Cornelius B. Mumford
 |
Cornelius B. Mumford
By Spessard Stone
Cornelius B. Mumford was a prominent church leader in the black community of Bowling Green, Florida.
Cornelius was, according to her death certificate, born April 20, 1875 in South Carolina. The same document listed that her mother was Laura Beatty, but the name of her father was not given by the informant. The earliest found record of her age, the 1910 census of DeSoto County, however, indicated she was born about 1883. Cornelius by 1902 had moved to Bowling Green in DeSoto (now Hardee) County. At the Arcadia courthouse on January 29, 1903, Cornelius Beatty was married by Judge A. E. Pooser to Henry Mumford.
Ages of African Americans in public records vary considerably, and thus it is difficult to ascertain their exact ages. Henry was no exception. Henry, according to his death certificate, was born February 3, 1879 in Savannah, Georgia. The 1900 census of DeSoto County, however, listed in precinct nine, Arcadia, a single black man, Henry Mumford, born September 1866 in Georgia. The January 1920 census of DeSoto County gave his age as forty-six. In 1935, he was reported to be sixty-eight. Thus, Henry’s birth year was at various times indicated to have been 1866, 1867, 1873, and 1879.
The Mumfords settled in Bowling Green. They were enumerated in household 180 in precinct 15, Bowling Green Town, in the 1910 census of DeSoto County, dated April 27. Henry was occupied as a wood cutter. Cornelius was listed as the mother of one living child, but the only other occupant of their home was a 25-year-old boarder, John Porr(?), a laborer. The couple owned their home mortgage free. Neighbors of the Mumfords included: Anthony and Lottie(?) Epps, Joseph and Lily Bryant, Rev. Frank and Lucinda Kinlauch, Charlie and Rasti Williams, Walter and Laura Conyers, John W. and Carrie Conyers, Charlie and Maggie Bynam, Sara McCoy, Lee and Maggie Lyons, James and Lena Douglas, John and Esther Conyers.
Cornelius had only a fourth grade education, but she was able to read and write and was a leader in the black Baptist church. Chester Grove Baptist Church was constituted on October 14, 1902 in Cornelius’ home at Bowling Green. Services were held in the home of Cornelius, “mother of the church,” until 1904 when the members moved into their first church building where they held services until 1910. Learning their church had in error been erected on property owned by the DeSoto County School Board, the church sold it to the School Board about 1910.
A rectangular, wooden structure with a high gable roof and belfry over the front entrance was then built on property adjoining the first church, located in the Negro quarters, about one-fourth mile west of Highway 17, with the first services held July 17, 1910. Cornelius was about one-fourth mile west of the new church. The trustees were Henry Mumford, A. Peterson, Rev. J. C. Conyer, A. Epps, with Cornelius Mumford, Mother, and Rev. R. Thomas, Pastor.
Henry and Cornelius Mumford were recorded in household 122/132 in the Bowling Green precinct of the 1920 census of DeSoto County. Henry was still occupied as a woodchopper. Neighbors included the families of Wash and Mattie Blanton, Charlie and Maggie Bynam, Walter and Laura Conyers, John and Easter Conyers, Bob and Lizzie Dunn, Willie and Lela Leggit, Sidney and Cleola Jackson, Anthony and Laudie(?) Epps.
A 1935 census reported Henry as a laborer with a fourth grade education, who, nevertheless, owned his home. Henry Mumford died on February 27, 1936 in Bowling Green. He had been attended from January 8 to his death by Dr. J. M. Philpot of Bowling Green.
In October 1939, Anthony Epps, deacon, Charlie Jones, “old settler,” Reuben Thomas, church clerk, and Cornelius Mumford, “Mother of church,” assisted Lucy G. Crumley of the Works Progress Administration in writing an historical survey of Chester Grove Baptist Church. At that time the Rev. Andrew Warren, the pastor, lived in Tampa and preached once a month.
Cornelius continued to live at Bowling Green until she began a patient, attended by Dr. M. A. Collier, in the Wauchula Infirmary where she died after five days hospitalization on October 19, 1959. Survivors included Mary M. Shaw, a niece, of Bowling Green. Funeral services were held Sunday, October 25, 1959 at 2:00 P.M. at the Chester Grove Baptist Church with Rev. T. W. Streeter officiating. Bryant L. Coker was the funeral director.
Acknowledgment: My thanks are extended to Barbara Brown for her research assistance.
This was published in The Herald-Advocate (Wauchula, Fla.) of July 6, 2000.
February 03, 2001