Allie Belle Hewett (Cameron) Alternate spelling Hewitt

Birth: Born around 1911 in Louisiana.  

Family Information:

Daughter of Minnie and Ben Wade Hewett.

Sister of Benny Wade, Jr., Irene, Clark, Eugene and Charlotte Hewett.

Description:  

Pre-Colony History:  

Home in Colony: In January 1929 she and Mrs. Hewett were "fixing up their residence in fine style." According to a column in the "Colonist" they had "the finest home in town, so fine that a casual visitor might [have thought they had] received special favors, but that would have been a greivous mistake." All colony families were just as free to fix up their own domiciles equally well, but they seldom did it. 

Job in Colony: In April 1928 Mrs. Swenson and Dixon got breakfast at the hotel while Mrs. Davidson, Allie Belle Hewett and Mrs. Kemp prepared the noon meal. Mrs. Fread, Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Shutt got the evening meal.

In June 1928 she was part of the breakfast crew at the hotel, along with her mother, Mrs. Daugherty, Miss Laura Synoground and Comrade L.C. Thomas.

In 1928 she, Mrs. Dix and Mrs. Mickey looked after the laundry work after Tefteller had finished running it through the machines.

In June 1935 she, referred to as "Allie Belle Cameron", she was working in the laundry with Cecil Thompson and Thelma Perkins. Later that year she was part of a volunteer crew who put a couple hours into harvesting pears from the orchard before they went to their regular jobs.

Other Info:

She was often part of the program at the theater and a senior member of the Glee Club.

She was one of 42 colonists who signed a petition, dated January 10, 1928 and sent to the governor of Louisiana, which objected to the securing of a new charter being issued to the colony. Among other things, this petition claimed that affairs of the colony had been grossly and intentionally mismanaged and conduct of the management so flagrantly opposed to good morals that a receiver assigned by the District Court was necessary to handle affairs. It alleged that management had: 1. Used misleading propaganda which caused hundreds of people to invest their money in the colony, only to be disillusioned and have to leave with nothing to show for their investment. 2. Reduced the colony to a peon camp - these "peons" being poorly fed, clothed and housed. 3. Advocated "free-love", including promiscuous relations of the sexes and other practices contrary to good morals. 4. Expressed contempt for courts and authorities by taking it upon themselves to punish two boys for stealing from the colony store. 5. Prostituted colony schools by employing nondescript persons as teachers, while issuing fraudulent reports and drawing hundreds of dollars from the Parish School funds in the names of certified teachers and by exploiting child labor. The case was taken all the way to the Supreme Court but eventually was annulled and the plaintiff's demands rejected.

In April 1929 she attended a birthday party held for Billie Busick (five years old) and Charlotte Hewett (turning four) at the home of Mrs. Minnie Hewett.

Also in April 1929 she sang alto as a member of the Senior Glee Club along with Gertrude Maki, Laura Synoground, Bonnie Enfield and Lois Brattland; first sopranos included: Kathleen Bridwell, Zelma De Fausell, Hope Shoemaker and Jennie Black; and second soprano was sung by Ruth Shoemaker, Blanch Porter, Beatrice Jensen, Ruth Kingsbury and Florence Aiton.

In June 1929 the parish superintendent presented diplomas to the graduates of grade school including: Allie Belle Hewett, Lois Brattland, June Enfield, Ruth Kingsbury, Paul Ashlock, Caleb Ashlock, John Armacost, Jesse Armacost, Roslyn Armacost, Elmer Jensen, Roy Swenson, Royal Thompson, Fred Busick, Robert Roe, Cletus Killian and Pauline Eggleston.

Also in June 1929 she and Jennie Black were the visitors of Jessie and Tottie Wilson of the Savage Forks community. The next day, both girls along with Mrs. Minnie Hewett and Emma Lea Maxwell were in Leesville with locals Mr. and Mrs. Geo. H. Wilson and family.  

Post-Colony History: In September 1929 she went to Port Arthur, Texas where she expected to remain for some weeks.

In 1931 and 1936 she was living in Shreveport, Louisiana where she was working as a waitress.  

Death:  

Sources: Photo Archives; US Census: 1920, 1930; "Vernon Parish Democrat": February 28, 1929, September 5, 1929; "Llano Colonist": February 25, 1928, April 7, 1928, June 30, 1928, September 22, 1928, January 12, 1929, April 13, 1929, April 20, 1929, April 27, 1929, June 8, 1929, May 13, 1933 (Story of Llano), May 20, 1933 (Story of Llano), June 15, 1935, August 17, 1935; Shreveport, LA City Directory: 1931, 1936