clarasy “CLARISY” mosley
1830-1923
Life Story
Matriarch • Survivor of Slavery • Mother of the Mosley Line
Burial: Evans Cemetery, Newton County, MississipPI
Early Life
Clarasy (also spelled Clarisy or Mosler) Mosley was born around 1830 in Georgia, during a time when African American lives were defined by enslavement, displacement, and the forced migrations of the domestic slave trade. Although the details of her early life are not recorded, her birth in Georgia and later presence in Mississippi strongly suggest that she was brought westward as part of the massive movement of enslaved people into the Deep South during the antebellum cotton boom.
Marriage and Family
By the mid-1800s, Clarasy married William Charley Mosley (born about 1830), a man whose birthplace is listed in several records as Jackson, Maryland—a rare detail that indicates he too was uprooted and relocated to Mississippi before the Civil War.
Her husband later served in the U.S. Colored Troops, 48th Regiment, fighting on the side of the Union during the Civil War. This places the Mosley family among the early African American military families whose service contributed to emancipation and the reshaping of Black citizenship in the United States.
Together, Clarasy and William Charley established a family that became one of the foundational African American lineages in Newton County. Their known children include:
- Sherrod Mosley (1859–?)
- Joe Mosley (1859–1920)
- Mary Mosley (1860–1923)
- Matilda Mosley (1870–?)
These children, born shortly before, during, and after the Civil War, represent a family transitioning from slavery into freedom.
Life and Labor
Like most Black women of her generation, Clarasy worked extensively as a farm laborer—a role that encompassed cotton picking, tending gardens, caring for livestock, and supporting the household economy. Her labor sustained her family during Reconstruction and the early Jim Crow era, when opportunities for African American women were severely limited.
Her longevity meant that she lived to see her children and grandchildren come of age in a world profoundly changed from the one she was born into.
Passing and Burial
Clarasy Mosley passed away on February 13, 1918, at an estimated age of nearly 88 years. Her death certificate lists the cause of death as “infirmities of age,” a reflection of her long life and advanced years.
The informant on her certificate was Will Loper, the husband of her granddaughter Mary Magdalene Mosley Loper, demonstrating the close-knit family ties that carried her memory forward.
She was laid to rest in the Evans Cemetery in Newton County, a burial ground shared by many interconnected families of the Altare, Lawrence, and Mt. Moriah communities.
Legacy
Clarasy Mosley lived through the most dramatic social transformations in American history:
- Slavery
- The Civil War
- Reconstruction
- The rise of Jim Crow
Her marriage to a Union veteran and her survival into the 20th century place her at the root of one of the county’s most enduring African American families.
Her descendants—including the Mosleys, Lopers, Evanses, and related families—carried forward her resilience, her labor, and her legacy in the communities surrounding Evans Cemetery.
Resting Place
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1900 Federal Census
- Mississippi, U.S., Index to Deaths, 1912-1943
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current
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