john thomas (j.t.) collier
1896-1970
Life Story
Early Life and Family Roots
John Thomas Collier, affectionately known throughout his life as J. T., was born on September 2, 1912, in Lawrence, Mississippi, to Charley Collier and Tennie Currie Collier. Growing up in the rural farming communities of Newton County, he spent his childhood among a close-knit network of family, church, and agricultural life.
J. T. was the eldest surviving child born to Charley and Tennie. His siblings included Judie May Collier (1914–1916), Annie Collier, and Edna Collier. Tragedy touched the family early. In 1916, his infant sister Judie May died from colitis at just two years old. Four years later, in 1920, J. T.’s father, Charley Collier, died during the influenza epidemic, leaving Tennie a young widow with three surviving children to raise.
The loss of his father profoundly altered the family’s circumstances. By 1930, Tennie had remarried Gilbert Moore, and seventeen-year-old J. T. was living in the household as Gilbert’s stepson alongside his sisters Annie and Edna and his younger Moore step-siblings. Like many young men of rural Mississippi, he balanced limited schooling with the demands of farm labor. Census records show that by age seventeen he was already working as an unpaid laborer on the family farm.
Adulthood, Marriage, and World War II Service
As J. T. entered adulthood, he established himself as a farmer in his own right. By 1940, he was married and renting a home along the Lawrence and Lala Camp Road in Newton County. Having completed approximately a fifth-grade education, he devoted himself to agriculture, working throughout the year to support his household.
When America entered World War II, J. T. answered the nation’s call. His draft registration described him as a self-employed farmer standing six feet one inch tall and weighing 150 pounds, with black hair and black eyes. His wife, Alma Collier, was listed as his nearest relative.
On July 8, 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army. Serving for more than three years during one of the most pivotal conflicts in modern history, J. T. contributed to the Allied war effort before receiving an honorable discharge on September 27, 1945.
Later Years and Tragic Passing
During his later years, J. T. continued living in the community where he had spent most of his life. He remained connected to Newton County through work, family, and property ownership, witnessing enormous changes as highways, schools, and modern infrastructure transformed the rural landscape he had known since childhood.
In January 1985, Newton County experienced one of the most severe cold spells in its recorded history. Temperatures plunged to near zero, while dangerous wind chills drove conditions well below that mark.
On January 21, 1985, the seventy-two-year-old veteran was found deceased inside his Lawrence home. A coroner’s jury ruled the death accidental, caused by hypothermia. His residence lacked electricity and relied on a small gas heater that proved inadequate against the unprecedented cold. Local newspaper coverage noted that the bitter weather had created life-threatening conditions throughout the county.
The circumstances of his death were tragic, but they do not define his life. Rather, John Thomas Collier is remembered as a Newton County farmer, a World War II veteran, and a man whose roots remained firmly planted in the community where he was born, worked, and spent nearly all of his seventy-two years.
Resting Place
Unknown
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1910 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, population schedule, Charley Collier household; National Archives microfilm publication T624.
- 1920 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, population schedule, Charley Collier household, John T. Collier; National Archives microfilm publication T625.
- Mississippi Death Certificate, Charley Collier, 1920; Mississippi State Department of Archives and History, Jackson, Mississippi.
- Mississippi Death Certificate, Judie May Collier, 1916; Mississippi State Department of Archives and History, Jackson, Mississippi.
- 1930 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, population schedule, Gilbert Moore household, John T. Collier listed as stepson; National Archives microfilm publication T626.
- 1940 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, population schedule, John T. Collier household, Lawrence and Lala Camp Road; National Archives microfilm publication T627.
- U.S. World War II Draft Registration Card, John Thomas Collier, Newton County, Mississippi, 1940–1942; Selective Service System Records, National Archives and Records Administration.
- World War II Army Enlistment Record, John Thomas Collier, enlisted July 8, 1942; National Archives and Records Administration, Access to Archival Databases (AAD).
- U.S. Army Separation Record, John Thomas Collier, discharged September 27, 1945; National Archives and Records Administration.
- 1950 U.S. Census, Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, Blair Street, Edna Johnson household, John T. Collier; National Archives and Records Administration.
- “National School Lunch Program Workers Recognized,” The Newton Record (Newton, Mississippi), October 16, 1963.
- Mississippi State Highway Commission, right-of-way acquisition notice for Project No. I-20-2(16)97, The Newton Record (Newton, Mississippi), December 23, 1964.
- “Notice of Sale of Buildings Located on Highway Right-of-Way,” The Newton Record (Newton, Mississippi), January 1965.
- Essie M. Collier v. J. T. Collier, legal notice, The Northside Sun (Jackson, Mississippi), February 12, 1981. “Coroner Rules Death Accidental During Historic Cold Wave,” The Newton Record (Newton, Mississippi), February 6, 1985.
- Mississippi Death Certificate, John Thomas Collier, January 21, 1985; Mississippi State Department of Archives and History, Jackson, Mississippi.
- Newton County Coroner’s Jury Report, John Thomas Collier, January 1985, Newton County, Mississippi.
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