perry marshall johnson
1933-2004
Life Story
Early Life and Family Roots
Perry Marshall Johnson was born on February 8, 1933, in the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi. He was the son of Charlie Bee Johnson and Annie Laura Collier Johnson, members of a hardworking farming family whose roots ran deep in the Green Grove and Lawrence communities.
Growing up during the Great Depression, Perry was raised on the family farm alongside his brothers Eddie Lee, Clyde, and Fletcher, with his younger sister Lucille joining the household during his childhood. Like many African American children in rural Mississippi, Perry balanced his education with the responsibilities of farm life.
The 1940 United States Census records seven-year-old Perry attending elementary school, having completed the first grade while living with his parents on their rented farm in Newton County. His early years were shaped by the values of hard work, family cooperation, and perseverance that characterized many rural Black households of the era.
Coming of Age in Rural Mississippi
By 1950, Perry was seventeen years old and still living with his family in Newton County. His father divided his time between farming and the pulpwood industry, and Perry had begun contributing directly to the family’s livelihood.
The census records him working approximately forty hours each week as a pulpwood laborer while also participating in agricultural work. Pulpwood became an important source of income for many Newton County families after World War II, providing supplemental wages as traditional farming became increasingly difficult to sustain.
Like many young men of his generation, Perry entered adulthood during a period when rural Mississippi offered limited economic opportunities, prompting many residents to seek employment elsewhere.
Life Beyond Mississippi
At some point during his adult life, Perry relocated to Chicago, Illinois, joining the continuing migration of Mississippians to the Midwest in search of employment and new opportunities.
City records place him on South Champlain Avenue during the 1990s, indicating that he established residence in Chicago for a period before eventually returning to Mississippi.
Although relatively few records document this chapter of his life, Perry’s experience mirrored that of many Newton County natives who maintained ties to both their northern homes and the communities where they had been raised.
Later Years
Court records from the Chancery Court of Newton County indicate that divorce proceedings involving Perry and Louise Willis Johnson were initiated in 1993. Beyond documenting this legal action, the available records reveal little about his personal life during these years.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Perry had returned to Mississippi. Records place him living in Forest before eventually returning to Newton, bringing him back to the community where his life had begun.
Passing and Legacy
Perry Marshall Johnson passed away on September 7, 2004, at the age of 71. His Social Security records list his final residence in Newton, Mississippi, completing a journey that carried him from the rural roads of Newton County to Chicago and ultimately back home.
Although surviving records document only portions of his life, Perry’s story reflects the experience of many African Americans born during the Great Depression. Raised on a Mississippi farm, he worked in the demanding pulpwood industry as a teenager, migrated north during adulthood in search of opportunity, and eventually returned to the community that had shaped his earliest years.
His life stands as part of the broader story of the Johnson family and of the thousands of Mississippi men whose journeys bridged the rural South and the urban North during the twentieth century.
Resting Place
Unknown
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1940 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Enumeration District ___, sheet 81B, dwelling ___, family ___, Charlie Johnson household, listing Perry M. Johnson, age six, attending school and having completed the first grade.
- 1950 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Enumeration District ___, sheet ___, Charlie R. Johnson household, listing Perry M. Johnson, age seventeen, employed forty hours per week as a pulpwood laborer.
- Social Security Death Index, Perry Marshall Johnson, born February 8, 1933; died September 7, 2004; last residence, Newton, Newton County, Mississippi (ZIP Code 39345).
- Social Security Applications and Claims Index, Perry Marshall Johnson, identifying his birth date as February 8, 1933, and his parents as Charlie B. Johnson and Annie Laura Collier.
- Chicago, Illinois, City Directory, 1990s edition, listing Perry Marshall Johnson as a resident of South Champlain Avenue, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.
- Newton County, Mississippi, Chancery Court, divorce proceedings, Louise Willis Johnson v. Perry Marshall Johnson, filed 1993.
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