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Our First Year: South-View Cemetery 125 Years

This historic "colored" cemetery, a final resting place for many Atlanta trailblazers, celebrates its 125th year anniversary this year.

 
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John Wesley Dobbs
Known as the "unofficial mayor of Auburn Avenue," political leader John Wesley Dobbs—grandfather to Mayard Jackson, Atlanta's first African-American mayor—is credited with coining the phrase "Sweet Auburn." Dobbs died in 1961 and is buried at Southview. Courtesy, Chermaine Axam Wilkins, South-View Cemetery Associati
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Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King, Sr., known as "Daddy King," was pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church and father of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. He raised his family in The Old Fourth Ward on Auburn Avenue. King was buried in Southview Cemetary in 1984.
The grave marker for Martin Luther King, Sr.
Alberta Williams King, daughter of Ebenezer pastor A. D. Williams, wife of Martin Luther King Sr. and mother of Martin Luther King, Jr., was buried at South-View in 1974.
Known as Atlanta's first black millionaire, Atlanta Life Insurance Company founder Alonzo Herndon is one of many legendary figures buried in Southview. Herndon died in 1927.
Jessie Blayton became the first African-American to own and operate a radio station when he bought WERD/Atlanta in 1949. He also was Georgia's first black CPA and only the 4th nationwide. Blayton died in 1977 and is buried at Southview.

Editor's Note: Cascade Patch celebrates its first anniversary this month. This piece, by Jamie Cox, is today's "Our First Year" feature. It first ran April 15, 2011.

South-View Cemetery in East Atlanta will hold a 125th Charter Day and Mausoleum Dedication on Sunday, April 17, from 2-4 p.m. to celebrate the lives and unique stories of those laid to rest on its grounds. 

According to South-View's historical records, South-View, 1990 Jonesboro Rd., was established in 1886 after six African-American businessmen and former slaves (including George W. Graham, Robert Grant, Jacob McKinley, Charles H. Morgan, John Render, and Albert Watts) petitioned Georgia for a place to bury their loved ones. 

From that date forward, South-View became the resting place of prominent African-Americans from all professions and walks of life.

Old Fourth Ward patriarch Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. and Atlanta's first black millionaire Alonzo Herndon, once a west side resident, are buried at South-View. Educator Jean Childs Young, who lived in southwest Atlanta, and Auburn Avenue leader John Wesley Dobbs, grandfather to Atlanta's first black mayor, Maynard Jackson, also have South-View grave sites.

Lisa Borders, former Atlanta City Council President and current President of the Grady Foundation, will speak at the Sunday celebration. Borders is the granddaughter of former Wheat Street Baptist Church Minister Williams Holmes Borders, Sr., who is buried at South-View.

Kenneth Morris, President of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation and a descendant of the great abolitionist, will also address the audience.

For more information on the 125th Charter Day Celebration, go to www.southviewcemetery.com or call 404-622-5393.

About this column: Cascade Patch celebrates its first anniversary as a daily community news website. Related Topics: African-American cemeteries, Black cemeteries, Our First Year, South-View Cemetery, and Southview Cemetery
Do you have family or friends buried at South-View? Tell us in the comments.

Tammy Garnes

2:14 pm on Friday, April 15, 2011

I recently photographed many of the historical records for Southview. Absolutely amazing! They will be available on Ancestry.com for everyone to view in a few months. Great story!

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Péralte Paul

2:45 pm on Friday, April 15, 2011

Thanks for the info on ancestry.com.

Sandra Taliaferro

5:05 pm on Friday, April 15, 2011

Great story. Can't wait for those records to go live on Ancestry.

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Tammy Garnes

6:55 am on Saturday, April 16, 2011

@Peralte and Sandra Hey you guys! Yes, they were pretty incredible to handle. So old, so brittle, so beautiful. The lab at the Georgia Archives spent quite a while repairing them, then I was able to finally photograph them all. So many names. A gold mine for researchers.

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Karen Adams Anderson

6:02 am on Monday, April 18, 2011

What a blessing, that some black businesses from the 1920's are still alive and well!!

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Ceci Haydel

10:37 am on Thursday, November 24, 2011

My first father The Reverend Dr. Samuel Williams is buried there,

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Janita Poe

10:55 am on Thursday, November 24, 2011

Hey Ceci, you have too much black Atlanta legacy going on! (And, you have the nerve to be down-to-earth!)

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Yolande M. Minor

5:19 pm on Thursday, November 24, 2011

Jamie, I love the beautiful history of your story to showcase Atlanta's black legacy through the graves of God's people . This reminds me of the adversities we have come from (slavery) to become strong and courageous people and the fights we have undertaken before we have entered our final resting place. This story shows the significance of who we are and legacy we have to continue. Excellent Story and Pictures !!!

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