Bolivar and Lallie Kemp

Many of us who call Amite home, having lived there from birth through the last day of high school, remember the names Bolivar and Lallie Kemp. Although the names were familiar, most of us knew little of them, as they had died before we were even “thought of.” We would hear stories from time to time about their prominence – that Mr. Bolivar was a US Congressman who died while in office and that Miss Lallie was encouraged to take his place, but ended up deciding not to. We knew the hospital in Independence was named in her honor. We heard that her name was Lallie Conner Kemp, and we had heard of Conner’s Hill. Some of us probably heard Conner Davis speak often about the Conner family.

Joan Sanders Furr, a cousin and almost like an older sister to me, would tell me stories of seeing Miss Lallie. Joan lived on North Laurel, and as a young girl in the 30’s and 40’s, she would see Miss Lallie pass with her driver in her big Packard on the way to visit the Wilsons, the Conners and the Dysons.  Only now, as we take the time to look at the books, newspapers and memorials and ask those who can remember, do we find out more about them.

Their large house at the end of Laurel Street was called Afton. The name Sweet Afton was given by Miss Lallie in honor of her father, Mr. Sydney Simonton Conner. “Sweet Afton” was his favorite ballad, and this was mentioned in the newspaper account of his death. The newspaper article also said that his dying request was that his daughter sing “Sweet Afton.” He had always wanted that song, sung by his daughter, to be the last thing he heard on earth, and within moments of the song’s finish, he died. We do not know which daughter it was who sang the song, but she was accompanied by her brother, Jamie Conner, on the violin. Thus, the home's name, Sweet Afton. 

The homestead was the childhood home of Eleanor “Peeps” Kemp Ellis. She continued to live there after her marriage to Robert Ellis, until her death in 2003 at the age of 93. Members of the Ellis family still reside at Afton.

These pages from a small book titled:
Bolivar E. Kemp
Late A  Representative
From Louisiana
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES DELIVERED IN CONGRESS

From a newspaper article written by Edwin Schilling

The third floor of the Guaranty Bank Building
The building was completed in 1926;
Rooms appear unchanged over all these years.

Lallie Kemp named this home "Sweet Afton" in honor
of her father.