Augusta Bouldin

ALBANY - Augusta Greene Bouldin was born May 11, 1928 to Alexander Greene and Lena Watkins Greene in Clover, Virginia (Halifax County). She passed away on Saturday February 15, 2014 at her residence in Albany.
At an early age, she and her two younger sisters Louise and Josephine were placed in the care of her mother's beloved Aunt Sarah Brooks Crews. Her Aunt Sarah didn't have much but she treated Augusta and her sisters the same as she did her ten (10) children.
Augusta was a hard worker. At age eight she dropped out of the third grade and started working full time in the tobacco fields. At age twelve she raised her age to sixteen to work in the tobacco factories in South Boston, Virginia. Although lacking in material things, Augusta was surrounded by love and family. Not only did she grow up with her Aunt Sarah's ten children but also the children of Aunts Amanda Greene Coleman and Virginia Watkins Crews. Each had twelve. She enjoyed telling stories about her dancing prowess with cousin and dancing partner Ahls Coleman. His brothers, twins Isaac and Esau were also favorites.
In 1946, she married James H. Bouldin, Sr., a recently returned Veteran who had seen action in Europe. While pregnant, her sister Louise asked her to care for her infant son so she could go North to look for work. She became so attached to Richard she never gave him back. Soon Augusta had three boys, all in diapers. She was always thankful to her friend Mamie Hankin who helped her take care of them.
In 1948 Augusta and her husband bought ten acres of land for three hundred dollars (their entire savings at the time) from his Aunt Judy Bouldin Coles. (Two of his Aunts, Judy and Vergie had married two Coles brothers). She put so much energy and effort into that land (and the similar acreage he inherited from his father) that she refused to sell any portion of it, although there have been numerous offers.
In the early 1950's her husband along with his brothers and cousins (the Coles, Freemans and others) began their trek as migrant workers to the brickyards in Coeymans, NY (Augusta's father and grandfather Alexander and Edward (respectfully) had worked in the brickyards at one time). During this period, Augusta raised the children and maintained the household. After several years, her husband brought the entire family to Coeymans where most of the Black community was either from Halifax County, VA or was a descendant of someone who was. Eventually the family moved to Albany, first to the South End and later Arbor/West Hill where Augusta was known for hard work and cheerfulness.
She was a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and worked difficult jobs while providing for her family. Augusta, a strict disciplinarian, did not drink or smoke and did not like waste of any kind, she considered waste a sin. This included money, time, food or talent and drilled in her family to be the very best they could be.
She had very few pastimes, but she enjoyed listening to the audio book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks". It described Clover which she loved and because her grandmother, Priscilla Pleasant Greene was Henrietta's aunt. She missed her cousin Gracie Carrington who was a great talker. She also enjoyed the company of the Jackson/West family and spent many pleasant hours sitting and laughing with them at the corner of Livingston Avenue and Quail Street.
Augusta greatly admired Sue and William Chalmers. Mrs. Chalmers' grandfather baptized her. Mr. Chalmers had a restaurant outside of the tobacco factory in which she worked as a teen before he came to Albany and became a more successful businessman. She always extolled her boys to "be like Bill Chalmers". Her niece Shirley Diane Hines called her from New York City every day and they developed a close relationship.
Augusta said as a child working in the fields two things she could count on (1) a plane flying North over the fields and (2) the "boss man" coming every afternoon to see the amount of work accomplished. He always drove a Buick which in the rural South in the 30's was a substantial vehicle. She vowed to follow that plane North and reunite with her mother and to drive new Buicks. She became close to her mother and later in life started buying new Buicks, always the biggest and most expensive. Her latest vehicle is a 2006 Buick Lucerne CXL in which she drove 8,281 miles. She would state, "I did what I set out to do."
She was the mother of Richard Greene, a decorated disabled combat veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart (deceased) (Beverly Jordan Greene), James H. Bouldin, Jr., (Lucy Ann Bouldin), and Larry Bouldin, a hundred percent disabled veteran (deceased); grandmother of Richard and Renee Greene of Detroit, Michigan, Jima Bouldin-Burton (Richard), Justin Bouldin of Albany, NY and LeVar Bouldin (Brandy) of Schenectady, NY; great-grandmother of Jusah Bouldin, Siquanna Thomas, Ammar Brown and Paris Bouldin, Justin, Jaz and Jai, Jacob, Jackson and Jala Burton. She is the sister of Louise Greene (deceased), Josephine Greene (deceased), Edith Moore (deceased). She is also survived by one aunt Edna Greene Graves of New Jersey, one sister Marlene Moore and one brother Kenneth Moore of New York City and a host of relatives and friends.
Calling hours will be Saturday, February 22, 2014 10:00 a.m. -12:00 Noon. Funeral will promptly follow at 12:00 Noon at Union Missionary Baptist Church at 3 Morton Avenue, Albany. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Huntington Disease Society of America (HDSA), 505 Eighth Avenue, Suite 902, New York, NY 10018.