Minnie (Washington) Yates

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Minnie Washington Yates, right here in Wilson County. Now, there are some names carved into the story of this Texas land that deserve to be spoken slowly, and carefully, so folks understand the weight behind them. Minnie Washington Yates is one of those names.

She was born October 25, 1878, and she lived all the way to November 17, 1970. That's a life that stretched from the long shadow of Reconstruction nearly to the moon landings. And every year of it, she carried something forward.

Minnie was one of five children born to James Washington and Ella Hall Washington. James was born in 1858, Ella in 1856, and both of them had been enslaved, freed former slaves of the Jones Plantation spanning Navarro County and Gonzales County. The marker tells us James Washington lived until 1955, and Ella until 1950.

Let those years sit with you a moment. This family came out of bondage and built something that lasted. Now, following the Civil War, the ownership of land was not just practical.

It was a symbol of freedom itself. A dream that many African Americans were chasing through turbulent times that didn't let up just because a war had ended. Minnie and her husband, R.C.

Yates, born in 1875, they understood that. Around the turn of the century, the two of them moved from Morales, over in Jackson County, and settled in Poth. And when they got there, they didn't just settle.

They purchased approximately one hundred acres of land. One hundred acres. In Wilson County.

After everything that had stood between that dream and their family. But land alone wasn't the whole vision. Minnie was a graduate of Guadalupe College in Seguin, an African American college that had opened in 1887.

She knew what education could do. So in 1916, she and R.C. moved an old schoolhouse from Dewees right onto their property. That building became two things at once: a home for Mount Moriah Baptist Church, and a community school.

Faith and learning, under the same roof, on land they owned. As communities like this one knew well, education and religion weren't extras. They were integral to survival and success.

Minnie set about instructing her eleven children and others in the area. And here's where the story gets that extra reach. She recruited her friend, Myrtle Love Brown Everage, born in 1904, to come teach at that school.

Myrtle Everage went on to become a school principal, building a long career in education before her retirement. A seed planted in Poth, by a woman who believed in her, grew into something that touched countless other lives. R.C.

Yates died in 1945. Minnie kept going until 1970. The marker remembers them both as influential settlers in the Poth area, working tirelessly to promote community through education and encouragement.

But if you ask me, that's a modest way to put it. They moved a schoolhouse. They planted a church.

They raised eleven children. They launched a teacher who went on to lead a school. Some folks leave a mark on the land.

Minnie and R.C. Yates left a mark on the people.

What the marker says

(October 25, 1878 - November 17, 1970) Following the Civil War and despite the turbulent times that continued for African Americans, many overcame obstacles to create better opportunities for themselves and their families. The ownership of land, a goal that symbolized freedom, was a sought-after dream for many, including Minnie (Washington) Yates (1878-1970) and her husband, R.C. Yates (1875-1945). Minnie was one of five children of James Washington (1858-1955) and Ella (Hall) Washington (1856-1950), freed former slaves of the Navarro County and Gonzales County Jones Plantation. Around the turn of the century, Minnie and R.C. Yates moved from Morales (Jackson Co.) to settle in Poth, where they purchased approximately 100 acres of lanf. As in many Freedmen's colonies and African American communities, education and religion were integral to survival and success. In 1916, Minnie and R.C. moved an old schoolhouse from Dewees to their property. This facility became home to Mount Moriah Baptist Church and a community school. As a graduate of Guadalupe College in Seguin, and African American college which opened in 1887, Minnie Yates understood the importance of education and sought to instruct her eleven children and others in the area. She successfully recruited her friend, Myrtle Love (Brown) Everage (1904-1989), to teach at the school. Everage went on to become a school principal with a long career in education before her retirement. Minnie and R.C. Yates are remembered as influential settlers in the Poth area, working tirelessly to promote community through education and encouragement. (2020)