joe mosley
1893-1977
Life Story
Joe Mosley was born on February 5, 1893, in Newton County, Mississippi. He was the son of Sherrod Mosley (1859–?) and Nancy Jane Evans (1868–?), members of two longstanding Altare-area families whose roots helped shape the early African American community of rural Newton County.
Early Life and Work
In his youth, Joe worked as a farm laborer on his parents’ homestead, contributing to the family’s livelihood in a time when agriculture was the economic foundation for most Black families in the rural South.
By 1920, Joe had married Virgie Mae Arrington (1896–?), and the couple was residing in Ellisville, Jones County, Mississippi. There, he continued laboring on farms, consistent with the agricultural work patterns common among migrating or relocating Black families during this period.
Return to Newton County
By 1930, Joe and Virgie had returned to Newton County. Census records show that he worked a variety of odd jobs as a laborer and had managed to purchase his own home, valued at $850—a significant achievement during the Great Depression.
Also living in the household that year was Virgie’s aging mother, Adeline Chapman Arrington, whom the couple cared for.
Marriage and Children
Joe and Virgie Mae Arrington Mosley became parents to three known children:
- Annie Mae Mosley (1918–?)
- Joe Willis Mosley (1921–1921)
- Floyd Mosley (1925–1978)
Joe endured the loss of two of his children in his lifetime, Annie Mae Howard and Joe Willie Mosley, both of whom preceded him in death.
Church and Community
Joe was a devoted member of Altare Missionary Baptist Church, the spiritual home of the Evans and Mosley families for generations. His participation in church and community life connected him deeply to the people and institutions of the Altare community.
Later Years and Passing
Joe Mosley passed away on October 23, 1977, at 9:15 p.m. in University Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. He was 84 years old.
He was survived by:
- One son:
- Floyd Mosley, Muskegon, Michigan
- Three sisters:
- Mary Loper, Newton
- Ida Kennedy, Newton
- Flossey Wheaton, Montrose
- One brother:
- W.C. (Willie) Mosley, Jackson
- One grandson:
- Porter James Howard, Chicago, Illinois
- 11 great-grandchildren
- Three great-great-grandchildren
- Several nieces and nephews
Funeral
His funeral was held on Wednesday, October 26, 1977, at Altare M.B. Church in Newton, with burial in the Evans Cemetery, a resting place shared by generations of Evans–Mosley family members. Rev. J. L. Hunter officiated.
Out-of-town relatives attending included family from Gary, Indiana; St. Louis, Missouri; Muskegon, Michigan; and Gulfport, Mississippi.
Resting Place
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1900 Federal Census
- 1910 Federal Census
- 1920 Federal Census
- 1930 Federal Census
- Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867-1952
- The Newton Record, Sale of Land for Taxes, Thu, Jul 03, 1930 ·Page 6
- The Newton Record, Joe Mosley Obituary, Wed, Nov 02, 1977 ·Page 18
- U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
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