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

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. O'Briant, Garland   (b. Oct 1930 - d. 3 Feb 1931)
Son of Garland and Maggie Lee O'Briant. Age 4 months
2. Oakley, D. C.   (b. 1900 - d. 1925)
Age 25. Gone but not forgotten.
3. Oatman, Ann Webb   (b. Abt 1829 - d. 3 Jun 1915)
Widowed. Daughter of Luke Webb and Carolina Webb.
4. Obey, Maggie   (b. Abt 1869 - d. 21 Jan 1925)
Age 56 years
5. Oglesby, Sterling   (b. Apr 1927 - d. 25 May 1927)
Son of Victor and Janie Oglesby. Age 1 yr 1 day.
6. Outlaw, Tinny   (b. Abt 1874 - d. 16 Jan 1931)
Age 57 years
7. Outley, August A. (Augustus)   (b. 1877 - d. 22 Dec 1917)
Age 40 years.
8. Outley, Henry   (b. 1857 - d. 3 Aug 1922)
Age 65 years.
9. Outley, Thomas   (b. Abt 1892 - d. 10 Sep 1934)
Listed as buried in the Ferrell Road Cemetery in the 1937 cemetery survey.
10. Overby, Amy   (b. Abt 1837 - d. 13 Jul 1932)
Age about 95 years
11. Overby, Andrew B.   (b. Abt 1861 - d. 10 Feb 1911)
Age 50 years
12. Owens, Fate   (b. Abt 1859 - d. 7 Jan 1910)
Age 51 years
13. Owens, Leonard   (b. Abt 1919 - d. 24 Jan 1922)
Age 3 years
14. Owens, Mary (Mrs)   (b. Abt 1903 - d. 28 Oct 1927)
Age about 24 years