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Draft:Ross-Clayton Funeral Home

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, Inc.
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
OwnerThe Ross Family and the Dawkins (Clayton) Family
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] Consistently operating since 1918. Ross-Clayton Funeral Home is also recognized as one of the oldest African American-owned funeral home in the United States.[3]

History[edit]

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,[4] Robert Ambers Ross, an insurance agent for Mississippi Life Insurance and a prominent undertaker, partnered with William Clayton to form the business. William Clayton served as the funeral home's embalmer.[1]

In 1929 the funeral home became a corporation. 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, Montgomery, Alabama.[5]

In the following decades Ross-Clayton Funeral Home continued to grow and adapt to service needs of the community. The funeral home initially offered traditional funeral services, but soon expanded to include ambulance services with the latest equipment, a rarity at the time.[6] In the 1940s, Ross-Clayton Funeral Home moved to 518 South Union Street,[7][8] where it remained for over two decades, eventually moving to its current location at 1412 Adams Avenue in 1958.[2] The funeral home has remained family-owned, with four generations of the Ross and Clayton families involved in its operation.[2][3]

Community service[edit]

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.[9] The funeral home supported the movement by providing transportation for black voters and participating in the Montgomery bus boycott,[10] 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,[11] including hosting renowned artist Bill Traylor. 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][12][13]

Legacy[edit]

Ross-Clayton Funeral Home has been recognized and awarded for its contributions to Montgomery.[14] 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.[12][5]

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[edit]

Robert Ambers Ross, the founding president,[15][1] who died February 8, 1945,[16] named his son David Calloway Ross Sr. as president in 1936,[8][17] who died in 1987, after naming his son David Calloway Ross, Jr. as president of the corporation in 1978.[18][19]

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,[20] a funeral director.[5][9] Jule began serving as secretary-treasurer in 1947 and passed away in 1958, leaving her husband, Rufus A. Lewis,[21] to later be named secretary-treasurer.[22][13]

Current president[edit]

David Calloway Ross, Jr. died suddenly on October 14, 2020 due to complications following pneumonia.[18] In December 2021, the Ross-Clayton Funeral Home board of directors named his daughter, Dr. Sharon A. Ross[23] as president and successor to her father.[24][25]

Image gallery[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[edit]

  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 c "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. ^ Umberger, Leslie (2018). Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor (1st ed.). Princeton University Press (published October 2, 2018). p. 82. ISBN 978-0691182674.
  5. ^ a b c "Ross-Clayton Funeral Home, Inc. Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  6. ^ "Mar 06, 1930, page 17 - The Tuskegee News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  7. ^ "Sep 19, 1940, page 4 - The Wetumpka Herald at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  8. ^ a b "Apr 13, 1947, page 8 - The Montgomery Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Bruns, Roger (2006). Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies). Greenwood (published June 30, 2006). ISBN 978-0313336867.
  11. ^ "Apr 11, 1943, page 21 - The Montgomery Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  12. ^ a b Harper, Brad. "'A jewel in the black community': Ross-Clayton turns 100". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "Awards of Ross-Clayton Funeral Home, Inc. Montgomery, Alabama". Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  15. ^ "Article clipped from The Montgomery Advertiser". The Montgomery Advertiser. 2018-04-26. pp. A7. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  16. ^ "Feb 08, 1945, page 6 - The Montgomery Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  17. ^ Umberger, Leslie (2018). Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor (1st ed.). Princeton University Press. p. 412. ISBN 9780691182674.
  18. ^ a b "Oct 16, 2020, page A8 - The Montgomery Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ "Jun 28, 1958, page 1 - The Huntsville Mirror at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  21. ^ Houston, Karen Gray (2020). Daughter of the Boycott: Carrying On a Montgomery Family's Civil Rights Legacy. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 9781641603065.
  22. ^ "Our Story-Ross-Clayton Funeral Home, Inc. Montgomery, Alabama". Retrieved 2024-05-24.
  23. ^ "Library Board Members | Montgomery City-County Public Library". www.mccpl.lib.al.us. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  24. ^ "Ross-Clayton Names New President and CEO". Montgomery Independent. 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  25. ^ Report, Staff. "Alumna named president/CEO of Ross-Clayton Funeral Home". The Hornet Tribune. Retrieved 2024-06-10.


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