Wife of Alonzo Franklin Hernden, Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil was born from Savannah. Daughter of the light skinned servants, Adrienne was identified as a Creole. She studied drama in Boston and NY, dreamed of being stage performer. Her stage name was Ann Du Bignon. However, due to her race and skin color, Adrienne was not able to perform on main stages. Despite being talented, and receiving great reviews from critics, she only made a couple of appearance because she was later on identified as “black,” instead of “Creole”. She moved back to Atlanta, in an attempt to start a new theatre career for African Americans. During her years in Atlanta, she contributed to developing education in the Atlanta University, creating the first Shakespearean production there. She also worked as an architect, building blueprints for the house, later on known as the Herndon Home.