Lillian B. Horace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lillian Bertha Jones Horace
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1916 portrait of Lillian B. Horace by Frank Leffler
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| Born | April 29, 1880 |
| Died | August 1, 1965 (aged 85) |
| Alma mater | Simmons College (BA) University of Chicago (MA) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Organization | Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Progressive Woman's Club, Alphin Charity and Literary Arts Club |
| Spouse(s) | David Jones (married 1899–1919) Joseph Gentry Horace (married 1930–1946) |
Lillian Bertha Jones Horace (born Amstead; April 29, 1880 – August 1, 1965) was an amazing African American writer, teacher, and librarian from Fort Worth, Texas. She is best known for her novels Five Generations Hence (1916), Crowned with Glory and Honor, and Angie Brown. These were the first novels ever written by an African-American woman from Texas! Lillian taught, traveled, and wrote throughout her life. When she retired, she had been an educator for over thirty years.
Contents
Lillian Horace's Life Story
Growing Up and Learning
Lillian Bertha Amstead was born on April 29, 1880, in Jefferson, Texas. Her parents were Thomas Amstead and Macey Ackard Matthews. She also had a sister named Etta. When Lillian was two, her family moved to Fort Worth. Her father didn't support them much, so Lillian and Etta helped their mother earn money.
Lillian went to the East Ninth Street Colored School. This was the first free public school in Fort Worth for Black students. She also went to Mt. Gilead Baptist Church. Lillian loved learning and attended many colleges. These included historically black colleges in the Jim Crow South. Jim Crow laws were unfair rules that separated Black and white people.
In 1898, Lillian went to Bishop College. This college was founded by Baptists. She said it helped her become very committed to her Baptist faith. She also took summer classes to become a teacher. In 1914, she graduated at the top of her class from Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College.
Lillian kept learning even while teaching. She took summer courses at the University of Chicago many times. She also studied at the University of Colorado Boulder and Columbia University. In 1920, she earned her bachelor's degree from Simmons College in Kentucky. She even worked as the Dean of Women there. Later, in 1940, she went back to the University of Chicago to study Library Science.
Her Career as a Teacher and Writer
After college, Lillian moved back to Texas. She married David Jones, the son of her pastor. In 1901, she started her first teaching job in a small community called Parvin. The next year, she became the principal of the Handley Colored School. This was a one-room school east of Fort Worth.
In 1911, Lillian returned to I.M. Terrell High School to teach English. She taught there for many years. She created the school's journalism and drama programs. She also started a school newspaper called Terrellife. Lillian even built the school's first library using books donated by parents. She was also the dean of girls at the school for a long time.
Even though she loved teaching, Lillian's biggest dream was "to write a book worth reading." In 1916, she published her first book herself. It was a utopian story called Five Generations Hence. This was the first known novel by an African-American woman in Texas! The story is about an African-American teacher named Grace Noble. It suggests that Black Americans could find a solution to their problems by returning to Africa. This book was not widely known at first. But in 1995, parts of it were included in another book, bringing it to people's attention.
In 1938, Lillian started writing a biography of Dr. Lacey Kirk Williams. He was a minister at Olivet Baptist Church in Chicago. It was the biggest church in the U.S. at the time. Dr. Williams had been a minister at Lillian's own church in Fort Worth before. He died in a plane crash in 1940. Lillian finished the book, but it wasn't published until 1964. Martin Luther King Jr. even noticed it! The book, "Crowned with Glory and Honor": The Life of Rev. Lacey Kirk Williams, was finally published in 1978, after Lillian had passed away.
Lillian's second novel, Angie Brown, was written while she traveled. This book focused on how Black and white women could work together. It was published in 2017, also after her death.
Her Personal Life and Community Work
Lillian B. Horace was very active in her community. She was a member of many clubs and organizations. These included the Zeta Phi Beta sorority and the Progressive Women's Club. She also worked with the Texas Library Association and the National PTA. As a leader and teacher at the "separate but superior" I.M. Terrell High School, Lillian inspired many African American women. These included educator Hazel Harvey Peace and civil rights activist Lulu Belle Madison White.
Lillian was married twice. Her first marriage was to David Jones in 1900. They divorced in 1919. In 1930, she married Joseph Gentry Horace. He was seven years younger than her and worked at Swift & Co. With Lillian's help, he went to seminary to become a minister. They moved to Chicago when he transferred to Northern Seminary. He became a minister there. Lillian continued to teach in Fort Worth, even though her husband's church expected her to be with him in Chicago. They divorced in 1946.
Lillian did not have any children. She passed away from heart disease on August 6, 1965, in Fort Worth. She was buried at Old Trinity Cemetery. Many people from the organizations she was part of attended her funeral.
Lillian Horace's Books
Why Her Books Matter
For many years, Lillian Bertha Jones Horace's books were hard to find. Then, Karen Kossie-Chernyshev, a professor, found her diary and novels at the Fort Worth Public Library. Lillian was one of the few African American women writers in the South during the 1940s. Her work helps us understand more about Southern Literature.
During the early to mid-1900s, the South had strict Jim Crow laws. These laws limited the freedom of African Americans. Dr. Veronica Watson says these laws influenced Lillian's writing. In her diaries, Lillian wrote about everything from politics to her personal life. She also wrote about times she felt treated unfairly. For example, after a difficult experience at a store, she wrote about feeling insulted because of her race.
Lillian's novels also show themes of oppression and unfairness. Like famous writers Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, she used her writing to speak out against white supremacy. Her books help us learn how Black female authors wrote about race during that time. She also admired Richard Wright's autobiography Black Boy. She liked his writing style but felt his portrayal of African Americans was too negative.
Lillian wrote at least three novels. These are Five Generations Hence, Crowned with Glory and Honor, and Angie Brown. Even though she had a long teaching career, she always wanted to write. She didn't get much recognition for her writing during her lifetime. But after her novels were found, many essays were written about her work. These were put together in a book called Recovering Five Generations Hence: The Life and Writing of Lillian Jones Horace. This book even includes her novel Five Generations Hence.
Five Generations Hence
Five Generations Hence was Lillian's first novel, written in 1916. She had trouble getting it published, so she published it herself. She even co-owned the publishing company! This novel was lost for many years. Then, in 1996, Carol Kessler included a part of it in her book Daring to Dream.
Lillian's novel is the first known utopian novel written by an African American. The main characters, Grace Noble (a teacher) and Violet Gray (a missionary), are both Black women. Gray calls herself the "advance guard of a mighty nation." Noble is described as the "truest and best type." By focusing on smart Black female characters, Lillian challenged old ideas about Black women. The story suggests that Black people could solve problems by moving to Africa.
Crowned with Glory and Honor
Crowned with Glory and Honor was written in 1943. It is a biography of Reverend Lacey Kirk Williams. He was a very important pastor and president of the National Baptist Convention. Reverend Williams died just as Lillian finished the book. This caused problems among the church leaders, and Lillian couldn't get them to publish the book.
However, many years later, Lillian shared her novel at a meeting. In 1978, thirteen years after Lillian's death, a leader named L. Vencheal Booth published her work.
Angie Brown
Angie Brown was Lillian's third novel, written in 1949. She tried to get it published in New York, but it didn't work out. This novel talks about Black and white women working together. The main character, Angie Brown, is an African American woman. She goes through a very sad time when her baby dies and her husband leaves her. She finds support from both Black and white women on her journey. In turn, she becomes a positive influence on the people around her.
