edgar caples
1902-1988
Life Story
From the Farms of Conehatta to the South Side of Chicago
Early Life in Newton County (1902–1925)
Edgar Caples was born on June 18, 1902 (documented in some later records as July 18), in Newton County, Mississippi. He was the son of George Caples, a farmer born before the Civil War, and Lizzie Caples. Raised in Beat 3 near Conehatta, Edgar grew up in the rugged agricultural world that shaped so many African American families in rural Mississippi during the early twentieth century.
Life in the Caples household revolved around the rhythms of farming. Cotton fields, livestock care, and seasonal labor demanded the participation of every able-bodied family member. By the age of sixteen, Edgar was already balancing school attendance with wage labor, working alongside his father and siblings on nearby farms. These early years instilled in him the discipline, endurance, and work ethic that would sustain him throughout his long life.
Growing up in the Jim Crow South also meant navigating the harsh economic and racial realities that limited opportunities for Black families. Yet despite these obstacles, the Caples family maintained deep roots in their community and in the land itself.
Family Life and Public Works in Mississippi (1926–1945)
Around 1926, Edgar married Edna, later identified in records as Edna C. Laster. Together they established a farming household in Newton County and began raising a family. By 1930, Edgar had advanced beyond farm labor and was operating his own general farm as an employer, a notable accomplishment during an era when many Black farmers remained tenants or sharecroppers.
Edgar and Edna became the parents of four children: Carlton, Lizzie A., Dewey, and Hughy (Huey). Their home reflected the determination of many rural Black families striving for independence through land, labor, and family stability.
The economic devastation of the Great Depression forced many farmers to seek supplemental income wherever possible. Edgar participated in local public works projects, and in November 1937, The Newton Record published county payment ledgers showing him receiving compensation for five hours of road work under the “Beat Three—Common Road” fund. Such work, though modest, provided important financial support during difficult times.
By 1940, Edgar’s household had evolved. His elderly father, George Caples, then eighty-three years old, was living with him on the family farm, reflecting the strong multigenerational structure common among Southern Black families. Census records from that year list Edgar’s wife as May, while his World War II draft registration in February 1942 identified his spouse and next of kin as Inez Caples, née Whitehead, who would remain his lifelong partner.
During the war years, Edgar continued operating his self-employed farming enterprise in Conehatta. His draft card described him as standing 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 171 pounds—a hardworking farmer whose life remained deeply tied to the Mississippi soil.
The Great Migration to Chicago (1945–1980s)
Following World War II, Edgar and Inez joined the vast wave of African American families leaving the rural South during the Great Migration. Seeking greater economic opportunity and relief from the rigid racial barriers of Mississippi, the Caples family relocated to Chicago, Illinois.
By 1950, Edgar and his family were living on South Ada Street in Chicago’s South Side community. The move represented a dramatic transformation in his working life. After decades spent farming the Mississippi countryside, Edgar transitioned into industrial labor, finding employment as an automotive garage mechanic. Records show that he regularly worked forty-eight-hour weeks, reflecting both the demanding nature of urban labor and his continued commitment to supporting his family.
Though Chicago became home, Edgar never severed his connection to Newton County. He retained property interests in Mississippi for decades after leaving. Legal notices published in The Newton Record during the 1950s and again in 1973 document land trust transactions and financial matters tied to his holdings back home. These records reveal a man who, despite migrating north, maintained a lasting attachment to the land and community from which he came.
The Caples family also continued returning south for family gatherings and reunions. In August 1983, The Newton Record mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Caples and their son, Shon, among the “out-of-town members” attending the annual Whitehead family reunion in Mississippi. Such visits reflected the enduring bonds many migrant families maintained with their Southern roots even after decades away.
Final Years and Legacy
Edgar Caples spent his later years in Chicago, continuing to work in general labor well into older adulthood. His life reflected the story of countless Black Southerners who carried rural values of hard work and perseverance into the industrial cities of the North.
On September 10, 1988, Edgar passed away at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, Illinois, at the age of eighty-six. His death certificate listed hypertensive cardiovascular disease as the cause of death.
Yet even after nearly forty years in Chicago, Edgar’s final journey led him home.
Under the care of Whitehead and Son Funeral Home, his body was returned to Mississippi. Funeral services were held at Mt. Zion Church in Conehatta, officiated by Rev. Joe Thompson, with deacons and relatives serving as pallbearers. On September 17, 1988, Edgar Caples was laid to rest in the Mt. Zion Church Cemetery.
In death, as in life, Edgar remained connected to the land that had first shaped him. His story stands as a testament to endurance, migration, family loyalty, and the enduring ties between Southern roots and Northern opportunity.
Resting Place
Mt. Zion Cemetery, Conehatta, MS
Photos/Albums
Sources
- Early Life & Parentage (1910 Census): 1910 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat 3, Newton, enumeration district (ED) 0089, sheet 11B, household 110, family 110, George Caples household, digital image, Ancestry.com; citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 753. (Records Edgar Caples, age 6, designated as “Mulatto,” living with parents George and Lizzie).
- Youth & Education (1920 Census): 1920 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat 3, Newton, ED 94, sheet 11B, line 58, Edgar Caples in George Caples household, digital image, Ancestry.com; citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 888. (Records Edgar, age 16, attending school and working as a farm laborer).
- First Marriage & Early Farming (1930 Census): 1930 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat 3, Newton, ED 51-9, sheet 6B, dwelling 108, family 110, Edgar Coples [Caples] household, digital image, Ancestry.com; citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1161. (Records Edgar, age 28, married to Edna, with children Carleton, Lizzie A., and Dewey).
- Depression-Era County Road Work (1937): “Beat Three—Common Road [County Disbursements],” The Newton Record (Newton, MS), November 18, 1937, p. 7. (Lists Edgar Caples compensated for 5 hours of manual road machine/maintenance work).
- Pre-War Household & Caretaking (1940 Census): 1940 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat 3, Conehatta, ED 51-10, sheet 3A, household 34, Edgar Caples household, digital image, Ancestry.com; citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 2053. (Records Edgar, age 39, married to May, with children and 83-year-old father, George Caples, in the home).
- World War II Draft Registration (1942): Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration, Record Group 147; Registration Precinct Conehatta, Newton County, Mississippi; Local Board No. 1, Newton, MS; Card for Edgar Caples, Serial No. 493, February 16, 1942. (Documents birthdate as July 18, 1902, physical description, and identifies wife Inez Caples as next of kin).
- Post-War Migration to Chicago (1950 Census): 1950 U.S. Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, ED 103-2792, sheet 73, dwelling 196, Edgar Caples household, digital image, Ancestry.com; citing NARA microfilm publication T628. (Records Edgar, age 46, living on S. Ada Street with wife Inez and working 48 hours a week as an auto garage mechanic).
- Mississippi Financial Record (1954): “Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors: April & May Term,” The Newton Record (Newton, MS), July 1, 1954, p. 4. (Public ledger entry detailing a court-ordered distribution of “1/3 Whiskey Fines of Edgar Caples & D. C. Shaw, $66.66”).
- Newton County Land Transaction (1973): “Substituted Trustee’s Notice of Sale [Willie Norman & Alma C. Norman to Edgar Caples],” The Newton Record (Newton, MS), August 1, 1973, p. 12. (Legal notice documenting a 1969 Deed of Trust, recorded in Book 80, page 118, transferring acreage in Section 8, Township 7 North, Range 10 East, Newton County, to Edgar Caples of 8030 South Loomis Blvd., Chicago).
- Whitehead Family Reunion Travel (1983): “Out of Town Members [Local News/Reunions],” The Newton Record (Newton, MS), August 10, 1983, p. 28. (Social item recording the visit of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Caples and son, Shon, from Chicago, IL, to Newton County for the Whitehead family gathering).
- Official Record of Death (1988): State of Illinois, Department of Public Health—Office of Vital Records, Medical Examiner’s Certificate of Death, Cook County, file no. 88-055973, Edgar Caples, September 10, 1988. (Certifies death at Little Company of Mary Hospital, age 86; birthdate June 18, 1902; parents George Caples and Lizzie; informant son Carton [Carlton] Caples).
- Social Security Death Index: Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry.com; record for Edgar Caples, SSN 427-32-1192, last residence zip code 60620 (Chicago, IL), death date September 10, 1988.
- Obituary & Local Burial (1988): “Obituary: Edgar Caples,” The Newton Record (Newton, MS), September 21, 1988, p. 6. (Details funeral services at Mt. Zion Church in Conehatta, Rev. Joe Thompson officiating, and arrangements handled by Whitehead and Son’s Funeral Home, Newton).
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