Martha Countee Whiting, Houston preservationist of African-American history, dies at 100
Martha Countee Whiting only stopped baking Christmas cookies when she was no longer strong enough to stir molasses into the dough. Her failing strength may have limited her role in the tradition of holiday baking, but it didn't stop her from telling stories of her family, which helped found Houston's first free African-American community.
Up until she was 98, Whiting led holiday tours of her old house, restored and relocated to The Heritage Society museum at Sam Houston Park on Bagby Street. Her grandfather, Jack Yates, built the home in the late 1800s on Andrews Street in the early days of Freedmen's Town, just five years after being freed from slavery.
Five months ago, family and friends gathered to celebrate Whiting's 100th birthday at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, where her grandfather was the first pastor. They'll gather there again Friday to celebrate Whiting's life. She died last week after a five-year battle with breast cancer.
Whiting never met the grandfather who helped shape religious life, education and home ownership for some of the first African-Americans to make Houston home, but she continued his legacy of civic service.
"Her family had her speak when she was 12 years old when Jack Yates High School opened," said daughter Martha Goddard.
Whiting taught math and science in the Houston Independent School District for 31 years until 1973, when she turned her attention more to preserving and teaching the city's African-American history.
She served on the board of directors for The Heritage Society and succeeded in adding Antioch to the National Register of Historic Places, which helped protect it from demolition.
She volunteered at area public schools and told stories of her family for history projects. After she gave her grandfather's house to The Heritage Society, she waited in a lawn chair at Sam Houston Park to see it arrive at the site where it would be restored to its 1870 appearance.
Evelyn Boatwright, president of the board at The Heritage Society, said organizers at the annual candlelight tours always try to keep the crowds moving, but they'd often learn lines were backing up at the Yates house.
"Well, yes," Boatwright remembers explaining. "Martha's there tonight."
Because of her mother's work schedule as a nurse, Whiting moved into the house with her aunt Pinkie Yates.
Yates continued to live there as Whiting raised her own children, Goddard said, and the duo would bake fresh coconut cake every Christmas.
Christmas Day traditionally began with Yates joining Martha and her husband, Samuel, as the couple's five daughters pulled presents from under a fresh-cut tree. Later, more relatives would walk up to the lighted house from just down the street, followed by friends from the community.
Then, of course, they'd go to the church that Jack Yates built and Whiting helped save.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Whiting, in 2002.
She is survived by her daughters, Jacqueline Bostic, 74, of Houston; Sammie Ellis, 72, of Washington, D.C.; Nan Garza, 66, and her husband, David, of Austin; Tommye Casey, 65, of Philadelphia, Pa.; and Martha Anne Goddard, 63, and her husband, Emmanuel, of Houston. Whiting also had 10 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
A public service is scheduled for Friday at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 500 Clay St. Viewing will be 9-10 a.m., followed immediately by the service. The family asks that donations in Whiting's memory be made to The Heritage Society or Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.
The Houston Chronicle, By Jayme Fraser | August 29, 2012
_________________________________________________
Martha Jacqueline Countee peacefully entered into eternal rest August 25th. She was born March 24 1912 in Marshall Texas to parentage of the late Thomas Countee and Nannie Selena Yates Countee.
Mrs Whiting life will be celebrated at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 500 Clay, August 31st at 10 AM.
Mrs Whiting will be resting in the Rose Chapel of Mabrie Memorial Mortuary, today, August 30th from 1 until 8 PM.
A Memorial Service is scheduled for 6:30 PM.
In God's care she leaves five daughters: Jacqueline Bostic; Sammie Ellis; Nan Garza (David); Tommye Casey; and Martha Anne Goddard (Emmanuel); stepdaughter, Doris R Countee; sister-in-law, Mattie B Hilliard; ten grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and a host of loving relatives, friends, and students.
Her husband, Mr Samuel Whiting preceded her in death.
Published in Houston Chronicle on August 30, 2012
Martha Countee Whiting only stopped baking Christmas cookies when she was no longer strong enough to stir molasses into the dough. Her failing strength may have limited her role in the tradition of holiday baking, but it didn't stop her from telling stories of her family, which helped found Houston's first free African-American community.
Up until she was 98, Whiting led holiday tours of her old house, restored and relocated to The Heritage Society museum at Sam Houston Park on Bagby Street. Her grandfather, Jack Yates, built the home in the late 1800s on Andrews Street in the early days of Freedmen's Town, just five years after being freed from slavery.
Five months ago, family and friends gathered to celebrate Whiting's 100th birthday at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, where her grandfather was the first pastor. They'll gather there again Friday to celebrate Whiting's life. She died last week after a five-year battle with breast cancer.
Whiting never met the grandfather who helped shape religious life, education and home ownership for some of the first African-Americans to make Houston home, but she continued his legacy of civic service.
"Her family had her speak when she was 12 years old when Jack Yates High School opened," said daughter Martha Goddard.
Whiting taught math and science in the Houston Independent School District for 31 years until 1973, when she turned her attention more to preserving and teaching the city's African-American history.
She served on the board of directors for The Heritage Society and succeeded in adding Antioch to the National Register of Historic Places, which helped protect it from demolition.
She volunteered at area public schools and told stories of her family for history projects. After she gave her grandfather's house to The Heritage Society, she waited in a lawn chair at Sam Houston Park to see it arrive at the site where it would be restored to its 1870 appearance.
Evelyn Boatwright, president of the board at The Heritage Society, said organizers at the annual candlelight tours always try to keep the crowds moving, but they'd often learn lines were backing up at the Yates house.
"Well, yes," Boatwright remembers explaining. "Martha's there tonight."
Because of her mother's work schedule as a nurse, Whiting moved into the house with her aunt Pinkie Yates.
Yates continued to live there as Whiting raised her own children, Goddard said, and the duo would bake fresh coconut cake every Christmas.
Christmas Day traditionally began with Yates joining Martha and her husband, Samuel, as the couple's five daughters pulled presents from under a fresh-cut tree. Later, more relatives would walk up to the lighted house from just down the street, followed by friends from the community.
Then, of course, they'd go to the church that Jack Yates built and Whiting helped save.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Whiting, in 2002.
She is survived by her daughters, Jacqueline Bostic, 74, of Houston; Sammie Ellis, 72, of Washington, D.C.; Nan Garza, 66, and her husband, David, of Austin; Tommye Casey, 65, of Philadelphia, Pa.; and Martha Anne Goddard, 63, and her husband, Emmanuel, of Houston. Whiting also had 10 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
A public service is scheduled for Friday at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 500 Clay St. Viewing will be 9-10 a.m., followed immediately by the service. The family asks that donations in Whiting's memory be made to The Heritage Society or Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.
The Houston Chronicle, By Jayme Fraser | August 29, 2012
_________________________________________________
Martha Jacqueline Countee peacefully entered into eternal rest August 25th. She was born March 24 1912 in Marshall Texas to parentage of the late Thomas Countee and Nannie Selena Yates Countee.
Mrs Whiting life will be celebrated at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 500 Clay, August 31st at 10 AM.
Mrs Whiting will be resting in the Rose Chapel of Mabrie Memorial Mortuary, today, August 30th from 1 until 8 PM.
A Memorial Service is scheduled for 6:30 PM.
In God's care she leaves five daughters: Jacqueline Bostic; Sammie Ellis; Nan Garza (David); Tommye Casey; and Martha Anne Goddard (Emmanuel); stepdaughter, Doris R Countee; sister-in-law, Mattie B Hilliard; ten grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and a host of loving relatives, friends, and students.
Her husband, Mr Samuel Whiting preceded her in death.
Published in Houston Chronicle on August 30, 2012
Martha Countee Whiting, Houston preservationist of African-American history, dies at 100
Martha Countee Whiting only stopped baking Christmas cookies when she was no longer strong enough to stir molasses into the dough. Her failing strength may have limited her role in the tradition of holiday baking, but it didn't stop her from telling stories of her family, which helped found Houston's first free African-American community.
Up until she was 98, Whiting led holiday tours of her old house, restored and relocated to The Heritage Society museum at Sam Houston Park on Bagby Street. Her grandfather, Jack Yates, built the home in the late 1800s on Andrews Street in the early days of Freedmen's Town, just five years after being freed from slavery.
Five months ago, family and friends gathered to celebrate Whiting's 100th birthday at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, where her grandfather was the first pastor. They'll gather there again Friday to celebrate Whiting's life. She died last week after a five-year battle with breast cancer.
Whiting never met the grandfather who helped shape religious life, education and home ownership for some of the first African-Americans to make Houston home, but she continued his legacy of civic service.
"Her family had her speak when she was 12 years old when Jack Yates High School opened," said daughter Martha Goddard.
Whiting taught math and science in the Houston Independent School District for 31 years until 1973, when she turned her attention more to preserving and teaching the city's African-American history.
She served on the board of directors for The Heritage Society and succeeded in adding Antioch to the National Register of Historic Places, which helped protect it from demolition.
She volunteered at area public schools and told stories of her family for history projects. After she gave her grandfather's house to The Heritage Society, she waited in a lawn chair at Sam Houston Park to see it arrive at the site where it would be restored to its 1870 appearance.
Evelyn Boatwright, president of the board at The Heritage Society, said organizers at the annual candlelight tours always try to keep the crowds moving, but they'd often learn lines were backing up at the Yates house.
"Well, yes," Boatwright remembers explaining. "Martha's there tonight."
Because of her mother's work schedule as a nurse, Whiting moved into the house with her aunt Pinkie Yates.
Yates continued to live there as Whiting raised her own children, Goddard said, and the duo would bake fresh coconut cake every Christmas.
Christmas Day traditionally began with Yates joining Martha and her husband, Samuel, as the couple's five daughters pulled presents from under a fresh-cut tree. Later, more relatives would walk up to the lighted house from just down the street, followed by friends from the community.
Then, of course, they'd go to the church that Jack Yates built and Whiting helped save.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Whiting, in 2002.
She is survived by her daughters, Jacqueline Bostic, 74, of Houston; Sammie Ellis, 72, of Washington, D.C.; Nan Garza, 66, and her husband, David, of Austin; Tommye Casey, 65, of Philadelphia, Pa.; and Martha Anne Goddard, 63, and her husband, Emmanuel, of Houston. Whiting also had 10 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
A public service is scheduled for Friday at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 500 Clay St. Viewing will be 9-10 a.m., followed immediately by the service. The family asks that donations in Whiting's memory be made to The Heritage Society or Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.
The Houston Chronicle, By Jayme Fraser | August 29, 2012
_________________________________________________
Martha Jacqueline Countee peacefully entered into eternal rest August 25th. She was born March 24 1912 in Marshall Texas to parentage of the late Thomas Countee and Nannie Selena Yates Countee.
Mrs Whiting life will be celebrated at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 500 Clay, August 31st at 10 AM.
Mrs Whiting will be resting in the Rose Chapel of Mabrie Memorial Mortuary, today, August 30th from 1 until 8 PM.
A Memorial Service is scheduled for 6:30 PM.
In God's care she leaves five daughters: Jacqueline Bostic; Sammie Ellis; Nan Garza (David); Tommye Casey; and Martha Anne Goddard (Emmanuel); stepdaughter, Doris R Countee; sister-in-law, Mattie B Hilliard; ten grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and a host of loving relatives, friends, and students.
Her husband, Mr Samuel Whiting preceded her in death.
Published in Houston Chronicle on August 30, 2012
Martha Countee Whiting only stopped baking Christmas cookies when she was no longer strong enough to stir molasses into the dough. Her failing strength may have limited her role in the tradition of holiday baking, but it didn't stop her from telling stories of her family, which helped found Houston's first free African-American community.
Up until she was 98, Whiting led holiday tours of her old house, restored and relocated to The Heritage Society museum at Sam Houston Park on Bagby Street. Her grandfather, Jack Yates, built the home in the late 1800s on Andrews Street in the early days of Freedmen's Town, just five years after being freed from slavery.
Five months ago, family and friends gathered to celebrate Whiting's 100th birthday at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, where her grandfather was the first pastor. They'll gather there again Friday to celebrate Whiting's life. She died last week after a five-year battle with breast cancer.
Whiting never met the grandfather who helped shape religious life, education and home ownership for some of the first African-Americans to make Houston home, but she continued his legacy of civic service.
"Her family had her speak when she was 12 years old when Jack Yates High School opened," said daughter Martha Goddard.
Whiting taught math and science in the Houston Independent School District for 31 years until 1973, when she turned her attention more to preserving and teaching the city's African-American history.
She served on the board of directors for The Heritage Society and succeeded in adding Antioch to the National Register of Historic Places, which helped protect it from demolition.
She volunteered at area public schools and told stories of her family for history projects. After she gave her grandfather's house to The Heritage Society, she waited in a lawn chair at Sam Houston Park to see it arrive at the site where it would be restored to its 1870 appearance.
Evelyn Boatwright, president of the board at The Heritage Society, said organizers at the annual candlelight tours always try to keep the crowds moving, but they'd often learn lines were backing up at the Yates house.
"Well, yes," Boatwright remembers explaining. "Martha's there tonight."
Because of her mother's work schedule as a nurse, Whiting moved into the house with her aunt Pinkie Yates.
Yates continued to live there as Whiting raised her own children, Goddard said, and the duo would bake fresh coconut cake every Christmas.
Christmas Day traditionally began with Yates joining Martha and her husband, Samuel, as the couple's five daughters pulled presents from under a fresh-cut tree. Later, more relatives would walk up to the lighted house from just down the street, followed by friends from the community.
Then, of course, they'd go to the church that Jack Yates built and Whiting helped save.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Whiting, in 2002.
She is survived by her daughters, Jacqueline Bostic, 74, of Houston; Sammie Ellis, 72, of Washington, D.C.; Nan Garza, 66, and her husband, David, of Austin; Tommye Casey, 65, of Philadelphia, Pa.; and Martha Anne Goddard, 63, and her husband, Emmanuel, of Houston. Whiting also had 10 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
A public service is scheduled for Friday at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 500 Clay St. Viewing will be 9-10 a.m., followed immediately by the service. The family asks that donations in Whiting's memory be made to The Heritage Society or Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.
The Houston Chronicle, By Jayme Fraser | August 29, 2012
_________________________________________________
Martha Jacqueline Countee peacefully entered into eternal rest August 25th. She was born March 24 1912 in Marshall Texas to parentage of the late Thomas Countee and Nannie Selena Yates Countee.
Mrs Whiting life will be celebrated at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 500 Clay, August 31st at 10 AM.
Mrs Whiting will be resting in the Rose Chapel of Mabrie Memorial Mortuary, today, August 30th from 1 until 8 PM.
A Memorial Service is scheduled for 6:30 PM.
In God's care she leaves five daughters: Jacqueline Bostic; Sammie Ellis; Nan Garza (David); Tommye Casey; and Martha Anne Goddard (Emmanuel); stepdaughter, Doris R Countee; sister-in-law, Mattie B Hilliard; ten grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and a host of loving relatives, friends, and students.
Her husband, Mr Samuel Whiting preceded her in death.
Published in Houston Chronicle on August 30, 2012
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