lillie walker johnson
1903-1966
Life Story
Biography
April 9, 1903 – May 29, 1966
Burial Location Unconfirmed
Early Life
Lillie Walker was born on April 9, 1903, in Newton County, Mississippi, to Scott Walker (ca. 1880–1952) and Mary Jane Rigsby Walker (ca. 1880–1950). She grew up in the St. John community as one of nine children in the large Walker–Rigsby family.
Like many rural children of her generation, Lillie worked as a farm hand on the family farm, helping with field labor and home responsibilities. She completed the 8th grade of elementary school, an educational level that placed her among the more formally educated African American women in her rural county during the early 20th century.
Marriage and Residence
Lillie married Grant Johnson (1895–1971). Their early life together included moves between Mississippi and Louisiana as Grant pursued agricultural work.
By 1950, Lillie and her husband were living in Richland Parish, Louisiana, on Gold Mine Plantation Road. Her occupation in that year was listed as keeping house, reflecting the domestic labor that sustained their household while Grant worked in farming.
Church Membership and Christian Life
Lillie was a devout Christian. While living in New Orleans in earlier years, she belonged to Zion Travelers Baptist Church. After moving back to Newton County, she united with Jerusalem Baptist Church, where she became a faithful and committed member.
The obituary notes that Jerusalem Baptist Church regarded her as “a woman of understanding, sympathy, learning, and integrity,” whose life inspired “higher and nobler deeds.”
Death
Lillie passed away on May 29, 1966, in Newton, Mississippi.
She was survived by:
- Husband: Grant Johnson, Route 1, Newton
- Sisters: Arvella Evans; Alma Westley of Newton; Ella Mae Standley of Milwaukee
- Brothers: Melvin Walker of Chicago; Grover Walker of Newton
- Other relatives and friends, forming a large and interconnected family network
She was preceded in death by one sister and two brothers.
Burial Location (Unconfirmed)
Lillie’s obituary does not state where she was buried, leaving several possibilities:
- St. John M.B. Church Cemetery
– Many Walker family members, including her parents and siblings, are buried there. - Union Chapel Cemetery
– A possibility since she was a faithful member of Jerusalem Baptist Church, which historically used Union Chapel as a burial ground. - Sylvester United Methodist Church Cemetery
– Her husband Grant Johnson was buried there in 1971, suggesting she may also rest there beside him.
Further confirmation would require a cemetery survey, church burial records, or death certificate annotation.
Resting Place
Saint John Missionary Baptist Church Graveyard
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1910 Federal Census
- 1920 Federal Census
- 1930 Federal Census
- 1940 Federal Census
- 1950 Federal Census
- The Newton Record, Lillie W. Johnson Obituary, Wed, Jun 08, 1966 ·Page 9
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