jow willie mosley
1921-1921
Life Story
Joe Willie Mosley was born on June 18, 1921, in Newton County, Mississippi, to Joe Mosley (1893–1977) and Virgie Mae Arrington Mosley (born about 1896). His parents were members of the Altare community in Newton County, a close-knit rural settlement where faith, family, and hard work were central to daily life.
Baby Joe was their cherished child, born into a large and deeply rooted family. His father, Joe Mosley, worked as a farmer, providing for his family through the labor and skill that defined much of life in the early 20th-century South. His mother, Virgie Mae, cared for the home and children, embodying the quiet strength and nurturing spirit common among women of her generation.
Sadly, Joe Willie’s life was heartbreakingly brief. According to his death certificate, he passed away on October 30, 1921, at the tender age of 3 months and 12 days. The attending physician, Dr. W. W. Rowell of Newton, recorded the cause of death as colitis, a severe intestinal inflammation that was often fatal to infants in rural Mississippi, where access to medical care was limited.
He was laid to rest the following day, October 31, 1921, in the Altare Cemetery in Newton County, Mississippi. Though his time on earth was short, Joe Willie remains part of the enduring story of the Mosley and Arrington families, whose resilience and faith carried them through both joy and sorrow.
Resting Place
Altare Missionary Baptist Church Graveyard
Photos/Albums
Sources
- U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
- Mississippi, U.S., Index to Deaths, 1912-1943
- Mississippi State Board of Health, Death Certificate No. 17143 (October 30, 1921), Newton County, Mississippi; Arrington–Mosley family oral history; Altare M.B. Church burial records.
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