1 great granddaughter and she's the oldest living of 5 generations. She's called Grammy, great Grammy and Auntie by the family clan. Thankful, Grammy(that's what's she's called around our house) remains active and self-reliant. She loves to hangs out with others at the Bridgeville Senor Center. Her hobbies include bowling, crocheting, playing pinochle, phase 10, Skipo and other card games. Most of all, she enjoys bible study and Sunday school and singing of old hymns. When she was born there was only the radio and the Victrola which was hand cranked to play music. Today she has her own Facebook, email address and orders all kinds of items off the Internet. It's been interesting to learn that her grandfather Rev. Standford helped settle the town of Whitesboro. She can remember being required to sit in the back of movie theaters because of racial discrimination. Mother Downing doesn't talk much about but remembers when there were very fews automobiles and when the milk man, bread man, rag man, not to mention the ice man all had horse and wagons. Memories of Great Depression hasn't escaped her. She recalls her and her sister standing in bread and soup lines. “We've come a mighty long ways” is what she told me last night. As of the 2000 census: there were 1,836 people, 759 households, and 478 families residing in Whitesboro. The population is not just Black or African Americans anymore. The racial makeup in 2000 was 60% White, 35% African American, and 5% from other races. Thank you, Mother Downing, for sharing this history with us.