Crooms Collection

Item set

Title

Crooms Collection

Description

The Joseph Nathaniel Crooms Papers consist of documents related to Crooms Academy named for J.N. Crooms, whose parents were slaves on a Tallahassee area plantation, and who, along with his wife, Wealthy Mabel Crooms, started the school Crooms Academy and were its first principal and assistant principal respectively. The Crooms Academy began operation in 1920 and until 1970, the Crooms Academy during the same time Bethune Academy was established. Mr. Crooms worked with Mary McLeod Bethune as members of the Welricha Corp., which owned a beach front motel and restaurant on Bethune-Volusia Beach, as well as the Florida Negro Teachers Association. By the advent of his death, Mr. Crooms was considered a pioneer for black education in the state of Florida.

Physical Location

Crooms Collection, John G. Riley House Archives, Tallahassee State Collegee Library, Tallahassee, Florida.

Items

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Letter from Arthur Knickhoff to Wealthy. Crooms, March 18, 1957

A letter from Arthur Knickhoff to Wealthy Crooms expressing his condolences for the recent passing of J. N. Crooms.
Letter from J. C. Ringling to J. N. Crooms and Receipt, June 13, 1953

A letter and accompanying receipt from Dr. J. C. Ringling, a dentist, to J. N. Crooms concerning procedures done for Eddie Ellzy, an injured football player presumably from Crooms Academy. "As a citizen interested in education", he gives a 10% discount.
Letter from Dove Wright to J. N. Crooms, November 14, 1951

A letter and accompanying envelope (full of notes) from Drove Wright, apparently a former student currently attending FAMC, to J. N. Crooms. In the letter expresses her gratitude to Crooms for the education and congratulating him on the recent renovations to Crooms Academy as well as the Welricha Motel.
Letter from Anderson Dunwoody to J. N. Crooms, October 6, 1949

A letter from Anderson Dunwoody, apparently a parent of a student, to J. N. Crooms, expressing his gratitude to Crooms for disciplining his unnamed daughter as well as apparently his son Ernest.
Letter from Margaret Williams to J. N. Crooms, January 11, 1949

A letter from Margaret Williams, an eleventh grade student, to J. N. Crooms, expressing her well wishes to Crooms after hearing about his illness, and expressing that he is missed.
Letter from Willie N. Slain to J. N. Crooms, October 17, 1945

A letter from Willie Slain, a former student, to J. N. Crooms. It is difficult to tell to which unit he is assigned, but Slain is writing to Crooms while stationed in Northern Japan, in a town named Otaru, with the occupation force, and describes how he has traveled throughout the Pacific, from New Guinea, the Philippines, and now Japan. Slain describes his work as "chief checker" for the ration dump, and thanks Crooms for the education he received.
Letter from Inez Jackson to J. N. Crooms, April 30, 1945

A letter from Inez Jackson, a former student, to J. N. Crooms, expressing her gratitude for Crooms' surprise visit to her university.
Letter from Revertus Bratcher to J. N. Crooms, February 5, 1943

A letter from Revertus Bratcher, a former student, to J. N. Crooms. In it, Bratcher expresses his gratitude to Crooms and Wealthy for their lessons, and asks Crooms to deliver a letter. Bratcher was attached to the Headquarter and Service Company (H-S Co.) of the 352nd Engineer General Service Regiment (Colored). This unit was stationed in Iran, Pakistan, and India, primarily working on building and maintaining logistical roads to supply Russian and British forces. At the time of writing, Bratcher would have been stationed near Ledo, India.
Report of a fight between Willie Caldwell and Oscar Gromling

A written report of a fight that occurred between two students, Willie Caldwell and Oscar Gromling, on 25 September, the punishment meted out by J. N. Crooms, and the aftermath.
Letter from J. N. Crooms to A. Gromling, Sept 26, 1944

A letter from J. N. Crooms an A. Gromling about the bad behavior of his nephew, a student at Crooms Academy. There is confusion as to whether the student's name is Alfonso or Oscar, or if the student has two first names, as Crooms calls him "your nephew Alfonso" in the beginning but refers to the student as "Oscar" for the rest of the letter.