susie love walker
1909-1990
Life Story
Early Life and Family Background
Susie Love Walker was born on September 9, 1909, to George Love (1885–?) and Betsie Love (1884–?). She came of age during the early twentieth century, a period marked by limited economic opportunity for African American women in Mississippi but strong family and church networks that shaped daily life.
Marriage and Children
Susie married Johnnie L. Walker (1908–?), and from this union four known children were born:
- Doris Walker (1928–?)
- L. G. Walker (1936–?)
- Davis Walker (1947–?)
- Bessie Walker
Her family life reflects both continuity and expansion, with later records documenting an extensive lineage of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Residence and Work
By 1930, Susie was married and living in Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, where she worked as a servant in a private home, a common occupation for African American women during this era and one that contributed directly to household survival and stability.
By 1950, the family had returned to Newton County, where Susie was listed as keeping house, reflecting a shift back into community-based family life after time spent in an urban setting.
Church Membership
Susie Love Walker was a member of Altare Missionary Baptist Church, an institution that served as a spiritual center and social anchor for African American families in the Altare community. Her long-standing affiliation with the church places her within the core religious life of the area.
Later Years and Death
Susie Love Walker passed away on November 27, 1990. Her obituary does not list a specific place of burial; however, based on her church membership and family connections, it is believed that she may be laid to rest at the Altare M.B. Church graveyard.
Legacy
At the time of her death, Susie Love Walker was survived by:
- A sister, Mrs. Pinkey Williams of Meridian
- Two children noted in the obituary, Mrs. Bessie Bynum of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Doris Evans of Bogalusa, Louisiana
- Two stepsons, Zettie Walker and Richard Walker of Flint, Michigan
- Numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and extended relatives
Her life reflects the experience of many African American women whose labor—both paid and unpaid—sustained families, churches, and communities across generations, even when their stories were only briefly recorded in official records.
Why This Matters
Susie Love Walker’s life helps explain how communities like Altare endured across the twentieth century. Her story reflects the steady, often unrecorded labor of African American women whose work in private homes, churches, and families formed the backbone of community survival.
Her movement between Jackson and Newton County mirrors a broader pattern of Black mobility in Mississippi—families going where work was available, then returning home to reestablish roots. Through church membership at Altare Missionary Baptist Church, Susie remained anchored to a spiritual and social institution that offered continuity when economic conditions shifted.
The size of her family and the wide geographic spread of her descendants show how one woman’s life radiated outward—linking Newton County to places like Jackson, New Orleans, Bogalusa, Flint, and Meridian. These connections illustrate how Altare was never isolated, but part of a larger network of migration, kinship, and faith.
Remembering Susie Love Walker ensures that the history of Altare is not told only through pastors, landowners, or public figures, but through the women whose daily labor sustained families, churches, and community life for generations.
Resting Place
Altare Missionary Baptist Church Graveyard
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1910 Federal Census
- 1920 Federal Census
- 1930 Federal Census
- 1950 Federal Census
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current
- U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
- The Newton Record, Susie Love Walker Obituary, Wed, Dec 05, 1990 ·Page 2
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