dump chapman
1893-1980
Life Story
Early Life and Family
Dump Chapman was born around 1893 in Newton County, Mississippi, to Make Chapman (1855–?) and Jane Evans Chapman (1860–1927). He was raised in rural Newton County, where farming shaped both daily life and economic survival for African American families in the early twentieth century.
Education and Occupation
Dump Chapman completed the first grade of elementary school. With limited formal education, he worked primarily as a farmer, contributing to the agricultural economy that sustained his household for decades.
Marriage and Family
By 1920, Dump Chapman was married to Velma Chapman (born 1900). By 1930, he was married to Nellie Loper Chapman (1903–1995), with whom he established a long-term household and raised a large family closely connected to Saint John Missionary Baptist Church.
From the union of Dump Chapman and Nellie Loper Chapman, the following children were born:
- Mary Jane Chapman (1920–1966)
- Hazel Lee Chapman (born 1922)
- Willie Mae Chapman (born 1924)
- Lola B. Chapman (born 1926)
- M. Dump Chapman, Jr. (1928–1955)
- Frances Lee Chapman (born 1930)
- Henry M. Chapman (born 1932)
- Rafe S. Chapman (born 1934)
- Bobby Lee Chapman (1935-1989)
- Leo Chapman (born 1938)
- Ora Dee Chapman (1940–2019)
- Easter Chapman (born 1943)
- Orean Chapman (born 1945)
- Willye Chapman
Later obituary records confirm that several children were known publicly by married surnames and that the family’s descendants settled across Mississippi and beyond.
Military Service
Dump Chapman was inducted into the United States Army during World War I on August 23, 1918. He served with Company C, 326th Labor Battalion, a unit composed primarily of African American soldiers assigned to labor and logistical support roles essential to the war effort.
He departed from New York, New York, on October 19, 1918, and was honorably discharged on July 30, 1919.
Later Years and Death
Dump Chapman passed away on February 13, 1980. He was laid to rest at Saint John Missionary Baptist Church graveyard, among generations of family members whose lives reflect the continuity of faith, labor, and community in Newton County.
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
- The Newton Record, Wed, Oct 06, 1971 ·Page 5
- Mississippi, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919
- U.S., Army Transport Service Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists, 1910-1939
- U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
- U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985
- U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
- U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940
- U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
- The Newton Record, Nellie Loper Chapman Obituary, Wed, Apr 26, 1995 ·Page 15
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