alonzo harris
1926-2003
Life Story
Early Life and Family in Mississippi
Alonzo Harris was born on August 24, 1926, in Lake, Mississippi, a community situated near the Newton–Scott County line and closely associated with the Newton County area. He was the son of Paul Harris and Sarah Harris and grew up with his family in Beat 4 of Newton County, where the Harris family had longstanding roots.
He was among the younger children in a large family. By 1930, Alonzo was living with his parents and several older siblings, including Cathrine, Ollie D., Paul, Rubie, and Ida Mae, while his parents continued their agricultural work.
Alonzo’s childhood was therefore spent within the same rural farming environment that had shaped the lives of his older brothers and sisters.
The historical record contains some uncertainty concerning his mother’s maiden surname. Social Security application records completed by different children of Paul and Sarah Harris identify their mother as both Sarah Trotter and Sarah Boyd. Sarah’s mother was Mandy Trotter, but the reason for the use of both surnames has not yet been established. Until further documentation is located, her maiden surname remains unresolved.
Coming of Age During World War II
Alonzo came of age while the United States was deeply engaged in World War II.
On September 13, 1943, he registered for the draft in Lawrence, Mississippi. His registration described him as 5 feet 6 inches tall and 152 pounds, with a dark complexion, black hair, and brown eyes.
At the time, he was working for his father, Paul Harris, providing another glimpse into the agricultural household in which he had been raised.
Although registration for the draft documented Alonzo’s eligibility for military service, it should not by itself be interpreted as evidence that he subsequently served in the armed forces unless a military service or enlistment record is located.
Migration to California
Like several members of his generation, Alonzo eventually left rural Mississippi.
His journey took him west to California, adding another destination to the migration story of Paul and Sarah Harris’s children. While some African Americans leaving Mississippi traveled north to cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland, others moved west to California during and after World War II.
Alonzo lived for a period in Los Angeles and eventually made his home in Oakland, Alameda County, California.
The surviving records establish his movement from Mississippi to California but do not tell us precisely when he migrated or his personal reasons for doing so. His life nevertheless became another branch of the Harris family’s expanding geographic story.
Marriage, Family, and Faith
Alonzo married Genevia Harris, who shared his later life and survived him.
Although Alonzo spent years in California, his surviving records continued to connect him with his Mississippi roots. He was a member of East Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Lake, Mississippi.
His connection to the church is particularly significant because East Green Grove would ultimately become the place where his family gathered to remember him and the place where he was laid to rest.
Family obituaries also help trace Alonzo through his later years. When his sister Armanda “Mandy” Harris Evans died in 1991, her obituary identified her brother Lonzo Harris of Los Angeles, California among her surviving siblings.
When their sister Virgie Mae “Pie” Harris McDaniel died in 2002, Alonzo was again identified as a surviving brother.
These records allow us to follow the youngest generation of the large Harris household decades after they had left their parents’ farm.
Death in California and Return Home
Alonzo Harris passed away on October 11, 2003, at Excell Health Care Center in Oakland, California. He was seventy-seven years old.
Although his life had taken him more than two thousand miles from Mississippi to California, his final journey brought him home.
Alonzo’s body was returned to Mississippi, where funeral services were held on October 18, 2003, at East Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Lake. The Rev. John T. Evans officiated.
Following the service, Alonzo was laid to rest in East Green Grove Cemetery in Lake, Mississippi.
Legacy
Alonzo Harris’s life represents another path taken by the children of Paul and Sarah Harris.
Born near the Newton–Scott County line, he grew up within his father’s farming household, came of age during World War II, and registered for the draft while still a teenager. As an adult, he eventually traveled far beyond the Mississippi communities of his childhood and established a life in California.
His migration also broadens the story of the Harris family. His sister Ida Mae Harris Gray traveled north to Cleveland before eventually returning to Mississippi. Other relatives remained closer to home. Alonzo’s journey carried him westward to Los Angeles and Oakland.
Yet Mississippi remained part of his story.
After his death in Oakland in 2003, Alonzo was returned to Lake, Mississippi, where services were held at East Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church and he was buried in the church cemetery.
His life stretched from rural Mississippi to California, but his final resting place returned him to the community where his family’s roots had been planted generations before.
Resting Place
Green Grove Baptist Church Graveyard
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1930 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, population schedule, Paul Harris household, Beat 4. Alonzo Harris was enumerated as a young child in the household of his parents, Paul and Sarah Harris, along with several older siblings.
- Social Security Administration, Applications and Claims Index, Alonzo Harris, born August 24, 1926, Mississippi. Social Security records associated with the children of Paul and Sarah Harris identify their mother under both the surnames Trotter and Boyd. Because the reason for these differing surnames has not yet been established, Sarah’s maiden surname remains unresolved.
- World War II Draft Registration Card, Alonzo Harris, September 13, 1943, Lawrence, Mississippi. The registration describes Alonzo as approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and 152 pounds, with a dark complexion, black hair, and brown eyes, and records that he was working for his father, Paul Harris.
- “Armanda Evans,” The Newton Record (Newton, MS), November 13, 1991, 2; “Armanda Evans,” The Union Appeal (Union, MS), November 13, 1991, 8. His sister Armanda “Mandy” Harris Evans’s obituary identifies Lonzo Harris of Los Angeles, California, among her surviving siblings.
- “Virgie Mae McDaniel,” Scott County Times (Forest, MS), December 4, 2002, 2. Virgie Mae “Pie” Harris McDaniel’s obituary identifies Alonzo Harris as her surviving brother and Genevia Harris among her sisters-in-law.
- “Alonzo Harris,” Scott County Times (Forest, MS), October 22, 2003, 3. The obituary documents Alonzo’s connection to East Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church, his later life in California, and other family information.
- Ibid. Alonzo Harris died on October 11, 2003, at Excell Health Care Center in Oakland, California, at age seventy-seven.
- Ibid. Funeral services were held on October 18, 2003, at East Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Lake, Mississippi, with the Rev. John T. Evans officiating. Burial followed in East Green Grove Cemetery.
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