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Ross-Clayton Funeral Home

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Coordinates: 32°22′17″N 86°17′13″W / 32.37139°N 86.28694°W / 32.37139; -86.28694
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Ross-Clayton Funeral Home
Location1412 Adams Ave, Montgomery Alabama 36104, United States of America
Coordinates32°22′17″N 86°17′13″W / 32.37139°N 86.28694°W / 32.37139; -86.28694
Foundedby Robert Ambers Ross
Builtin 1918
Ross-Clayton Funeral Home is located in Alabama
Ross-Clayton Funeral Home
Map showing the present location of Ross-Clayton Funeral Home in Montgomery, Alabama.

Ross-Clayton Funeral Home is the oldest African American funeral home in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1918 by Robert Ambers Ross and William Clayton.[1][2][3][4]

History

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When initially established in 1918, Ross-Clayton was located on 111 Monroe Street, which at the time was the hub for Montgomery's black-owned businesses,[5] Robert Ambers Ross, an insurance agent for Mississippi Life Insurance and a prominent undertaker, partnered with William Clayton. William Clayton served as the funeral home's embalmer.[1][6]

The funeral home operated at the Monroe Street address until 1939, when it relocated to 524 South Union Street. In 1958, Ross-Clayton moved to its current location at 1412 Adams Avenue,[7] Montgomery, Alabama.[8]

The funeral home initially offered traditional funeral services, but soon expanded to include ambulance services with the latest equipment, a rarity at the time.[9] In the 1940s, Ross-Clayton Funeral Home moved to 518 South Union Street,[10][11] where it remained for over two decades, eventually moving to its current location at 1412 Adams Avenue in 1958.[2][3]

Community service

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Ross-Clayton Funeral Home was the largest Black funeral chapel in the city and has a long history of community service, particularly during the civil rights movement.[12][13] The funeral home supported the movement by providing transportation for black voters and participating in the Montgomery bus boycott,[14][15] conduct class for colored wardens, with E. P. Wallace, serving as the instructor, at Ross-Clayton's South Union Street location. The funeral home also offered its facilities for meetings and events,[16] including hosting renowned artist Bill Traylor.[17] Ross-Clayton's history of involvement in the community earned it recognition as a "jewel in the black community" by state historian Richard Bailey.[1][18][19]

Legacy

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Ross-Clayton Funeral Home has been recognized and awarded for its contributions to Montgomery.[20] In 2011, the state of Alabama erected a historic marker in front of the funeral home, acknowledging its significance.[3] The funeral home has also received resolutions and certificates of respect from various organizations, including the city of Montgomery, Alabama State University, and the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association.[18][8]

Robert Ambers Ross
Founding President of the Ross-Clayton Funeral Home, 1918.
Died1945
NationalityAfrican American
Known forFounding President of the Ross-Clayton Funeral Home and Founding member and Inaugural President of Alabama Colored Funeral Directors and Embalmers, presently operating as Funeral Directors & Morticians Association, Inc.

Former presidents

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Robert Ambers Ross, the founding president,[21][1] who died February 8, 1945,[22] named his son David Calloway Ross Sr. as president in 1936,[11][23] who died in 1987, after naming his son David Calloway Ross Jr. as president in 1978.[24][25][26]

William Clayton, a funeral director, passed away in 1943. His wife Frazzie Clayton, a funeral director, who passed away in 1947, was survived by her daughter, Jule Clayton Lewis,[27] a funeral director.[8][13] Jule began serving as secretary-treasurer in 1947 and passed away in 1958, leaving her husband, Rufus A. Lewis,[28] to later be named secretary-treasurer.[29][19]

Current president

[edit]

David Calloway Ross Jr. died suddenly on October 14, 2020, due to complications following pneumonia.[25][24] In December 2021, the Ross-Clayton Funeral Home board of directors named his daughter, Dr. Sharon A. Ross[30] as president.[31][32]

[edit]
  • Ross-Clayton Funeral Director's office
    Ross-Clayton Funeral Director's office
  • Ross-Clayton's chapel or service room
    Ross-Clayton's chapel or service room
  • Ross-Clayton's viewing rooms or visitation rooms
    Ross-Clayton's viewing rooms or visitation rooms
  • Declaration of Historical Marker by the Alabama Historical Association
    Declaration of Historical Marker by the Alabama Historical Association
  • Parking for hearses and limousines
    Parking for hearses and limousines
  • Certificate for recognition of enthusiastic support of the Emancipation Association of Montgomery.
    Certificate for recognition of enthusiastic support of the Emancipation Association of Montgomery.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Apr 26, 2018, page A7 - The Montgomery Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  2. ^ a b "Oct 23, 2011, page 32 - The Montgomery Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  3. ^ a b c "Montgomery Historical Markers Association". alabamahistory. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  4. ^ Bailey, Richard (1999). They Too Call Alabama Home: African American Profiles, 1800-1999. Pyramid Pub., 1999 (published 13 Aug 2010). p. 332. ISBN 9780967188300.
  5. ^ Umberger, Leslie (2018). Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor (1st ed.). Princeton University Press (published October 2, 2018). p. 82. ISBN 978-0691182674.
  6. ^ Umberger, Leslie (2018). Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor. Princeton University Press, 2018 (published October 2, 2018). pp. 81–83. ISBN 9780691182674.
  7. ^ J. McCaster, Melvin (2008). Struck Down, but Not Destroyed: Journeys Through Challenges of Faith and Doubt. Xlibris Corporation, 2008 (published December 3, 2008). p. 31. ISBN 9781462828388.
  8. ^ a b c "Ross-Clayton Funeral Home, Inc. Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  9. ^ "Mar 06, 1930, page 17 - The Tuskegee News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  10. ^ "Sep 19, 1940, page 4 - The Wetumpka Herald at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  11. ^ a b "Apr 13, 1947, page 8 - The Montgomery Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  12. ^ Gray, F., 2014. Lecture: Bus Ride to Justice: A Conversation with Fred Gray (with Introduction by Jonathan L. Entin). Case Western Reserve Law Review, 64(3), p.733.
  13. ^ a b Abrams, Dan (2022). Alabama v. King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Criminal Trial That Launched the Civil Rights Movement. Hanover Square Press (published May 24, 2022). ISBN 978-1335475190.
  14. ^ Bruns, Roger (2006). Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies). Greenwood (published June 30, 2006). ISBN 978-0313336867.
  15. ^ D. Gray, Fred (2013). Bus Ride to Justice: Changing the System by the System : the Life and Works of Fred Gray, Preacher, Attorney, Politician. NewSouth Books, 2013. p. 51. ISBN 9781588382863.
  16. ^ "Apr 11, 1943, page 21 - The Montgomery Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  17. ^ M. Kuyk, Betty (2003). African Voices in the African American Heritage. Indiana University Press, 2003 (published June 11, 2003). p. 167. ISBN 9780253215765.
  18. ^ a b Harper, Brad. "'A jewel in the black community': Ross-Clayton turns 100". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  19. ^ a b Thornton, J. Mills (2002). Dividing Lines : Municipal Politics and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Montgomery, Birmingham, and Selma (1st ed.). University of Alabama Press. ISBN 9780817380984.
  20. ^ "Awards of Ross-Clayton Funeral Home, Inc. Montgomery, Alabama". Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  21. ^ "Article clipped from The Montgomery Advertiser". The Montgomery Advertiser. 2018-04-26. pp. A7. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  22. ^ "Feb 08, 1945, page 6 - The Montgomery Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  23. ^ Umberger, Leslie (2018). Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor (1st ed.). Princeton University Press. p. 412. ISBN 9780691182674.
  24. ^ a b Staff, WSFA 12 News (2020-10-16). "David Calloway Ross Jr., president of Ross-Clayton Funeral Home, dies". www.wsfa.com. Retrieved 2024-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ a b "Oct 16, 2020, page A8 - The Montgomery Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  26. ^ Richard W. Wills, Wally G. Vaughn (1999). Reflections on Our Pastor: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, 1954–1960. Majority Pr (published December 31, 1999). p. 90. ISBN 978-0912469348.
  27. ^ "Jun 28, 1958, page 1 - The Huntsville Mirror at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  28. ^ Houston, Karen Gray (2020). Daughter of the Boycott: Carrying On a Montgomery Family's Civil Rights Legacy. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 9781641603065.
  29. ^ "Our Story-Ross-Clayton Funeral Home, Inc. Montgomery, Alabama". Retrieved 2024-05-24.
  30. ^ "Library Board Members | Montgomery City-County Public Library". www.mccpl.lib.al.us. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  31. ^ "Ross-Clayton Names New President and CEO". Montgomery Independent. 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  32. ^ Report, Staff. "Alumna named president/CEO of Ross-Clayton Funeral Home". The Hornet Tribune. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
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