African American Legacy of The Woodlawn Cemetery -

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Dr. George W. Becton 1890-1933 Summit R8 G31
The leader of the World's Gospel Feast Party, fiery evangelist Dr. George Wilson Becton was assassinated in Philadelphia. He spoke out against the policy rackets of the Depression Era and as a result two gunmen murdered him as he preached to a Philadelphia congregation. Thousands of mourners filed past his casket and attended his funeral at the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church in Harlem.

Birleannna Blanks (Cunningham) (1889-1968) Cosmos
Half American Indian and half African American, Birleana Blanks was one of the first generation of African Americans to star in the musical comedy theater. Before 1920, she toured the vaudeville circuit teamed with her sister as a singing and dancing act. She then sang in a whole series of musical comedies at the Lafayette Theater in Harlem beginning with "Over the Top" in 1919 and then in other theaters in the mid 1920s.

McHenry Boatwright 1920-1994 Wild Rose
A baritone who appeared in opera and concerts, Boatwright performed with the New York Philharmonic, the National Negro Opera Foundation and he was a voice teacher at Ohio State University. For many years he produced the Sacred Concerts performed by the Duke Ellington Orchestra in London and New York. He was married to Ruth Ellington, the younger sister of Duke Ellington.

"Bricktop" (Ada Duconge) 1895-1984 Zinnia R32 G74
She was a legendary singer and nightclub owner known for entertaining the "rich, famous and talented" in her Paris, Rome and Mexico City jazz clubs. Cole Porter wrote "Miss Otis Regrets" especially for her. Among her patrons were Noel Coward, the Duke of Windsor, Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway, Josephine Baker and Duke Ellington.

Dr. Ralph Bunche 1904-1971 Myosotis
When the United Nations General Secretary delivered his eulogy, Bunche was described as both "an idealist and a realist" and remembered for leaving "an indelible memory of a wonderful man and a legacy of achievement such as few men can bequeath to history." Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, Dr. Bunche became the U.S. State Department's expert on colonial affairs and in 1949 he worked to negotiate the armistice among the Arab states and Israel. Carved on his memorial is an olive branch, the symbol of peace.

Ralph Cooper 1908-1992 Chapel Columbarium
As the originator and master of ceremonies at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, Cooper introduced a number of performers to the nation. Among those who became famous following their triumphant appearances at the Apollo were: Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown and Stevie Wonder. Cooper started his career as an actor and dancer. He choreographed the Shirley Temple film "Poor Little Rich Girl", and appeared in films with Lena Horne and Duke Ellington.

Countee Cullen 1903-1946 Summit R21 G10
Over three thousand people attended the funeral of this renowned American poet. He received his master's degree from Harvard University and went on to win numerous prizes for his writing. Helen Keller wrote him, "Your poetry has magic to turn my prison-house into a Garden of Delight." He was a leader of the Harlem Renaissance and worked as a schoolteacher at Frederick Douglass High School

Miles Dewey Davis 1926-1991 Alpine Hill
Know as an innovative jazz trumpeter and composer, for four decades Miles Davis explored a variety of musical styles. He came to New York as a young man to study at the Juilliard School of Music, but left school to play with Charlie Parker's quintet. In the 1950's he became a leader of the "Cool Jazz" movement and made several celebrated records: Birth of the Cool, Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain. His album Kind of Blue (1959) is the best selling jazz recording of all time. In the 1960's he experimented with fusion, merging jazz with rock and roll. The music inscribed on his memorial is Davis' original composition "Solar" recorded in 1954.

Edward Kennedy Ellington 1899-1974 Wild Rose Plot
As a musician and cultural leader, Ellington was described as being "Beyond Category". He began his career playing piano in Washington, D.C. and got his first big break when his band the "Washingtonians" were hired to play at the famous Cotton Club. The band grew to become the Duke Ellington Orchestra and for 50 years they toured the world. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and is often-considered America's greatest composer and bandleader. "Satin Doll", "Mood Indigo", and "Solitude" are among Duke Ellington's classic hits.

Rudolph Fisher 1897-1934 Yew
Considered one of the most talented writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Rudolph Fisher was a medical practitioner receiving degrees from Brown University and Howard Medical School. He is considered one of the first African American mystery writers; his classic novels are The Walls of Jericho (1928) and The Conjure Man Dies (1932). He wrote numerous short stories and was a celebrated public speaker.

Charles Gilpin 1878-1930 Canna
Starting out as a young vaudevillian in Chicago, Gilpin gradually made his way to New York where he helped to organize the Lafayette Players, the first stock company in Harlem. He earned his living as an elevator operator in Macy's department store but in 1920 he was cast to star in Eugene O'Neill's play The Emperor Jones. It would be the first dramatic production in an all white theater to star an African American actor. He received the NAACP Spingarn medal for his performance and the play was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

William "Sonny" Greer 1903-1982 Zinnia R35 G99
The original drummer in the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Greer played with the band for more than thirty years and was known for his innovative use of chimes, cowbells and cymbals. Ellington said of Greer, "He was not the world's best reader of music, but the world's best percussionist reactor." After leaving the Ellington band in 1951, he freelanced with several groups including the Johnny Hodges band.

Lionel Hampton (1908-2002) Fir
The "King of the Vibes" was a composer, bandleader, and great philanthropist. He broke racial barriers playing with the Benny Goodman band and went on to perform in groundbreaking performances with Benny Carter and Louis Armstrong. His recording, Flying Home is considered one of the most influential recordings in American musical history. A traditional jazz band led by Wynton Marsalis followed the hearse as the funeral procession went from the Cotton Club to Riverside Church in Harlem. Former President Bush gave the eulogy at the service.

William Christopher Handy 1873-1958 Cosmos
"The Father of the Blues" was the son of a freed slave from Florence, Alabama. Author of numerous compositions including "Saint Louis Blues"; the song inscribed on the memorial to Handy. Over 150,000 mourners lined the sidewalks of Harlem to pay their respects as his funeral procession traveled through the streets followed by a 30-piece band. Cootie Williams played Handy's favorite hymn "Holy City" at the memorial service; Ed Sullivan, Mayor Wagner and Dr. Channing Tobias were among the speakers who eulogized the composer.

Coleman Hawkins 1906-1969 Yew
A jazz pioneer who played the tenor saxophone, Hawkins is credited for turning a "novelty vaudeville horn" into a romantic lead instrument. He played with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, and free lanced in Europe on many jazz and blues recordings. He is best known for his classic 1940 album Body and Soul featuring "The Man I Love."

Hilda Haynes 1912-1986 Iris
She began her acting career on Broadway and eventually became known for her work in motion pictures and television. Haynes appeared in Diary of a Mad Housewife, The River Niger and The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Throughout the 1970's she played characters in several successful television programs including: Sanford and Son, Dynasty, Good Times and Starsky and Hutch.

Matthew Henson 1867-1955 Honeysuckle R21 G219
As a youth, Henson was an apprentice to a sea captain where he gained his knowledge of science and navigation. In 1909 he was the only American to accompany Admiral Peary in his expedition to the North Pole. In his book about the expedition, Henson wrote: "As I stood there at the top of the world and thought of the hundreds of men who had lost their lives in the effort to reach it, I felt profoundly grateful that the commander, had the honor of representing my race in the historic achievement." His remains were moved to Arlington National Cemetery in 1988.
May Howard Jackson 1877-1931 Arbutus
She was the first African American to attend the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where she studied from 1895-1902. As a sculptor, she maintained an art studio and taught at Howard University. She did portrait busts of W.E.B. Dubois and Paul Lawrence Dunbar in addition to sculpting abstract portraits depicting the physiognomy of African Americans.

Milton Jackson 1923-1999 Brookside Mausoleum Terrace 8
Accomplished Vibraphonist, Milt Jackson was co-founder of the Modern Jazz Quartet, the band he played with for 40 years. During his six decades in the music business he played and collaborated with such pioneers as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. He also collaborated with John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Thelonius Monk and Miles Davis.

Hall Johnson 1887-1970 Summit Plot R2 G50
Best known as a composer and conductor, Johnson began his career as a violinist with James Reese Europe's orchestra. He founded the Hall Johnson Negro Choir to "show how the American Negro slaves - in 250 years of constant practice, self-developed under pressure but equipped with their inborn sense of rhythm and drama -created, propagated and illuminated an art-form which was, and still is, unique in the world of music." In 1925 his choir made notable appearances in the all black productions of Green Pastures and Lost Horizons.

Canada Lee (Leonard Canegata) 1907-1952 Cosmos
In his youth, Lee was a Harlem boxing champion and after retiring from the sport he turned to acting for a career. He starred on Broadway in Native Son, and then moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in film where he appeared in Lifeboat (1944), Body and Soul (1947), Lost Boundaries (1949) and Cry, the Beloved Country (1951). His promising career ended during the McCarthy Era when he was listed among "The Hollywood Ten."

Reverend Nathaniel Tyler-Lloyd 1930-2002 Rhododendron
For over 41 years, Reverend Tyler-Lloyd served as the leader of Trinity Baptist Church in the Bronx. He grew the congregation to over 1,100 members and was known for his ability sing and to bring modern situations into his sermons. Reverend Lloyd actively encouraged giving to the community and under his leadership Trinity Baptist Church gave substantial contributions to the NAACP and the United Negro College Fund.
A portion of 224th street in the Bronx was named in his honor.

Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham 1904-1981 Van Cortlandt Mausoleum 3 Oak Court
Vaudevillian and TV comedian, Markham regularly appeared on the Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson and Mike Douglas shows. In his early years on stage he was considered one of the funniest and most popular black comedians. He is best remembered for the popular skit, Here Comes de Judge on Rowan and Martin's Laugh In.

Florence Mills (Thompson) 1895-1927 Arbutus
Known as the "Queen of Happiness", she was among the most popular entertainers in the 1920's. Mills was a singer, dancer, and vaudevillian who starred in several productions in New York and London. Duke Ellington wrote "Black Beauty" as a tribute to Mills. Six carloads of flowers were brought to her grave; Ethel Waters was an honorary pall bearer and James Weldon Johnson attended the service. Over 10,000 people paid tribute to her at the funeral chapel and when she was laid to rest a plane flew over The Woodlawn Cemetery dropping rose petals on her grave.

Harold Nicholas 1921-2000 Alpine
He was the younger member of the flashy tap dancing duo known as the Nicholas Brothers. By the 1930's they were performing at the Cotton Club with Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington, singing and dancing. The team performed in vaudeville, on Broadway, in movies and on television. Their movie career started after Samuel Goldwyn saw them perform in a nightclub and cast them in Kid Millionaire. Films featuring the dancers included: Tin Pan Alley, Stormy Weather, and Down Argentine Way. The Nicolas Brothers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.

Joseph "King" Oliver 1885-1938 Salvia
King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band was one of the early touring jazz bands and featured a young horn player named Louis Armstrong. It was under Oliver's leadership that jazz musicians began to play solos, showcasing these early talents and transforming traditional performances. He was an accomplished coronet player and considered one the earliest pioneers of jazz music. This early band recorded "Dippermouth Blues", "Sweet Like This" and "Riverside Blues". In 1994 the New Jersey Jazz Society raised funds to place a marker on the grave.

Beverly Peer 1913-1987 Brookside Mausoleum Terrace 4
Longtime bass player for singer and pianist Bobby Short, Peer originally started out as a member of the Chick Webb Orchestra. He played bass behind Ella Fitzgerald on all of her early hits. Peer also worked with Sarah Vaughan and Lena Horn and for a short time played with the symphony at Radio City Music Hall. He accompanied many celebrated artists including: Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand and Dorothy Loudon.

A'Lelia Robinson (Walker) 1885-1931 Butternut
The only daughter of Madam C.J. Walker used her inherited wealth to promote art and culture during the Harlem Renaissance. Among A'Lelia Robinson's circle of friends were Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Carl Van Vechten. She served as the patron for many struggling young black artists and writers.

Benjamin Rucker (1892-1934) Honeysuckle R18 G194
Known to audiences as "Black Herman", this traveling magician used a combination of medicine show techniques and vaudeville skills to develop a successful act. He was best known for his "Buried Alive" trick where he would hypnotize women and then place them in the ground for six hours. Eventually he would perform the trick on himself and sell tickets for the public to view his "private graveyard" prior to his theater performance.

Dr. Channing Heggie Tobias 1882- 1961 Cosmos
He was a nationally known Civil Rights leader who served as a member of the President's Committee on Civil Rights, Chairman of the Board of the NAACP and as a Delegate to the United Nations. It was at the 1953 conference of the NAACP that Dr. Tobais called for an all out drive to end segregation and other forms of racial discrimination by January 1, 1963, the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Henry A. Toppin 1887-1965 Cosmos
Born in Barbados, Toppin came to New York as a child. He started out as a chef, working at the Waldorf-Astoria and on the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1926 he became a licensed undertaker and eventually the manager of the Henry A. Toppin & Son Funeral Home. He was active in politics for many years serving as a member of the state Democratic Committee, a delegate to the Democratic Convention in 1952 and a member of the Electoral College.

Madam C.J. Walker 1867-1919 Butternut
Through her hair treatment and cosmetics business, Sarah Breedlove Walker became the richest self-made woman in America. She began selling her products door to door, eventually establishing a major corporation in Indianapolis, and moving to New York where she built her beautiful Irvington estate, "Villa Lewaro." Madam Walker was generous to many charities, donating funds to preserve the Frederick Douglass home as a museum, funding scholarships at the Tuskegee Institute and supporting the efforts of the NAACP.

James S. Watson 1892-1952 Cosmos
The first African American to be elected as a member of the American Bar Association, justice James S. Watson served as a Municipal Court Justice in New York for nearly 20 years. At the time of his death, he was the president of the Civil Service Commission. His funeral was held at St. Martin's Protestant Episcopal Church with 2000 people attending with an additional 3000 mourners lining the streets, listening to the service on loudspeakers.

Bert Williams 1873-1922 Primrose
One of the most popular entertainers in the nation, Williams appeared in numerous Broadway productions and with the Ziegfeld Follies. His trademark character, "Mr. Nobody", was popular for many years and a staple of the Ziegfeld shows. He was a singer, comedian and all around performer, being the first to take the stage in integrated shows.

Charles "Cootie" Williams 1904-1985 Alpine Hill
Longtime lead trumpet for the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Williams' signature was his growling, muted horn. His first job as a musician was with the Chick Webb Orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom and then with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. He played with Bennie Goodman when his band performed at Carnegie Hall in 1938. Williams co-authored the jazz classic "Round Midnight" with Thelonius Monk.

Harry Wills 1889-1958 Wild Rose
Known as the "Brown Panther", Wills was a heavyweight fighter who was a leading contender for the title for many years. He never blamed Jack Dempsey for not giving him the chance to fight; he credited Tex Rickard, Dempsey's manager with blocking the fight. Wills said, "Both my wife and I are sure that Dempsey would have met me for the title, I think Rickard has some feeling about a mixed bout for the world championship."
After retiring from the ring in 1932, Willis bought and maintained an apartment building in Harlem's Sugar Hill.

Reverend Mannie Lee Wilson 1905-1982 Brookside 3 Solarium
The first black Protestant clergyman to preach in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Reverend Wilson served as the president of the Council of Churches of the City of New York and as the chairman of the board of the National Caucus of Black Churchmen. He received degrees from Roger Williams University, the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Benedict College. Wilson was the pastor of the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem.

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The Woodlawn Cemetery
Webster Avenue & E. 233rd Street • Bronx, NY 10470

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