12/20/2025
African American cemeteries are among the most important, and often most vulnerable, historic sites in our communities. These burial grounds tell stories of families, faith, resilience, and remembrance, even when headstones are unmarked or records are scarce. Preserving and documenting these spaces is essential to honoring the lives of those who came before us.
Here are three key ways African American burial history appears in Henry County and across our region:
1. Church-Based Cemeteries
Many African American churches maintained their own burial grounds when segregation limited access to public cemeteries; an example of this includes Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.
These cemeteries often preserve generations of families and serve as powerful records of community life, leadership, and faith. Church minutes, funeral programs, and oral histories can be just as valuable as headstones in documenting these sites.
2. Segregated Sections of Public Cemeteries
In many towns, such as McDonough, African Americans were buried in designated sections of city cemeteries. These areas may include handmade markers, fieldstones, or graves without permanent headstones. Careful surveying and documentation help ensure these individuals are not forgotten and that burial locations are respected and preserved.
3. Forgotten or Family Burial Grounds
Some African American burial sites exist on former farmland, wooded areas, or family property, often unmarked and undocumented. A prime example is the Weems cemetery is Luella. These cemeteries are at risk of being lost to time, development, or neglect. Research using land records, oral histories, death certificates, and community memory plays a vital role in identifying and protecting these sacred spaces.
African American cemeteries are more than burial places, they are historical records, cultural landmarks, and sacred ground. Preserving them ensures that names, lives, and legacies are not erased.
The Genealogical Society of Henry and Clayton Counties has remained committed to documenting, researching, and honoring African American burial sites as part of preserving the full history of our community.
