Cemeteries

Historic African Americans of Decatur and DeKalb County are buried in several cemeteries across the county, and even in other parts of the Metro Atlanta area. The cemeteries in this list are exclusively African American, with the exceptions of the Decatur Cemetery, which has three distinct segregated sections, and Resthaven, which is integrated. All cemeteries are in DeKalb except where noted. Note that this is not an exhaustive list of resting places.

To read more about the cemeteries and those buried in them, follow the links to their respective Find a Grave pages. You can also learn more about the Decatur Cemetery by visiting the link at the bottom of this page.


Headstones and Funeral Homes

Several funeral homes served African Americans in Decatur, including Cox Bros., Haugabrooks, Tyler, Hanley, and Ivey. It was common practice for a mold bearing the name of the funeral home to be used to create temporary or even permanent grave markers.


Decatur Cemetery

Learn more about the historically segregated part of the Decatur Cemetery, including Section 6

Anderson Cemetery

Anderson Cemetery is functionally an abandoned cemetery in unincorporated Decatur. Over the past several decades, the cemetery has become engulfed in dense vegetation. A community effort is currently underway to clean and restore this resting place to dignity, and to determine or establish valid property ownership. This is a work in progress, so stay tuned.