Shadows Beyond The Pines

Ella’s entire life had not only been the same as those of the privileged white but was also similar to those of the privileged white upper-class. It was unusual enough for a person of color and even more so since both sets of grandparents began as slaves. Her grandparents escaped their Southern masters and sought their freedom in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada, where the laws on race were more relaxed. That is where Ella was born on May 16, 1873. Her paternal grandfather, Levi Foster, went from being an escaped slave to a black leader in the Amherstburg community. He owned a successful livery, hotel, and stagecoach business. His hard work and business sense made him a very wealthy man, and he was held in high regard in his community by both black and white. There was one aspect where blacks in Canada still fell short, and that was in education. The schools were segregated, and it was one fight that Levi could not win no matter how hard he tried. He fought for his children to have the same level of education as white children, but nothing changed. When his grandchildren became school age, he could not stand the idea of them having a substandard education. He gave his son, James, a substantial amount of startup money and sent their family to live in Monroe, Michigan. Monroe was the second oldest city in Michigan. It was known as the hometown where General Custer grew up. It was named for the fifth president of the United States in 1817. Why he thought they would have a better chance with Monroe was not found during this research. However, Levi’s decision turned out to be right. In Monroe, the Fosters were welcomed by everyone. It is not clear if their acceptance were because they were very fair in color and could pass for white, or if it were because they were one of the richest families in Monroe or both. James (Ella’s father) ran a successful livery business. Their home was one of the largest in Monroe in the wealthy part of town. The family attended the white Baptist church where James was a deacon. He was elected many times as the treasurer and trustee. If there were any disputes in the church involving the Fosters, the Fosters always came out on top. There was even an incident where the congregation sided with the Fosters, and the white pastor had to resign. The children attended white schools, which made Grandpa Levi’s decision to move them to Monroe a wise one. The Fosters were always included in any social events, and Ella’s mother held many Ladies’ aid society meetings at the Foster home. Two of Ella’s sisters studied piano at the Gale’s Monroe School of Music. Both Ella and her sister Myrtle were speakers at their high school graduations. Around 1884, James retired from the livery and bought a twenty-three-acre dairy farm and named it the Willow Bend Dairy. It was located just outside of the city limits. The Authers also bought a lot of real estate, so they were doing very well. Ella was considered beautiful, intelligent, polished, and well-groomed. In 1899, her parents bought her a store in a great location (Nine West Front Street). It was called Sugar Bowl. She sold candy, ice cream and ran the town’s very first soda fountain. Her sister Mae would later help her run it. After a few years, they moved the business to Ann Arbor. In July of 1900, James was anxious to harvest his hay. He took his team of horses out to the field. A hired hand noticed that the horses had not moved for some time and went to investigate why. He found James lying unconscious on the ground. James never regained consciousness. His obituary stated that he died of apoplexy (stroke). When James died, he left his family very wealthy.