By Karen Middleton
karen@athensnews-courier.com
May 01, 2008 12:38 am
—
Chris Paysinger is a modern man with his eyes on the past.
Paysinger, 33, of Athens, was recently named Outstanding Graduate Student in History at the University of Alabama in Huntsville for research on his thesis, “Let the Family Circle Be Unbroken: The Transformation of Republican Patriarchy Athens, Alabama, 1818-1870.”
Chris’s research and his enthusiasm for his subject matter have made him a popular speaker locally and in several areas throughout the state. Chris is married to the former Suzanne Clem, 29, a dietician at Limestone Health Facility, and they have a 2-year-old daughter, Avery.
Grew up in Elkmont
The son of Sherry Paysinger of South Alabama and Bobby Paysinger of Athens, Chris grew up in Elkmont and graduated from Elkmont High School before attending Auburn University. He graduated from Auburn in 1998 and taught history in South Alabama for a year before deciding to “head back north” to accept a job at Sparkman High School, where he has taught since.
Suzanne is the daughter of Tom and Emily Clem. She graduated from the University of Alabama.
“I’m a third-generation Alabama graduate,” said Suzanne. “My mom graduated from Alabama and her father. I know Avery is going to be a Roll Tide girl.”
She said their Alabama-Auburn allegiances only become heated at Iron Bowl time.
The couple lives in a home on South Houston Street with carefully tended lawn and gardens. They purchased the home from Eleanor Cox and one of the prized plantings is an ivy-covered trellis over the back walkway that was grown from a slip from Mount Vernon, home of George Washington.
Through his years of research into 19th Century Athens, Chris said he began to feel as though he were close friends or a member of the family of one of Athens’ early settlers, James Donnell, who built the Donnell House on the Athens Middle School campus. Chris read through dozens of family letters.
One of the Donnells
“James Donnell used to write frequently to his son, Robert,” he said. “In one letter after the Civil War he tells Robert to ‘let the family rise up from the ashes.’
“These were just unbelievable letters. He was an enormous landowner before the War with three plantations, two in Limestone County and one in Lawrence County, and then after the war he was penniless—he lost more than most. He had supported John Bell in the election of 1860 as a middle-of-the-road candidate that he thought would avert war, although he didn’t take part in the debates between George S. Houston, who was the anti-secessionist, and Thomas Hobbs, who was a secessionist.”
Chris said he got “very attached to the Donnells.”
“If I could just sit in a library and read letters all day I would, but that doesn’t pay much,” he said.
As well as teaching at Sparkman, Chris works with the Donnell House board and the Limestone County Historical Society.
“It’s sort of surreal to sit in James Donnell’s parlor and know so much about his family from those letters he wrote,” said Chris. “I believe he was the most interesting character I found in the Pre-War period.”
Frequent speaker
Chris has given talks to the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Daughters of the American Revolution.
“I also lecture in the UAH Lifetime Learning Program, which is for retired persons who want to continue learning,” he said. “It’s sort of like auditing classes.”
He also spoke at the Alabama Association of Historians annual meeting.
When Chris surfs the Internet for fun it’s always with an eye for history. He recently made a rare find on eBay.
“I found a piece of music called, ‘The Institute Waltz,’ which was dedicated to four Athens College students, Ella Houston, Laura Malone, Ella Tanner and Kate Vassar. I bought it as a graduation present to myself.”
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.
Photos
Chris and Suzanne Paysinger and daughter Avery make their home on South Houston Street.