Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Yellow Springs Teller - Virginia Hamilton
Virginia Hamilton
Reading Comprehension for February 19
On February 19, 2002, a sweet voice faded into eternity. It was the voice of a storyteller. She told about flying people and those who had gone. She told about the mountains of Ohio and the creep from the mines. Virginia Hamilton's words had rhythm and emotion.
Virginia Hamilton was born on March 12, 1934, in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Her grandfather, Levi Perry, was an infant when he was brought to Ohio by his mother, a fugitive slave from Virginia. His mother, Mary Cloud, escaped using the Underground Railroad. Although her great-grandmother disappeared, Hamilton's family kept her story alive. Perry told his story to Hamilton's mother, Etta Belle, every year. Etta Belle Perry named her youngest daughter Virginia to honor his memory. Hamilton and her four brothers and sisters heard the story every year. Perry's story taught her about escaping from bondage. It also taught Hamilton about following your dreams. Her grandfather became a farmer when he came to Ohio. Hamilton's journey into storytelling began with Levi Perry. It continued with her mother and her father, Kenneth Hamilton.
Hamilton grew up on a small truck farm in Yellow Springs. She spent her summers wandering family land with her cousins. Her uncles and other relatives owned land near her farm. Hamilton and her cousins could roam all day and never leave family land. Hamilton also spent her childhood listening to the stories told by her mother and father. Her childhood experiences and her family relationships would later appear in her novels.
