Optional Activities:
Lebanon, OH -‐ Official Website http://www.ci.lebanon.oh.us/about/history.html Cincinnati Art Museum 953 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati -‐ (513) 721-‐2787 www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal 1301 Western Avenue, Cincinnati (513) 287-‐7000 www.cincymuseum.org Taft Museum of Art 316 Pike Street, Cincinnati -‐ (513) 241-‐0343 www.taftmuseum.org National Underground Railroad Freedom Center 50 East Freedom W ay, Cincinnati (513) 333-‐7500 www.freedomcenter.org Contemporary Arts Center 44 E 6th Street, Cincinnati -‐ (513) 345-‐8400 www.contemporaryartscenter.org Aronoff Center for the Arts 650 Walnut Street, Cincinnati -‐ (513) 721-‐3344 www.cincinnatiarts.org Coney Island: Admin 6201 Kellogg Ave, Cincinnati -‐ (513) 232-‐8230 www.coneyislandpark.com Cincinnati Zoo 3540 Beldare Avenue, Cincinnati -‐ (513) 961-‐1870 www.cincinnatizoo.org Lebanon Blues Festival Downtown Lebanon, OH, Saturday, August 6th 10 am – 11 pm, Free Admission & Parking lebanonbluesfestival@gmail.com or call 513-‐588-‐0321 Enjoy eight blues bands, lots of food, and a deluxe beer garden, face painting for kids
Contributions are always welcomed! Mail checks to: Singleton/Phoenix Reunion c/o Raye Kimberlin 20 North Lane, Lebanon, OH 45036
Welcome to the 70th Annual Singleton Phoenix Family Reunion Lebanon, Ohio August 5-7, 2011
Picnic – Saturday, August 6, 2011
Weekend at a Glance Friday, August 5, 2011 Morning – 5 pm All day/night 5 p.m. – until
Noon Morning Optional activities: Area Museums/Attractions (see attached list) Lake View Acres – Optional camp out (families responsible for their setup/food Evening Optional activities & open house at the Lake View Acres cabin
Saturday, August 6, 2011 8:00 -‐ 11:00 a.m. Activity Set up (committee only) 10:00 -‐11:00 a.m. Family Reunion planning committee meeting 8:00 a.m. Fishing Derby starts Noon – until Family Reunion Picnic kick off! (see detailed program sheet) Lakeview Acres 1527 S. State Route 123 Lebanon, OH 45036 Optional Family History Tour -‐ Steve Singleton, tour guide Sunday, August 7, 2011 11:00 a.m. Family Worship Service Bethel AME Church 111 Cherry Street, Lebanon 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Family meeting at Bethel AME Church Departures
2:30 pm 4:00 pm
Hospitality Table & Picnic Kick off! • Prayer & buffet picnic • Activities & Contests (kids/adults/family) Entertainment Welcome – Jacquie Family Meeting Legacy & Family Tributes Virtual Scrapbook ideas (scanners on-‐site) Optional Lebanon History tour Contest Winners Announcement
7:00 pm
Picnic Ends/Clean up
8:00 pm
Evening Activities § Lebanon Blues Festival § Adult Wine b y the Lake § Kids Movie Night in the Cabin § On your own activities
Directions to Lakeview Acres: From Cincinnati: Take I-‐71 North to Exit #32, (Lebanon/Morrow -‐ State Route 123). Turn right (east). Drive less than 1/2 mile, look on the right for the red barns with a large painted American flag. Turn right into the driveway at the sign for Lake View Acres, drive past the farm house and follow the drive to the Pavilion & Cabin.
From Dayton: Take I-‐75 South to Exit #29, (State Route 63), turn left (east). Drive through downtown Lebanon, where State Route 63 becomes State Route 123. Continue straight for 3-‐1/2 miles to State Route 123 I-‐71 intersection. Drive less than 1/2 mile, look on the right for the red barns with
a large painted A merican flag. Turn right into the driveway at the sign for Lake View Acres, drive past the farmhouse and follow the drive to the Pavilion & Cabin.
The Phoenix side of Our Family The Phoenix side of the family originated from Mountain Island in Owen County, KY (some have called it Phoenix Island, but every family that lived there called it by their surname). Mountain Island was an early white settlement, beginning in the late 1700s. At that time, the area was located in Scott County [Owen County would not be formed until 1819]. Mountain Island is located where Eagle Creek forks into two branches, reconvening on the other side of the island. By 1843, there were 1,143 slaves in Owen County, including those owned by Susannah Herndon Rogers. In 1847, Rogers' will emancipated her slaves, and her property was divided into 10 lots and given to her former slaves, all of whom had the last name Locust. The community that was formed became known as Free Station. In 1849, it became law in Kentucky that a security bond must be posted for every slave who was freed. The law would stall the emancipation of Rogers' brother’s (James Herndon) slaves. James Herndon owned a m ill, tavern, and slaves on the island. Flooding, which washed out the roads leading to the island, had begun to make it less ideal as a community. In 1850, Herndon, who still lived on the island, began the attempt to emancipate his slaves, as his sister, Susan Herndon Rogers, had done, but his case was stalled in the courts. The slaves would not be freed until after James Herndon's death in 1853. His will not only freed his 23 slaves but also left them and their heirs Herndon's estate, 125 acres on Mountain Island. The land was to be theirs forever, as stated in Herndon's will. Neighbors put up the security bonds required by Kentucky law for each freed slave. The former slaves had the last names of Carroll, Vinegar, Smith, and Warfield. After their freedom, many of the family members left the island to provide for their families. Some members of the family came to Ohio around 1890. They settled in Xenia, Ohio and many remember going there to visit. There are different spellings of the name Phoenix (Pheonix, Phenix, etc). Gabe Pheonix (sic) was born in 1837 in Owen County, KY. His wife, Sarah (Hickman) was born in Owen County, KY in 1840. They were m arried in 1854. These are the known children of Gabriel (Gabe) and Sarah: Albert Lavinia (Vene)
George John Charlotte (1864) Francis (1865)
Joseph Anna (1867)
The Singleton & Phoenix Connection Frederick and Elvira (Ella) married and lived in Lebanon, Ohio. They had 10 children, three boys and seven girls. They have all passed through this life. These are the children of Fred and Ella Singleton: Blanche Beatrice (1899) Wilbur French (1903) Hazel (1905) Vergie Virginia (1909) Charles Frederick (1910) Cecil (1913) Katherine Ella (1915) George Sherman (1918) Freida (1920) Elsie May (1922) Fred & Ella lived in Springboro, OH for over twenty years. There, 4 of their children were born (Blanche, Wilbur, Hazel, Vergie). Later they moved to Lebanon, OH where Fred worked as a dairyman at French-‐Bauer Dairy. The family enjoyed the rich creamy m ilk he would bring home. He also was an avid fox hunter and kept several good fox hounds. In later years, was employed at Charles Meis Shoe Factory in Lebanon. As one of the family stories goes, he and Wilbur were moving a large piece of m achinery (1,500 lbs.) at the factory when it fell over on Papa’s legs. Wilbur alone lifted it off of him, saving him from being completely crushed. Papa was taken to Blair Hospital – he was the first and only “black” person to be admitted there at that time (most likely due to his light complexion). Since Ella’s mother, Sarah, passed away when the children were very young, she took in laundry and did housework for many years. She would use flat irons that had to be heated on the kitchen stove, fueled by wood and coal. She was an excellent baker, her specialty being bread and cinnamon rolls, which everyone loved. Maybe this is where, her daughter, Blanche received her gift of baking (Dayton Country Club considered her THE BEST BAKER WALKING in 1966). All the children attended Lebanon Public School, which was right up the street from their home. W hen this “colored” school burned down, it was not rebuilt and the children were educated in the Lebanon Public Schools. They sat around the kitchen table and do their homework by the light of a coal oil lamp. The family grew up attending Bethel A.M.E. Church, where they took up m ost of the pews. During these years, Vergie, Cecil, Katherine, Elsie and Freida formed a singing group known as “The Singleton Sisters.” Their fame was not widespread but they enjoyed singing.
Our Family & Reunion History
They sang in various churches in towns surrounding Lebanon. Both Fred and Ella loved singing. Many times the family gathered around the old piano and sang for hours. Elsie loved playing the piano and often gave lessons to family and friends. The original homestead, 5 North Lane, h ad cherry, walnut and apple trees. Mama loved flowers and there were marigolds, dahlias, roses and coxcombs, which she planted and tended. There was a vegetable garden at the back of the house. All of the kids helped plant the vegetables. Papa also raised chicken and hogs. One hog name “Jerry” was so big he broke the ramp as they were leading him to slaughter. The kids also h ad a pet calf called “Dobbity.” The original home was torn down in 1976 and a new home was reconstructed, which still stands. Fred and Ella resided there for their remaining years. Our Reunion History In the summer of 1941, Mrs. Elvira (Ella) Phoenix Singleton expressed her desire to have a family reunion. Plans were made immediately. On September 1, 1941, the first Singleton-‐Phoenix reunion was held on the Academy lawn, News Street, Lebanon, OH. A capacity crowd attended. It was decided that we make it an annual affair on the third Sunday in August. Reunions h ave been h eld in Xenia, Ohio; Springfield, Ohio; Cowan’s Lake, Clarksville, Ohio, as well as Lebanon, Ohio. Elvira Phoenix Singleton p assed away in 1955 and is buried at the Lebanon Cemetery in Lebanon, Ohio. Fred passed away in 1975 and is also buried at the Lebanon Cemetery. Though many h ave passed from among us, their loving memory inspires us to continue these family gatherings. If you listen closely you will hear their voices in the voices of those her attending – a peculiar way of saying a word – a certain inflection of the voice – a facial expression – a way of gesturing to express a point -‐ a turn of the head -‐ a smile…they are still here in each one of u s.
Our Family & Reunion History
The Singleton Side of Our F amily Our Singleton family branch is said to originate out of the Smokey Mountain area of Virginia and North Carolina. We believe that they were part of the Cherokee Nation who fled to the h ills to keep from being d riven west in the Government relocation in 1834. We can trace our roots back to Naomi and Pascal Singleton who are the grandparents of Frederick Singleton. All but three of the 14 children of Naomi (b. 1824) and Pascal (b. 1815) Singleton were born on what is now the Qualla Reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina. Mary (Molly) Singleton (Love) was born in 1854. About 3 years later the family came by wagon train to Ohio and settled in the Village of Henpeck in Utica, Ohio. These are the children of Pascal and Naomi Singleton: Jacob D.D. Joseph Henry Martin (1848) William Wilson (1851) Jacob Sarah Ann John Wesley (1855) Laurabelle Lydia Alice (1861) Mary Jane (1857) Wilbur Martha Ellen (1859) Sherman (1867) James (b 1867) Thomas (1866) George Washington (1863)
Frederick, the son of Mary Jane Singleton (Love), was born in 1877. His father was Charles Love, but we are not sure of his history. Frederick was raised as a Singleton.