Abigail Tolliver was the only child of Abigail Howland and Gregory Mason. Abigail Howland was swept off of her feet by Mr. Mason. They married but their relationship didn't last. When the marriage fell apart, Abigail Mason brought her daughter home to her parent's estate. Neither woman ever saw Gregory again. The two Abigails were used to living in the city and had to adjust to life in the rural south. As the granddaughter of the last William Howland, Abigail was better off than most children, but she had never experienced racial tension before and it was an awakening for her. Abigail Mason died when Abby was young, and William and his second wife, Margaret, took over the responsibility of raising Abigail. William and Margaret had three children of their own, and Abigail grew up along side them. Abigail was aware that her family was not traditional, but she did not find it objectionable. As she grew and the others were sent away to boarding schools she began to question why. Her grandfather was white, as were her parents, but William's second wife, Margaret was black, and their children were mulatto. Although Abigail didn't understand it as a child, her grandfather's interracial relationship had shaped the course of her life.
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