Inherit the land : Jim Crow meets Miss Maggie's will / Gene Stowe ; Illustrated by Carl A. Sergio.
"In the early twentieth century, two wealthy white sisters, cousins to a North Carolina governor, wrote identical wills that left their substantial homeplace to a black man and his daughter." "Maggie Ross, whose sister Sallie died in 1909, was the richest woman in Union County, North Carolina. Upon Maggie's death in 1920, her will bequeathed her estate to Bob Ross - a black man who had grown up in the sisters' household - and his daughter Mittie Bell Houston. Mittie had also grown up with the well-to-do white women, who had shown their affection for her by building a house for her and her husband. This house, along with eight hundred acres, hundreds of dollars in cash, and two of the white family's three gold watches went to Bob Ross and Houston. As soon as the contents of the will became known, more than one hundred of Maggie Ross's scandalized cousins sued to break the will, claiming that its bequest to black people proved that Maggie Ross was mentally incompetent." "Revealing the details of this case and of the lives of the people involved in it, Gene Stowe presents a story that sheds light on and complicates our understanding of the Jim Crow South. Stowe's account of this famous court battle shows how specific individuals, both white and black, labored against the status quo of white superiority and ultimately won. A portrait of an entire generation's sins, Inherit the Land hints at the possibility for color-blind justice in small-town North Carolina."--BOOK JACKET.
Record details
- ISBN: 1578068649
- ISBN: 9781578068647
- ISBN: 9781934110607
- Physical Description: xii, 309 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Edition: 1st edition
- Publisher: Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, 2006.
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 296-301) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Part I Worlds Apart -- 1 Marvin People 7 -- 2 White Man's World of Violence 17 -- 3 White Man's World of Power 26 -- 4 Court 37 -- Part II Rosses -- 5 Susan 49 -- 6 Bob and Dennis 54 -- 7 Mittie Bell 60 -- 8 Sallie and Maggie 65 -- 9 Neighbors 70 -- 10 Tenants 77 -- 11 Will 83 -- 12 Cousins 90 -- Part III Trial -- 13 Jury 99 -- 14 First Witness 105 -- 15 George Sutton 111 -- 16 Witnesses to the Will 117 -- 17 Preachers 126 -- 18 Frank Crane 135 -- 19 Harriet Taylor 144 -- 20 Cousin Margaret and the Cook 153 -- 21 Visitors 161 -- 22 Dr. Potts 170 -- 23 Boarders 175 -- 24 Alienists 179 -- 25 Doctors, Neighbor, and Kin 188 -- 26 News 193 -- 27 Caveators Rest 198 -- 28 Propounders Reply 202 -- 29 R.A. Hudson 212 -- 30 Character Witnesses 220 -- 31 Propounders Rest 226 -- 32 Sikes and Parker 230 -- 33 A.M. Stack 237 -- 34 E. T. Cansler 242 -- 35 Charge and Verdict 248 -- 36 Reaction 257 -- 37 New Trial 262 -- Part IV Heritage -- 38 People 269 -- 39 Land 275 -- 40 Abundance of Peace 281 -- White Ross Genealogy 288 -- Black Ross Genealogy 294.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Ross, Maggie, -1920 > Will.
Ross, Maggie, -1920 > Family.
Ross family.
African Americans > Segregation > North Carolina > Union County > History > 20th century.
Inheritance and succession > Social aspects > North Carolina > Union County.
Racism > North Carolina > Union County > History > 20th century.
North Caroliniana.
Racism.
Union County (N.C.) > Race relations > History > 20th century.
Union County (N.C.) > Biography. - Genre:
- Biographies.
Available copies
- 18 of 23 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 0 of 1 copy available at Onslow County Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 23 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Main Library | NC 305.8 STO (Text) | 36015000670048 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 07/21/2026 |
