patrick “pat” collier, Jr.
1897-1977
Life Story
Early Life in Lawrence
Patrick “Pat” Collier, Jr. was born on December 27, 1897, in the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi. He was the son of Patrick “Pat” Collier, Sr. and Laura Black Collier and grew up in Beat 4 among one of the area’s most established farming families.
Known in his earliest records as “Little Pat” to distinguish him from his father, Patrick spent his childhood surrounded by a large network of brothers and sisters, including Lida, David, Will, Mary Bell, Edd, Jessie, Everliner, Mary Ella, Annie, and Wallace. The family farm served as both home and workplace, teaching him the values of hard work, perseverance, and responsibility from an early age.
The 1900 census records two-year-old Patrick living with his parents, siblings, and grandmother Mary Black in a busy multigenerational household. Like many children raised in rural Mississippi during this period, he grew up helping support the family’s agricultural operation while learning the traditions and values that would guide him throughout life.
Education and Farm Work
By 1910, twelve-year-old Patrick was already contributing to the family’s livelihood as a farm laborer on the home farm. Despite the demands of agricultural work, he attended school and learned to read and write.
His literacy reflected both his determination and the importance his family placed on education. During a time when educational opportunities for African Americans in Mississippi were often limited, Patrick and several of his siblings acquired skills that would benefit them throughout their lives.
As he entered adulthood, Patrick remained closely connected to his mother and younger siblings, especially after the death of his father in 1913.
World War I Era
Like many young men of his generation, Patrick registered for the World War I draft. His registration card described him as having a medium height, stout build, dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion.
At the time of his registration, he listed his mother, Laura Collier, as his nearest relative, demonstrating the close family bonds that continued to characterize the Collier household.
Patrick continued farming during these years, building the foundation for the agricultural career that would occupy much of his early adult life.
Marriage and Family
During the years following World War I, Patrick married Angie Blalock Collier. Their marriage produced at least two known children:
- Edward D. Collier
- Willie Clifton Collier
The 1920 census records Patrick as a married twenty-two-year-old farmer living with his widowed mother, Laura Collier, in Beat 4 of Newton County. He was operating a farm on his own account and was part of a household that remained deeply rooted in the Lawrence community.
Patrick also fathered another child:
- Kattie Mae Collier, whose mother was Sudie Mae Coleman
Although the details of this relationship remain unclear, Kattie Mae became an important part of Patrick’s extended family legacy.
By 1930, Patrick was again living in his mother’s household. Census records listed him as widowed and employed as a laborer in a sawmill. Also residing in the household were his nephew, T. J. Revish, and his niece, Saresa Charles, illustrating the strong family networks that characterized rural Newton County.
A New Beginning with Julia Crodup
During the 1930s, Patrick married Julia Crudup, beginning a new chapter in his life.
Together they established a household and became the parents of:
- Jimmie Dale Collier
- Laura Alice Collier
- Jessie Lee Collier
- Emmaree Collier
- Patrick Collier III
By 1940, Patrick and Julia were living on Old Lawrence and Lala Road in Newton County. Patrick operated his own farm and worked throughout the year to support his growing family. The family owned their home, reflecting the stability and independence he worked hard to achieve.
World War II Registration
On February 16, 1942, Patrick registered for the World War II draft while living near Toomsuba in Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
His registration described him as six feet tall, weighing approximately 190 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and a dark-brown complexion. He listed his wife, Julia Crudup Collier, as his next of kin and reported employment under Clarence M. Harper.
The registration provides a detailed snapshot of Patrick during middle age, still working diligently to provide for his family during a period of national uncertainty.
From Farmer to Business Owner
Like many African American families during the mid-twentieth century, Patrick eventually joined the migration northward in search of greater economic opportunities.
By 1950, he and Julia had settled in Chicago, Illinois, where they lived at 5122 South Princeton Avenue. Rather than continuing in agriculture, Patrick successfully transitioned into business ownership.
The 1950 census records him as the proprietor of a retail grocery store. Working as many as seventy-two hours per week, he demonstrated the same work ethic that had characterized his years on the farm in Mississippi.
His journey from farm laborer and farmer in Newton County to small business owner in Chicago reflects the adaptability and determination shared by many members of the Great Migration generation.
Later Years
Patrick remained in Chicago for the remainder of his life, maintaining strong ties to family while helping establish a new generation of Colliers in Illinois.
Although he spent his later years in the North, his roots remained firmly planted in Mississippi. The values learned on the farms of Lawrence—hard work, perseverance, faith, and family responsibility—continued to shape his life.
Death and Burial
Patrick Collier passed away on November 7, 1977, in Cook County, Illinois, at the age of seventy-nine.
He was laid to rest at Washington Memory Gardens in Homewood, Cook County, Illinois.
Legacy
Patrick “Pat” Collier, Jr. lived through nearly eight decades of profound change in American history. Born in rural Mississippi during the final years of the nineteenth century, he witnessed the rise of Jim Crow, two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Throughout those years, he worked as a farm laborer, farmer, sawmill worker, businessman, husband, father, and community member. He raised children through multiple branches of his family and helped establish future generations of Colliers in both Mississippi and Illinois.
His life reflects the experiences of countless African Americans who transformed themselves through hard work and determination, moving from the farms of the South to new opportunities in Northern cities while preserving their family heritage and community connections.
Today, his descendants carry forward a legacy rooted in the fields of Newton County and strengthened through perseverance, entrepreneurship, and family devotion.
Resting Place
Washington Memory Gardens in Homewood, Cook County, Illinois.
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1900 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Patrick Collier.
- 1910 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Patrick Collier.
- U.S. World War I Draft Registration Card, Patrick Collier, Newton County, Mississippi, 1917–1918.
- 1920 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Laura Collier.
- 1930 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Laura Collier.
- U.S. World War II Draft Registration Card, Patrick Collier, February 16, 1942, Toomsuba, Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
- 1940 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Old Lawrence and Lala Road, household of Patrick Collier.
- 1950 U.S. Census, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, household of Patrick Collier.
- Illinois Death Index, Patrick Collier, November 7, 1977.
- Washington Memory Gardens, Homewood, Cook County, Illinois, burial records for Patrick Collier (1897–1977).
- Family records identifying Edward D. Collier and Willie Clifton Collier as children of Patrick Collier and Angie Blalock.
- Family records identifying Kattie Mae Collier as the daughter of Patrick Collier and Sudie Mae Coleman.
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