kitson lassiter walker
1876-1943
Life Story
Early Life and Parentage
Kitson Lassiter Walker was born around May 1876 in Smith County, Mississippi, to Samuel Lassiter (1813–?) and Liddie Rose Jones (1829–?). She was born into a post-Reconstruction Mississippi where formerly enslaved families were building stability through land, labor, and church-centered life.
Her early years in Smith County would eventually lead her into neighboring Newton County, where she would establish her own household and family roots.
Marriage and Children
Kitson married Sam Walker, Sr. (1875–?). Together they resided in Newton County, Mississippi, where they raised their children and became part of the broader Walker kinship network connected to the Altare community.
From this union, the following children were born:
Polly Walker (1893–1918)
Sam Walker, Jr. (1897–1913)
Rebecca Walker (1898–1943)
George Walker (1900–?)
Rosella Walker (1902–1923)
William Walker (1904–?)
Through these children, Kitson’s lineage continued across Newton and surrounding counties, even as the family experienced the sorrow of losing several children at relatively young ages.
Migration and Later Years
In 1920, the Walker family relocated to Erata in Jones County, Mississippi, following the patterns of mobility common among farming families seeking opportunity or stability. By 1930, they had returned closer to home, settling in Jasper County near Newton County.
These movements reflect the fluid boundaries between counties in rural Mississippi, where family, work, and land often guided relocation decisions.
Death and Burial
Kitson Lassiter Walker passed away on October 28, 1943. The cause of death was listed as apoplexy, a historical term commonly used to describe a stroke.
She was laid to rest at Altare M.B. Church graveyard, returning in death to the sacred ground that anchors much of the Walker family history in Newton County.
Legacy
Kitson Lassiter Walker’s life bridges counties and generations—born in Smith County, raising her family in Newton County, migrating briefly to Jones County, and later returning to the region. As a wife, mother of six children, and matriarch within the Walker lineage, her life reflects the endurance, mobility, and faith of rural Black families in early twentieth-century Mississippi.
Her resting place at Altare stands as a lasting marker of her place within the community’s story.
Resting Place
Altare Missionary Baptist Church Graveyard
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1880 Federal Census
- 1900 Federal Census
- 1910 Federal Census
- 1920 Federal Census
- 1930 Federal Census
- U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
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