candice (candis) bender moore
1891-1984
Life Story
Early Life & Family Background
Candice Bender Moore was born about 1891 in Jasper County, Mississippi, to Columbus Bender (born 1867) and Alice Bender (born 1872). She grew up in a rural setting during the post-Reconstruction era, when opportunities for African American families—especially women—were limited and shaped by agricultural labor and domestic work.
Marriage, Widowhood & Children
By 1910, Candice was listed in the census as a widow living in the household of her parents in Jasper County with two young children. These children were:
- Henry James Hickmon, Sr. (1910–1986)
- Martha Hickmon (1912–1995)
During this period, Candice supported herself and her children through wage labor, working for the general public as a washerwoman, a common and physically demanding occupation for African American women in rural Mississippi.
On January 26, 1922, Candice married Will Moore (born 1892) in Jasper County. From this marriage, the following children were born:
- Eddie Moore (born 1914)
- Robert Moore (born 1917)
- Alice Ruth Moore (Evans) (1919-1968)
- Ore Ree Moore (born 1928)
Residence, Education & Work
By 1930, Candice and her family had relocated to Newton County, Mississippi, where they established their household and remained for the remainder of her life.
Educational records indicate that Candice completed one year of elementary school, reflecting the restricted access to formal education for African American children—particularly girls—during her youth.
Throughout her adult life, Candice contributed to her family’s survival through labor. In 1950, she was listed as a farm helper, continuing the pattern of agricultural and domestic work that sustained many Black families in Newton County across generations.
Faith & Community
Candice was a woman of faith and community involvement. At the time of her death, she was a member of St. Mary Baptist Church in Brandon, Mississippi, though she was laid to rest at St. John M.B. Church Cemetery, reflecting her deep family ties to the St. John community.
Death & Legacy
Candice Bender Moore passed away on January 29, 1984, at Rankin General Hospital in Brandon, Mississippi. Funeral services were held at St. John Baptist Church, with burial in St. John M.B. Church Graveyard.
She was survived by:
- Two sons: Henry James Hickmon and Eddie Hickmon
- One daughter: Martha Ashford Teague
- Fifteen grandchildren, along with numerous great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends
Historical Significance
Candice Bender Moore’s life reflects the lived reality of African American women in early 20th-century Mississippi—marked by widowhood, labor, migration, and perseverance. Through her work as a washerwoman, farm helper, and matriarch of a large, blended family, she helped sustain multiple generations whose lives became deeply interwoven with the history of St. John M.B. Church and the surrounding Newton County community.
Resting Place
Saint John Missionary Baptist Church Graveyard
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1900 Federal Census
- 1910 Federal Census
- 1920 Federal Census
- 1930 Federal Census
- 1940 Federal Census
- 1950 Federal Census
- U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
- U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
- Mississippi, U.S., Compiled Marriage Index, 1776-1935
- Mississippi, U.S., Voter Registration Records, 1801-2023
- U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- The Newton Record, Mrs. Candis Moore Obituary, Wed, Feb 29, 1984 ·Page 5
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