A Look at Edna Lee Bland Jones, aka Sister Jones, in Coming of Age in Mississippi

Her Story, Photo Shared by Her Family

By Roscoe Barnes III
Chairman, Anne Moody History Project
Copyright (c) 2018

#AnneMoody

Sister Jones in Anne Moody's 
Coming of Age in Mississippi

Thanks to the Rev. LeReginald Jones, we now have a photo of Edna Lee Bland Jones, who is featured as Sister Jones in Anne Moody's Coming of Age in Mississippi. The photo was probably taken in the 1980s, according to her family.

“She was known for her cooking and her singing, and she had a sharp tongue,” said LeReginald. “We called her Mama. The people who didn’t know her called her, Ms. Edna.”

LeReginald, who serves as assistant pastor of Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in Centreville, Miss., said he is the great-grandson of Sister Jones. When she died in 1990 at the age of 71, he was just two years of age.

Sister Jones’ family remembers her as a strong woman who was deeply religious. She was the mother of 13 children. LeReginald said she had strong faith in God, and her devotion to her church was well-known.

Sister Jones was a member of Mount Pleasant, the same church that Moody joined as a teenager. In Chapter Five of Coming of Age, Moody wrote:

Just as I was leaving to go back outside I saw Mama having a serious conversation with old Sister Jones who was now sitting beside her. I knew that she was trying to get Mama to get me to join Mount Pleasant.

Usually during revival season older sisters of the church recruited candidates for baptism and Sister Jones always outdid the others. 

Sister Jones had strength, but she also had pride. LeReginald and other family members used to wonder why she never did domestic work for white families back in the day.

“We asked my great-granddad,” LeReginald said. “We asked why she didn’t work and clean houses like everybody else did during that time. He said it was because of her mouth. She would speak her mind and not hold back. So he worked very, very hard to take care of the family. She never did domestic work for any white families.”

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Would you like to know MORE about Anne Moody?

Visit here to see the timeline of important

events in her life history!

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For more information: 
See the Anne Moody page here.
Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on Anne Moody history and the on-going work of this community service project, simply follow this blog or follow AMHP on Twitter (@AnneMoodyHP). #ComingOfAgeinMississippi

Anne Moody’s Final Resting Place

Family Buries Her Ashes Beside her Mother in Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery

By Roscoe Barnes III

Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright (c) 2018

#AnneMoody

Family of Anne Moody buried her ashes during a special service on Saturday, July 7, 2018, at the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in Centreville, Miss. From left: Frances Jefferson, her sister; Rev. LeReginald Jones, assistant pastor of Mount Pleasant; Rev. Dr. Roscoe Barnes III;  and Adline Moody, Anne’s sister. 

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CENTREVILLE, Miss. -- Civil Rights Pioneer Anne Moody, author of Coming of Age in Mississippi, is now resting beside her mother, Elmira “Too Sweet” Williams Moody Jefferson, in the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in Centreville, Miss.

Her sister, Adline Moody, said it was time to bring her home.

Her family held a memorial service – the second one -- on Saturday, July 7, 2018, where they paid their respects and buried her ashes. Anne, who was born and raised in Centreville in southwest Mississippi, died on Feb. 5, 2015, at the age of 74. Her remains were cremated on Feb. 6, 2015. Arrangements were entrusted to Richardson Funeral Home of Clinton, La.

“This is only fitting,” Adline said of the July burial. “This is the perfect place for Anne … next to her mom. Her dad is right over there. She traveled the whole wide world and she ended up right back where she started. Right here at Mount Pleasant.”

The first memorial service was held on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015, at 2753 Antioch Perkins Road in a rural section of Gloster, Miss. Her ashes had been kept by her son, Sasha Straus, and Adline.

Anne’s grave is adorned with flowers and a monument. The face of the marble structure bears the inscription:

Freedom fighter, Beloved Mother, Daughter and Sister.

Great Humanitarian. You fought the fight.

Rest in peace, Anne.

Love you.

Anne Moody

September 15, 1940 to February 5, 2015

Mount Pleasant donated the piece of land for the burial and Anne’s family provided the monument and the flowers.

Sasha Straus, son of Anne Moody, was one of several family members who participated in her burial ceremony at the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, Centreville, Miss., on Saturday, July 7, 2018.

‘Modern-day Esther’

The Rev. LeReginald Jones, assistant pastor for Mount Pleasant, officiated the graveside service. He described Anne as a great woman and a freedom fighter. Her burial, he said, brings everything full circle.

“It is an honor for us to have such a heroine to be planted right here, so that when the story is told, they can always come back home,” he said. “They can come back to Anne’s home, and we can tell that story.”

Jones said Anne was like Esther in the Bible, who rose to help her people “for such a time as this.” He said: “Some 50 years ago, I do believe under the providential orchestration of the hand of God, that he called Anne Moody for such a time as this. She was our modern-day Esther” who fought against discrimination and injustice.

Anne’s sister, Frances Jefferson, said the burial was important for Anne and the community.

“She needed to come home,” she said. “Anne left home in her teens and my mother grieved for her when she was away.”

Too Sweet often cried for Anne, fearing for her safety. “She didn’t know where she was,” said Frances. “I couldn’t stand to see my mother cry. She was very protective.”

But now Anne is home, back where her story began, Frances said.

In addition to Adline, Sasha and Frances, a number of other family members and friends attended the ceremony. Family members included Jerry Love, Dorothy Veals, JoAnne Coles, Felix Cole, James Cole, Doris Whitehead, and Elvira Taplin, all cousins of Anne; Sherry Jefferson, wife of Anne’s brother, Ralph Jefferson; and Rosie Powell, former wife of Anne’s brother, Fred Moody Jr.

Dr. Leigh Ann Wheeler, Anne Moody’s biographer, participated in Moody’s memorial service at the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, Centreville, Miss., on Saturday, July 7, 2018. She is joined here with her husband, Dr. Donald Nieman, and their son, Brady Wheeler-Nieman; and Moody’s son, Sasha Straus.

Anne’s biographer

Friends who attended the event included Dr. Leigh Ann Wheeler, her husband, Dr. Donald Nieman, both of Binghamton University, New York, and their son, Brady Wheeler-Nieman. Wheeler, who is writing Anne’s biography, shared a few words about Anne during the ceremony.

“I want to thank you all for helping me write Anne’s life story,” she said. “I love her. For 25 years, I have taught her book. I first read it when I taught it with my graduate advisor, Sara Evans, in the 1990s and I have taught it to my own students ever since. It’s life-changing for them, more so today than ever.”

Coming of Age was first published in 1968 and has remained in print since that time.

Wheeler said the book is the one book that she assigns that the students always thank her for. They love the book and they actually read it, she said: “It really helps them understand what it was like to grow up as a young black girl in Mississippi in the 40, the 50s, and the 60s -- something that they otherwise would not even begin to even care about, let alone GET!”

Although she never got to know Anne, Wheeler said she’s beginning to know her through Anne’s family and friends. Wheeler and her family donated purple roses for the ceremony. Purple was Anne’s favorite color.

JoAnne and Dorothy, both daughters of Alberta in Coming of Age, shared brief remarks during the ceremony. JoAnne spoke of how excited they used to be to see Anne when they were kids. She said Anne helped put her through college. Dorothy sang “When the Gates Swing Open.”

The Rev. Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, who chairs the Anne Moody History Project, said Anne was like King David in the Bible who “served his own generation by the will of God.” He said that she had great achievements, but she also faced many challenges, enduring a life of highs and lows.

“But in the end, like David, we can say that she served her purpose,” said Barnes. “She served her own generation by the will of God.”

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Would you like to know more about Anne Moody?

Visit the Anne Moody page here!

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For more information:

See the Anne Moody page here. 

Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on Anne Moody history and the on-going work of this community service project, simply follow this blog or follow AMHP on Twitter (@AnneMoodyHP). 

#ComingOfAgeinMississippi

Anne Moody's Church in the Old Days

Photo of original building in 1800s

By Roscoe Barnes III
Chairman, Anne Moody History Project
Copyright (c) 2018

#AnneMoody

Photo courtesy of Rev. LeReginald Jones

The building in the above undated photo is the original structure of Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church that is featured in Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody. In the 1950s, when Moody attended the church, it was a "big white stone church." At that time, the church was "the biggest Baptist church in the area," Moody wrote in her book.

Photo courtesy of Rev. LeReginald Jones

The church is located off of Highway 24, between Centreville and Woodville, in southwest Mississippi. A concrete marker posted near the front entrance of the current church building gives a brief history of the church. It reads:

Church History

In the early 1880s after the Civil War strife, a few people of color came together with a few whites made efforts to found the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. Property was donated by Mr. R.C. McNeil for the sum of one dollar to W. Felter, D. Griffin, H. McCraine and D. Grop.

               

The pastors from 1880 to 1986 were Rev. Carter, Rev. W. M. Baker, Rev. J. Cason, Rev. H. Davis, Rev. G. Davis, Rev. J. McClain, Rev. D. Tyson, Rev. R. Tyson, Rev. W. Wells, and presently, J. E. Hills.

The marker also notes: “New church erected in 1986 under leadership of Rev. J.E. Hills.” The current pastor is the Rev. L.C. Weatherspoon Sr. His assistant pastor is the Rev. LeReginald Jones.

Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in 2018

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Would you like to know MORE about Anne Moody? Visit here to

see the timeline of important events in her life history!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information: 

See the Anne Moody page here.

Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on Anne Moody history and the on-going work of this community service project, simply follow this blog or follow AMHP on Twitter (@AnneMoodyHP). #ComingOfAgeinMississippi

Mt. Pleasant to Honor Anne Moody in Celebration of Black History Month

Special services set for February

By Roscoe Barnes III

Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright © 2018

#AnneMoody

#BlackHistory

#BlackHistoryMonth

Rev. LeReginald Jones, Assistant Pastor
Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church

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Centreville, Miss. -- The congregation of Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church, Centreville, will honor the legacy of Anne Moody this year by dedicating two services to her memory, according to Assistant Pastor LeReginald Jones.

The first service will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, February 11, 2018, and the second service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, February 25, 2018. Jones will be the speaker for the first service. Roscoe Barnes III, chairman of the Anne Moody History Project, will speak at the second service.

“We’re calling the second and fourth Sundays, ‘Anne Moody Sunday,’” Jones said. “Usually in February we celebrate Black History Month. This year we’re going to honor Anne Moody.”

Jones said the theme for the two services is, “We Are Because They Were.”

Moody was a civil rights worker and the author of Coming of Age in Mississippi (1968). She and her family were once members of Mt. Pleasant.

“We’re honoring her because she’s done so much for us that we don’t know about,” Jones said. “She was on the front lines of the civil rights movement and made sacrifices, even putting her life on the line.”

Public invited

The public is invited to both services. In recognition of Moody on the fourth Sunday, everyone is asked to wear purple and black. Purple was Moody’s favorite color, according to her sister, Frances Jefferson. Moody’s favorite meal, red beans and rice with fried chicken, will be provided at the service.

Mt. Pleasant is located at 8755 Highway 24 East, Centreville, about 9 miles east of Woodville. The church is in Wilkinson County in southwest Mississippi, about 40 minutes southeast of Natchez. Moody writes about Mt. Pleasant in her autobiography.

Moody was born in 1940. She grew up in Centreville where she faced poverty, hard work, and discrimination during the Jim Crow era. As a teenager, she moved to Woodville where she attended Johnson High School.

Moody’s legacy

Moody and her family attended Mt. Pleasant, the church where she was also baptized as a teenager. She also attended school in a small building near the church. Moody’s parents, Elmira ‘Too Sweet’ Jefferson and Fred Moody Sr., are buried in the cemetery across from the church.

Jones noted that because of Moody’s work for freedom and justice, the world came to know about Centreville and southwest Mississippi. “She put us – and the church -- on the world stage,” he said.

Jones said the church is honoring her “for her heroism and to keep the legacy of Mt. Pleasant alive.” He explained that Mt. Pleasant “has always had progressive and forward-leaning pastors.”

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“Born in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, in 1940, Anne Moody spent her early childhood on a plantation where her parents were sharecroppers. As a scholarship student, she attended Natchez Junior College and Tougaloo, graduating from the latter in 1964. Miss Moody has worked for CORE, traveling and speaking all over the nation.” -- From the book cover, Coming of Age in Mississippi

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Jones’ grandfather, the Rev. L.C. Weatherspoon Sr., is the senior pastor of Mt. Pleasant. Jones is the great-grandson of Edna Jones, who is known as “Sister Jones” in Moody’s book.

“I was two when she died,” he said of Sister Jones. “Everybody in the family feels I was her favorite because I was spoiled.”

In addition to serving Moody’s favorite meal, the church also plans to distribute copies of Moody’s book, Coming of Age in Mississippi. Other details about the two Sunday services will be presented at a later date, according to Jones.

For more information on the Anne Moody programs, contact Rev. LeReginald Jones at Regjones06@gmail.com or by calling 601-392-4294.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like to know more about Anne Moody?

Visit here to see the timeline of important

events in her life history!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information: 

See the Anne Moody page here.

Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on Anne Moody history and the on-going work of this community service project, simply follow this blog or follow AMHP on Twitter (@AnneMoodyHP). #ComingOfAgeinMississippi