frank wesley
1876-1953
Life Story
Birth
Frank Wesley was born on April 10, 1876. While specific details about his parents are not yet documented, he spent his life rooted in Newton County, Mississippi, where he became part of a well-established network of farming families connected to Saint John Missionary Baptist Church.
Marriage & Family
Frank married Cornelia Evans (c.1884–1923), daughter of Harry Evans and Jane Evans Chapman, linking him to the prominent Evans and Chapman family lines of the Altare, Bethel, and Newton communities.
From this union, the following children were born:
- Buck Wesley (1902–?)
- Mettie Wesley (1904–?)
- Van Wesley (1904–1964)
- Jane Wesley (1907–?)
- Velma Wesley (1908–?)
- George Wesley (1909–1975)
- Infant Son Wesley (1913–1913)
- O. D. Wesley (1914–?)
Through these children—particularly Van Wesley—Frank Wesley became the patriarch of a large family whose descendants remained closely tied to Saint John M.B. Church for multiple generations.
After Cornelia’s death in 1923, Frank later married Ester Wesley (1902–?).
Education & Occupation
Frank completed the 6th grade of elementary school, a notable level of education for an African American man born in the late 19th century in rural Mississippi.
Throughout his life, he worked as a farmer, sustaining his household through agricultural labor. His work reflected the broader economic realities of Black land-based livelihoods in Newton County during the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras.
Death
Frank Wesley passed away on January 29, 1953.
Burial
He is laid to rest at Saint John Missionary Baptist Church graveyard, joining many of his children, grandchildren, and extended family members whose lives collectively tell the story of the Saint John community.
Legacy
Frank Wesley’s legacy lives on through his descendants, many of whom remained active within Saint John Missionary Baptist Church and the surrounding Newton County communities. As a farmer, husband, and father, he represents the generation that bridged emancipation-era family formation with the mid-20th-century expansion of church-centered Black community life.
Resting Place
Saint John Missionary Baptist Church Graveyard
Photos/Albums
Sources
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current
- 1900 Federal Census
- 1910 Federal Census
- 1920 Federal Census
- 1930 Federal Census
- 1940 Federal Census
- 1950 Federal Census
- U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
- U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
- U.S., WWI Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918
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