Decedent
Gospel Pilgrim Decedents has a comprehensive list of men, women, and children interred in the cemetery. Using grave markers, obituaries, and death certificates, we have complied a list of individuals buried within the cemetery and, to the extent possible with archival silences, developed short biographies of each persons' life. Some decedents have marked graves, while others do not.
In part, this data is based on an early 2000s GIS survey of the cemetery, which was completed by David Berle, Gail Tarver, Taylor Ladd from the University of Georgia's Horticulture Department. The Athens-Clarke County Death Certificate data was, likewise, transcribed by Leah Richier, an graduate alumni of the University of Georgia's Department of History.
| Last Name | First Name | Gender | Race | Status | Occupation | DOB | DOD | Age |
Grave Location |
Grave Marker | Biography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheppard | Anna | Female | African American | Enslaved | December 31, 1861 | December 31, 1884 | 22 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | According to her tombstone, Anna M. H. Sheppard was born on August 17, 1862 and most likely enslaved as a child. At 22 years of age, she died from unknown causes on April 25, 1885. | |
| Powell | Major | Male | African American | Free | Farmer | December 31, 1894 | December 31, 1922 | 28 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. |
| Brewer | [??] | Female | African American | Free | December 31, 1904 | December 31, 1920 | 0 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Ellis | Sarah | Female | African American | Free | December 31, 1945 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | According to her obituary, Sarah Ellis died in November 1946. The funeral was handled by Mutual Funeral Home. She was interred in Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery; her grave may be unmarked. | |||
| Jones | Effie | Female | African American | Free | Laundress | December 31, 1893 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Effie Jones was born between 1890 and 1894.Around 1908, she married Robert Jones, a mason, and the couple appears not to have had children. She worked as a laundress in 1910, 1930, and 1940. In 1930, she lived at 167 Paris Street. As a widow in 1940, she lived at 1353 W Hancock Avenue. She died of unknown causes at an unknown date. | ||
| Cole | Mary | Female | African American | Unknown | Laundress | December 31, 1859 | December 31, 1942 | 83 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Mary Camilla Cole was born sometime between 1850 and 1870; it is unknown is she was born free or enslaved.. She married William Cole and gave birth to nine children. In 1910, only two of her children, Hansel Cole and an unnamed child, were living. In 1910, the family lived on John Street in Athens. According to the 1942 City Directory, she worked as a laundress and lived at 320 Cleveland Avenue. She died from unknown causes on February 15, 1943. |
| Laney | Minnie | Female | African American | Free | Cook | December 31, 1920 | 28 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Thomas | Hamilton | Male | African American | Free | December 31, 1909 | December 31, 1939 | 30 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Hamilton Thomas was born around 1910. At 30 years old, he died from unknown causes on December 26, 1940. | |
| Horton | Emily | Female | African American | Free | December 31, 1916 | December 31, 1917 | 1 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Emily Horton was the infant of Susie Lovinggood Horton, a music teacher, and William J. Horton, a mail carrier. She was born in 1917 and died in 1918. | |
| Stokes | Corneilus | Female | African American | Free | Laundress | December 31, 1920 | 25 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| [Barker?] | [Sam?] | Male | African American | Enslaved | December 31, 1846 | December 31, 1926 | 80 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | According to his tombstone, Sam Barker was born, most likely enslaved, around 1847, and died on January 28, 1927. He was eighty years old at the time of his death. | |
| Fields | Bell | Female | African American | Free | Cook | December 31, 1881 | December 31, 1926 | 45 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. |
| Mason | Mattie | Female | African American | Enslaved | Nurse | December 31, 1853 | December 31, 1941 | 88 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Mattie Shaw Mason was born in April 1854 and most likely spend her childhood enslaved. In 1900, she was a wife and nurse living at 1024 Billups Street. Still working as a nurse in 1920, her address was listed as Hancock Avenue. By 1930, she her address was again listed as Billups Street, this time living at 1196 Billups Street. She, then, lived at 1196 Hancock Avenue according to the 1940 Census. At 88 years old, she died from unknown causes on November 16, 1942. |
| Drake | Virgie | Female | African American | Free | Teacher | December 31, 1882 | December 31, 1957 | 74 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Virgie C. Drake was born on April 8, 1883. She graduated from Hampton Institute in 1903 and later worked as a teacher in Athens. She married Cornelius Drake and, in 1920 and 1940, the couple lived at 986 Reese Street. After his death, she still lived in the house, according to the 1956 City Directory. She died from unknown causes on July 6, 1958. |
| Pope | Ida | Female | African American | Free | December 31, 1883 | December 31, 1964 | 81 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Ida Ruby Neal Pope was born around March 18, 1884. In 1910, she had property on Vine Street. In 1935, she was married to Simon Pope, a janitor at the University of Gerogia. Accoridng to the 1958 City Directory, she lived alone at 524 Vine Street. At age 81, she died from unknown causes on September 11, 1965. | |
| Mcgreggy | Cinrella | Female | African American | Enslaved | Laborer | December 31, 1918 | 70 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Thomas | Arthur | Male | African American | Free | December 31, 1943 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | The son of Margaret and Hamilton Thomas, Arthur Thomas was born between 1867 and 1870. Around 1906, he married Gertrude Thomas, and the couple had at least one child, Willie Mae Thomas. In 1910, he worked as a brickmason and rented a home at 288 Bridge Street. He died from unknown causes in 1944. At the time of his death, he lived in Atlanta. [Researched and written by Nic Rasool] | |||
| Williams | Harriet | Female | African American | Free | House Keeper | December 31, 1852 | December 31, 1930 | 76 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The daughter of Harriett Dardey, Harriet Williams was born around October 11, 1853. At 76 years of age, she died from arterio sclerosis on February 24, 1930. According to her Death Certificate, she was a “house keeper” and lived in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| Jefferson | Ella | Female | African American | Enslaved | Seamstress | December 31, 1841 | December 31, 1903 | 62 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The daughter of Salley and Robert Holsey, Ella Baker Jefferson was around 1842 and most likely enslaved as a young woman. She married Edgar Jefferson and the couple had at least two children: Minta and Jackson. In 1870, she was keeping house. In 1880, she worked as a dressmaker and lived with her close and extended family at 81 Broad Street. As a widow in 1900, she lived at 22 E Valley and still worked as a dressmaker. She died from unknown causes on September 4, 1904. |
| Watson | Myrtie | Female | African American | Free | Child | December 31, 1920 | 0 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Brunt | Wakefield | Male | African American | Free | Post Office | December 31, 1892 | December 31, 1926 | 33 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Wakefield C. Brunt was born around November 14, 1893 in Salisbury, North Carolina and lived at 660 Hancock Avenue in 1917. During the First World War, he served oversees as a private in the Company M, 304th Stevedore Regiment. He returned to Athens following the war and worked as postman. In 1922, he won a “friendly competition between the Athens [mail] carriers.” According to the 1923 City Directory, he most likely lived at 640 W Hancock Avenue. He died of unknown causes on February 1, 1927. |
| Hill | Mamie | Female | African American | Free | Domestic | December 31, 1880 | December 31, 1922 | 42 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. |
| Morton | Monroe | Male | African American | Enslaved | Businessman | December 31, 1855 | December 31, 1918 | 63 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The son of a white man and Elizabeth Morton, Monroe “Pink” Bowers Morton was born enslaved around 1856. He most likely lived on plantation of John Phinizy. In 1870, he lived with his mother, “Lizzie,” and his siblings in Athens. He worked a number of jobs. According to the census, he worked at a retail grocery in 1880, post master in 1900, and a contractor in 1910. He was also a republican party leader, the owner and publisher of The Progressive Era (a black newspaper), a business leader, and a real estate owner, who built the Morton Theatre and facilitated the development of Athens’s “Hot Corner.” According to the Atlanta Independent (Jan. 30, 1904), “Mr. Morton is a self-made man, and has won his way to the front in business, politics, society by sheer force of character, distinct individuality, rare precocity and strict application to business.” In his personal life, he first married Amanda Morton, who died in 1885 He, then, married Tallulah Morton, his second wife, and the couple had several children, including Monroe, Maude, Ida, and Charlie. He died from cirrhosis of the liver and chronic myocarditis on February 12, 1919. He was, according to his Death Certificate, a “Retired Capitalist” who lived at 823 Prince Avenue. His obituary in The Athens Banner described him as “one of the wealthiest negros in the South.” The paper continued: “‘Pink’ Morton was well known not only in Athens, but throughout the state. He was one of the leaders of the republican party in Georgia, and at one time under the administration of President McKinley was postmaster of Athens. His career has been a most unusual one. Starting life as a slave in 1853 on the plantation of Phinizy’s near Athens, he became a leader of his race, and a most successful business man.” |
| Grimes | Robert | Male | African American | Free | Laborer | December 31, 1951 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Robert Grimes was born around 1890. He served in the First World War and, at its onset, he lived at 285 Fairview Street. According to the 1952 City Directory, he worked as a yardman and lived with his wife (Mattie) at 148 Chase Street. He died from unknown causes in 1952. | ||
| Simmons | Mitchell | Male | African American | Free | Church Employee | December 31, 1905 | December 31, 1964 | 59 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The son of Anna B. Simmons, Mitchell Simmons was born on November 2, 1906. In 1910, he lived with his mother and grandmother in Madison, Georgia. In 1920, he worked as a theatre porter in Atlanta and lived with his mother in the city. By 1930, he had moved to South Carolina and was married to Thelma Simmons. The couple had at least one child: Mitchell J. Simmons. According to his Second World War draft registration, he worked for Reverend Frank Gantt and lived at 814 Hampton Street in Columbia, South Carolina. He died from unknown causes on February 12, 1965. |
| Powers | Annie Bell | Female | African American | Free | Laborer | December 31, 1926 | 33 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Bridy | Camilla | Female | African American | Enslaved | Cook | December 31, 1924 | 74 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Evans | Julia | Female | African American | Free | December 31, 1961 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | According to her obituary, Julia Evans, who resided at 360 First Street, died in December 1962. The funeral was handled by Hurley Funeral Home. She was interred in Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery; her grave may be unmarked. | |||
| Jones | John | Male | African American | Enslaved | Cook | December 31, 1831 | December 31, 1916 | 85 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | John W. Jones was born on March 19, 1832 and most likely spent his early life enslaved. He married Georgia Thomas Jones, a cook, around 1881 and the couple had three living children. In 1900, he worked as a cook and owned a house at 360 Broad Street. In 1910, he rented a house at 563 Broad Street and did not work. According to the 1916 City Directory, he lived at 522 W Broad Street. He died from unknown causes on July 27, 1917. |
| Cole | John | Male | African American | Free | December 31, 1924 | December 31, 1924 | 0 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Neomie Cole gave birth to a stillborn infant, John Cole, on May 2, 1925. His mother, Nonie, worked as a farm laborer and lived at 349 Hull Street in 1921. According to the Death Index, the infant died at 186 John Street. | |
| Lawrence | Orrin | Male | African American | Enslaved | December 31, 1920 | 82 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | ||
| Thomas | Tommie | Male | African American | Enslaved | Labroer | December 31, 1863 | December 31, 1939 | 76 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The son or Margaret and Hampton Thomas, Tommie Thomas was born on May 15, 1864 and most likely enslaved. In 1870, he lived in Athens with his parents. He still lived with them in 1880, but also worked as butcher in that year. In 1930, he worked as a foreman for the transfer company. He died from chronic nephritis on March 11, 1940. According to his Death Certificate, he worked as a laborer and lived at 168 Warsaw Street. |
| Horton | Mary | Female | African American | Free | December 31, 1916 | December 31, 1918 | 2 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Mary Horton was the infant of Susie Lovinggood Horton, a music teacher, and William J. Horton, a mail carrier. She was born in 1917 and died in 1919. | |
| Stokley | Lizzie | Female | African American | Free | Cook | December 31, 1873 | December 31, 1922 | 48 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. |
| Barksdale | Andrew | Male | African American | Free | Waiter | December 31, 1890 | December 31, 1932 | 42 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The son of Janie and Charlie Barksdale, Andrew Daniel Barksdale was born in November 1891 or 1892. As an 8 year-old child, he lived on Chase Street with his parents. In 1917, he lived in Lynwood Park in Clarke County, Georgia. He worked as a waiter before he was drafted into the army in 1918 and sent to Camp Funston in Fort Riley, Kansas. He died from unknown causes on June 17, 1933. After his death, Nancy Jane Timmons—who lived at 232 Gleen Avenue—applied for a military headstone for the grave. |
| Fields | Jno. | Male | African American | Free | Cotton Worker | December 31, 1918 | 35 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Mathews | Henry | Male | African American | Enslaved | Laborer | December 31, 1854 | December 31, 1916 | 62 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Henry Mathews was born between 1855 and 1861 and most likely spent his childhood enslaved. In 1900, he worked as Rail Road Laborer and lived as a single, male boarder at 772 Georgia Railroad Street. He married Lizzie Mathews and, in 1910, the couple lived at 144 Summey. At that time, he worked as a city streets laborer. According to the 1914 City Directory, he worked as a laborer and lived at Summey, which intersected Lumpkin Street near Cedar Street. On February 7, 1917, he died from unknown causes. |
| Derricotte | Ophelia | Female | African American | Free | Teacher | December 31, 1881 | December 31, 1931 | 50 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The daughter of Charlotte L. Derricotte and Edward J. Derricotte, Ophelia Marie Derricotte Lyons was born on September 9, 1882. In 1900, she attended lived with her parents on Chase Street. According to Arthur Bunyan Caldwell’s Georgia, she married Charles Henry Spurgeon Lyons on September 8, 1909, and “she was educated at Athens and at Boston, and assists her husband in his work. Of the children born to them, two are living. They are Lottie Margaret and Charles Henry Spurgeon Lyons, Jr.” In 1920, she worked as a teacher in Athens. She died from cardiovascular renal disease on November 6, 1932. According to her Death Certificate, she worked as a teacher and lived at 427 Baxter Street. |
| Pope | Simon | Male | African American | Free | Janitor | December 31, 1869 | December 31, 1939 | 70 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The son of Washington Pope, Simon G Pope was born on July 4, 1870. He married Ida Pope and the couple had at least four children: Edwin, Leroy, Edmund, Celastine, and Simmie. He worked as a day laborer in 1900, gas worker in 1910, oil mill laborer in 1920, and janitor in 1940. He owned a house at 524 Vine Street in 1940. He died at home from a spontaneous hemorrhage and chronic myocarditis on October 31, 1940. At the time of his death, he worked as a janitor for the University of Georgia. |
| Mcqueen | Sam | Male | African American | Enslaved | Barber | December 31, 1920 | 72 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Thronton | Tommie | Female | African American | Free | December 31, 1953 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | According to her obituary, Mrs. Tommie Upshaw Thornton, who resided at 170 Lendon Avenue, died from unknown causes in September 1954. She was interred in Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery; her grave may be unmarked. | |||
| Williams | Lula | Female | African American | Free | Domestic | December 31, 1896 | December 31, 1922 | 26 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The daughter of Roda Calloway and Mark Johnson, Lula Jane Williams was born in August 1897. She married Ed Williams and, in 1920, the couple lived on Lyndon Street. She worked as a cook in 1920. She died from [??] on February 26, 1923. According to her Death Index, she worked as a domestic and lived at 882 Water Street. |
| Jefferson | Robert | Male | African American | Free | Tailor | December 31, 1865 | December 31, 1900 | 34 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The son of Ella and Edgar Jefferson, Robert Jefferson was born on May 1, 1866. In 1880, he lived with his parents and attended school. He married Mary L. Jefferson in 1890. In 1900, he worked as a tailor and live with his wife and four children—Robert, Geneva, Ellen, and Julian—at 8 Harris Street. He died from unknown causes on May 10, 1901. |
| White | Nettie | Female | African American | Free | Housewife | December 31, 1926 | 54 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Bryant | Lillie | Female | African American | Free | December 31, 1970 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | According to her tombstone, Lillie Bryant died from unknown causes in 1971. | |||
| Hill | Patsy | Female | African American | Free | December 31, 1925 | 50 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | ||
| Morton | Tallulah | Female | African American | Enslaved | December 31, 1861 | December 31, 1940 | 79 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Tallulah “Lula” Morton was born around 1862 and most likely enslaved as a young child. She was the second wife of Monroe “Pink” Bowers Morton and the mother of Monroe, Maude, Ida, and Charlie. She had borne six children, but only four lived to adulthood. In 1910, she lived with her family at 823 Prince Avenue. She did not work outside the home from 1910 to 1930. After the death of her husband in 1919, she remained in the house and lived with her son and daughter in 1930. At 69 years old, she died from unknown causes on August 3, 1941. | |
| H[??] | Olivia | Female | African American | Unknown | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | [biographical information unknown] | ||||
| H. | H. | Unknown | African American | Unknown | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | [biographical information unknown] | ||||
| Sims | Minnie | Female | African American | Free | Cook | December 31, 1874 | December 31, 1930 | 56 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The daughter of Caroline and D. Charlie Whales, Minnie Whales Sims was born around 1875. She married John H. Sims and the couple had at least four children: Robert, M. C, Susie, and George. She worked as a Laundress in 1910 and a cook in 1930. At 56 years old, she died from [??] on November 4, 1931. At the time of her death, she lived at 499 Madison Avenue and worked as a domestic. |
| Pulliam | Lucy May | Female | African American | Free | December 31, 1919 | 2 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | ||
| Brittin | George | Male | African American | Free | Carpenter | December 31, 1925 | 50 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Flanigan | Albert | Male | African American | Free | December 31, 1880 | December 31, 1967 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | According to his obituary, Albert Capp Flanigan, who resided at 87 Broad Acres, died from unknown causes in June 1968. The funeral was handled by Hurley Funeral Home. He was interred in Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery; his grave may be unmarked | ||
| [Jones?] | [??]mar | Unknown | African American | Unknown | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | [biographical information unknown] | ||||
| Coleman | Willie | Female | African American | Free | Student | December 31, 1914 | December 31, 1930 | 16 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The daughter of Julia Coleman and D.K., Willie Mae Coleman was born around 1915. She attended school in Athens and lived at 258 Chase Street. She died from pulmonary tuberculosis on May 10, 1931. She was only 16 years old at the time of her death. |
| Lee | Della | Female | African American | Free | Laborer | December 31, 1923 | 48 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Thomas | Bennie | Unknown | African American | Free | December 31, 1940 | December 31, 1989 | 49 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Bennie Thomas was born in 1941. At 49 years old, this individual died from unknown causes. | |
| Houston | Laura | Female | African American | Enslaved | Laundress | December 31, 1854 | December 31, 1925 | 71 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The daughter of Mary White and Henry Brown, Laura Brown Houston was born around 1855 and most likely enslaved as a child. In 1915, she was hit by automobile, but survived the accident. As a widow, in 1920, she lived with her brother at 760 Chase Street and worked as a “cartman” “washer.” According to 1920s newspapers reports customers frequently mixed up their ticket items when collecting laundry. She died from Lagrippe on January 27, 1926. According to her Death Certificate, she lived at 768 Chase Street and worked as a domestic. |
| Stovall | Will | Male | African American | Free | Blacksmith | December 31, 1921 | 42 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Bass | Edward | Male | African American | Enslaved | Barber | December 31, 1859 | December 31, 1902 | 42 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The son of Martha and William Bass, Edward W. Bass was born on August 23, 1860 and most likely spent his early years enslaved. As a youth in 1880, he worked as porter and eventually became a barber. He married Martha Caldwell on June 9, 1889. According to the 1889 City Directory, he worked as a barber and lived at 1024 Reese Street. At 42 years-old, Bass died from unknown causes on June 20, 1903. According to the 1904 City Directory, his widow, Martha Bass, lived at 1127 Reese Street--this is most likely his last known address as well. |
| Fields | Lelia | Female | African American | Free | Housework | December 31, 1921 | 51 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Matthews | Anderson | Male | African American | Free | Driver | December 31, 1887 | December 31, 1917 | 29 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The son of Jennie Mathews, Anderson Matthews was born on July 15, 1888. He married Julia Cheney in November 1914. During First World War, he lived on W Hancock Avenue and worked as a chauffeur. According to the 1914 City Directory, he lived at 1423 W Broad Street. At 29 years old, he died from unknown on May 17, 1918. |
| Dukes | Mary | Female | African American | Enslaved | Cook | December 31, 1842 | December 31, 1907 | 65 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | According to her tombstone, Mary Dukes died at 65 years old on July 10, 1908. Given these dates, she would have been born enslaved around 1843. According to the 1889 City Directory, she worked as a cook and lived at 216 Hancock Avenue. |
| Porter | Walter | Male | African American | Free | Laborer | December 31, 1889 | December 31, 1960 | 71 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Walter Porter was born around 1890. He married Susie Porter and the couple appears not to have had living children. He worked as an insurance agent in 1910, a tailor in 1920, a hotel servant in 1930, and a porter in 1940. At that time, the couple owned a house at 554 Strong Street. According to the 1958 City Directory, he and his wife lived at 554 E Strong Street. At 71 years old, he died from unknown causes on March 6, 1961. |
| Menifield | Ella | Female | African American | Enslaved | Housework | December 31, 1921 | 94 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Walker | Jessie | Male | African American | Free | December 31, 1954 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Jessie Walker was born in 1890 in Athens, GA. According to the Athens Daily Herald, he was still living in Athens in 1917 and listed among the Clarke County men registered for the First World War draft. He moved to Michigan sometime after this and married Evie Walker with whom he had a daughter named Ora Lee Walker, later Ora Lee Gardner. According to the 1930 US Census, Walker lived with his family and two men who rented rooms in their home at 518 Beaver St. in Lansing, MI. His obituary of September 10, 1955, placed his residence at 131S Case Street in Lansing, and stated that he would be returned to Athens, GA to be buried in Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery. [Researched and written by Avery Scott] | |||
| Williams | Willie | Male | African American | Free | December 31, 1914 | December 31, 1965 | 51 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Willie Asa Williams was born around 1915. He died from unknown causes on December 6, 1966. | |
| Johnson | Tom | Male | African American | Free | Laborer | December 31, 1894 | December 31, 1953 | 59 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The son of Eveline Howard, Tom Johnson was born around 1895 or 1896. He most likely served in the 341 Service Battalion during the First World War. In 1920, he worked as a laborer at a cotton press and he and his mother rented a place at the rear of 789 Thomas Street. He died from unknown causes on April 7, 1954. At the time of his death, he lived at Apt. 188 803 Play Lane. |
| Wilburn | Boyd | Male | African American | Free | Laborer | December 31, 1921 | 21 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Brydie | Edward | Male | African American | Free | Insurance Agent | December 31, 1885 | December 31, 1914 | 28 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The son of Camilla and Eugene W. Brydie, Edward W. Brydie was born on December 26, 1886. In 1900, he attended school. By 1910, he was working as an insurance agent in Athens and still living with his parents at 101 Finley Street. He died from unknown causes on August 12, 1915. |
| Hiram | Ellen | Female | African American | Free | Cook | December 31, 1919 | 56 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Morton | Elizabeth | Female | African American | Free | Keeping House | December 31, 1831 | December 31, 1880 | 50 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Elizabeth “Lizzie” Morton was born enslaved around 1832. She had at least five children: Monroe, Willie, Albert, Sue, and Emma. In 1870, she was “Keeping House” in Athens. At around 50 years old, she died from unknown causes on January 10, 1881. |
| Ha[??] | Mamie | Female | African American | Unknown | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | [biographical information unknown] | ||||
| Small | Howard | Male | African American | Free | December 31, 1908 | December 31, 1972 | 65 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Howard Small was born April 9, 1909. According to his Second World War Draft Card, he lived in Atlanta, Georgia and his next of kin was Louvenia Guinn, a friend. By 1951, he was living in Seattle, Washington. He died from unknown causes on April 5, 1973. | |
| Ramey | Geo. | Male | African American | Free | Farmer | December 31, 1923 | 51 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Browner | Richard | Male | African American | Enslaved | City Employee | December 31, 1921 | 63 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Flanigan | Melvin | Male | African American | Free | December 31, 1914 | December 31, 1976 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | According to his obituary, Melvin Coot Flanigan, who resided at 190 Cleveland Avenue, died from unknown causes in December 1977. The funeral was handled by Hurley Funeral Home. He was interred in Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery; his grave may be unmarked. | ||
| Kenney | Charlie | Male | African American | Unknown | December 31, 1964 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | According to his tombstone, Charlie Kenney died on August 16, 1965. | |||
| Collins | Male | African American | Unknown | Reverend | December 31, 1893 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | According to his tombstone, Reverend Collins died in 1894. | |||
| Lewis | Ellen | Female | African American | Free | Housework | December 31, 1920 | 55 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Thomas | Susie | Female | African American | Free | Cook | December 31, 1872 | December 31, 1969 | 97 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The daughter of Hannah and G. Thomas, Susie Lee Thomas was born around 1873. In 1880, she lived with her parents on Richardson Street and attended school. She married Anderson Thomas and the couple had at least two children. She worked as a laundress in 1910, a farm laborer in 1920, and a cook in 1940. She died from unknown causes in July 1970. According to her funeral notice, she lived at 130 Hickman Drive. |
| Hudson | Charlie | Male | African American | Enslaved | Merchant | December 31, 1857 | December 31, 1941 | 84 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Charlie Hudson was born around 1858 and most likely enslaved as a child. He married Maggie Hutson, a laundress, around 1904 and the couple lived at 387 Odd Street in 1910. He worked as a retail grocery merchant in 1910 and 1920. He died from unknown causes on October 29, 1942. |
| Stricklyn | Mary | Female | African American | Free | Laborer | December 31, 1921 | 45 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Bates | Alice | Female | African American | Free | Laundress | December 31, 1891 | December 31, 1974 | 83 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Alice Johnson Bates was born on April 10, 1892. In 1940, she worked as a laundress and was married to William Bates; the couple lived at 1537 W Broad Street in 1940. She was widowed in 1943 and, sometime before her own death on June 27, 1975, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she lived at the time of her death. The funeral was held at 4pm on June 29 at Hurley’s Chapel in Athens. Burial at Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery followed. |
| Ford | Malinda | Female | African American | Free | Farmer | December 31, 1920 | 55 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Matthews | John | Male | African American | Free | Merchant | December 31, 1883 | December 31, 1940 | 57 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | John T. Matthews was born between 1874 and 1884. He married Margaret “Maggie” Matthews, and the couple rented a home at 1095 W Hancock Avenue in 1920 and 1930. He worked as farmer in 1920 and was a dry goods store merchant in 1930. He died from unknown causes on March 27, 1941. |
| Edwards | Female | African American | Unknown | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | [biographical information unknown] | |||||
| Porter | Susie | Female | African American | Free | Laundress | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Susie Bason Porter was born around 1886. She married Walter Porter and the couple appears not to have had living children. In 1930, she worked as a laundress. In 1940, the couple owned a house at 554 Strong Street, according to the 1958 City Directory, they remained at 554 E Strong Street. At 82 years old, she died from unknown causes in 1968. | |||
| Merritt | J. P. | Male | African American | Free | Laborer | December 31, 1924 | 51 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Walker | Nathaniel | Male | African American | Free | December 31, 1954 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | A lifelong Athens resident, Reverend Nathaniel Thomas Walker was born on February 22, 1887. He was drafted for the First World War in 1917, and according to the Athens Daily Herald, he was part of a group of men sent to France. Walker had requested a military exemption, but it was rejected: as the newspaper noted, “two young men who are in the ministry failed to exempt [from military service] – on account of the fact that they did not file proof to their claim in the prescribed manner.” After his return from the war, he married Susie B. Walker, with whom he took care of a stepdaughter, Christine B. Barnette. He worked as a preacher, and between 1931 and 1944 he was the reverend of Union Missionary Baptist Church. He lived at 160 Water Street in 1917, and resided on Finley Street in 1920. In August 1955, he passed away from unknown causes and was buried in Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery. [Researched and written by Abby Lauterbach] | |||
| Williams | Willie | Male | African American | Free | December 31, 1940 | December 31, 1962 | 22 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | Willie James Williams was born around 1941. He died from unknown causes on 1963. | |
| Johnson | William | Male | African American | Unknown | Reverend | December 31, 1841 | December 31, 1908 | 67 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | William D. Johnson was born in Maryland on March 19, 1842. In 1879, he married Alice V. Johnson of Georgia. The couple had at least five children. As a clergyman, Johnson could read, write, and owned his own house at 529 Lumpkin Street. He died from unknown causes on April 10, 1909. |
| Wiley | Serema | Female | African American | Free | Seamstress | December 31, 1922 | 49 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Brydie | E. | Unknown | African American | Enslaved | Barber | December 31, 1847 | December 31, 1908 | 61 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | According to the tombstone, E. W. Brydie was born on August 12, 1848 and most likely enslaved. He mosy likely married Camilla Jackson Brydie and the couple had at least three children: Carolyn, Eugene, and Edward. According to the 1889 City Directory, he worked as a barber and lived at 601 Plum Street. In 1904, he still worked as a barber, but noq lived at 101 N Findley Street. At around 61 years old, he died from unknown causes on October 3, 1909. |
| Hirams | Rubin | Male | African American | Free | Laborer | December 31, 1922 | 55 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Unmarked | Data collected from death certificate. | |
| Morton | Maude | Female | African American | Free | Teacher | December 31, 1896 | December 31, 1986 | 90 | Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery | Marked | The daughter of and Monroe “Pink” Bowers Morton and Tallulah Morton, Maude Muller Morton was born on January 5, 1897. In 1910, she attended school and lived with her parents on Prince Avenue. She graduated college and worked as a public school leveler in 1930 and as an elementary school teacher in 1940. According to the 1958 City Directory, she lived at 823 Prince Avenue. At 90 years old, she died from unknown causes on October 15, 1987. |
