wallace collier
1902-1972
Life Story
Early Life in Lawrence
Wallace Collier was born on January 25, 1902, in the Lawrence community of Newton County, Mississippi. He was the youngest son of Patrick “Pat” Collier and Laura Black Collier and grew up in a large farming family in Beat 4.
The 1910 census records eight-year-old Wallace, listed as “Wallice,” living with his parents and siblings on the family farm. His brothers and sisters included Lida, David, Will, Mary Bell, Edd, Jessie, Everliner, Mary Ella, Annie, and Patrick, Jr. The Collier household represented a close-knit family network rooted in the agricultural traditions of rural Mississippi.
Like many children in Newton County, Wallace contributed to the family farm from an early age. Census records identified him as a farm laborer on the home farm, reflecting the responsibilities that often fell upon children in farming households.
Education and Early Adulthood
Despite the demands of farm life, Wallace attended school and learned to read and write. Education was important within the Collier family, and Wallace benefited from opportunities that were not always available to African American children in the Jim Crow South.
By 1920, Wallace was eighteen years old and living with his widowed mother, Laura Collier. Following the death of his father in 1913, Laura had become the head of the household. Wallace was working as a farmer on his own account, helping support the family while building a future of his own.
A Changing World
As the agricultural economy of Mississippi struggled during the 1920s, Wallace sought opportunities beyond the family farm.
The 1930 census finds him living in Kosciusko, Attala County, Mississippi, where he worked as a laborer on gas line construction projects. The work represented a significant transition from agriculture to industrial labor and reflected the broader economic changes occurring throughout the South.
The census also indicates that Wallace had married, although his wife was not residing with him at the boarding house where he was enumerated.
The Great Migration to Chicago
During the 1930s, Wallace joined the Great Migration and relocated to Chicago, Illinois, becoming part of the massive movement of African Americans leaving the South in search of greater economic opportunity.
By 1940, he was living on Chicago’s South Side in a large lodging house on Prairie Avenue. Like many Americans during the Great Depression, Wallace faced difficult economic circumstances. Census records indicate that he experienced a lengthy period of unemployment and reported no income during the previous year.
One notable detail from the 1940 census is Wallace’s educational attainment. He had completed four years of high school, a remarkable accomplishment for an African American man born in rural Mississippi at the beginning of the twentieth century.
World War II and Industrial Employment
As America mobilized for World War II, Chicago’s industrial economy expanded rapidly.
On February 16, 1942, Wallace registered for the World War II draft. His registration card described him as five feet nine inches tall, weighing approximately 160 pounds, with black hair, black eyes, and a dark complexion.
At the time, he was employed by the American Car and Foundry Company, one of the major industrial manufacturers contributing to the nation’s wartime production effort. He listed his sister, Mary Ella Charles, as his next of kin, demonstrating the enduring bond among the Collier siblings despite the family’s geographic dispersal.
Life in Chicago
By 1950, Wallace had established himself more firmly in Chicago. Census records place him at 1426 South State Street, living with William and Florina Payton.
He was employed as a candy cook in a candy manufacturing plant, working forty-three hours per week. The position reflected the industrial and manufacturing jobs that provided economic opportunities for many Southern migrants who settled in Chicago during the mid-twentieth century.
Over the years, Wallace remained part of Chicago’s growing African American community while maintaining connections to his Mississippi roots and extended family.
Death and Burial
Wallace Collier passed away in May 1972 at the age of seventy.
His final years were spent in Chicago, where he had built a life following his migration from Mississippi decades earlier. Social Security records indicate that he resided in Chicago’s West Englewood area prior to his death.
Legacy
Wallace Collier’s life reflects the experience of countless African Americans who participated in the Great Migration. Born into a farming family in rural Mississippi, he witnessed the dramatic transformation of American society during the twentieth century.
His journey carried him from the fields of Newton County to construction camps in Mississippi and eventually to the industrial neighborhoods of Chicago. Along the way, he adapted to changing economic conditions, pursued educational opportunities, and helped build a new life in the urban North.
Through perseverance and hard work, Wallace became part of a generation that reshaped both Southern and Northern communities, carrying family traditions from Mississippi while contributing to the growth of Chicago’s African American population.
Why This Matters
Wallace’s story illustrates how the Great Migration was not simply a geographic movement but a profound transformation in occupation, education, and opportunity. His life demonstrates the transition from rural agricultural labor to industrial employment and highlights the determination of African American families seeking better futures during the twentieth century.
Resting Place
Unknown
Photos/Albums
Sources
- 1910 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Patrick Collier.
- 1920 U.S. Census, Newton County, Mississippi, Beat 4, household of Laura Collier.
- 1930 U.S. Census, Attala County, Mississippi, Kosciusko, boarding house listing for Wallace Collier.
- 1940 U.S. Census, Cook County, Illinois, Chicago, Prairie Avenue lodging house, Wallace Collier.
- U.S. World War II Draft Registration Card, Wallace Collier, February 16, 1942.
- 1950 U.S. Census, Cook County, Illinois, Chicago, household including Wallace Collier and William Payton.
- Social Security Death Index, Wallace Collier, May 1972.
- Family records and census records of the Collier family of Lawrence, Newton County, Mississippi.
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