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This family reunion recognizes the descendants of William and Susan Jennings. William was born of slave parents and came from Virginia around 1840. Susan was from New Orleans, Louisiana.
William “Billy” Jennings and Susan Lampton Jennings
William Jennings came to Pike county (Mississippi) and purchased 400 acres of land. He selected a suitable site for his home and burned a tree so that he would be able to locate the site when he returned.
He did return, built his home and started a family with Susan Lampton Jennings of New Orleans, Louisiana.
The union produced 14 children (six boys and eight girls). They were Joe, Willie, Mary Ann, Rudolph, Pearla, Virginia, Adam, Noah, Selena, Martha, Isabelle, Isiah, Katie and Rosa, The children were reared on a farm and eventually chose their own helpmates and married.
William was a deacon at Galilee Baptist Church in Holmesville until his death.
Rosa Jennings
Rosa Jennings was the last born of William and Susan Jennings. She was born in a log cabin in Pike County, Mississippi. Rosa Jennings was married to Tom Williams, to which nine children were born. Tom Williams was a grocer, dairyman, butcher and a truck farmer. He also operated a cane press and a grist mill.
The family celebrated the Fourth of July with all of the other families in the community by having a large picnic on the family grounds. The union produced Ernest Williams. Velma Downs, Susie Mae Barnes, Bill Williams, Mary C, Allen, Rosetta Alexander, Emile Williams, Grace Keigler and Tommy Williams. Two children were adopted by Rosa and tom Williams, and were raised as brother and sister to the other children. They were Alberta Simmons and Isadore Simmons.
Willie Jennings
Willie Jennings, son of William and Susan Jennings, was married to Lizzie Tobert. He was a very successful farmer. Willie and Lizzie were the parents of 11 children: Virginia, Willie Mae, Nellie. Myrtis, Erma. Edna, Moses, Odell, Herbert, Susie and Geneva.
The branches of the family tree have indeed grown in many professional directions. The children of Willie and Lizzie Jennings pursued varied careers in the communities where they lived.
Willie, Lizzie, Willie Mae, Virgina, Nellie, Myrtis, Herbert, Moses, Odell, and Geneva are deceased. Erma Jennings Jackson resides in Gary, Indiana, Edna Jennings Smith and Susie Jennings Williams reside in McComb. All are retired and Live peaceful and enjoyable lives.
Willie Jennings II was widowed early in his marriage and raised eight of the 11 children alone. He was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church where he served as a deacon for many years.
Joe Jennings
Joe Jennings, the eldest son of William and Susan Jennings, married Lizzie Dillon in Pike County, Mississippi. They were the parents of eight children. The children – Luhonor, Theodore, Bertran, Ora, Ruth. Gladys, Alphonce, and Arnette – were reared on a farm with a small family income. Joe walked several miles to work each day to check the railroad for defects in the rails, tires, etc.
The family was fortunate to live in a school district that had nine-month sessions. As each child reached school age, he/she was enrolled in school. Joe supervised the homework of his children from grammar school through portions of a their high school years.
After completing grammar school, the boys went away to work and continued their education. the girls transferred to the nearest high school in the county. The children completed their high school and college education on the campus of Alcorn College, though the school’s summer. Several earned licenses to teach and became involved in the education process. Luhonor married Ed Willie Burns who later became a successful Baptist minister. They had six sons.
Five of Joe Jennings’ children were associated with the education of youth in their communities. When Theodore and Bertran finished their college work, they went into the teaching profession as did Ruth, who received a B.S. degree from Alcorn.
The members of the family continued to marry and establish themselves in many communities in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Theodore married Lizzella Scott and parented five children;
Mertran married Mattie Wood and they had three sons;
Ruth married Murray Nick;
Ora married Ernest Matthews and bore three children;
Gladys married Joe Washington and they bore three children;
Alphonce married Cleo Jefferson and to this union teh children were born;
Arnette left two children after his fate in World War II.
Joe Jennings had a fifth son, Oliver Jackson. He was known by his friends and relatives as a “Spring”. Spring married Evie Dillion and had one child, Milton Jackson, who now resides in Chicago.
The members of the Joe Jennings family tree began to weaken and fall as follows: Ora, Arnette, Joe, Lizzie, Theodore, Bertran, Gladys and Luhonor. The remaining branches are
Isiah Jennings
Isiah Jennings married Buelah Otis who was a resident of Pike County. they were dedicated residents of the community and were active in church work. To this union eight children were born. They were Pearlie, Leslie, Frank, J.C, I.W., E.D., Mack Vertis, and Roy.
Pearlie Lived in Pike county all of her life. She worked in fields farming cotton and was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist. She died in Chicago.
Leslie married Johnnie Mildred Pittman. To this union one child was born. They lived in Harvey, Illinois. where he worked on the railroad and at Avery Body Plant. He was also a foreman at an airplane plant.
Frank married Eliza Mae Matthews and to this union no children were born. He was an auto mechanic and she was a housewife. Frank later married Dorothy Florence who was and insurance agent for Collins Insurance Company. They live in Jackson, MS, where he operates an auto repair shop. He was a Staff Sergeant in the 332nd Air Force Fighter Group. He is a member of New Hope Baptist Church where he serves as a Sunday School Superintendent, deacon and instructor of the BTU.
J.C. is married to Gladys and they have one child, Clarice. They lived in Chicago where he worked for a roofing plant until he retired. He now resides in McComp, MS.
E.D. was sick at birth and died at age 11.
Mack Vertis Jennings married Woods Quinn and lived in Harvey, Illinois. She had five children. She was a member of Second Baptist Church where she worked tirelessly.
Raymond (Baby Ray) married Mary and they lived in Harvey, Illinois, where he was employed as a postal worker. He was a member of Mount Kingdom Baptist Church. He worked in the church and community until he retired. He returned to Pike County where he now resides.
I.W. Jennings was another of Isiah’s sons who worked hard in the church and community.
Isabelle Jennings
Isabelle, the twelfth child of William and Susan Jennings, was married to David Colman from West Point, MS. They lived in Brookaven and raised five children.
The children born to this union were: Oliver, who lives in Jackson; Cenia who lives in Richmond, CA. Cenia works faithfully in the church. She had four children; Mary lives in Oakland, CA and has one son, David; Timothy, who is deceased, was the father of one son, Timothy Jr., who lives in Berkeley, CA.; Rosa, who was Isabelle’s youngest child, lived in Brookhaven, MS. She was active in the community doing volunteer work at the food bank. She married T.J. Pickett and had five children: Thomas James Jr., Judy, Sharon Ann, Rose Mary, and Gloria Jean. Her children are employed in New York, Washington, Jackson, MS and Michigan. They have careers in education, computer science and accounting.
Rosa’s children were raised in the Temple of God and Christ for which her father Rev. David Coleman was a founder. Rosa was a gentle, soft spoken woman. Her neighbors and the towns folk affectionately spoke of her as a “lady”. Her father worked hard to provide his family with a legacy of land. David gave each of his children a lot. Rosa and T.J., her husband, built their home on her lot where they raised their children. A portion of this property was taken from David by a white man who built a restaurant and a store and claimed the land as his own.
Fortunately the property owner’s name was not changed in the Lincoln County Courts. The property remains to this date a legal part of the David Coleman Estate.
Selena Jennings
Selena, the eighth child of William and Susan Jennings, was married to Rudolph Washington. He was a farmer who lived in the McComb area. To this union, seven children were born. They were Susie, Lillian, Maggie, Katie, Elwood, James (TED), and Ora.
The children of Selena and Rudolph married, had families and are active in their respective communities. James was kept busy with church activities at Mount Vernon Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon until his death. Ora is the proud mother of three children and ten grandchildren. Her daughter, Eloise, who lives in Champaign, IL., is employed at the University of Illinois in the Department of Cell and Structural Biology. She married George Butts and to this union three children were born. Susie and Lillian were housewives.
The family of Selena and Rudolph Washington was an asset to the community and gave great service to the nursing profession. Katie and Maggie were employed as health care professionals for 25 years.
The family tree of Selena and Rudolph lost branches as the years passed. They were Susie, Lillian, Maggie, Elwood and James. The two remaining branches are Ora and Katie.
Katie Jennings
Katie L. Jennings was the sixth child of William and Susan Jennings. She grew up on the farm owned by her parents in McComb, MS. Katie attended the neighborhood church and joined at an early age. She also attended school in Pike County.
Katie married Bell Luther Turner, who was also raised on his parents farm near McComb. He was the oldest of twelve children. Bell Luther’s parents gave the newly weds a section of land on which they built their home. They lived and worked in this community all of their lives. Bell Luther was a trustee in the school, a church worker and a choir director who worked across the lower Mississippi area. Katie was a motivating force in the lives of her children and in the community. She supported Bell Luther in everything he did in the community.
To this union ten children were born. there were five boys and five girls. The second boy died at eleven months of age. The remaining nine children grew to be responsible adults and chose to live in Louisiana and Michigan. Only two of the children remained in McComb. The children chose careers in a variety of fields. W.L. worked for Dodge Motor Company. Thomas was an auto mechanic, Olivia was a seamstress, who designed costumes for King Zulu, Hollis was a farmer, Burma was a teacher, Carnelia was also an artist. She was invited to have a showing in a museum. Hattie was a seamstress, Eddie was an auto mechanic who worked for Ford Motor Company, and Emmaline was a supervisor of nurses in a hospital.
Katie was a devoted wife, mother and neighbor. She was available to take care of the sick in the community. She nursed her ill sister, Pearlie, until her death. She organized a community quilting club where unique patterns were designed and beautiful quilts were made. These quilts won many prizes in community competitions. Katie was and excellent cook. She had her own recipe for egg pie and sweet potato pie that become widespread throughout the community. Her quiet, calm caring attitude greatly influenced the attitudes of the her children. the success of her children in their careers is attributed to the philosophy of Katie Jennings Turner.
The family branch of Katie and bell Luther have all been lost except for Emmaline. She lives a quiet life in Detroit, Michigan.
The History of Jennings Crossing
William Jennings bought the spot of land from the Fernwood Company for $4 an acre. the size of the purchase was 400 acres. He dug a well for a water supply. The water bucket was bricked so this it would sink into the well. There was a small log cabin built on the site where three of his children were born. He later added rooms to accommodate other children as the family grew.
Because of his loyalty to the community and popularity in the area, the section was named for him.
There was a property dispute between William Jennings Sr. and Eleanor Arkinson, which is evidenced by court records of the legal action take to regain the property.
William Jennings borrowed money from Clinton Atkinson by signing a promissory note and using approximately 200 acres as collateral. The note state that (2) two payments would be paid in the amount of $125.00 each. One would be paid on November 1st, 1889 and the other on November 1st 1890, with an interest of 10% per annum, upon maturity of the note.
Upon death of Clinton Arkinson, Eleanor Atkinson, who was the administrator of the estate, attempted to claim the property as a part of the estate. William Jennings took the case to court to prove that he had, in fact, paid the debt and cleared the title. This case was to be argued in open court, but Ella Atkinson failed to appear or answer the petition.
It seems that an error had been made in court records, which had caused this court action. This error was corrected by court decree. The decree stated that, by deed of special warranty, the title of the land be returned to William Jennings. This was adjudged and decreed on June 10,1903. This land dispute case was continued after the death of William Jennings Sr. by his son William Jennings Jr..