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Epilogue a world where things are well On October 18, 1914, at the weekly meeting for the trustees and elders of First African Presbyterian Church, an issue was raised about how the standard and quality of the Sunday School classes had gone down. After some discussion, the committee decided that changes needed to be made and that during this time of transition and reorganization, the trustees and elders needed to teach the classes. One of the first to volunteer was William B. Gaillord, who volunteered both himself and his wife. She was a lifetime member, very knowledgeable about the Bible, in good financial standing; and she owned a seat in her own name.1 Emilie Frances (Davis) Gaillord was forty years old at the time, and like her mother and her father, she had grown up at First African surrounded by family and friends. She was probably present at the meeting, but like most married women during this time, her husband was able to speak for them both. She may have been sitting in either the Davis or the White family pew. Since her seat was in her name, she had probably purchased it on the family pew. Emilie Gaillord was the third child, second daughter of George Bustill and Emilie Davis White. She was named after her mother, and although Emilie Davis’s name is spelled Emily on all of her legal documents, she gave her daughter the spelling that she preferred. Connecting the Dots On December 13, 1866, one year after Alfred died and Vincent was “ever constant,” Emilie Frances Davis—a seamstress, domestic, and diarist—married George Bustill White. On her marriage certificate, her name is spelled Emily; perhaps it was misspelled, or maybe that change was indicative of all of the changes that had taken place in her life over the last year. By the end of 1865, Emilie was in a serious steady relationship with Vincent that had been slowly building over three years. In the first year, he visited twenty times, and from the earliest entries, it appears as if Emilie had some feelings for him. “Nellie and Rachel over, went to the concert,” Emilie wrote, “It was good, every one seemed pleased. Barker cam home with me, and Vincent with Rachel and Ellen (Black). I felt quiet displeased with Vincent.” This was in March, and before Epilogue 215 then Vincent had visited only twice and had escorted her to the Douglass lecture at Mother Bethel. By July Emilie had become quite fond of him: “Vincent came home with me. What I would (do) if he was not about, I do not know.” In 1864 he visited fifty-five times, but by the end of the year, Emilie was expressing some real concern over the uncertainty of their relationship: “Yesterday, Vincent spent the evening with me. He loves vists reagular but there is no understanding between us.” By the end of 1865—having visited Emilie eighty-four times throughout the year, traveling to see her when she worked outside of the city, giving her a handsome ring, writing her notes and letters, and being present in her life—Vincent was “ever constant,” “kind,” and “very affectionate.” Emilie called him her “mon cher” and seemed delighted that his presence was “passim.”2 As a reader I was intrigued by their relationship and was quite certain (hopeful , really) that they had eventually married. I searched both the 1870 and 1880 U.S. Census Reports hoping to find Emilie and Vincent. When I did not find them, I decided to try to find all of Emilie’s suitors to see if she may have married one of them. Henry Barker Black was mentioned twenty-one times and was an ideal candidate, as his sister Ellen and Emilie were such good friends. Both George Freeman (mentioned three times) and George Fulner (twice) were not discussed in any great length but were also possibilities. What is intriguing is that out of the five Georges mentioned, George Bustill White was never mentioned by his full name. Since Emilie did mention the White family, since she wrote about seeing Jake and George together (Jake was, of course, Jacob White Jr.), and since George was a member of Emilie’s Singing School Association, I concluded that he was one of the Georges that she wrote about. When I discovered that Emilie had married George, my analysis about her life and her experiences changed. All of my initial conclusions about what I thought...

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