Christmas Moultrie
Moultrie, pictured in the early 20th century
BornDecember 25, 1857
Mulberry Grove Plantation, Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
DiedApril 23, 1956(1956-04-23) (aged 98)
Port Wentworth, Georgia, U.S.
Resting placeCherokee Hill Baptist Churchyard, Port Wentworth, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation(s)game hunter, merchant

Christmas Moultrie (December 25, 1857 – April 23, 1956) was an American former slave who became a duck hunter and merchant. He was a central character in John Eugene Cay Jr.'s 1958 non-fiction book Ward Allen: Savannah River Market Hunter. The book was the basis for the 2013 movie Savannah.

Early life and career

Moultrie was born on Christmas Day 1857 at Mulberry Grove Plantation in Savannah, Georgia, the last child born into slavery on the plantation. His mother died shortly after his birth.[1] His family name came from the Moultrie family in Charleston, South Carolina.[1]

In December 1864, his family moved a few miles away to Monteith, Georgia, after General Sherman's forces burned the plantation during his March to the Sea, but Moultrie remained at the plantation, as a free man, in a "raised cabin by the plantation gate near the Augusta highway."[1]

He formed a business hunting ducks in Savannah's marshland with Ward Allen.[2] They sold the ducks to local restaurants, including that of The DeSoto,[3] or Savannahian families.[4] He also sold vegetables at City Market.[1]

Moultrie had one known child, Hardee, born in 1895; he died in 1935, aged 39 or 40. His granddaughter, Martha F. McCullough (born in 1927),[5] became a teacher in Savannah.[1][5][6] He had at least three other granddaughters: Mary F. Johnson, Georgia Benton and Della Stell.[7]

In 1927, the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge introduced a law limiting the number of ducks that could be killed on one hunting trip, as well as having a hunting season. These restrictions affected Moultrie's and Allen's livelihood. Concerned about the future of Savannah's marshes, due to the increasing number of factories in the city, Allen regularly wrote articles in the local press. He went to the Georgia State Legislature with his concerns, but had no success in affecting change.[4]

Allen died on August 23, 1931, aged 75. His body was found floating in the Savannah River.[4]

Death and legacy

Moultrie died on April 23, 1956, in Port Wentworth, Georgia. He was 98. He is interred in Port Wentworth's Cherokee Hill Baptist Churchyard.[8]

Moultrie's popularity grew with the release of the 2013 film Savannah, which was based on John Eugene Cay Jr.'s 1958 non-fiction book Ward Allen: Savannah River Market Hunter.[9] Chiwetel Ejiofor portrayed Moultrie in the movie adaptation.[10]

In 2008, the Moultrie Interchange at Georgia State Route 21 and Interstate 95 was named for him.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Christmas Moultrie – "Trouble Don't Last Always" – Mulberry Grove". Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  2. ↑ "Christmas Moultrie photograph and article". ghs.galileo.usg.edu. Archived from the original on 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  3. ↑ "Ward Allen: The Shakespeare Quoting Market Hunter Of Savannah". Feathers & Whiskey. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  4. 1 2 3 Hamm, Dale (1996). The Last of the Market Hunters. Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 9780809320769.
  5. 1 2 "Bound By A Plantation, Two Georgians Remember A Special Christmas". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  6. ↑ "McCullough Receives Georgia Action Association Award - The Savannah Tribune". 2014-04-02. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  7. ↑ "Memorial - Mr. Christmas Moultrie". savannahherald.net. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  8. ↑ "House Resolution 1779. By: Representative Cart of the 159th" - Georgia General Assembly
  9. ↑ "Barbara and Jack Cay Fund". Georgia Historical Society. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  10. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (2013-08-22). "Drunk, Ornery and With a Gun in His Hands". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  11. ↑ "Savannah | Film Review | Spectrum Culture". 2013-08-30. Archived from the original on 2013-08-30. Retrieved 2022-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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