Shep moore
1870-1939
Life Story
A Legacy of Land and Resilience
Shep Moore, also recorded in some records as Ship or Shepherd Moore, lived a life rooted in the soil of Newton County, Mississippi. Born around 1870 to Benjamin “Ben” Moore and Eliza Moore, Shep belonged to the first generation of Black Mississippians born into freedom after the Civil War. His story reflects the long struggle for land, independence, and family stability in the Jim Crow South.
Foundations of a Family
On December 31, 1896, Shep Moore married Lula Donegan. Together, they built their household in Beat 1 of Newton County, where Shep worked as a farmer.
By 1910, Shep and Lula were raising two known children:
Hattie Moore, born about 1898
Buster Moore, born about 1899
Although census records show that Shep could not read or write, they also reveal something equally important: he understood land, labor, and survival. He farmed on his own account and worked steadily toward ownership in a time when many Black farmers remained trapped in tenancy and sharecropping.
The Vision of a Landowner
In 1909, Shep inherited 13.5 acres from his father’s estate. That modest inheritance became the foundation for a much larger vision.
By 1910, census records listed Shep as a farm owner, though his land was mortgaged. This was a common reality for Black landowners in the early twentieth-century South. Ownership did not mean freedom from debt, but it did represent a powerful step toward independence.
Over the following decades, Shep and Lula expanded their holdings far beyond the original inheritance. By the late 1930s, the Moore farm had grown to approximately 173 1/3 acres, located about four miles northwest of Newton. The property included 30 acres of open land and merchantable timber, suggesting a farm with both agricultural and timber value.
Economic Hardship and the Federal Land Bank
The Great Depression placed enormous pressure on rural families across Mississippi. In February 1934, Shep and Lula signed a deed of trust to the Land Bank Commissioner, using their farm to secure their debt.
By April 1937, a foreclosure notice appeared in The Newton Record. The property, described as portions of Sections 17, 18, and 20, Township 6 North, Range 11 East, was advertised for sale at public outcry at the north door of the courthouse in Decatur.
Yet the story appears to have had a complicated ending. Advertisements from early 1938 show the land being marketed by the National Farm Loan Association under C. B. Whitehead as a “last opportunity” for farmers and investors to buy land on “easy terms.” These notices reveal the fragile nature of land ownership during the Depression, especially for Black farmers whose farms were often vulnerable to debt, foreclosure, and outside control.
Final Years and Legacy
Shep Moore died on November 3, 1939, at the age of 69. His death record confirms that he had been a lifelong resident of Newton County. He was buried in St. Hill Cemetery.
His daughter Hattie Moore appears in the household in early records but disappears from the local record after 1910. His son Buster Moore remained connected to the family line, marrying Mollie Jimerson in 1919.
Shep Moore’s life stands as a powerful example of Black landownership in Newton County. From a small inheritance of 13.5 acres, he built a farm of nearly 175 acres during one of the most difficult eras in Mississippi history. His story is not only about land—it is about endurance, family, and the determination to claim a place in the red clay soil of Newton County.
Summary of Key Records
| Year | Record | Residence | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | State/Federal Census | Newton County, Mississippi | Listed as a child in the household of Ben and Eliza Moore |
| 1896 | Marriage Record | Newton County, Mississippi | Married Lula Donegan on December 31, 1896 |
| 1910 | Federal Census | Beat 1, Newton County | Farmer; married to Lula; two children in household |
| 1920 | Federal Census | Beat 1, Newton County | Farmer; home/farm owned with mortgage |
| 1930 | Federal Census | Beat 1, Newton County | Farmer; continued residence in Newton County |
| 1934 | Deed of Trust | Newton County | Shep and Lula secured farm debt through the Land Bank Commissioner |
| 1937 | Foreclosure Notice | Newton County | Land in Sections 17, 18, and 20 advertised for sale |
| 1939 | Death Record | Newton County | Died November 3, 1939; buried in St. Hill Cemetery |
Resting Place
Saint Hill M.B. Church Graveyard
Photos/Albums
Sources
- Birth and Parentage: Death Certificate of Shepp Moore, Certificate No. 19234 (1939), Newton County, Mississippi. Informant: Henry Moore. Parents listed as Ben Moore (born AL) and Eliza Moore (born MS).
- Marriage: Newton County Marriage Records, Book 2, Page 438. Marriage of Shep Moore to Lula Donegan, December 31, 1896.
- Inheritance: Newton County Probate Records (1909). Estate of Benjamin Jefferson Moore, distribution of 13.5 acres to heir Shep Moore.
- Early Land Status: 1910 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 1, enumeration district (ED) 86, sheet 11A, dwelling 197, family 198, Shepherd Moore; National Archives microfilm T624, roll 753.
- Acreage Expansion: 1930 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 1, ED 51-1, sheet 10A, dwelling 171, family 171, Shep Moore; National Archives microfilm T626, roll 1211.
- Financial Encumbrance: Deed of Trust Book 37, Page 75, Mortgage Records of Newton County, Mississippi. Recorded February 10, 1934, Shep Moore and wife Lou Moore to Land Bank Commissioner.
- Legal Land Description and Total Acreage: “Foreclosure Notice,” The Newton Record (Newton, MS), April 22, 1937, p. 7. Detailed legal description of 173 1/3 acres across Sections 17, 18, and 20, Township 6 North, Range 11 East.
- Property Marketing: “Farmers and Investors Notice,” The Newton Record (Newton, MS), January 20, 1938, p. 2. Property described as 173 1/3 acres with 30 acres open land and merchantable timber.
- Death and Burial: Mississippi Death Index (1939). Entry for Shep Moore, Newton County. Burial at St. Hill Cemetery, Newton, Mississippi.
- Family Continuity: Newton County Marriage Records (1919). Marriage of Buster Moore to Mollie Jimerson, April 26, 1919.
- Historical Society Records: Newton County Historical and Genealogical Society (NCHGS), Family History Records: Moore Family (Benjamin Jefferson Moore and Shep Moore). Compiled from local archive files and historical prints, Newton, Mississippi. [Accessed 2026].
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