Oral history with Mrs. Frances Thornton Smith

              An Oral History with Mrs. Frances Thornton Smith
This oral history is provided through a cooperative project of USM Libraries and USM's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage It is presented here for reference purposes only. Interviews in this collection are protected by copyright and PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Mrs. Frances Thornton Smith was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on January 22, 1916. Her parents were Tom May Thornton and Dee Elizabeth Thornton. Her grandfather, J. J. Thornton, was the first doctor to practice in Hattiesburg and the second mayor of the city. Smith attended Walthall School ( then the Court Street School) and Mississippi State Teachers College ( now the University of Southern Mississippi). She married J. P. Maxwell Smith in September 1939, and the couple had three children, six grandchildren, and one great- grandchild. After graduation, Smith taught in Perry County schools in Brooklyn and Waynesboro. Then, in 1963 after raising her children, she returned to the classroom. She taught at Gautier School, South School, and Beach School in Gautier. In 1971, the year that elementary schools were integrated, Smith volunteered to teach at Fair Elementary School, an African- American school in Pascagoula. Smith has belonged to a number of clubs, including the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the King's Daughters, Children of the Confederacy, Daughters of the American Revolution, Founders and Patriots, Colonial Dames of America, Eastern Star, the War of 1812, and the Universal Literary Club. Smith is a member of the Court Street Methodist Church, where she was a member of the Woman's Society of Christian Service ( now United Methodist Women). Smith has published two books. Her first book was a history of the Court Street Church from its founding in 1900. The other, On Heritage Trail, is a history of her husband's family, who came to Perry County in 1898 and were instrumental in the founding of Brooklyn.
Topics Discussed
Family history School days at Walthall School ( Hattiesburg) United Daughters of the Confederacy ( UDC) and other patriotic clubs Attending the Children of the Confederacy convention ( Biloxi, ca 1928) Visiting Confederate veterans at Beauvoir Activities of the Children of the Confederacy Teacher training, teaching, marriage Integration and teaching in an African- American school Relationship with African Americans mus- coh. smithft. doc Page 1 of 21