G. W. Franklin

Birth Date: 1865
Birthplace: Quitman, GA
Death Date: 1928
Occupation: Undertaker, funeral director, embalmer,
Biographical Text: Franklin, born in Quitman, Georgia, was a businessman who operated a blacksmith shop and an undertaking business and owned a wood and coal yard. In 1894, he moved his undertaking business to Chattanooga, making him the first African American funeral director and embalmer in the city, and one of the first African American funeral directors in East Tennessee. By 1912, he held a contract with the government of Hamilton County to bury the bodies of paupers. He was a member of the National Negro Business League and president of the National Negro Funeral Directors Association.
Bibliography: G. W. Franklin, 1865-1928. The Historical Marker Database, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=4481.

"How A Story Grows." Chattanooga Daily Times Sun, Apr 07, 1912, Page 12, https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/605445260/

Death in Transition