dewitt billingsley
1899-1965
Life Story
A Life Shaped by Migration, Labor, and Family
Dewitt Robert Billingsley (1899–1965) was a man whose life journey reflected the restless search for opportunity that defined the experience of many African Americans in the twentieth century. Though his later years were spent far from home, his story remained deeply rooted in the soil of Newton County, Mississippi, where his life began.
Early Life and the Education of a Laborer
Dewitt Robert Billingsley was born May 22, 1899, in Newton County, Mississippi, the son of Henry “Tab” Billingsley and Crossie Barks Billingsley.
He grew up during a time when Black families in rural Mississippi balanced farm labor with a strong commitment to education. Despite the demanding agricultural work required of children on family farms, literacy was viewed as essential for survival and advancement.
By 1910, following the death of his father and his mother’s remarriage to Sam Leonard, ten-year-old Dewitt was already working as a laborer on the home farm. Like many children of the era, he combined school attendance with farm work, participating in the rhythms of rural life while gaining the basic education that many Black families considered indispensable.
In his early years he joined Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church, during the pastorate of the late Rev. Gray, establishing the religious foundation that remained important throughout his life.
Marriage and Family Life
Dewitt later married Zena Mae Hopkins. Together they established their home in Newton County, where they raised a large family.
From this union nine children were born, including:
- Louis Dewitt Billingsley
- Dan Richard Billingsley
- Allen Walter Billingsley
- Albert Billingsley
- Bernice Billingsley Carter
- Mae Nell Billingsley Crawford
- Luezena Billingsley Tillman
- Judith Lee Billingsley Freeman
- Lela Bama Lyles
For a number of years, the family lived and worked in Newton County, building their lives around farm labor, church, and community ties.
Separation and Economic Migration
By the late 1930s, economic pressures appear to have reshaped the family’s circumstances. When the 1940 census was taken, Zena Mae Billingsley was living in the town of Newton with several of their children and working as a domestic worker, laboring year-round to support the household.
During this period, Dewitt began traveling west in search of employment opportunities.
In February 1942, he registered for the World War II draft in Morton, Texas, at the age of forty-two. His registration card described him as standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and employed by I. O. Master. Significantly, he listed his sister Candacie Pace as his next of kin rather than his wife, suggesting that by this time the couple had long been living separate lives.
Like many African American men of his generation, Dewitt followed the path of economic migration, moving through Texas and eventually continuing westward.
Life in California
Dewitt ultimately settled in Bakersfield, California, part of the agricultural region of the San Joaquin Valley that attracted many migrants from the South during the mid-twentieth century.
While living in California, he joined the Primitive Baptist Church, where he remained an active member until his health began to decline.
Although he had relocated thousands of miles from Mississippi, his connections to his birthplace remained strong. Family members recalled that he continued to maintain ties with relatives and friends in Newton County.
Death and Return Home
Dewitt Robert Billingsley died December 8, 1965, in Bakersfield, California, at approximately 12:30 p.m.
Despite the decades he had spent in the West, his final arrangements reflected the enduring ties of home.
His body was returned to Newton County, Mississippi, where funeral services were held December 15, 1965, at Union Chapel Methodist Church in Lawrence. The service was officiated by Rev. J. F. Moore, and burial followed in the church cemetery beneath a blanket of flowers.
He was remembered by a large extended family that included his widow Zena Mae Billingsley, their nine children, three sisters—including Della Posey, Lela Evans, and Candacie Pace—as well as numerous grandchildren and relatives.
A Life Reflecting the Great Migration
Dewitt Billingsley’s life mirrors the experience of thousands of African American men during the twentieth century. Economic necessity drove many to leave their families and travel west in search of work in fields, factories, and industrial centers.
Yet even when distance separated them from their birthplace, the connection to home remained powerful.
In Dewitt’s case, that connection ultimately brought him back to Newton County—returning not as a migrant laborer, but as a son of the community whose life had begun there.
His story stands as a reminder that the history of the Great Migration was not only about movement across the country, but also about enduring ties to the communities that shaped those journeys.
Resting Place
Union Chapel United Methodist Church Graveyard
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1900 Federal Census
- 1910 Federal Census
- 1920 Federal Census
- 1930 Federal Census
- The Newton Record, Dewitt Billingsley Obituary, Wed, Dec 22, 1965 ·Page 12
- U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
- U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
- U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
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