The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation has graciously awarded the Historical Society a $4500 grant for our project, "Making Montgomery County Family Files Digital". We are scanning over 700 files, many of which were compiled by Hazel Boyd. This will make genealogical research more accessible. This year we have had visitors from 26 states and 3 countries doing genealogical research at the museum. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation!
Congratulations to Debra Faulk who is portraying Nancy Green, aka Aunt Jemima for the Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua Program.
Being Aunt Jemima, the Pancake Queen
1834-1923
Script by Bo List
Nancy Green became one of the first prosperous African American women in the U.S. Green was born enslaved in Montgomery County, Kentucky, in 1834. While in Kentucky she worked for the Walker family and moved with them to Chicago just after the Great Fire, in 1872. Eight years later, Nancy Green became "Aunt Jemima." Businessman R.T. Davis had purchased a pre-mixed, self-rising recipe for pancakes and wanted an "Aunt Jemima," a character from minstrel shows which were popular at the time, to be the face of his pancakes. "Aunt Jemima" would be a friendly, animated, African American cook who served a wealthy white family. Playing the role of "Aunt Jemima" gave Green financial independence few African Americans and few women experienced at the time. She used her wealth as a means to empower her community. She was particularly active in her church, leading missionary trips, investing in anti-poverty programs for African Americans, and advocating for equal rights.
