Durham County North Carolina Cemeteries Other NC County Cemeteries
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252    GEER CEMETERY [CITY CEMETERY]   -   Surname starts with N

Location - on Colonial Street between McGill Place and Camden Avenue.

Coordinates: 36d 00m 37.0s N; 78d 53m 04.0s W Click here for Online Maps

This cemetery was known by the names Geer Cemetery, City Cemetery, Old City Cemetery, East Durham and Mason Cemetery.

This is an abandoned, overgrown cemetery. There are approximately four acres of graves of African-American people. There are many stone markers present, some very unusual. Many of the markers have been damaged. The earliest known burial was in the 1870's and the last burial occurred in 1944. This is one of the earliest African-American cemeteries in Durham and many black prominent people are buried there.

The cemetery was started in 1876 with the burial of an 11 year old black farm hand of Jesse B. Geer, who was killed accidentally after being dragged by a horse on the Geer plantation. On March 28, 1877 a deed was written selling two acres of land for fifty dollars to three men, the land to be used as a burial ground. The three men were Willie Moore, John Daniel and Nelson Mitchell. The deed was signed by Jesse Geer and his wife Polly. The deed stated that the land was to be used for burials and that the heirs of Moore, Daniel and Mitchell were to be responsible for the property. The cemetery was closed in 1939 after the health department inspected the cemetery and found that the cemetery was overcrowded.

Canvassed by Denise Lawson and the Durham Service Corps in 1992, they listed about 100 markers. In 2003, Carrie McNair and several volunteers extracted burials from the death records located in the Vital Records office. Durham County began issuing death certificates in 1908 and North Carolina law has required death certificates only since 1913. Thus, there were over 35 or more years of additional burials that were unrecorded except for whatever tombstones have survived.

Pictures of gravestones by Allen Dew in 2003, 2004 and 2008. Additional pictures by Jessica T. Eustice in October 2008 and Sarah Cook in October 2012 and Wayne Lee in 2019 & 2020.



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1. Nash, Infant   (b. 16 Feb 1931 - d. 16 Feb 1931)
Daughter of Elbert Nash and Bertha Hayes. Stillborn.
2. Nash, Nonnie   (b. Abt 1889 - d. 29 Aug 1918)
Age 29 years
3. Neal, Daisy Bell   (b. 19 Aug 1910 - d. 25 Aug 1910)
Age 6 days
4. Newby, Julia E.   (b. Abt 1853 - d. 19 Nov 1912)
Age about 59 years. Wife of Rev. D. F. Newby. She hath done what she could do.
5. Newby, Maggie   (b. Abt 1862 - d. 13 Feb 1921)
Age about 59 years
6. Newland, Sarah   (b. Abt 1867 - d. 30 Sep 1924)
Age 57 years
7. Norwood, Addie   (b. Abt 1872 - d. 16 Jun 1917)
Age about 45 years
8. Norwood, Infant   (b. 18 Oct 1924 - d. 25 Oct 1924)
Age 7 days
9. Norwood, Jessie   (b. Abt 1903 - d. 28 Jul 1921)
Age 18 years
10. Norwood, Lila   (b. 24 Oct 1903 - d. 30 Nov 1913)
Age 10 years
11. Norwood, Rilla   (b. Abt 1855 - d. 30 Jan 1912)
Age 67 years
12. Norwoods, Annie   (b. Abt 1875 - d. 11 Aug 1910)
Age about 35 years
13. Nutall, Infant   (b. 18 Aug 1927 - d. 19 Aug 1927)
Son of W.M. Nutall, Sr. and Gwendoline Meeks. Age 1 day