Thomas Lonzo Cleveland & Bessie Taylor Cleveland

Thomas "Lonzo" Cleveland, (B: 8-17-189o/D:12-26-1942)

Bessie Taylor Cleveland (B:1-28-1896/D: 8-17,1981),

Lonzo Cleveland was a sawmiller most of his life ,as well as a sharecropper. He raised crops on the old Massey place of Marietta Ms. and Mini Googe place of Marietta. Ms. He and Bessie were both Baptists and good devout believers in Jesus Christ.


My visit with 3 of their 12 children (Lena, Ruby and Ruble) gave me a lot of insight. They absolutely loved their parents. "They were the best parents a child could ask for" Ruble said. "We were poor but happy", "We made our on butter, got milk from a cow, hogs for bacon and had chickens for eggs" She went on to say. Ruby recalled " Mommi would fry eggs and make sawmill gravy from corn we had milled, and grease from lard she used to fry the meat". and Lener learned to make Mommi's homemade biscuits. Their clothes were made by Mommi and washed on a rub board, with all the kids doing there part. They drew water from a well or a creek for washing and drinking.


Lonzo had a stroke ( the second of 2) while plowing in the fields, on the Mini Googe place, in August of 1942. He died of the stroke in December of the same year. Lonzo and Bessie are buried at Massey Cemetery on the old Massey Farm, in Marietta Ms.

Lonzo was the son of Benjeman Cleveland & Sally Pearson Cleveland, of the Salem Community, Itawamba Mississippi.They are buried at Liberty Cemetery in Salem Community, Itawamba, Mississippi. Bessie Taylor Cleveland Is the Daughter of Vaston Taylor & Sendy Lou Orear Taylor of Ryans Well community.They are buried at Sandy Springs cemetery ,at Sandy Springs Church ,in Ryans Well. Ms.
Benjamin was the son of Thomas Anderson Cleveland & Rhoda Holland of Salem Community, Itawamba Ms. Thomas Is buried at Ebenezer Cemetery,at Ebenezer Church, in Vina Al. Rhoda is buried at Liberty Cemetery in Salem Community, Itawamba Mississippi.

The Line is as follows. Thomas Anderson Cleveland- Benjamin Andrew Cleveland- Thomas Lonzo Cleveland- Lemer Dessie Cleveland Beam- Dorothy Beam Moody- Don Dulaney

(Thomas Lonzo's father and grandfather are in earlier post of this blog.)

1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Lonnie Cleveland [Lonnie Clastaned]
Home in 1920: Towery’s Store, Itawamba, Mississippi
Age: 26 Years
Estimated Birth Year [abt. 1894} abt. 1884
Birthplace: Mississippi
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse’s Name: Bessie
Fathers Birthplace: Alabama
Mother’s Birthplace: Mississippi
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home Owned: Rent
Able to Read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 890
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name: Age:
Lonnie Cleveland 26
Bessie Cleveland 24
Ernie Cleveland 6 8/12
Roy Cleveland 5 2/12
Wheeler Cleveland 1 11/12
Lena Cleveland 1 12

1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Thomas L. Cleveland
Home in 1930: Beat 5, Itawamba, Ms
Age: 36
Estimated Birth: abt. 1894
Birthplace: Mississippi
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse Name: Bessie
Race: White
Household Members Name Age
Thomas L Cleveland 36
Bessie Cleveland 33
Earny Barrett 17
Roy C Cleveland 15
Wheeler Cleveland 12
Lena L Cleveland 10
Lema D Cleveland 8
Retha L Cleveland 6
Vernon H Cleveland 4
Ruble A Cleveland 1

WW1 Civilian Draft Registration
Name: Cleveland, Thomas Lonzo
Birth Date: 17 Aug, 1893
Birth Place: Fulton, Ms
City/County Itawamba
State: Ms.
Ethnicity: W

WW1 Draft Registration Cards 1917-1918
Name: Thomas Lonzo Cleveland
City: Not Stated
County: Itawamba
State: Mississippi
Birthplace: Mississippi, United States of America
Birth date: 17, Aug, 1893
Race: Caucasion
Roll: 168296
Draft Board: 0