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Cantey (1866-1938), who had moved to Columbus from Fort Mitchell, Alabama, to continue her education. A young dress designer with numerous clientele, Aurelia married John on June 21, 1888. Four daughters were born to the Thomases between 1891 and 1900; Alma was the eldest, born September 22.⁵

The Cantey-Thomas Family, 1891-1907

Alma's family enjoyed a long tradition of achievement. Her maternal grandparents, the Canteys, were highly respected in Fort Mitchell, Alabama. Fannie Cantey (1839-1921) was a housewife. Winter Cantey (1830-1913), a mulatto, was a veterinarian and cotton planter and raised horses to sell. He gave aid to the elderly and infirm, and built a two room school house on his plantation to teach the local children, including his own who later attended Tuskegee Institute. Annual visits to the Cantey plantation across the Chattahoochee River were an adventure for the Thomas girls. There they would enjoy and learn about nature with horses, ponies, goats, peacocks, fan-tail pigeons, ducks, and other fowl, as well as the fields of cotton at their grandfather's home. Alma Thomas fondly described her visits, stating:, "...I would go wandering through the plantation finding the most unusual wild flowers. And the cotton - oh that was a gorgeous sight: as far as you could see beautiful flowers, white with a bit of pink, bell-shaped."⁶ These memories would serve as a source of inspiration for her in later years. Grandfather Cantey would also read to them from the newspaper, discuss politics, and challenge them with spelling contests. An oil

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