Baldwin County (Georgia) Cemeteries

More information

Rev Wilkes Flagg

ca. 1800 - Nov 13, 1878

Cemetery: Memory Hill
Unknown Side, Section X, Lot 0, Grave 2
-- See section's Lot Layout map on Memory Hill website. (Map will open in a new window.)

Inscription and Notes:

Unmarked Adult Grave - Buried either in the cemetery (per BCC) or across the street in Flaggs Chapel (per
Southern Recorder, Nov 19, 1878). Age either 78 (per obituary) or 77 (per BCC).

Obituary of Rev. Wilkes Flagg (Southern Recorder, Nov 19, 1878)

The death of this old colored citizen and estimable man deserves more than a passing notice. He died at his residence in this city on Wednesday last. He was seventy eight years old.

Our first acquaintance with Wilkes Flagg began in 1838(? - difficult to read), when he was a slave, the property of Dr. Tomlinson Fort. He was a blacksmith by trade at that time, and was noted far and wide for his skill and industry. By hard work, at night, and other odd times, he accumulated about two thousand dollars, with which he purchased his freedom. He continued in the blacksmith business, up to the day of his death, although for several years past he merely supervised his shop, devoting most of his time to the cultivation of his farm about six miles from the city. He was prosperous in his business at both places and leaves an estate that will provide comfortably for his family.

The most striking characteristic, or peculiarity rather, of the man, was his fondness for the company of white men. He was respected by all of our best citizens, who would sit and talk with him about politics, or anything else, as freely as they would with a white man. He was a democrat in politics, long before he could vote, and for this reason he was not been very popular with his own color. We have seen negroes who were better scholars (Wilkes was too hard a worker to ddevote much time to education) but we have never seen one whose knowledge of men and things was more extensive, and whose judgement was so unerring. He was long the Pastor of the colored Baptist Church near the cemetery, of which he was the founder and where his remains are now deposited. He was a man of the strictest integrity, and his word was good as his bond. He lived respected and died lamented. His example is a bright and shining light to the colored men of this city. The funeral services on Friday inst were held at the church of which he was pastor, and were attended by many white people, and, but for the inclemency of the weather, the number would have been greatly increased. Among the white people present, in the church, was Mr. John P. Fort, of Macon, who came over to withness the burial of an old family servant. All classes of our white citizens were represented -- the clergy, merchants, lawyers, physicians, editors, mechanics and citizens generally -- attesting the high respect in which this good old man was held by his neighbors. It will be a long time before his like is seen again in the old town he loved so well.

It is due to the colored people to say, that all the arrangements were well conduted, and the great number present at the funeral services, was evidence that they have sustained a great loss in the death of this worthy examplar of their race.