robert morris simmons
1922-2002
Life Story
Early Life in Newton County
Robert Morris Simmons was born on April 24, 1922, in the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi, the son of Archie Harvey Simmons, Sr. and Rena B. Evans Simmons.
He was raised during the difficult years between the First and Second World Wars in a hardworking farming family whose roots stretched deep into the soil of Newton County. His parents believed in the values of faith, education, and perseverance, principles that shaped the lives of their growing household.
By 1930, seven-year-old Robert was living in Beat 4 alongside his older sisters Willie Mae and Annie Mae and younger siblings Odessie, Jessie Bernham, Grenada, and Mattie Lou. Like many children in rural Mississippi, Robert balanced his education with the responsibilities of farm life, completing school through the fifth grade before entering the workforce.
Learning the Value of Hard Work
As the nation struggled through the Great Depression, Robert sought employment beyond the family farm.
By 1940, at just seventeen years of age, he was living in Hinds County, Mississippi, working as a hired farm laborer in the household of Mattie L. McRee.
Census records show that Robert worked approximately forty hours each week throughout the year, earning $312 for his labor. Though modest by modern standards, those wages reflected the determination of a young man willing to work wherever opportunity could be found during one of America’s most difficult economic periods.
Answering His Country’s Call
As World War II drew the United States into global conflict, Robert became part of the generation whose lives were forever changed by military service.
He registered for the draft in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 30, 1942. His registration described him as 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with a light brown complexion, brown eyes, and black hair. He listed Beatrice Young Simmons as his next of kin.
Later that year, on December 29, 1942, The Jackson Clarion-Ledger published his name among those ordered to report for their military physical examination.
Robert officially enlisted in the United States Army on May 22, 1944.
Although his period of active military service was relatively brief, it came during one of the most significant moments in American history. Military medical records show that while stationed at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, he received treatment for facial fractures and a peptic ulcer.
Because of those medical conditions, Robert received an honorable medical discharge on November 28, 1945, bringing his military service to a close.
Like many veterans, his service demonstrated both a willingness to answer his country’s call and the personal sacrifices that often accompanied wartime duty.
Building a Family
Returning home after the war, Robert resumed civilian life in Mississippi.
The 1950 United States Census places him living off Airport Road in Newton County as the head of his own household. Living with him were Hilda Simmons and three young children—Thriston, Linda Lou, and Brenda Sue—marking the beginning of a new chapter centered on family responsibilities.
A New Life in Milwaukee
During the decades following World War II, Robert joined thousands of African Americans who left the rural South in search of expanded employment opportunities in northern cities.
He eventually settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he spent many years building his life.
On January 27, 1973, he married Classie Mae (Westley/Gholar) in Milwaukee. Their marriage lasted nearly two decades before ending in divorce on February 21, 1992.
Although Wisconsin became his home for many years, Robert never lost his connection to Mississippi or to the Simmons family.
That enduring connection became especially evident in 1985, when chancery court notices concerning family property in Harrison County identified Robert, then living on North 51st Street in Milwaukee, as the principal contact for numerous Simmons heirs. The legal notice connected him with siblings Willie Mae, Odessie, Archie Jr., Johnetta, Verna Mae, and Levern, illustrating both the trust his family placed in him and his continued involvement in family affairs despite living hundreds of miles away.
Final Years
Robert Morris Simmons passed away on August 28, 2002, at the age of eighty.
His life spanned an era of extraordinary change—from the horse-and-wagon days of rural Mississippi to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Along the way, he experienced the Great Depression, served during World War II, witnessed the Civil Rights Movement, built a life in the North, and ultimately returned to the community where his journey began.
Legacy
Robert Morris Simmons belonged to the generation often remembered as the Greatest Generation—men and women whose lives were shaped by the hardships of the Great Depression, the sacrifices of World War II, and the sweeping social changes that transformed twentieth-century America.
Raised on the farms of rural Newton County, Robert learned the value of hard work at an early age before answering his country’s call to military service during World War II. Like many African Americans of his generation, he later sought new opportunities beyond Mississippi, building a life in Milwaukee while remaining closely connected to his extended family and the community from which he came.
His story reflects the broader experience of countless African American veterans whose lives bridged two worlds: the agricultural communities of the Jim Crow South and the expanding opportunities of postwar America. Through military service, migration, and a lifelong commitment to family, Robert left behind a legacy of perseverance, responsibility, and enduring family ties that continue to connect later generations to the Simmons family’s rich history.
Resting Place
Unknown
Photos/Albums
Sources
- U.S. Federal Census, 1930, 1940, and 1950.
- World War II Draft Registration Card, June 30, 1942.
- The Jackson Clarion-Ledger, December 29, 1942 (draft board notices).
- U.S. Army enlistment and medical records, 1944–1945.
- Milwaukee County marriage and divorce records.
- Mississippi chancery court notices, October 1985.
- Family records and genealogical research.
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