Ambrose E. Gonzales
Encyclopedia
Ambrose Elliott Gonzales (May 27, 1857 – July 11, 1926) was born on a plantation in Colleton County, South Carolina
. Gonzales was the son of Colonel Ambrosio José Gonzales
and Harriet Rutledge Elliot. His father was a Colonel in the Confederate Army who played an instrumental role in the defenses of South Carolina during the American Civil War
. Prior to this his father was Cuban revolutionary leader, who opposed oppressive Spanish rule. His mother was the daughter of the wealthy South Carolina rice planter, state senator and writer, William Elliott.
Gonzales and his brother Narciso Gener Gonzales
(1858–1903) were the founders of The State newspaper in South Carolina. Gonzales is well remembered in South Carolina today as a pioneering journalist and the writer of black dialect sketches on the Gullah
people of the South Carolina and Georgia low country.
Gonzales grew up speaking the Gullah language
with the slaves (and later freedmen) who worked on his family's rice plantations, and his knowledge of the language was considered extraordinary by other members of the low country planter class. After he published a few sketches in the Gullah language in his newspaper, public interest in his stories prompted him to author several books of Gullah dialect writings, including The Black Border (1922) and With Aesop Along the Black Border (1924). Gonzales won accolades as a publisher and journalist during his lifetime, but he was especially proud of his literary works based on the Gullah language.
Modern scholars have questioned the accuracy of Gonzales' representation of Gullah speech, but his books continue to be a valuable source of information on how the language was spoken in the 19th century. The frequent critical remarks Gonzales makes about the character of Gullah
people in his books—decidedly racist by modern standards—take away, though, from the author's achievement.
Ambrose Gonzales has been inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame.
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Gonzales was the son of Colonel Ambrosio José Gonzales
Ambrosio José Gonzales
Colonel Ambrosio José Gonzales was a Cuban revolutionary who became a Colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Gonzales, as a revolutionary, wanted the United States to annex Cuba...
and Harriet Rutledge Elliot. His father was a Colonel in the Confederate Army who played an instrumental role in the defenses of South Carolina during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Prior to this his father was Cuban revolutionary leader, who opposed oppressive Spanish rule. His mother was the daughter of the wealthy South Carolina rice planter, state senator and writer, William Elliott.
Gonzales and his brother Narciso Gener Gonzales
Narciso Gener Gonzales
Narciso Gener Gonzales was born in St. Paul's Parish, South Carolina, South Carolina. He and his brother, Ambrose E. Gonzales, were the founders of The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina....
(1858–1903) were the founders of The State newspaper in South Carolina. Gonzales is well remembered in South Carolina today as a pioneering journalist and the writer of black dialect sketches on the Gullah
Gullah
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands....
people of the South Carolina and Georgia low country.
Gonzales grew up speaking the Gullah language
Gullah language
Gullah is a creole language spoken by the Gullah people , an African American population living on the Sea Islands and the coastal region of the U.S...
with the slaves (and later freedmen) who worked on his family's rice plantations, and his knowledge of the language was considered extraordinary by other members of the low country planter class. After he published a few sketches in the Gullah language in his newspaper, public interest in his stories prompted him to author several books of Gullah dialect writings, including The Black Border (1922) and With Aesop Along the Black Border (1924). Gonzales won accolades as a publisher and journalist during his lifetime, but he was especially proud of his literary works based on the Gullah language.
Modern scholars have questioned the accuracy of Gonzales' representation of Gullah speech, but his books continue to be a valuable source of information on how the language was spoken in the 19th century. The frequent critical remarks Gonzales makes about the character of Gullah
Gullah
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands....
people in his books—decidedly racist by modern standards—take away, though, from the author's achievement.
Ambrose Gonzales has been inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame.
External links
Books by Ambrose E. Gonzales
- (1922) "The Black Border: Gullah Stories of the Carolina Coast," Columbia, SC: The State Company. Available online
- (1924) "The Captain: Stories of the Black Border," Columbia, SC: The State Company.
- (1924) "With Aesop Along the Black Border," Columbia, SC: The State Company.
- (1924) "Laguerre: A Gascon of the Black Border," Columbia, SC: The State Company.