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MARGARET WILLIAMS AND THE BLACK COMMUNITY OF OWEGO, NEW YORK
There are few black people left in Owego, New York, but they represent a group whose roots go back to the earliest days of Tioga County history. Many of the first blacks were brought in as slaves by families who migrated here from the South, although there were many freemen as well. Slavery was abolished in New York State in 1827.
The New York State Census of 1835 listed 53 blacks living in Owego. This was double the figure of 1830. In 1842 the black community of Owego formed its own church, the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Owego, known commonly as the Bethel Church. Its first minister was Rev. Thomas Jackson and it lasted over 100 years.
The black population of Owego stood at 79 in 1865. In 1870 this figure jumped to 165. This increase was due to an emigration from the South. (Other areas of New York State experienced a similar influx.) Most of the blacks maintained their own households and worked as laborers, but other occupations were represented as well. A few also owned their own farms.
The black population peaked at 225 in 1892. From that time on the community slowly but steadily declined. The membership of the Bethel Church dropped to the point that it was dissolved in the late 1940s. Today there are few remainders of what once had been a substantial group of people.
Margaret Williams represents part of Owego's black past. She was born in Owego 87 years ago, the youngest of Edward and Mary Scott's five children. At the age of two her family moved to a home on Fox Street where she has lived for 85 years.
She loves to talk about her family history which she can trace back to the Revolutionary War. Her grandfather was a veteran of the Civil War, and her husband, who ran a barbershop in Owego for many years, was a veteran of World War I.
Her mother loved children and always took care of other children besides her own. Although Mrs. Williams is childless, she inherited this family trait. Over the years she has helped raise and look after a number of children, both white...