We want to welcome you to learn about our family history, communicate and connect with other members, and never forget our heritage.
Our humble beginnings…
John Lee, Sr and Sophie are from Collins, MS, later moving to Wesson, MS. They had 13 children, all born in Copiah County. There were six (6) boys and seven (7) girls: John Lee, Jr, Daniel, Will, James, Rufus, Mack, Nancy, Delphia, Emily, Della, Lucille, Sophia, and Flora Mae. Grandfather worked with the railroad laying tracks, and Grandmother worked as a maid washing and ironing.
John Lee, Jr followed in his father’s footsteps, working on the railroad and the farm. He met Nellie Johnson, who was working as a maid for Dr. Little. They married and moved to Lincoln County and had 14 children. There were five (5) girls and nine (9) boys: Vera Mae, Bella Mae, Helen, Elizabeth, Ella Mae (half-sister), Charlie Porter (half-brother), Eddie Black (half-brother), Versey, Mack, Samuel, James Rufus, Willie O., Willie T., and James (half-brother).
Nellie ensured her children were all fed, and John, a hunter, would bring home wild game such as possums, squirrels, and rabbits. Also, there was a yard full of chickens running around under the house. Often, you can see them through the cracks in the floor. Nellie insisted that her children attend church in the community of St. John Missionary Baptist Church. They were poor, and she made most of their clothes out of fertilizer and flour sacks. During the “Great Depression of 1932,” the family farmed and raised vegetables. During this time, a sack of flour cost $0.98, and a pair of shoes was $0.75. They lived on a sharecropper’s farm and had no electricity, lights, television, or any of the luxuries we enjoy today.