If youre going to kill someone, then kill me; Stand up for your rights, but with nonviolence. Like his brother, A. D. was a staunch believer in the importance of maintaining nonviolence in direct action campaigns. Alberta Williams King, mother of Martin Luther King, Jr. As one of his associates said, Not being in the limelight never seemed to affect him, but because he stayed in the background, many people never knew that he was deeply involved, too. A.D. tended to stay in his brothers shadow and many people never even knew that Martin Luther King Jr. had a brother. However, it is also speculated that he died from heart problems as two of his children died young of heart attacks and one died at the age 49 of a heart attack. During Sunday service, Mrs. King was sitting at the organ when she was struck with a bullet. But now we have people such as myself, and a lot of you who will see the stories and spread them so they dont get swept before thousands and sometime millions see them. As she later described the scene: There were people everywhere. Block by Block: Stories from the streets that connect us, 2020 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse, DINES: A Taste of the Citys Best Restaurants, In The Movement Made Us, a father and son grapple with the generational impact of civil rights activism, As he turns 90, Andrew Young reflects on his life in Atlanta, Eby Marshall Slack, an original staffer at Atlantas iconic Paschals restaurant, on building community, The birds stopped singing: Inside the battle for Atlantas South River Forest, Feel the Yeppa: A new Buckhead restaurant combines Italian dishes, coffee, and Formula One racing, Videos: Mayor Bottoms, Killer Mike, Bernice King give passionate speeches during protests, The scent of water: Searching for hidden springs in downtown Atlanta, Hell and high water: A harrowing journey from Myanmar to Clarkston, Georgia. As Then Guardian describes it, King was playing The Lords Prayer on the organ when a 23-year-old Black man named Marcus Wayne Chenault Jr. leapt to his feet in the front of the church, pulled out a gun, and screamed, You must stop this! You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. A family portrait of the Kings, taken in 1939. Magazines, Digital There was a throng of onlookers. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. King to Alberta Williams King, October 1948, in Papers 1:161162. font-size:38px; Because married women were forbidden from teaching in Atlanta, King only briefly taught before she and Michael got married in 1926. .social-icon i.fa:hover{ Mother of assassinated civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., school teacher, music director for many years at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and the church's organist from 1932-1972. King, Alberta Williams (1903-1974)African-American church organist and mother of Martin Luther King, Jr. Name variations: Mama King. -webkit-box-shadow: 0 14px 26px -12px rgba(255,255,255,0.42), 0 4px 23px 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.12), 0 8px 10px -5px rgba(255,255,255,0.2);box-shadow: 0 14px 26px -12px rgba(255,255,255,0.42), 0 4px 23px 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.12), 0 8px 10px -5px rgba(255,255,255,0.12)} Her father, Adam Daniel Williams, was the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where hed grown the congregation from 13 people in 1893 to 400 by 1903, per the King Institute. background:#f4c85e; Mrs. King was a high achiever by any standard. [8] About this time, Michael King changed his name to Martin Luther King Sr.[9], Alberta King worked hard to instill self-respect into her children. Research genealogy for Alberta williams king of Albany Georgia, as well as other members of the king family, on Ancestry. [4] Her work as organist and as director at Ebenezer is considered to have deeply contributed to the respect her son had for music. background:#f4c85e; Two weeks later he set out for Atlanta, where he shot Alberta King with two handguns as she sat at the organ of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). As a pastors wife Alberta (called "Bunch" by her husband) followed in her mother's footsteps as a powerful presence in Ebenezer's affairs. Failed to delete memorial. .page-template-magazine-template header.header-style-one #main-menu-wrapper, He later explained that hed gone to Atlanta out of a hatred for Black ministers and had hoped to kill Martin Luther King Sr., but Alberta King was simply closer. Despite her new role as a wife and church mother, she continued to further her education at Morris Brown College, receiving a BA from the Atlanta school in 1938. And Alberta King would make sure to educate her children about the racially-divided world they lived in. Theres no question. ). They think he simply happened, that he appeared fully formed, without context, ready to change the world. /*inline margin*/ [17] On August 3, 1995, he suffered a stroke, and was taken to a hospital. color:#ddd; A.D. King who was also a civil rights activist- mysteriously drowned in a pooleven though he was a highly skilled swimmer. color:; Born on Sept. 13, 1903, in Atlanta, Georgia, Alberta Christine Williams spent her early life deeply involved in the church. The King Institute reported that she attended high school at Spelman Seminary and earned a teaching certificate at Hampton Normal and Industrial Institute. #move-to-top, .th_more_posts a#more_posts:hover, .widget .search-submit:hover, .search .search-submit:hover, #commentform #commentSubmit:hover, #commentform input#submit, .tagcloud a, .mc4wp-form input[type=submit], ul.paging li a:hover, ul.paging li a.current, input[type=submit]:hover{ } To Alberta Williams King | The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute To Alberta Williams King Author: King, Martin Luther, Jr. This is overt. On August 19, he died aged 44 from complications from his stroke. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. At his wifes funeral, Rev. [1], Alberta King was interred at the South-View Cemetery in Atlanta. She was also a talented musician who served as the choir organist and director at Ebenezer, which may have contributed to the respect her son had for the Black arts. [15] Martin Luther King Sr. died of a heart attack on November 11, 1984,[16] and was interred next to her. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, https://www.atlantamagazine.com/civilrights/the-murder-of-alberta-king/, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/01/martin-luther-kings-mother-slain-in-church-1974, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/king-alberta-williams, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. Among family members who witnessed Mrs. King's shooting was her grandson, Derek Barber King. or 404 526-8968. } .post-share i.fa:hover, .footer-copyright .social-icon ul li a:hover, .header-bottom .social-icon ul li a:hover, .content .post-content .read-more a, a.more-link, ul li a:hover, #commentform #commentSubmit, ol.commentlist li .reply a, .th-widget-recent-post .th-recent-post h5 a:hover, .widget .twitter-user a, .standard-layout .format-link h2, .th_more_posts a#more_posts, .format-quote blockquote p:before, .widget .tagcloud a:hover, .content .post-content .description p a, .page-description p a, .multipage-links span, .content .navigation.post-navigation .nav-links a:hover, .content #main .pagination a:hover, .post-title h2:hover{color:#f4c85e;} Alberta was interred at the South View Cemetery in Atlanta. Alberta Williams King. She was shot and killed in the church six years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Alberta Christine Williams was born on September 13, 1904, to Reverend Adam Daniel Williams, at the time pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jennie Celeste (Parks) Williams. However, Marcus Wayne Chenault shot Dr. King Jr.'s mother Alberta, as she sat at the organ in church (6/30/1974), He died on 8/22/1995 in hospital pic.twitter.com/GpO7VSY7QR, IG:NameIsAnonymous89 (@NameSherman) June 23, 2017, Marcus Chenault, Jr. was diagnosed as mentally ill. Do you find this information helpful? A.D. Williams sudden death in the spring of 1931, King, Sr. who had been assistant pastor succeeded his father-in-law as Ebenezer's pastor and changed his name to Martin Luther King. Atlanta Haps Newsletter Because the local school board did not allow married women in the classroom, Williams taught only briefly before her marriage on Thanksgiving Day 1926. After graduating, she announced her engagement to King at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. And he was in his underwear. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. She then enrolled in Hampton Normal and Industrial Institute (now Hampton University), where she obtained her teaching certificate in March of 1924. font-size:14px; More about the King family name; Sponsored by Ancestry. Alfred Daniel Williams King (July 30, 1930 July 21, 1969), known as A. D. King, was the younger brother of Martin Luther King, Jr., the famed leader of the American Civil Rights Movement. Chenault was sentenced to death; although this sentence was upheld on appeal, he was later resentenced to life in prison, partially as a result of the King familys opposition to the death penalty. She was a remarkable human being. Try again later. [18][19], Lewis V. Baldwin, The Voice of Conscience: The Church in the Mind of Martin Luther King, Jr (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010, 27), Last edited on 16 December 2022, at 16:55, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom, "Martin Luther King's mother slain in church: From the archive, 1 July 1974", "Birth Home - Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)", "Alberta Williams King receives BA from Morris Brown College", "I Gave Marcus the Key" Dayton Daily News, July 3, 1974, pp.1, 15, "M. W. Chenault, 44, Gunman Who Killed Mother of Dr. King", The Papers of Martin Luther King Jr. Volume I: Called to Serve, January 1929-June 1951 (University of California Press, 1992) Introduction, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (New York: Warner Book, 1998) Chapter 1 edited by Clayborne Carson, Martin Luther King, Jr., "Autobiography of Religious Development," 22 November 1950, Stanford University biography of Alberta King, African American registry article on the death of Alberta King, The King Center biography of Martin Luther King, Jr, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alberta_Williams_King&oldid=1127784363, This page was last edited on 16 December 2022, at 16:55. Skip Ancestry main menu Main Menu. She and Michael King, then a young preacher, married on Thanksgiving Day in 1926. But he had wanted to stay up and Alveda left him sitting in an easy chair, staring at the TV, when she went off to bed I had questions about A.D.s death and I still have them now. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. He was an excellent swimmer. [4] She was also active in the YWCA, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom.[4]. And on that fateful day in 1974, shed lose her own life to a gunman. She and Michael had three children together Willie Christine, Martin (born Michael), and Alfred Daniel in the Atlanta home where King had grown up. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. King Sr. made a vow to Mrs. King -whom affectionately called Bunch. Im not gonna quit and Im not gonna be stopped. Alberta Williams King, left, with her son Martin Luther King Jr. and daughter-in-law Coretta Scott King in 1958. [7] Michael Luther King Jr. followed on January 15, 1929, then Alfred Daniel Williams King I, named after his grandfather, on July 30, 1930. } Booth stated, at Mrs. Kings funeral, that she sounded no trumpets to call attention to her greatness. Her legacy has been overshadowed by the powerful men in her life and that is something that Mrs. King didnt mind at all. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Here he played a key role and was arrested multiple times. During the commotion, King said that Chenault took aim at Mrs. King again, who was on the floor screaming and bleeding. [6], The King's first child, daughter Willie Christine King, was born on September 11, 1927. Her death was a shock to the congregation, Atlanta, and others across the nation. She founded the Ebenezer choir and played the organ at the church starting in the 1930s, received a B.A. She founded the Ebenezer choir and was an organist there from 1932 to 1972. The same year, he left Ebenezer Baptist to become pastor of Mount Vernon First Baptist Church in Newnan, Georgia. Alberta Kings family has described her as a crucial part of Martin Luther King Jr.s life, someone who explained the world to him, instilled him with self-respect, and altogether acted as an important role model. Alberta Williams King was born on September 13 1904, in Atlanta, to Adam Daniel Williams and Jennie Williams. On July 21, 1969, nine days before his 39th birthday, A. D. King was found dead in the swimming pool at his home. She was shot and killed in the church six years after the . Ohio County. Alberta received her education in Atlanta and attended high school at Spelman Seminary (now Spelman College). 2023 TIME USA, LLC. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Mrs. King, a source of strength following her son's assassination, faced fresh tragedy the next year when her younger son and last-born child, Alfred Daniel Williams King, who had become the assistant pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, drowned in his pool. Try again later. The more people that see that this has been going on, still going on, and will continue if we dont wake up the more chances we have of waking everyone up and actually getting somewhere. Alfred King was arrested along with King, Jr., and 70 others while participating in an October 1960 lunch-counter sit-in in Atlanta. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Sr. More than a family matriarch, Mrs. King was quite possibly the glue of the civil rights movement. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Although they enjoyed living in the city, they both decided they wanted to spend some time in a more rural area. color:#494bbc; According to The New York Times, Kings killer had become convinced that all Christians were his enemies. [4], Williams met Martin L. King (then known as Michael King), whose sister Woodie was boarding with her parents, shortly before she left for Hampton. } In spite of her relatively comfortable circumstances, my mother never complacently adjusted herself to the system of segregation, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, according to the, How Alberta Williams King Died At The Hands Of A Gunman. Nov. 18 In 1976, Spains parliament approved a bill to establish a democracy after 37 years of dictatorship. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Alberta King (9796)? Nov. 27 In 1973, the Senate voted 92-3 to confirm Gerald R. Ford as vice president, succeeding Spiro T. Agnew, whod resigned. 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