Laura (Follis) Jackson
| Laura Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio |
Cause of death | unknown |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Graduated High School |
| Employer | OARDC |
| Home town | Wooster, Ohio |
| Spouse(s) | Charles Jackson |
| Parents | Peter W. Woods, Alice B. (Follis) Woods |
| Relatives | Charles Follis |
Spelling Variations
No spelling variations found.
Surnames-
Jackson, Woods (before marriage)
Given Names or Nicknames
- none
Biographical Sketches
Laura Jackson was born in Oct 23rd, 1908 in Wooster, Ohio to Peter and Alice Woods. She was one of the nieces of Charles Follis. She is also one of the very few black residents in Wooster to have been interviewed for oral history.
Family
- Parents
- Peter W. Woods (1877/1878- 23 Dec 1963)
- Alice B. (Follis) Woods (1883- 1930)
- Siblings
- Helen Woods (1919-?)
- Vernon Woods (25 June 1920- 8 Feb 1994)
- Spouse
- Charles Jackson (1906- 1956)
- Charles Jackson (1906- 1956)
Vital Records
Birth
October 23rd, 1908 in Wooster, Ohio.
A news article on the birth of Laura (Woods) Jackson.
Marriage
1934, to Charles Jackson
Death
September 12th, 2004 in Wooster, Ohio.
Burial
Cremated
Early Life
Jackson was the eldest of three children in the Woods family. Her sister Helen and brother Vernon Woods were born when she was a teenager. Jackson's parents both came to Wooster from Virginia before the 1900s with their own families, then they got married here in 1905. Her mother Alice B. (Follis) Woods was one of the 4 sisters of Charles Follis. Her father Peter Woods was a barber who worked for Richard L. Morrison, and later opened his own shop on Liberty street. Alice Woods played the piano/organ for the 2nd Baptist Church her whole life. Her parents owned a property on Larwill street. Jackson was a part of the 2nd Baptist Church at the age of 16. [1] All 3 siblings graduated from Wooster High School. After graduating in 1926, Jackson left home for Pennsylvania, and then New York to help her aunt Lucy and in search of work as well.
Adult Life
During her 3 years away from Wooster, Jackson first went to Pennsylvania to help her aunt Lucy, who was working as a cook for the Alcock family. She worked there as a maid for a year, and then went to New York. There, she worked for the costume department at the Metropolitan Opera. She came back to Wooster in 1930, during the time of her mother's death. She started working as a housekeeper again for the Alice family. She got married in 1934. Charles Jackson, her husband, came from Oil City, Pennsylvania with the Isaly's Ice Cream Store as their chef. They both most probably moved to Mansfield and started working for J.E. Harris after marriage, with Charles being their chauffeur and Laura working as a maid. After her husband's death in 1958, Jackson came back to Wooster and got employed at the OARDC as a lab technician where she worked for 12 years. [2] She was living in their property on Robinson street.
Oral History
Laura Jackson's interview is one of the earliest oral histories of black residents in Wooster, which gives us an inside scoop of the black community in 20th century Wooster. She gave details about how many black families were there, what black businesses were running, and many more. The segregation situation in Wooster was a bit different. While the social aspects were segregated- such as separate restaurants and recreational places for blacks; the rest of the services were very much integrated such as education, healthcare, etc. Therefore, most of the blacks were high school graduates and received the same healthcare facilities as the whites. As she recalls memories of her life , we get to see what it was like to be a black family living in Wooster.
See: Oral History Interview of Laura Jackson
Death
Laura Jackson lived a long life as she left the earth at the age of 95, on Sept 12th 2004. She passed away while staying at a nursing home, the cause of death being unknown.
Census Records
1920 US Census for Wooster Ward 4, Wayne County, Ohio
- Peter W. Woods, 42, NC, Barber
- Alice Woods, 38, VA, Keeping house
- Laura Woods, 11, OH, at school
- Helen Woods, 1, OH
1940 US Census for Wooster, Wayne, Ohio
- Charles Jackson, 34, PA, Chauffeur
- "Lena" (Laura?) Jackson, 31, OH, Housewife
Places of Residence
- Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio
Immigration and Naturalization Records
not applicable.
Court Records
unknown
Tax Records
unknown
Land Records
House on Robinson road.
Denomination Affiliations
- 2nd Baptist Church [3]
Military
none
Occupations
- Housekeeper
- Costume department at the Metropolitan Opera
- Lab technician at OARDC
Community Involvement
unknown
Educational Services
Graduated high school.
Awards and Recognition
- The "Laura Jackson Memorial Fund" was created to install an elevator in the 2nd Baptist Church. [4]
Notes
none
References