Charlotte Bellinger's Brother, Charles

Charles Bellinger, was born in Caldwell County, Texas, on April 15, 1875. He was the younger brother of Charlotte Bellinger. His sister, Charlotte Bellinger, married John Childs and was the mother of Cornelia Childs Washington, my great grandmother.

Charles Bellinger became active in San Antonio Texas city politics during 1918 when he joined African American ministers to organize black voters for several successful candidates for mayor and other local offices.



Bellinger's house in San Antonio Texas circa 1928


These city leaders responded with water and sewers, street paving and lighting, a library and auditorium, and better schools and playgrounds in African American neighborhoods.

Charles Bellinger

In the 1930s, he was charged with income tax evasion, afterwhich he was sent to Levensworth Federal Prison in Kansas. A attorney, C.K. Quin (who was purportedly was also a Klu Klux Klan member, when he wasn't acting as Mayor of San Antonio), sought a presidential pardon for him.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt granted Bellinger a parole because of illness, and pleas from San Antonio leaders and his family.

Franklin D Roosevelt

The Pardon papers cited Charles Bellinger's rallying of black voters on behalf of Democratics, and such black voters voting for the Dems in any significant numbers for the first time since reconstruction as a reason to grant the pardon.

Charles Bellinger died June 14, 1937.

Additional References
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/QQ/fqu15.html (accessed January 16, 2009).

Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/fbe74.html (accessed January 16, 2009).

Clarence Washington, Sr.

BIG PAPA

Clarence Washington, Sr. was the husband of Cornelia Chiles Washington. He was on May 22, 1885 in Wharton Texas to Aleck Washington,Jr. and Emma Grey. His Grandfather was also an Aleck. He married Cornelia Chiles and had several children, one of whom was my grandfather.

Instead of continuing the Aleck tradition, Clarence named his son Clarence who in turn named his son Clarence, etc.



Big papa as we knew him, was a handsome man. He worked as a cabinet maker in a lumberyard. He died on July 23, 1958 from cancer at age 73.


Big Papa and Helena and his car

Although Big Papa died when I was only two years old, his having cancer is what I remember most about him. It was a very big secret. My mother told me that she and her siblings were told that they could not tell a single soul that Big Papa had cancer.