T.H. Hayes and Sons Funeral Home (1902-2011)
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
Historical Marker for T.H. and Sons Funeral Home
The Hayes Family
T.H. Hayes and Sons Funeral Home
Newspaper ad for T.H. Hayes and Sons Funeral Home
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
In 1902, Thomas Hayes opened the T.H. Hayes and Sons Funeral Home at 245 Poplar Avenue. The business provided mortuary services for African Americans in an era when few white-owned funeral homes provided the care and dignity that a family needed after losing one of their own. Mr. Hayes was known to never refuse service and offered personal lines of credit for people whom couldn’t afford to pay immediately so that their loved ones could have a proper burial. From paupers to the Black middle class and professionals, the funeral home opened its doors to everyone. In 1918, the business relocated to 680 S. Lauderdale St.
Not only was Mr. Hayes active in the funeral industry, he was also a lifelong member of the National Negro Business League. In 1916 and with the support of the Lincoln League, an African American political organization, Hayes ran for a seat as a state senator. In 1917, he became a founding member of the Memphis branch of the NAACP.
Thomas Hayes Jr., Mr Hayes' son, was also a successful business man and owner of the African American baseball team, the Birmingham Black Barons. He was also acting Vice President of the Negro American Baseball Team. Taylor Hayes, the other son of Mr. Hayes, was president of the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association. Taylor had a wife named Frances that procured her funeral directors license. In doing so, she became on the first Black women to be licensed in the profession.
Mr. Hayes passed away in 1982. In his passing he left a
legacy of great achievements and accomplished items that so many people could
only dream of. The Hayes family wanted to make sure that the African American
people of their community were not forgot about when their time of need came.
T.H. and Sons Funeral Home was not only a business, but a home that provided a
service that so many people needed. Regardless of race, color, age or social
status, T.H. Hayes and Sons treated each individual family with the same
compassion and honor that they each deserved. All that is left of the funeral
home now is a historical marker. The historical marker gives just a glimpse
into the history that the T.H. Hayes and Sons Funeral Home left behind.
Sources
Historic T.H. Hayes & Sons Funeral Home. Accessed July 31, 2017. http://historic-memphis.com/biographies/hayes-funeral/hayes-funeral.html.