Big Bill Broonzy – Census Record and Draft Card?

More Information On The Research-Elusive Big Bill Broonzy.

As usual, some of our favorite blues players from back in the day are hard to track down.  One of those that has been on the list for years is the ever elusive Big Bill Broonzy.

Everything about this guy is a complete mystery.  Broonzy himself used to give a birth date of June 26th, 1893.  According to his twin sister – who claims to have (unpublished) proof – he was actually born in 1898.  However, as a diligent researcher into the blues, we like to turn to the documentation.

1930 Census Record (click to enlarge)

The 1930 Census Record for Big Bill (at this time, he was living in Chicago) shows his birthdate as being 1901.  Though it does not list his city of birth, it does list Mississippi as the state.  Therefore, perhaps the reports of him being born in Scott, Mississippi are accurate.   However, there are other reports, primarily by the Mississippi Blues Commission that he may have actually been born in Lake Dick, Arkansas.  Of course, his census record states otherwise.  Though the Census Record spells his name as Willie Lee Broonsey, we can confirm this document is for him. [NOTE: We are not the first ones to publish this document.]  The birthplace of his father, Frank Broonzy, from Arkansas is accurate on the document.  As is his mother’s (Mittie Belcher) birthplace of Louisiana.  There is also other interesting information on this document.  For instance, he rents his home, is the only one in his household who works, and he is shown as living with his wife, Annie, and their son Ellis.  It also lists Broonzy’s occupation as “Foundry”.   This refers to a Foundry Worker, who are involved in making metal castings for a variety of items including automobile, aircraft and other machine parts, agricultural tools, and more.

What is most interesting about the census record is the fact that it helps solidify that he did indeed serve in the Armed Forces.  According to most records, he only served one year, between 1918 and 1919.  Further research on Broonzy won’t turn up a draft card.   Currently, the entire WWI Draft Card records for MS and AK have been digitized.  If there was a Broonzy, he would turn up.   However, we were able to track him down.  Due to a recording error, his name was actually spelled as Brunzy during his time in the Armed Forces.  Some records/printouts show a birthdate from his military records as being 1882.  However, often times birth dates were exaggerated to help guarantee service.  After all, adding ten years was common practice for a black man who wanted to serve in the military.  These men were regarded as heros in their communities.

Big Bill Broonzy Photo by Terry Cryer

Though we do not yet know which unit he served in, we do know blacks were limited in their rolls in WWI.  For instance, blacks could not serve in the Marines, and barely anything in the Navy or Coast Guard.  All said and done, it is almost definite that Broonzy served in the Army.  Due to strict rules in the military at the time, combat units were completely segregated.  There were training issues and more that I won’t get into here.  However, it is almost guaranteed that Broonzy would have served in a Labor Battalion.

As more information becomes readily available, we can gain more information.  Currently we are seeking out possible service records that may shed more light and details onto Broonzy’s time in the Army.

Stay tuned!

For more great photos, check out Terry Cryer’s web site.