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leaving a cataract that changed happy-go-lucky Alice into
a withdrawn child. In her new school, she was humiliated;
her grades dropped.
Desperate, the family allowed Alice to live with her
paternal grandparents in Eatonton so she could return to
the loving guidance of Ms. Birda. After a year, the family
returned to Wards Chapel. Birda Reynolds Simmons died
in 2012 at age 96.
Henry Branham, M.D.
Joel Chandler Harris was born in Barnes Inn and Tavern
in Eatonton near the spot where Blackwell Furniture currently
stands. His mother, Mary Ann, worked at the Inn as
a seamstress and caretaker.
When the establishment was sold and torn down, Joel,
now six years old, and his mother moved into a small,
rent-free house behind what is now the Bronson House.
Mary Ann worked for owner Andrew Reid, who funded
Joel’s tuition to attend Kate Davidson’s School. He attended
only a short time.
Dr. Henry Branham (1789-1857), who was married to Joel’s
great-aunt, Verlinda Harris, paid for Joel Harris’ early
education at the Eatonton Academy for Boys. Despite his
wife’s dissatisfaction with his nancial caretaking of Joel,
he ensured all expenses related to Harris’ education would
be funded. He even included the nancial arrangement in
his will on le at Putnam County Probate.
Harris was in school until he was 16 and began work
as a printer at Turnwold Plantation. Dr. Branham was a
beloved doctor famous for his compassion and generosity.
One of Branham’s sons became a renowned minister with
religious inuence over Dr. Branham. Branham not only
gave up card-playing, he refunded the money he had won
to their original owners.
e next time you open a book and spot the “acknowledgment”
page, take time to read it and pay homage to the
“unsung hero” of the person whose name dons the cover.
Without these special people in the shadows, our greatest
literary giants might not have been able to give us their
talents.
– Chip R. Bell is the author of several award-winning, national
bestselling books, and serves on the board of Georgia
Writers Museum in Eatonton, which celebrates the life and
work of world-renowned Georgia authors including Alice
Walker, Joel Chandler Harris, and Flannery O’Connor.
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