Mrs. Ingram, an accomplished artist and writer who published a historical novel in 2004 in tribute to her great-grandmother, a free African-American property holder in the early 1850s, died July 20 at the Metro West Medical Center in Framingham after a long battle with heart disease. The Wayland resident was 89.
Her artwork is in private collections in the United States, Canada, and Africa and is included in the permanent collection of the National Center of Afro-American Artists in Boston.
“Mother’s life revolved around many passions, but the greatest were her family and her art,’’ said Joyce L. McGlaston, a retired educator who lives in Green Valley, Ariz. “The two were intertwined in many ways. Her art was a reflection of her family’s history and ancestry, often evoking an African theme of subject, style, and color. And her family members were always encouraged and supported in their own creative endeavors.’’
Mrs. Ingram was born in Penlan, Va., the 13th of 15 children. During her early childhood, she lived in Columbus, Ohio; East Orange, N.J.; and Baltimore. After graduating from high school and in search of employment, she moved with her sister, Louise, to Boston. There, she met James Gilmore Ingram, a native of Danville, Va., who had moved with his parents to Boston when he was a child.
The couple married in 1942, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Boston. They had two daughters and were married for more than 40 years when Mr. Ingram died in 1983.
“Our parents had a very long and happy marriage,’’ McGlaston said. “I think they were proud of their achievements as husband and wife. My dad loved their home in Holbrook, which they had built and for which he did a lot of the electrical work. It’s where they lived until he passed away, and that was a source of pride for both of them.’’
Philip Holman – a consultant in public policy, government relations, and strategic communications who knew Mrs. Ingram for about 15 years – said her loving, kind, and compassionate spirit will be sorely missed. He met her through her daughter Edith Renee Ingram of Washington, D.C.
“She was a very dedicated writer and researcher who was a truth seeker,’’ said Holman, also of the District of Columbia. “She wanted to know the truth about her family and other families and had a passion for setting the record straight and making it accurate for what happened to African-Americans during the antebellum period.’’
Holman, a former print and broadcast journalist, was especially impressed by Mrs. Ingram’s historical novel, “A Walk Among Blue Slate Markers,’’ which she published at age 83 and set in Penlan (Buckingham County), Virginia. He said Mrs. Ingram strongly believed people should know their history.