Born in 1851 in Bowling Green, Ky., George Lehman Hines was the son of an Austrian/German born immigrant planter, George Lehman, and his Indian slave mistress, Jane Hines. As an emancipated slave, George L. Hines worked for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad until the age of 27. George left Bowling Green to attend school in Ohio. While getting a teaching certificate from Wilberforce, Ohio, he met Hattie Elizabeth Guy a fellow student from Rushsylvania, Ohio. Hattie Guy a native of Ohio was the descendent of African Americans "born free" in the U.S. Hattie and George received teaching certificates and applied for teaching jobs. Married in 1883, George and Hattie moved to Kentucky for a teaching job and later Tennessee. By 1887, they had moved to Arkansas. Arkansas school districts were hiring black teachers and George and Hattie Hines began teaching in Sweet Home. The Hines raised their eight children in Sweet Home, two sons Guy and Milton, and six daughters, Hattie M., Maude, Emma, Florence, Ida Mae, and Virgie. Florence and Ida Mae graduated from the Philander Smith College normal school (teacher education) and received their teacher certificates during the 1910s. Shortly after, Florence married her college sweetheart Preston Mattison and they began their teaching careers in Conway, Ark. Through the years Florence saved memorabilia regarding her family, her education, marriage, and career as a teacher.
From the description of George Lehman Hines family collection, 1883-1983 [microform]. (Arkansas History Commission). WorldCat record id: 428441071
