benjamin mcelroy, jr.
1900-aft. 1950
Life Story
From Newton County Fields to the Industrial North
The Early Years in Newton County
Benjamin McElroy was born on August 28, 1900, in Newton County, Mississippi, the son of Reverend Laban B. McElroy and Marsella Sharp McElroy. His early life began in the red clay hills of Newton County, in a Black community still navigating the long shadow of Reconstruction, racial classification, land struggle, and limited educational opportunity.
By 1910, young Benjamin was living with his family in Beat 4 of Newton County. The household included his parents, siblings Otis, Maude, and Judie, and his grandmother, Judie. Though he was only a child, the census already listed him as a farm laborer. Like many Black children in rural Mississippi, Benjamin’s schooling was shaped by the demands of agricultural labor. He had attended school, but the record shows he had not yet learned to read or write.
A Young Man in the Coal Fields
As Benjamin reached adulthood, he joined the larger movement of Black Southerners seeking work beyond the cotton fields. By 1920, he had migrated to Logan County, West Virginia, where he lived as a boarder in the household of Benny Mann.
There, Benjamin exchanged farm labor for coal mining, one of the most dangerous and demanding forms of industrial work in America. This move also marked an important personal milestone. By 1920, the census recorded that Benjamin could both read and write, showing a clear step forward from the limited schooling of his childhood.
Marriage and Family Life in Jackson
By the early 1920s, Benjamin had returned to Mississippi. Around 1922, he married Eliza Jane Boykin. The couple settled in Jackson, where they raised their children: Marcella, Benjamin James., and A.C. McElroy.
In 1930, the family lived at 216 East South Street, and Benjamin worked as a laborer in a storage facility. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, the McElroy family lived at 1054 West Pascagoula Street. City directories show Benjamin moving through steady working-class occupations, including janitor, truck driver, and general laborer.
World War II Draft Registration
In February 1942, at age forty-one, Benjamin registered for the World War II draft. His registration card gives one of the clearest physical descriptions of him: he stood 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 154 pounds, and had brown eyes, black hair, and a light brown complexion.
At the time, he was employed by J. P. Ricks in Jackson. Though Benjamin was beyond the age of many younger servicemen, his registration places him within the national wartime record and shows how even middle-aged working men were accounted for during the mobilization of World War II.
The Final Migration to Detroit
After World War II, Benjamin and Eliza joined a later wave of the Great Migration and moved north to Detroit, Michigan. By 1950, they were living on Leicester Street, part of a city that had become one of the major destinations for Black Mississippians seeking industrial work and new opportunities.
Even in his late forties, Benjamin remained connected to physical labor, working for a construction company. Yet the 1950 census also suggests that years of hard work may have taken a toll. At age forty-nine, he was briefly recorded as unable to work, likely because of illness, injury, or declining health.
A Life of Movement and Labor
Benjamin McElroy’s life reflects the path of many Black men born in rural Mississippi at the turn of the twentieth century. He began as a child laborer in Newton County, became a coal miner in West Virginia, built a family through steady work in Jackson, and later followed the road north to Detroit.
His story is not one of fame or public office, but of endurance. Through farm fields, coal mines, city streets, wartime registration, and northern construction work, Benjamin McElroy carried forward the resilience of a generation that labored, migrated, adapted, and survived.
Biographical Summary
| Period | Location | Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| 1910 | Newton County, Mississippi | Farm Laborer |
| 1920 | Logan County, West Virginia | Coal Miner |
| 1930 | Jackson, Mississippi | Storage Laborer |
| 1940 | Jackson, Mississippi | Janitor |
| 1943 | Jackson, Mississippi | Truck Driver |
| 1950 | Detroit, Michigan | Construction Worker |
Resting Place
Unknown
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1910 United States Federal Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, Sheet 4B, Family 70, Benjamin McElroy in the household of Laban McElroy; Roll: T624_753; Enumeration District 0091.
- 1920 United States Federal Census, Logan County, West Virginia, Logan, Sheet 15B, Benjamin J. McElroy, boarder in the household of Benny Mann; Roll: T625_1955; Enumeration District 0023.
- 1930 United States Federal Census, Hinds County, Mississippi, Jackson City, Ward 2, Sheet 12B, Dwelling 211, Family 286, Ben Mceroy [McElroy]; Enumeration District 0006.
- Jackson, Mississippi, City Directory, 1930, p. 342, entry for Benjamin McElroy (Eliza), 216 E South.
- 1940 United States Federal Census, Hinds County, Mississippi, Jackson, Sheet 9A, Household 162, Benjamin McElroy; Roll: m-t0627-02026; Enumeration District 25-14A.
- U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, Hinds County, Mississippi; Registration State: Mississippi; Registration Date: 16 Feb 1942; Benjamin McElroy, Serial No. 2486.
- Jackson, Mississippi, City Directory, 1943, p. 410, entry for Benjamin McElroy (Eliza), Driver, 1054 W Pascagoula.
- Jackson, Mississippi, City Directory, 1945, p. 488, entry for Benjamin McElroy (Eliza), Laborer, 1064 W Pascagoula.
- 1950 United States Federal Census, Wayne County, Michigan, Detroit, Sheet 71, Dwelling 148, Ben McElray [McElroy]; Enumeration District 85-341.
- Mississippi, U.S., Index to Deaths, 1912-1943, Film Number 000506654, entry for Marcella Mcelroy, mother of Ben Mcelroy .
Researcher’s Note on Transcription Variations - Surname Spelling: The records show phonetic variations including Mceroy (1930), McElray (1950), and McElroy. The 1942 Draft Card, signed by the subject, confirms the spelling as McElroy.
- Birth Date: While census records provide an estimated birth year of 1901–1902, the WWII Draft Registration provides the specific date of August 28, 1900, which is generally considered the most reliable primary evidence for the day and month.
- Complexion: The 1910 Census uses the term “Mulatto,” while subsequent records (1920–1950) use “Black” or “Negro.” The Draft Card further describes his complexion as “Light Brown.”
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