Call Number:

04

Repository:

Historical Society of Frankford

Extent:

0.83 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1899-2001 (inclusive)

Creator:

Smith, Magarie Andrews, 1911-2001

Abstract:

Magarie Edna Green Andrews Smith was born in Elveton, West Virginia in 1911 and relocated to the Frankford neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1933, where she married Robert Andrews and worked as a baby nurse. The Magarie Andrews Smith family papers, 1899-2001, consist of funeral programs, photographs, and other materials that relate to Magarie Edwards, her family, and the Frankford section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The bulk of the collection consists of late twentieth-century funeral programs for members of the African American community of Frankford.

Magarie Edna Green Andrews Smith was born on May 30, 1911 in Elveton, West Virginia to Leila Nuckols Green and Reerand Joseph L. Green. She attended boarding school and graduated from Simmons High School in West Virginia in 1931. Magarie was a member of the New Line Baptist Church in Louise County, Virginia.

In 1933, she moved Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and married Robert Andrews in 1934. Together, they had six children. The family resided in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. During World War II, Magarie worked at an umbrella factory that made parachutes for the war. Robert first worked at Plumb, a manufacturer of axes, hammers, and hatches on Tacony Street. He later attended the Wilmont School and a technical school to learn electrical work as a second job.

Robert passed away in 1950. In order to support her five surviving children, Magarie became a baby nurse. Magarie had attended nursing school and found work as a domestic and baby nurse for white families in the area. Magarie continued to work as a baby nurse until she retired in 1970.

Magarie was later remarried to Ralph Smith, who passed away in 1990. She became a member of the Campbell A.M.E Church and sang in the Senior Choir. She also served as a member of the Pastor's Aid Club.

Magarie passed away on February 14, 2001 in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This collection consists of funeral programs, photographs, and other materials that relate to Magarie Smith, her family, and the Frankford section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The bulk of the collection consists of late twentieth-century funeral programs for members of the African American community of Frankford. The programs are generally one-sheet pages folded into small 4-page booklets. A few of the programs are larger, more elaborate books. Most of the programs include a photograph of the deceased, a one-page obituary or biography of the deceased, and information on the interment. Most of the services were held at either Second Baptist or Campbell AME churches, two of the most prominent African American churches in Frankford. Northeast Baptist and St. Thomas United Methodist also appear in some of the programs, and a few of the services took place at other Philadelphia area African American churches. The most common funeral home listed in the programs is Walton B. Brown Funeral Home in Frankford. There are an estimated 200 programs dating from 1968 to 2001, although the bulk of them date from the 1980s and 1990s. Magarie Andrews Smith's funeral program is included in the collection.

There is also a large amount of photographs in the collection, taken by Robert Andrews. The photographs depict members of the Andrews family as well as the African American community in Frankford. Some, but not all, of the photographs are labeled. Notable individuals depicted in the photographs include Dr. Clark, the first African American doctor in Frankford, and Dr. Priestly, an African American dentist who was one of the first black people to move to the west side of Frankford Avenue.

The collection also includes a small amount of other materials from the family, such as financial materials, business cards, and postcards.