estella nannie “nanna” watkins Morrow
1902-2005
Life Story
Early Life in Newton County
Estella Nannie Watkins, affectionately known throughout her life as “Nanna,” was born on April 28, 1902, in Scott County, Mississippi, to Johnie “John” (“Babe”) Watkins and Angeline Lay Watkins. Although born in neighboring Scott County, she spent nearly all of her life in the Lawrence community of Newton County, where generations of the Watkins family established deep roots.
Raised in a large farming household, Estella grew up alongside her siblings Clara, Spencer, Jarutha (Ruth), Willie, Rosie, Dave, and Mary Lee. Like many African American children in rural Mississippi during the early twentieth century, she learned the values of hard work, self-reliance, and family cooperation while helping with the daily responsibilities of farm life. The Watkins home was one where faith, kinship, and perseverance formed the foundation of everyday life.
Marriage and Building a Family
In 1928, Estella married Greenie W. Morrow, a lifelong resident of Newton County. Together they established their home near the Lawrence community along the old U.S. Highway 80 corridor, where they raised a large family and became well-known members of the local community. Their connection to the area was so enduring that the road leading to their home would later become known as Greenie Morrow Road, honoring her husband’s long association with the community.
Their children included:
- Curtis Morrow
- Spencer Whitfield Morrow
- Woodrow “Woodie” Morrow
- Luther Morrow
- Gladys Morrow Wilson
- Jeff Morrow
- Truddie Morrow Smith
- Floyd Morrow
The family also mourned the loss of an infant daughter during early childhood, a tragedy shared by many families during that era.
For Estella, home was more than a place to live. It became the center of family gatherings, celebrations, and the nurturing of generations whose lives remained closely connected to the Lawrence community.
Work, Family, and a Brief Stay in Hattiesburg
Like many women of her generation, Estella devoted herself to raising her children, maintaining the family home, tending gardens, preserving food, and assisting with the work of the family farm. During her younger years, she also worked outside the home, including employment at the Roxy Theater for Max Connett, contributing additional income to help support her growing family.
A glimpse into the family’s life appears in the 1941 Hattiesburg City Directory, which records Greenie and Estella Morrow living at 630 Ashford Street. The directory lists Greenie as a yardman (“ydmn”), while nearby entries show their son Curtis Morrow employed as a porter and Spencer Morrow residing at the same address. Although surviving records do not explain why the family relocated to Hattiesburg, the move occurred during the opening years of World War II, when the city’s expanding industries, railroads, and nearby Camp Shelby created new employment opportunities that attracted workers from across central Mississippi.
The Morrows’ stay appears to have been temporary. Within a few years they had returned to their longtime home in Lawrence, where they resumed the life they had established among family, neighbors, and fellow church members.
A Lifetime of Faith
Faith remained the guiding force throughout Estella’s life.
She was a devoted member of White Stone Missionary Baptist Church in Lawrence, where she worshipped faithfully for decades and eventually became the congregation’s oldest living member. The church was not simply her place of worship but the center of community life, where families celebrated births, marriages, homecomings, and milestones while finding comfort during times of loss.
Her quiet faith, gentle spirit, and steadfast presence earned her the love and respect of generations who knew her.
Life After Greenie
In August 1983, Estella experienced the loss of her husband, Greenie Morrow, who passed away just weeks before his one-hundredth birthday.
As executrix of his estate, she carefully managed his affairs while continuing to live in the Lawrence community that had been home to both of them for decades. Even after becoming a widow, Estella remained the family’s matriarch, welcoming children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren into her home and continuing to provide wisdom and encouragement to younger generations.
Celebrating One Hundred Years
On April 28, 2002, family members, friends, and fellow church members gathered at White Stone Missionary Baptist Church to celebrate Estella’s 100th birthday.
The celebration honored more than a remarkable age. It celebrated a woman who had lived through more than a century of Mississippi history—from the final years of the horse-and-buggy era to the dawn of the twenty-first century. Few people experience such sweeping social and technological change while remaining so firmly rooted in the same community.
Final Years
Estella Nannie Watkins Morrow passed away peacefully at her home in Lawrence, Mississippi, on May 27, 2005, at the age of 103.
Her funeral service was held on June 2, 2005, at White Stone Missionary Baptist Church, officiated by Rev. Heidelberg. She was laid to rest beside her husband in the Morrow family plot at White Stone Cemetery.
She was survived by five generations of family, including her sister Mary Lee, six surviving children, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren—a remarkable legacy spanning more than a century.
Legacy
Estella Nannie Watkins Morrow belonged to a generation of African American women whose influence was measured not by public office or wealth but by the strength of the families and communities they helped build.
Although she briefly joined many Mississippi families in seeking employment opportunities in Hattiesburg during the early 1940s, her life remained firmly anchored in the Lawrence community. She returned home to continue raising her family, cultivating the land, and serving the church that had shaped her life from an early age.
For more than one hundred years, she witnessed extraordinary changes while remaining a constant presence in Newton County. She experienced segregation, the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, and the beginning of a new century, yet her greatest legacy was found in the lives she touched every day.
Through her devotion to White Stone Missionary Baptist Church, her unwavering commitment to family, and her quiet example of perseverance and faith, Estella became a living bridge between generations. She preserved the traditions of her ancestors while helping prepare future generations for a changing world.
Today, her story reminds us that history is often shaped not only by those who leave home, but also by those who faithfully return, invest in their communities, and leave behind a legacy that endures for generations.
Research Note
Estella Nannie Watkins Morrow’s life is documented through federal census records, the 1941 Hattiesburg, Mississippi, City Directory, church records, probate records, newspaper accounts, and her obituary. The Hattiesburg directory provides evidence of a temporary residence during the early years of World War II, listing Greenie Morrow as a yardman and placing several members of the Morrow family at the same address. While the reason for the move is not documented, it reflects the temporary labor migration undertaken by many Mississippi families during this period before returning to their home communities.
Resting Place
Whitestone – Morrow Cemetery, Lawrence, MS
Photos/Albums
Sources
- U.S. Federal Census, 1910–1950.
- Hattiesburg, Mississippi, City Directory, 1941.
- Newton County, Mississippi, Marriage Records, 1928.
- Probate Records, Estate of Greenie W. Morrow.
- White Stone Missionary Baptist Church records.
- Newspaper coverage of Estella Morrow’s 100th birthday celebration, April 2002.
- Obituary of Estella Nannie Watkins Morrow, May–June 2005.
- Family genealogical records of the Watkins and Morrow families.
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