Dates
Biographical Note
Malachi C. Collins was born in Crystal Springs, Mississippi in 1879. He attended Rust College from the time he was a fifth grade student in 1898 until he graduated with a bachelorâs degree in 1909. He began his graduate education in mathematics at the University of Chicago and completed his mortuary studies at Miles Embalming School in Birmingham, Alabama. Collins taught at Rust College and Haven Institute, formerly Meridian Academy, located in Meridian Mississippi, where he also served as the Dean of Men. He was also an ordained minister and served as a lay delegate to five Methodist General Conferences from 1912 to 1932.
In 1916, Malachi C. Collins and E.W. Hall incorporated the first black-owned funeral home and insurance company, the Hall and Collins Funeral Home, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Though competing with white-owned funeral homes brought hardship, in time the company prospered. In 1924, Collins purchased the G.F. Frazier Undertaking Company of Jackson, Mississippi, forming the Frazier & Collins Funeral Home and the Collins Burial Association. He ran this business until his death in 1939 when his wife, Mary Augusta Rayford Collins, and daughter, Emma Claire Collins Harvey, began to operate the funeral home.
Citation:
Author: Madeline Goebel
Citation:
The papers of the Collins Family held at the Amistad Research Center.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Collection
Identifier: 093
Scope and Contents
The Collins Family Papers consist of correspondence dated 1889-1987 that comprises about one-third of the collection. The majority of the letters are between Sophronia A. Collins Easley and her brother Malachi C. Collins and husband Willis Easley, in addition to communication with other family members and friends. Of note are the letters sent to Sophronia A. Collins Easley from various evangelical and ecumenical lay persons and clerics in the United States and Canada. Also included are the...
Dates:
Created: 1889-1988; Other: Majority of material found in 1900-1960; Other: Date acquired: 01/01/1985
Collection
Identifier: 094
Scope and Contents
The records of the Collins Funeral Home consist of correspondence, meeting minutes, legal documents, financial records, general business records, printed ephemera, newsletters, and memorabilia. Resonating throughout the collection include the contributions of two African American women in the male-dominated funeral and mortuary science profession. This collection is ideal for the study of African American small businesses, businesswomen, and the exploration of the intersectionality of...
Dates:
Created: 1914-1990; Other: Majority of material found in 1940-1970; Other: Date acquired: 01/01/1987
