Geer Cemetery-Samuel Barbee

Photograph and narrative sourced from: Friends of Geer Cemetery - Durham, NC

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Samuel Barbee was born on March 15, 1872, in Johnston County, North Carolina to Joseph and Louisa McCullers Barbee. By 1880, he was living in the small rural community of Pleasant Grove with his older brother Julius and two younger sisters, Clara and Martha. He was later joined by three more younger sisters: Emma, Pattie, and Viola.

The Barbees were farmers, so Samuel likely grew up helping his family around the farm. By 1892, the family had migrated to Durham and were living on Corporation Street, perhaps drawn by the promise of work in booming Bull City industries like tobacco and textile production.

On December 26, 1895, Samuel Barbee married Annie Brown, with Rev. Paul Yancey, the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, officiating. At first the newlyweds rented a home, and both worked in the city’s factories.

However, by 1906, the couple had saved enough money to purchase property just south of downtown, in an area known as Doom’s Hill (now referred to as St. Teresa or Southside). Samuel began working as a bricklayer and Annie as a homemaker, their work and property ownership placing them squarely in Durham’s growing Black middle class.

In 1915, Samuel Barbee founded a funeral service company with Johnson Ray, known as Ray & Barbee. Over the years, the company grew, taking on new employees. The name changed to Barbee, Williams, Dunnegan and Company in 1919. By 1922, it was known as Samuel B. Barbee and Company.

Death certificate research has identified over 300 burials at Geer Cemetery that were handled by Barbee’s companies. In addition to his work as an undertaker, Barbee was also on the Board of Trustees of the Fraternal Bank and Trust, which served Durham’s Black community and later merged with Mechanics and Farmers Bank.

Samuel and Annie were active in their community, particularly as members of White Rock Baptist Church. Annie, in fact, was listed on the honor roll of members who had given weekly to the church in October, November and December, 1927.

Samuel Barbee passed away on May 9, 1928. He is buried in Geer Cemetery along with his wife, Annie, his older brother, Julius Barbee, and his sister, Emma Barbee Howell.