joanna mcelroy mann
1872-1959
Life Story
Early Life in Newton County
Joeanna “Joanna” McElroy Mann was born on March 10, 1872, in the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi. She was the daughter of Ben McElroy and Judith McElroy and came of age during the Reconstruction era as African American families worked to build new lives in the decades following emancipation.
Raised in rural Beat 4, Joanna belonged to a family that valued faith, education, and hard work. Census records variously classified her as Black or Mulatto, reflecting the inconsistent racial designations commonly used by census enumerators during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Despite the limited educational opportunities available to African Americans in Mississippi during this period, Joanna learned to read and write. Her literacy would become one of the defining characteristics of her life and would later open opportunities unavailable to many women of her generation.
From an early age, Joanna was devoted to her faith. She united with Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Lawrence and remained a faithful and active member throughout her life.
Marriage and Family Life
In 1892, Joanna married Richard D. “R. D.” Mann, and together they established their home in Beat 4 of Newton County.
Their marriage would span many years and produce a large family. By 1900, Joanna reported having given birth to five children, three of whom were living. The household included:
- Herbert Mann
- Bennie Mann
- Harvey Mann
As the years passed, the family continued to grow. By 1910, Joanna had given birth to ten children, six of whom were still living. The household included:
- Herbert Mann
- Minnie Mann
- Harvey Mann
- Eva Mann
- Frances Mann
- Anderson Mann
Like many rural women of her era, Joanna balanced the responsibilities of motherhood with the demanding work required to sustain a farming household. She worked alongside her husband on the family farm while raising their children and maintaining the home.
Over the course of her life, Joanna and Richard became the parents of eleven children.
An Educated Woman and Teacher
Joanna’s literacy and educational achievements distinguished her within the community.
By 1920, census records identify her as a schoolteacher, placing her among the relatively small number of African American women serving as educators in rural Mississippi during the early twentieth century.
Teaching was an important form of community leadership. Black educators often worked with limited resources while helping provide educational opportunities to children who might otherwise have had little access to formal schooling.
At the same time, Joanna continued caring for her family. The 1920 household included her children Eva, Frances, Anderson, and Dave, while she and Richard maintained their home in Lawrence.
Widowhood and Financial Challenges
The early 1920s brought profound change.
On September 1, 1921, Richard and Joanna executed a trust deed with the Federal Land Bank of New Orleans to secure financing on their property. Not long afterward, Richard passed away, leaving Joanna to navigate widowhood and financial responsibility on her own.
Rather than surrendering to hardship, Joanna demonstrated remarkable resilience.
Merchant and Businesswoman
By 1930, Joanna had reinvented herself as a merchant and business owner.
The census records her operating a retail grocery business from property she owned in Newton County. At a time when opportunities for African American women entrepreneurs were limited, Joanna successfully managed a business while supporting members of her extended family.
Living in her household were:
- Anderson Mann
- Emma Mann
- Katherine Mann
- Aaron Jackson
Her transition from farm wife and teacher to merchant illustrates both her adaptability and determination.
The Great Depression and Foreclosure
Like many Americans, Joanna faced significant financial pressures during the Great Depression.
Despite her efforts to maintain the family property, the loan secured through the Federal Land Bank eventually went into default. A foreclosure notice published in The Newton Record on January 30, 1936, announced that the family’s land in Section 23, Township 6 North, Range 10 East would be sold at public auction at the courthouse in Decatur.
The loss of the property marked the end of an era for the Mann family, but it did not diminish Joanna’s standing within her family or community.
Later Years with Family
Following the foreclosure, Joanna moved into the home of her son Anderson Mann.
There she spent her remaining years surrounded by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The household on Conhatter-Lawrence Road became the center of her later life and provided the support and companionship she had spent decades providing to others.
Her grandchildren—including Shirley, Carolyn, A. D., Richard, Bobby Jean, and Charles—grew up knowing her as the family matriarch and keeper of family traditions.
Death and Burial
After several months of illness, Joanna passed away on March 16, 1959, at the age of eighty-seven.
Her funeral service was held at Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, where she had worshipped faithfully for much of her life. According to her death notice, a large crowd of family members and friends gathered to honor her memory.
The newspaper described her as:
“A bright and shining star, one that will never be forgotten.”
Joanna was laid to rest at Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery in Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi.
Legacy
At the time of her death, Joanna was survived by:
Daughters
- Eva Mann Walker
- Frances Mann Walker
Sons
- Anderson Mann
- Harvey Mann
- Herbert Mann
- Dave Mann
- Bennie Mann
Sisters
- Letha Jackson
- Emma Collier
- Mamie Brown
She also left behind fifteen grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, and numerous great-great-grandchildren.
Joanna McElroy Mann’s life reflected the resilience of a generation that lived through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, economic hardship, and profound social change. She was a farmer, teacher, merchant, church worker, widow, mother, grandmother, and community leader.
Through faith, education, and perseverance, she built a legacy that extended far beyond her own lifetime and continues through the many descendants who trace their roots to her and Richard Mann.
Why This Matters
Joanna’s life illustrates the often-overlooked leadership roles played by African American women in rural Mississippi. She was not only a wife and mother, but also an educator, entrepreneur, and church leader who successfully navigated widowhood, financial hardship, and social barriers while helping shape future generations of the Lawrence community.
Resting Place
Union Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1900 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Richard D. Mann.
- 1910 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Richard D. Mann.
- 1920 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Richard D. Mann, listing Joanna Mann as a schoolteacher.
- Federal Land Bank of New Orleans trust deed executed by Richard D. Mann and Joanna Mann, September 1, 1921, Newton County land records.
- 1930 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, household of Joanna Mann, listing her occupation as merchant in a retail grocery business.
- “Foreclosure Notice,” The Newton Record (Newton, Mississippi), January 30, 1936.
- 1950 U.S. Census records, Newton County, Mississippi, household of Anderson Mann.
- “Mrs. Joanna Mann Dies,” The Newton Record (Newton, Mississippi), March 26, 1959.
- Union Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery, Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi, burial records for Joanna McLeroy Mann.
- Family records identifying Joanna McElroy Mann as the daughter of Ben McLeroy and Judith McLeroy.
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