Lula Veasley
Lula Bickerstaff Veasly, born on December 19, 1888, in Tallapoosa County, was a woman of resilience and dedication, leaving an incredible mark on her community. Born to Jerry Bickerstaff and Emily Fallius, she grew up alongside eight siblings, which explains how her strong sense of family and community values grew from an early age. Her full name was Loutitia, and she grew up on the farm her father owned. Because of this, it’s probable that she came from a financially stable home. For over two decades, Lula called Auburn her home. She was well known throughout the community where she diligently worked as a presser and contributed her time and efforts to the Home Missionary Society, demonstrating her commitment to both her livelihood and her community's welfare. In the course of her life, Lula found love and companionship in her marriage to Luman Veasly, with whom she shared the joys and responsibilities of raising six children: Myrtice, Curtis, Freddie, Robert, Alula, and Spring Veasly. Lula and her husband were sharecroppers, and they rented the land up until Luman passed in 1940. Sharecropping was a legal arrangement in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. It was very difficult to get out of due to unfair treatment to sharecroppers and over charging. Nonetheless, their family home, located at 410 East Glenn Avenue, became a place of love and warmth, where cherished memories were created and treasured. As the years passed by, Lula embraced the changes that life brought, eventually finding care in her daughter Myrtice and son-in-law Raymond Stubbs. In her later years, surrounded by loved ones, she continued to work and embody the strength and grace that defined her character. On March 10, 1952, Lula Bickerstaff Veasly passed away, leaving behind a legacy of love, resilience, and service. Her children who cared so deeply for her placed an ad in a newspaper years after her death. The article described her as loved by her children, and the perfect Christian neighbor. Her memory continues to live on in the hearts of her descendants and all those whose lives were touched with her kindness.
Contributed by Gianna, Vic, Caroline, and Valeria from Auburn High School