James Ellis in Port Gibson, Miss.

In this second segment, “Coming to America, Making a Life in Mississippi,” we’ll hear from Lebanese Mississippians

• Mary Tonos Brantley
• Dolores Thomas Ulmer
• Ellis Antoon
• Mary Louise Nosser
• Louise Abraham Wilson
• Charles Shamoun
• Marie Antoon
• Jim Angelo.

I begin with the questions, “How did your family find their way to Mississippi?” and “What did they do once they’d arrived?” I’m learning that once they had arrived in Mississippi, they peddled wares from house to house until they had saved enough to open their own stores in town, becoming merchants like James Ellis (above) in Port Gibson.