Mercer Davenport

Mercer Davenport

Lifespan: 1879 - 1928

Birth: 10 Nov 1879 in Athens, Georgia

Occupation: Farm Laborer, Planing Mill Laborer, Fireman, Transfer Man

Marriage: Professor "Fess" Strickland

Children: Jacob Davenport, Cordelia Davenport, John Wiley Davenport, Norris Davenport, Thomas Edward Davenport Sr., Mary Davenport, Margaret Davenport, Samuel Benjamin Davenport, Ardia “Missy” Davenport, Luther Joseph Davenport, Theodore Joseph Davenport Sr., Betty Jean Davenport, Louise Marie Davenport

Parents: Jacob Davenport & Amanda Goolsby

Death: 15 Mar 1928 in Chicago, Illinois

Burial: Unknown

Chapter 1: Born of Reconstruction (1870–1890)

Mercer Davenport entered the world around 1870, in the slow dawn of Reconstruction, when freedom for Black families had arrived in name—but not yet in safety. He was born to Amanda Wilkerson and Jacob Davenport in Marshall County, Mississippi, a rural landscape still haunted by the memory of slavery, yet stirring with the fragile promise of something better.

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Frank Alexander

From Mississippi farm boy to Chicago machinist, Frank Alexander carved out a life of dignity and purpose, raising 13 children while navigating segregation, war, and the rise of Black homeownership. His journey from cotton fields to urban property ownership embodies the triumph of perseverance across generations.

Professor "Fess" Strickland

She wasn’t just Professor in name. She was a teacher, a guide, a leader, and a protector… the Mayor of Birch Street.

Cecelia Suggs

A Mississippi farm girl turned Chicago matriarch, Cecelia weathered Jim Crow, the Great Depression, and motherhood of 13—becoming a three-home property owner, community anchor, and beloved 'mangle girl' who never missed a Cubs game.

James Alexander

Born as the Civil War ended, James Alexander was part of the first generation of African Americans born free in Mississippi. He weathered the brutality of Jim Crow, the hardship of sharecropping, and the weight of raising over 20 children through sheer grit and unwavering devotion. A farmer, father, and survivor, he built a life in Rankin County with his lifelong partner Hollie, carving out dignity from oppression. His legacy lives on in the generations that followed—a testament to endurance, labor, and love in the face of systemic injustice.

Polly C Newton

Seventeen children. A life stretched across war, freedom, and sweeping change. She lived through slavery, emancipation, Reconstruction, and the dawn of a new century.

James Goolsby

Though his life was brief, James Goolsby planted deep roots in Georgia soil—his legacy carried on through generations of Goolsbys in the American South.

Kiziah Newton

Kiziah Newton kept her home and family together through the early 1800s in rural Georgia, leaving behind quiet but enduring traces of strength and resilience.

Caroline Adeline Payne

She devoted her life to raising twelve children in the heart of Mississippi—through war, change, and the everyday rhythms of rural life.