abraham donald
1906-1972
Life Story
Early Life in Rural Newton County
Abraham Donald was born on December 15, 1906, in Newton County, Mississippi, to David Donald and Lula Sharp Donald. He was raised in the rural farming communities of Beat 4 along the Roberts–Lawrence Road, where agriculture shaped nearly every aspect of daily life.
Growing up in a large household with numerous brothers and sisters, Abraham experienced the close-knit family networks that characterized many African American communities in eastern Mississippi during the early twentieth century. Families depended upon one another not only for companionship but also for labor, survival, and mutual support in an era when economic opportunities were limited by segregation and the sharecropping system.
Unlike many children whose schooling was interrupted by farm work, Abraham attended school while also contributing to the family’s agricultural livelihood. By the 1920 census, at just ten years of age, he was recorded as attending school and able to read and write—an important achievement at a time when educational opportunities for Black children in Mississippi were unequal and often underfunded.
Building a Family During the Great Depression
Around 1928, Abraham married Rebecca Rigsby, beginning a partnership that would span more than four decades.
By 1930, the young couple had established their own tenant farm in Beat 4, where Abraham worked the land while Rebecca managed their growing household. They were raising their first child, Willie M., as the nation entered the Great Depression. Like thousands of Black farming families across Mississippi, the Donalds faced the uncertainty of tenant agriculture, fluctuating crop prices, and limited economic opportunities.
The family’s joy was accompanied by profound sorrow. On October 31, 1929, their infant son Allen Donald was born prematurely and survived only three hours before his death. He was buried the following day at Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery. Although Allen’s life was brief, his memory remained part of the Donald family’s history and reflected the heartbreaking reality of infant mortality that affected many rural families before advances in modern medical care.
Over the following decade, Abraham and Rebecca continued building their family, welcoming additional children including Mayo, Marie, and Allie Mae.
A Farmer During a Nation at War
On October 16, 1940, Abraham registered for the World War II draft in Newton, Mississippi. Although he was never called into military service, the registration provides a detailed snapshot of his life.
At thirty-three years old, Abraham described himself as a self-employed farmer. He stood 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed 178 pounds, and listed his wife, Rebecca, as his nearest relative. The registration reflected the responsibilities carried by many Black farmers whose work on the land remained essential even as the nation prepared for global war.
The Great Migration to Chicago
Following World War II, Abraham and Rebecca joined one of the largest internal migrations in American history.
Like millions of African Americans seeking greater economic opportunity and freedom from the restrictions of Jim Crow, the Donald family left rural Mississippi and relocated to Chicago, Illinois.
By 1950, they were living at 353 East 55th Place in Chicago’s South Side. The move represented far more than a change of address. It marked a dramatic transition from the cotton fields of Newton County to one of America’s great industrial cities.
Abraham secured employment in Chicago’s renowned meatpacking industry, working as a meat curer in a private packing plant. The stockyards provided stable wages that were often unavailable to Black farmers in the South, even though the work remained physically demanding and frequently hazardous.
For families like the Donalds, the Great Migration represented both economic opportunity and the hope of creating new possibilities for the next generation.
Later Years and Legacy
Abraham remained in Chicago for the remainder of his life, residing on the city’s South Side within what later became the 60628-ZIP Code area.
He died in Cook County, Illinois, on January 15, 1972, at the age of sixty-five.
His life reflected the experiences of countless African Americans born in the rural South during the early twentieth century. He began life on the farms of Newton County, endured the hardships of the Great Depression, raised a family during years of economic uncertainty, participated in the Great Migration, and ultimately helped build a new life in industrial Chicago.
Though his surroundings changed dramatically over the decades, Abraham’s story remained rooted in the values of family, perseverance, and hard work that connected the Donald family across generations.
Resting Place
Unknown
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, and 1950 U.S. Census records, Newton County, Mississippi, and Cook County, Illinois.
- World War II Draft Registration Card for Abraham Donald, October 16, 1940.
- Mississippi death certificate for Allen Donald, October 31, 1929.
- Illinois death records, Cook County, January 15, 1972.
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