Lloyd Lionel Gaines was born to the Gaines family in northern Mississippi in 1911. One of eleven children, seven of whom survived illness and accident, Lloyd moved with his widowed mother and siblings to St. Louis after the premature death of their father. The family found more economic opportunity in St. Louis, although life was far from easy. From the letters provided primarily from the Gaines family archive, we can see the economic struggles faced by Lloyd and his family in their new home. In their father's absence, Lloyd's brothers were forced to leave school prematurely and go to work in order to support the family, thereby sacrificing their own education. In particular, George Gaines, Lloyd's older brother, bore the weight of responsibility for the well-being of the family, as reflected in the included letters between George and Lloyd. The dream of higher education for Lloyd was a dream for his entire family, and to that end, they all sacrificed.

The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the aggregation and enhancement of partner metadata.

Forms part of the University of Missouri Digital Library

Forms part of the Lloyd L. Gaines Collection