The grave of Georgia Harris, a beloved "Colored Mammy", lies in the Isaac Boyd family plot in the white section rate of then racially segregated Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta. The Boyd family had to get special permission to bury her in their plot from their future neighbors in death and from the mayor of Atlanta, who, as mayor, at the final say over who was buried where in this historic city operated cemetery.
The grave of Georgia Harris is on the official Oakland Cemetery tour. It is stop number 62, and the booklet accompanying the tour describes the site as follows:
"62. GEORGIA HARRIS. (d. 1920) is one of 2 document in cases of African-Americans buried in the general section of Oakland before Maynard Jackson [The first African-American Mayor of Atlanta, d. 2003 -- BMB] (See #9). The Boyd family for whom she had worked for years obtained permission from the mayor of Atlanta to bury her in the family plot. (NOTE: read both sides of her headstone.) (VC)"
Her headstone reads as follows:
"[front]
GEORGIA HARRIS
Who - though born a slave died the child of a King
[back]
In loving memory of our colored mammy"
From Historic Oakland Cemetery website, a few ,ore details: (
visit link)
"BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT OAKLAND CEMETERY
Posted on Wednesday, February 1st, 2017 at 10:00 am
“Working within the color line established by the white majority in the aftermath of the Civil War, a number of the black Atlantans buried in [the African-American] section are notable for the remarkable contributions they made in business, education, social service, religion, and other areas.” — Ren and Helen Davis, Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery: An Illustrated History & Guide
Discover even more of Oakland Cemetery’s connection to Atlanta’s and America’s African American history this February. Throughout Black History Month Historic Oakland Cemetery offers complimentary guided tours offered in partnership with the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation. For more details, click here.
There are even more ways to connect with Oakland’s African American Grounds year-round:
. . .
Georgia Harris (1845-1920): Along with Catherine Holmes, Georgia Harris is one of two African-American people who are buried in Oakland’s white section. At the request of her employer and with special permission from the City of Atlanta and surrounding lot owners, Harris was laid to rest in the family plot of her longtime employer, the Boyd family."
From the Play Grow Love website, we found a PDF of Oakland Cemetery project with some more information on Ms. Harris
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visit link)
"After speaking with the Executive Director, David Moore, and the Restoration and Landscape Manager, Kevin Kuharic a few days earlier, I already knew who I wanted to research . . . I made my way to Georgia Harris' gravestone, and, once there, stood spellbound in front of her and her masters' graves. [page 10-11] Georgia Harris' life spanned from the 1850s until the 1920s . Little information could be retrieved concerning her life (not many records were kept concerning slaves) . . . Oakland Cemetery records indicate that Georgia Harris died at the age of 75, implying that she lived through the antebellum, Civil War, Reconstruction, and postReconstruction eras. . . "