henry billingsley, jr.
1891-aft. 1940
Life Story
A Farmer Between Two Mississippi Worlds
Henry Billingsley, Jr. was born on January 11, 1891, in Newton County, Mississippi, to Henry Tab Billingsley and Crossie Barks Billingsley. He grew up in a large rural household during the final years of the nineteenth century, surrounded by siblings and extended family.
By 1900, nine-year-old Henry was living with his parents, five siblings, and his grandmother Manerva Barks, a woman whose life had stretched back into the era of slavery. The family household reflected the multigenerational structure common in Black farming communities of the time.
Early Marriage and Family Life
Henry entered adulthood early, as many young men of his generation did. Around 1909, at approximately 18 years old, he married Delia (whose name also appears in records as Delia McGee.
By 1910, the young couple had relocated to Pulaski in Scott County, Mississippi, where Henry began his lifelong occupation as a farmer working on his own account.
Their family grew quickly during these years, and by the time Henry registered for the World War I draft in June 1917, he was already the father of several children. His draft card described him as a man of medium height and build with black hair and black eyes, working for J. O. Noblin in Morton, Mississippi.
A Life of Labor and Family
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Henry remained firmly rooted in Mississippi’s agricultural economy. Though records indicate he had little formal schooling and was unable to read or write, he nonetheless managed farm work that sustained a large household.
Henry and Delia raised a growing family that included:
- Viola Billingsley (b. 1912)
- Van Billingsley (b. 1914)
- Willie Billingsley (b. 1916)
- Addell Billingsley (b. 1917)
- Cornelia Billingsley (b. 1920)
- Tommie Billingsley (b. 1921)
- Tab (Henry Lee) Billingsley (b. 1922)
- Jack Billingsley (b. 1924)
Supporting such a large family required constant labor. Like many Black farmers of the era, Henry worked rented land, navigating the difficult economics of tenant farming during the Jim Crow period.
Moving Toward the Mississippi Delta
By 1930, Henry and his family were living along Highway 80 west of Morton in Scott County. However, economic changes in the late 1930s pushed many farming families to seek new opportunities.
Sometime after 1935, the Billingsleys joined the internal migration of Black families moving toward the Mississippi Delta, where plantation agriculture still demanded large numbers of laborers.
By 1940, Henry and Delia were living in Bolivar County, Mississippi. Even at 49 years old, Henry continued to work as a farmer, supporting his family through the same steady labor that had defined his entire adult life.
Legacy
Henry Billingsley, Jr.’s life represents the endurance of the Black agricultural families who sustained Mississippi’s economy during the early twentieth century.
Born into a multigenerational farming household in Newton County, he spent his life working the land—first in Scott County and later in the Delta. Though his work rarely appeared in official histories, men like Henry formed the backbone of rural communities across Mississippi.
His story reflects persistence, responsibility, and the determination to provide for a large family in a changing and often unforgiving world.
Resting Place
Unknown
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1900 – 1940 Federal Censuses
- U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
- U.S., WWI Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918
- U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
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