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Alethea Jane Macon
Born	(1882-01-08)January 8, 1882 Clarke County, Georgia, U.S.
Died	October 8, 1977(1977-10-08) (aged 95)
Burial place	Christ Church, St. Simons Island, Georgia, U.S.
Education	Georgia Normal and Industrial College University of Georgia Columbia University College of William & Mary University of California
Occupations	Educator, genealogist
Years active	1903–1952
Known for	Teaching at Glynn Academy and genealogical research

Alethea Jane Macon (January 8, 1882 – October 8, 1977) was an American educator and genealogist whose career was centered in Brunswick and Glynn County, Georgia. She taught in the local public school system for approximately 50 years and became a prominent member of the faculty of Glynn Academy. From 1928 until her retirement in 1952, she served as head of the school's English Department and as Dean of Women.

After leaving teaching, Macon devoted much of her time to genealogy. She compiled and published several books concerning the descendants of the Macon, Tuck, and O'Kelley families. Her work also preserved biographical and family information that had been collected through several generations.

Macon remained well known in the Brunswick community after her retirement. Her former students organized a $2,400 gift to finance a trip to England, and a Brunswick school was later named in her honor.

Early life and family

Alethea Jane Macon was born on January 8, 1882, in the Puryear District of Clarke County, Georgia. Her parents were Robert Edwin Macon (1853–1896) and Sarah Josephine Tuck (1852–1897). Both of her parents were later buried at Oconee Hills Cemetery in Athens, Georgia.

Macon was one of four children. Her siblings were Iwanona "Nona" Macon, Robert Edwin Macon, and Joseph Tuck Macon. Little information has been documented about Iwanona or Joseph, while her brother Robert went on to attend Young Harris College. Robert spent much of his working life in Atlanta as a railroad employee and eventually retired to Clayton, Georgia, in 1947.

Macon's family connections included several people involved in public life, education, and writing. Her uncle, Henry C. Tuck, was born in 1864 and died in 1939. Tuck published Four Years at the University of Georgia: 1877–1881, a book based on his experiences as a student. He later served as mayor of Athens, a member of the Georgia legislature, and a judge of the City Court of Athens.

Family history became an important interest for Macon herself. She eventually used genealogical records and family materials to produce several books documenting the descendants of her ancestors. She generally used the name Alethea Jane Macon in formal publications, including her academic thesis and genealogical books, while she was more commonly known as Jane Macon or Miss Macon in other settings.

Education

Macon received part of her education at Georgia Normal and Industrial College in Milledgeville, Georgia. The institution was later renamed Georgia State College for Women and is now known as Georgia College & State University. The precise dates of Macon's attendance have not been established, although she appears to have attended the institution before beginning her teaching career.

Macon later attended the University of Georgia. In 1922 she received an A.B. degree with a major in Social Science. She continued her studies at the university and received a Master of Arts degree in 1926, specializing in English with a minor in history.

Her graduate thesis was titled Francis Robert Goulding: Georgia Author. The subject combined literary study with historical research and reflected Macon's academic interests in both English and history.

Among the professors who influenced Macon's graduate studies were Steadman Vincent Sanford and William Oscar Payne. Sanford served as her English mentor, while Payne was her principal mentor in history.

Macon also pursued studies at several other institutions, including Columbia University, the College of William & Mary, and the University of California.

Teaching career

Macon entered the public school system of Glynn County and Brunswick in 1903. She remained involved in education until her retirement nearly five decades later.

Her career was particularly associated with Glynn Academy, a historic public school in Brunswick. In 1928, Macon became head of the school's English Department and Dean of Women. She remained in those leadership positions through 1952.

Macon's teaching career was primarily focused on English. By the end of her career, she was particularly associated with senior-level English instruction. Her position at Glynn Academy placed her in contact with generations of students during a period when the school was an important educational institution in Brunswick.

Although detailed records of the entirety of her teaching career are limited, accounts from former colleagues and students indicate that she was highly regarded within the school and the wider community.

Final years at Glynn Academy

Educator Malcolm O. Magaw joined the Glynn Academy faculty in 1950, near the end of Macon's career. He later recalled that Macon was a prominent figure within the English Department and was widely known throughout Brunswick and Glynn County.

According to Magaw's recollections, Macon was regarded as a demanding but fair teacher. He remembered her as an important presence at faculty meetings and in the school's English program.

Macon's regular teaching career was coming to an end when Magaw arrived at the school. During the 1951–1952 school year, she remained associated with Glynn Academy as an assistant to Sarah Stevens, the school's head librarian.

Macon retired from education in 1952.

Retirement

Macon's retirement was marked by an unusual gift from her former students. Students and former students contributed a total of $2,400 to pay for a trip to England.

The trip was significant to Macon because she had long wished to visit England. Her interest was connected to her career as an English teacher and to the writers whose works she had taught throughout her career.

The retirement gift received attention from newspapers in several Georgia communities, including Brunswick, Atlanta, and Athens.

Macon's influence on education in Brunswick continued after her retirement. She later recorded that a junior high school in Brunswick had been named the Jane Macon Junior High School in her honor. The school was subsequently renamed Jane Macon Middle School.

Life in Clayton

Macon maintained a connection to Clayton, Georgia, during her later years. Clayton is located in Rabun County in the northeastern part of the state.

The exact date when Macon acquired a residence in Clayton is not known. Her brother Robert had retired there in 1947, and Macon was living in Clayton by 1952.

Macon referred to her Clayton residence as "The Perch," located on Screamer Ridge. She used the Clayton address in correspondence and in some of her later genealogical publications.

She also continued to maintain a residence in Brunswick. In 1969, the introduction to one of her genealogical books listed her Brunswick address as 809 Monck Street.

Genealogical research

Following her retirement, Macon devoted considerable attention to genealogy and family history. Her research focused particularly on the Macon, Tuck, and O'Kelley families.

Macon's genealogical work resulted in three book-length publications. These works examined the descendants of families connected to her own ancestry and preserved information about earlier generations.

Her first major genealogical publication was Gideon Macon of Virginia and Some of His Descendants, published in 1956. The book traced the descendants of Gideon Macon and contained biographical and genealogical information about members of the family.

In 1964, she published John and Edward Tuck of Halifax County, Virginia and Some of Their Descendants. The book focused on the descendants of John and Edward Tuck and continued Macon's effort to document her family's ancestry.

Her third major genealogy was Four O'Kelley Sons and Some of Their Descendants, published in 1969.

Macon's genealogical publications extended beyond simple family listings. The introductions and other material in the books also contained information about her own life and her research. The books consequently became sources for information about both the families she studied and Macon's own activities.

University of Georgia collections

Macon maintained a relationship with the University of Georgia Library during her retirement. In a 1964 letter to librarian John Bonner, she sent another of her books for inclusion among Georgia publications and indicated that it should eventually be transferred to the library's genealogical collection.

Materials concerning Macon were subsequently preserved in the Hargrett Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at the University of Georgia. The collection included material relating to her career and genealogical work.

Her master's thesis, Francis Robert Goulding: Georgia Author, is also held by the University of Georgia Libraries.

Publications

Macon's known publications include both academic and genealogical works.

Her master's thesis, Francis Robert Goulding: Georgia Author, was submitted to the University of Georgia in 1925 as part of the requirements for her master's degree, which she received in 1926.

Her major genealogical publications were:

• Gideon Macon of Virginia and Some of His Descendants. Macon, Georgia: J. W. Burke Company. 1956.
• John and Edward Tuck of Halifax County, Virginia and Some of Their Descendants (1964)
• Four O'Kelley Sons and Some of Their Descendants (1969)

The Macon genealogy was later revised and edited by Jarvis Wood. A later edition incorporated additional information concerning Macon's life after the original 1956 publication.

A second edition and printing of the Tuck genealogy was produced in 1978 with assistance from two of Macon's nieces. The available information does not establish whether substantial revisions were made to that edition.

Later life

Macon continued her genealogical activities for many years after leaving the classroom. The introductions to her books indicate that she considered family history an ongoing area of research and believed that additional work remained to be completed.

Her later correspondence with the University of Georgia demonstrates her continued interest in preserving historical and genealogical materials.

Macon's retirement years therefore combined her earlier interests in education, literature, history, and family research. Her academic background in English and history provided a foundation for the historical and genealogical work she undertook after leaving teaching.

Death and burial

Macon died on October 8, 1977, at the age of 95.

She was buried at Christ Church at St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Legacy

Macon's career spanned approximately half a century of public education in Glynn County. Her longest association was with Glynn Academy, where she served as a teacher and later as head of the English Department and Dean of Women.

Her reputation extended beyond the classroom. Former students demonstrated their regard for her by raising money for her retirement trip to England, and a Brunswick school was named in her honor.

Macon also left a written legacy through her genealogical publications. Her books concerning the Macon, Tuck, and O'Kelley families preserved family information that might otherwise have remained scattered among private records and family collections.

Her papers and publications became associated with the collections of the University of Georgia Libraries, providing researchers with additional material concerning her life and genealogical work.

See also

• Glynn Academy
• University of Georgia
• Brunswick, Georgia
• Georgia College & State University
• St. Simons Island