The House without a Front Door

This was the home of Medgar Evers and his family. Medgar, his wife Myrlie and their children moved into the home in 1955 after he was appointed Mississippi's first NAACP regional field secretary. He worked to end segregation and to increase voter registration among African Americans.

The neighborhood was chosen because it was Jackson, MS, first neighborhood developed by African American entrepreneurs. Medgar thought it would be a safe place to raise his family.

The house was built without a front door for safety reasons. The family would leave their vehicle through the passenger side and enter the house through the carport door.

He was assassinated in the early morning of June 12, 1963, in his driveway when returning home from an NAACP meeting. He was retrieving t-shirts out of the trunk of his car. The t-shirts read, "Jim Crow must go."

Remembering Medgar Evers 1925-1963

Remembering civil rights activist Medgar Evers who worked to end segregation in Mississippi. He was assassinated 50 years ago, June 12, 1963.

Tombstone Tuesday Clara Demyers

Daughter of Luke and Josephine Williams
Wife of Lawrence Demyers
Mother of Timothy, James, Luther, Luke, and Jimmy Dell

Buried in St John Community Cemetery
Wesson, Copiah County, MS

Clara Demyers' Obituary

Miss Mary Mack Hand Clapping Games

Alexander High School - 1946
Brookhaven, Mississippi

This picture of high school girls doing a hand clapping game brought back memories of friends and me spending hours playing hand clapping games. I can only remember one song from those days, Miss Mary Mack, and memories of fragments of other songs.

Miss Mary Mack

Miss Mary Mack
Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack
All dressed in black, black, black
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back
She asked her mother, mother, mother
For fifty cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants
Jump over the fence, fence, fence
They jumped so high, high, high
They touched the sky, sky, sky
And didn't come back, back, back
Till the fourth of July, July, July

Do you remember any hand clapping games?

Photograph courtesy of
Lincoln Lawrence Franklin Regional Library
100 South Jackson Street
Brookhaven, MS 39601
601.833.5038

Two Wives in the House

1900 Census, Copiah County, Mississippi

Census records can be interesting. Every now and then I come across something out of the ordinary. In 1900, two women were listed as wife in the 1900 household of Jesse Fair, Amanda and Josephine. He was married to Amanda for 22 years, married to Josephine for 13 years. He had two children with Amanda, Mary and Sam; and four with Josephine; Walter, Jesse, Hezzie and Otis. They all were born in MS as were their parents. Jesse is renting the land he farms and he says he can read and write. All others are farm laborers and only six years old Hezzie is in school.

According to Copiah County marriage records, Jesse Fair and Josephine Demyers married 10 Feb 1887. I didn't find a marriage record for Jesse and Amanda in Copiah County or any evidence they were legally married in MS but the 1900 census indicates they were married about 1878.

I went back to the 1880 Copiah County census where I found 21 one year old Jesse, and 20 years old Amanda, and their infant daughter Mary. One page over, I found 10 year old Josie Myers living in the household of her uncle and aunt, John and Emma Demyers Whitaker.

Jesse and Amanda's last child, Sam, was born about 1884. I wish the 1890 census had not been destroyed by fire to see if Amanda and Josephine were both living with Jesse. One record can not give clarity to why both women are listed in the same household as wives of Jesse.

Amanda Fair disappears from the census records after 1900. Josephine is recorded in every census with additional children, recorded as a widow in 1930 and 1940. Jesse Fair died Oct 28 1928 in Copiah County, MS. He is buried at the Mt Olive Church Cemetery.

Two Sisters

Juanita and Opal

I met the sisters in 2000 when I attended my aunt Annie Bell Shephard's funeral. They were cheerful, charming, and friendly. I understood why my aunt called them friends. The sisters are standing near the Enon Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan where the funeral was held.

Sunday's Obituary Leroy "Buck" Shepard 1912-1995

Leroy was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi on July 25, 1912, to the union of Jimmy Sr., and Lurany Shepard. He confessed hope in Christ at an early age and was baptized at New Zion MBC.

In 1946, Leroy relocated to Detroit, Michigan to begin building his dream. He was very talented and a "Jack of all Trades." Leroy was successful in providing for his family and contributing to the community. After 30 years, Leroy retired from Chrysler in 1978.

He remained an active member of the church and served as trustee Board member and Treasurer for many years.

Brother Shepard was a member of M.W. Unity Grand Lodge A.F.A.M., and the Wishful Master of the Rubican Lodge No. 8 and a 33rd Mason. In addition to being a Noble (Shriner), Temple of Osiris.

Late Tuesday night June 6, 1995, Leroy went home to be with the Lord

He leaves to cherish his memories: a wife Dora Shepard; one son, Jimmy Shepard Jr.; two daughters, Annie Pearl of Omaha, Nebraska and Connie Harris of Montgomery, Alabama; three sisters-in-law, Marie of Detroit, Mattie of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, and Eddie Mae of Illinois; fifteen grandchildren, twelve great grandchildren, and a host of other relatives, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. He also joins his beloved daughter Mary who preceded him in death.

Picture courtesy of Shelia Easley

Leroy's wife Dora Overton Shepard was my dad's 1st cousin.