Irene Coates Interview Notes

Mrs. Irene Coates came here when Bay StStreet was water.

Where Oak &and Peters is was a grits millgritsmillSee gritsmill. ground by water. One R.R.railroad coming into JaxJacksonville. One from Fernan–dina. It ran down Broad St.Street. Between Broad &and Jeff.Jefferson was R.R.railroad from FrnFernandina to JaxJacksonville, turn down Bay StStreet to Hogan &and Depotdepot was on Corcorner of Hogan &and Bay. 2 A technical limitation currently prevents us from centering this page number, as well as other on pages that follow. Where Stanton schoolSchool is was ^blackBlack jackJack oaksOaks place, where she used to take baby &and plattplat See plat. wild grass &and play in creek.

Creek came out Allall broadWe have interpreted broad here as the street name. On the Koch map from 1876, Hogans Creek begins near Bridge Street, which later became Broad Street. The term could also be read as describing the creek, as on that map, the creek begins to widen as it passes Stanton and flows toward downtown. from Stanton. Pratts, Holmes Under–taker are was water.The word where appears to be missing at the beginning of this thought. Saw men throw nets &and draw in mullet, Fromfrom Broad to Clay &and Adams to Ward St.Street. A lady named.This thought appears to have been left unfinished here, to be started again in a different fashion on the following page.

Came here from Camden Co.County, St. Mary's, GaGeorgia, with white woman, named Lue Bedell, &and Jimmie Bedell, to nurse the baby. They raised her. Came on boat down Cintilla River,The reference is possibly to the Satilla River, although if this is a sequence of rivers traveled on a journey south from some point north (further north than St. Marys, given the refenence below to the Savannah River), the route of the Satilla would not seem to form part of such a route. Ginlatt River,The river referenced (Ginlatt) has not been identified. ~~& finally St. Johns,~~ Savannah River, Amelia River, &and then St. Johns (Barbar,). Landed where at foot of Bridge St.Street. Lived on Bridge &and AdamAdams. Mrs. Patterson's home, Nat 4 PattersonsPatterson's home.

The published narrative of the Irene Coates interview employs her childhood with the Bedell family as a frame, locating Irene's employment in their home in the context of a crisis in domestic labor in the South after the Civil War. See SN3:

"Immediately after slavery in the United States, the southern white people found themselves without servants, women who were accustomed to having a nurse, maid, cook and laundress found themselves without sufficient money to pay wages to all these. There was a great amount of work to be done and the great problem confronting married women who had not been taught to work and who thought it beneath their standing to soil their hands, found it very difficult.

"There were on the other hand many Negro women who needed work and young girls who needed guidance and training.

"The home and guidance or the aristocratic white people offered the best opportunity for the dependent un-schooled freed women; and it was in this kind of home that the ex-slave child of this story was reared.

"Irene Coates of 3015 Windle Street, Jacksonville, Florida, was born in Georgia about 1859. She was close to six years of age when freedom was declared.

"She was one among the many Negro children who had the advantage of living under the direct supervision of kind whites and receiving the care which could only be excelled by an educated mother, Jimmie and Lou Bedell were the names of the man and wife who saw the need of having a Negro girl come into their home as one in the family and at the same time be assured of a good and efficient servant in years to come. When Irene was old enough, she became the nurse of the Bedell baby and when the family left Savannah, Georgia to come to Jacksonville, they brought Irene with them" (74-75).

Property on Bridge. runningRunning to Clay &and Adams to Ward was place where orange trees, grape vines. No fine houses in JaxJacksonville, only California –style houses. JaxJacksonville took up about 4four acres in all,. __________ ~~Stanton schoolSchool was~~ Where Cohen's is, was woods,. Mt. Zion churchChurch was oak grove &and colored people 5 held church in log cabin. Acrossacross the creek.

One Depotdepot in JaxJacksonville on Corcorner Hogan &and Bay, only from Fernandina.

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Where Uncle Neal Pawn Shop is now, Boatsboats landed, &and the man she nursed for bought his little boat from there. Main StStreet was Pine St.Street, &and colored people had houses on it.

Where Union Depot is was fish pond. ~~Where~~ Only one hotel here, called St. James hotelHotel, where Cohen Cohen appears thus in the manuscript, but should likely be read as Cohen's, as on page 4. is now. White brick hotel — , 2two– or 3three –story. Where Knights of PhythiasPythias Hall, Odd Fellow Hall is was water. All flowed down to Hogan Creek.

Where "Oak &and Peters is she looked at them grind grittsgrits. Only few colored people here.

La VillaLaVilla was across the creek,. The creek referenced here is likely McCoy's Creek, mentioned by name on page 7 of these notes, which passed through the Brooklyn neighborhood on its way to meet the St. Johns River after passing under a bridge at end of Bridge Street. creekCreek came down from Brooklyn,Brooklyn appears as Brookly in the original. bridgeBridgeWe have understood bridge here as a street name. between Broad &and Jefferson, all way out to Hogan StStreet Wherewhere Masonic Temple, and all across Broad they had large stones, bulkhead. Brought freight trains full of GaGeorgia sand to fill in JaxJacksonville. Car after car came in.

Sporting women could be told from other women. woreWore beaver hats with feather in it &and short hair. Rooster (black) feather. Men knew them. They dressed diff.differently from other women. We have interpreted the abbreviation diff. as differently, but different (used as an adverb) is also a possible reading.

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Burbridge Cemetery was being used.

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McCoy creekCreek was all way to Bay StStreet.

Remember when first Coast Line train came in here. Was here before any Coastcoast line was herhere.This sentence ends with her in the original, we have emended to here.

Went to StSt. Aug.Augustine on boat. rodeRode in Surreysurrey from boat into St. Aug.Augustine. No R.R.railroad to St. Aug.Augustine.

Married in Camden Co.County, Ga.Georgia. Came back here the year of earth quakeearthquake. See Earthquake, c. 1888.

Father &and mother of 5five children, 3three living, 9nine grand– 7 8eight or great–grands.

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76 yrsyears old.

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Born. 6Six yrsyears after, freedom.

1936 – 76 =__________ 1860 Muse appears here to calculate Irene Coates's approximate birthdate. The published narrative (SN3) states that she was born about 1859 and that she was "close to six years of age when freedom was declared" (74). Related material is found in Charles and Irene Coates Age and Date Calculations.

From this point, the material corresponds to the final pages (20 front and 21, front and back) of the Charles Coates Interview Notes. We transcribe that material here only. From this point, the material corresponds to the final pages (20 front and 21, front and back) of the notes from the Charles Coates interview. We transcribe that material here only. 2Two years before Grant, he died ~~your~~, she married. When Garfield was Pres.president, her oldest child was baby. Garfield was president in 1881, being inaugurated and assassinated that same year.

Came to, HilliardsHilliard,Muse writes Hilliards in the original, here and below. Fla.Florida, Nassau CoCounty, year of earth quakeearthquake. fromFrom HilliardsHilliard to Duval Co.County.

Been here since before mule cars came into use here. On Bay StStreet where Station A is now. Very spot where it is. All that part of city river. Boats on river, row boats.