elbert curry
1922-1923
Life Story
Early Life and Family Roots
Elbert Curry was born on July 3, 1922, in the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi. He was the son of Robert Walker and Mattie Lee Curry, both lifelong Mississippians whose families had deep roots in the rural communities of eastern Newton County.
Although his life lasted less than a year, Elbert was born into a close-knit extended family whose lives centered on faith, agriculture, and community. Like many children born in rural Mississippi during the early twentieth century, he was surrounded by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who shared in both the joys and hardships of daily life.
His brief existence became part of a generation of children whose lives remind us of the fragility of childhood before the advances of modern medicine.
Illness and Passing
During the spring of 1923, when Elbert was just ten months old, he became seriously ill.
He was attended by a local physician, who last examined him on May 1, 1923. Despite medical care, Elbert passed away later that evening at 11:00 p.m.
His Mississippi death certificate identifies the cause of death as colitis, an inflammation of the intestinal tract. During the early twentieth century, gastrointestinal illnesses such as colitis and severe diarrheal diseases were among the leading causes of infant mortality, particularly in rural communities where access to advanced medical treatment was limited.
Though his illness was brief, the loss was undoubtedly devastating to his parents and extended family.
Final Resting Place
Following Elbert’s passing, his mother, Mattie Curry, served as the informant for his death certificate, ensuring that the details of his short life were preserved in the official record.
Local undertaker Pat Collier, Jr. prepared the infant for burial on May 2, 1923.
Later that same day, Elbert was laid to rest in Lawrence Cemetery, now known as Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery, in Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi.
Legacy
Elbert Curry’s life lasted only ten months, yet his memory remains an important part of his family’s history.
His story reminds us that genealogy is not simply the study of those who lived long lives or left extensive records. It is also the remembrance of children whose lives ended far too soon but whose place within their family is no less significant.
More than a century later, the surviving records of his birth, death, and burial continue to ensure that Elbert Curry is remembered as a beloved son whose brief life remains woven into the enduring story of the Curry family and the Lawrence community.
Resting Place
Union Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery
Photos/Albums
Sources
- Mississippi Birth and Death Records identify Elbert Curry as having been born on July 3, 1922, in Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi, to Robert Walker and Mattie Curry.
- Mississippi Death Certificate of Elbert Curry (1923); identifying his parents as Robert Walker and Mattie Curry, both natives of Mississippi.
- Family records and vital records place Elbert Curry’s birth and brief life within the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi, where the Curry family had long-established roots.
- Mississippi Death Certificate, Elbert Curry, May 1, 1923; documenting that Elbert died at 11:00 p.m. at the age of 10 months.
- Mississippi Death Certificate, Elbert Curry; identifying colitis as the cause of death.
- During the early twentieth century, gastrointestinal diseases such as colitis, enteritis, and severe diarrheal illnesses were among the leading causes of infant mortality in the United States, particularly in rural communities where modern sanitation, hydration therapy, and antibiotics were unavailable.
- Mississippi Death Certificate, Elbert Curry; documenting that the attending physician last examined the child on May 1, 1923, the day of his death.
- Mississippi Death Certificate, Elbert Curry; identifying Mattie Curry, Elbert’s mother, as the informant who provided the family’s information for the official death record.
- Mississippi Death Certificate, Elbert Curry; identifying Pat Collier as the undertaker responsible for preparing Elbert for burial.
- Mississippi Death Certificate, Elbert Curry; documenting burial on May 2, 1923, at Lawrence Cemetery, now known as Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery, in Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi.
- Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery Records, Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi; documenting the burial of Elbert Curry among members of the Curry family and the surrounding community.
- Although Elbert Curry lived only ten months, his birth, death, and burial records preserve his place within the Curry family and serve as an important reminder of the high rate of infant mortality experienced by many African American families during the early twentieth century.
- Family records, Mississippi vital records, cemetery records, and genealogical research collectively document the brief life of Elbert Curry and preserve his memory within the history of the Curry family of Newton County, Mississippi.
Sources Consulted
Mississippi Death Certificate of Elbert Curry (1923); Mississippi Birth Records; Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery Records; Newton County Genealogical Research Collections; Curry Family Records and Oral Histories.
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