Though Alberta Williams King is often viewed as a footnote to the Martin Luther King Jr. story, she played a crucial role in shaping her son's thinking about race in America. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Please c, ontact Intellectual Properties Management (IPM), the exclusive licensor of the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. at. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Weve updated the security on the site. NAACP director, Roy Wilkins, expresses sadness at death of Alberta King, Martin Luther Kings Mother. memorial page for William E King (30 Mar 1932-26 Feb 2023), Find a Grave Memorial ID 249977197, citing Greenwood Cemetery, Wheeling . [1] Officials announced King was "barely alive" when she arrived at the hospital. . The cause of his death was listed as an accidental drowning. [1] King died shortly afterward from a gunshot wound to the right of her head. He said that [he] was a college kid who didnt know anything, Israel told the New York Times a week after Mrs. Kings murder. background:#494bbc; We have set your language to BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. [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. from Morris Brown College in 1938, and involved herself in organizations like the NAACP and the YWCA. Martin Luther King Sr., Alberta King, and Coretta Scott King at a memorial for Martin Luther King Jr. on April 9, 1968. By the time he earned his degree, he had three children and was next in line to take the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Birth Place: Atlanta, Georgia. [It was] without question the worst day of my life, Kings daughter Christine King Farris said, according to. Mrs. King, 70, died later that day. A system error has occurred. 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. border: 1px solid #f4c85e; Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. On July 21, 1969, nine days before his 39th birthday, A. D. King was found dead in the swimming pool at his home. I dont know I dont know that we will ever know what happened. Naomi King, his widow, said, There is no doubt in my mind that the system killed my husband., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Daniel_Williams_King. } .woocommerce-product-gallery{ opacity: 1 !important; } King was in Memphis to lead a march in support of the local sanitation workers' union. She was a Black educator, instrumentalist, and administrator. There were bewildered and in shock. } While there, King continued to fight for civil rights and was successful in a 1968 campaign for an open housing ordinance. Mrs. King's under-the-radar role in her son's activism is explored thoroughly in The Three Mothers by Anna Malaika Tubbs, who also spotlights the mothers of James Baldwin and Malcom X. line-height:22px; For the last part of his life, he was afflicted by alcohol and depression. Alberta Christine Williams was born in Atlanta, GA. Rings around his neck. As the gunman sprinted out the side door leading to Jackson Street, the sanctuary was chaotic. s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', 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. [17] On August 3, 1995, he suffered a stroke, and was taken to a hospital. @media screen and (max-width: 1024px){ cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. } I thought you might like to see a memorial for Alberta Christine Mama King Williams King I found on Findagrave.com. So yeah, it wasnt a far fetched assumption to think Mrs. Alberta King was the victim of a bigger plot. line-height:22px; Here he played a key role and was arrested multiple times. 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. And A.D. King's daughter, Alveda King, has gone on to become a conservative activist, speaking out on a variety of issues. Alberta Williams King was born on September 13, 1904 (died on June 30, 1974, she was 69 years old) in Atlanta, Georgia as Alberta Christine Williams. Michael Luther King Jr. followed on January 15, 1929, then Alfred Daniel Williams King I, named after his grandfather, on July 30, 1930. Ill be home almost any time now, assuming that he, too, would soon be murdered, due to his vow to keep fighting for equal rights. !function(c,h,i,m,p){m=c.createElement(h),p=c.getElementsByTagName(h)[0],m.async=1,m.src=i,p.parentNode.insertBefore(m,p)}(document,"script","https://chimpstatic.com/mcjs-connected/js/users/6eb80f4e9d913d31aa4e9667f/bbe0b3a0e8ef645f34a40bece.js"); .page blockquote{ She was shot and killed in the church six years after the . border-left: 5px solid #f4c85e; In a piece he wrote as a student at Crozier Seminary, he described his mother as being "behind the scene setting forth those motherly cares, the lack of which leaves a missiing link in life." What is not as widely known is the life and death of Alberta Williams King, the mother of the Rev. This was later reduced to life in prison, in part at the insistence of King family members who opposed the death penalty. letter-spacing:0.4px; Stamp - USED at the best online prices at eBay! Then she said the words that almost every Negro hears before he can yet understand the injustice that makes them necessary: You are as good as anyone. At this time Mother had no idea that the little boy in her arms would years later be involved in a struggle against the system she was speaking of.. As a young woman, King seemed determined to seek an education. According to testimony from the trial, Chenault, who was seated about 4 feet from the organ, fired his gun at Mrs. King. Country: United States. [6] The house the family subsequently moved to was located nearby (it has since been torn down). }); Copyright 2015 . After their wedding, the newlyweds moved into an upstairs bedroom of the Williams' home on Auburn Avenue, where Martin Luther King, Jr. and his two siblings, Christine and Alfred Daniel (A.D.), were born. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'gIwAJmzeQiVNZH2rUnBrCQ',sig:'1yEq5wZ44mB7e5fiBFMGlgrgFfc1XgltTVHyYao0xSM=',w:'594px',h:'432px',items:'836911162',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); After losing two sons and his wife, King Sr. was exhausted and in extreme pain, but determined to remain strong for his deceased family. Source for information on King, Alberta Williams (1903-1974): Women in World . Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Bernice King, for instance, leads the King Center, an organization launched by his late wife Coretta Scott King. Martin Luther King Srs graduation photo, taken upon earning his degree from Morehouse College in 1930. AtlantaFi. Williams attended high school at Spelman Seminary and went on to enroll in Hampton Normal and Industrial Institute, where she obtained her teaching certificate. .header-wrap-top .top-social-icon li a:hover{color:#f4c85e;} } Memorials. A. D., however, made no effort to assume his deceased brothers role, although he did continue to be active in the Poor Peoples Campaign and in other work on behalf of SCLC. content:'Main Menu'; value: 100, Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. As a mother, Alberta worked diligently to instill a sense of self-respect within her three children. King Sr. gave her the nickname upon her return from college, shortening "bunch-of-goodness" to just "Bunch." They . Only because of the internet were we able to realize the amount of Black men and Women being gunned down by police, because they like to sweep those stories under the rug quickly. Tragically, during a Sunday service on June 30, 1974, just as she finished playing The Lords prayer on the organ at Ebenezer and while the congregation prepared for prayer, an assassin, standing on a pew near the front of the church, went to the pulpit, faced the choir, and pulled out a gun and opened fire. She and Michael had three children together Willie Christine, Martin (born Michael), and Alfred Daniel in the Atlanta home where King had grown up. More about the King family name; Sponsored by Ancestry. Michael Luther King Jr. followed on January 15, 1929, then Alfred Daniel Williams King I, named after his grandfather, on July 30, 1930. Learn more about merges. color:#5a5d5a; color:#5a5d5a; Did you know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jrs younger brother was found dead at the bottom of a pool shortly after his Mother was Assasinated? During Sunday service, Mrs. King was sitting at the organ when she was struck with a bullet. #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{ . Sr. She was just a remarkable human being, her grandson Martin Luther King III told Atlanta TV station, . How MLK's Mother Influenced His Thinking } On Sunday June 30 1974, Alberta Christine Williams King played "The Lord's Prayer" on the organ of Ebenezer Baptist, the church where her father, A.D. Williams, her husband, Martin Luther. .magazine-box header.header-style-one #main-menu-wrapper, As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Though his lawyers argued he was insane, Chenault was found guilty and sentenced to death. Alberta Christine Williams King (September 13, 1904 - June 30, 1974) was Martin Luther King, Jr. 's mother and the wife of Martin Luther King, Sr. She played a significant role in the affairs of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Mrs. King, a source of strength after her sons assassination, faced fresh tragedy the next year when her younger son and last-born child, Alfred Daniel Williams King I, who had become the assistant pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, drowned in his pool. fbq('track', 'ViewContent', { This is a carousel with slides. 20072023 Blackpast.org. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. He was pronounced dead one hour later. She continued her studies at Morris Brown College, receiving a BA in 1938. A. D. King was a Baptist minister and a civil rights activist. }h2,.two-grid-layout .post-content h2,.standard-layout .post-title h2{ Alberta Christine Williams King (September 13, 1904 - June 30, 1974) was the mother of Martin Luther King, Jr.. . All I had to give him was the key to open his mind., During his trial, Chenault was sentenced to death, even though two psychiatrists testified that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and had. Her parents were Reverend Adam Daniel Williams, preacher of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jennie Celeste (Parks) Williams. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Outside of her work at Ebenezer, King was the organist for the Womens Auxiliary of the National Baptist Convention from 1950 to 1962. Bob Fitch photography archive, Stanford University Libraries. Take it from his big sister, thats simply not the case.. It is hidden from us so that these things can continue and it doesnt seem like a pattern. When they pulled the body out, they began to pump his chest, but no water came out. .social-icon i.fa:hover{ Alberta Williams King, left, with her son Martin Luther King Jr. and daughter-in-law Coretta Scott King in 1958. Literally maybe who walked with kings and queens, but retained the common touch.. [4], After their wedding the newly married couple moved into an upstairs bedroom at the Williams's family home, which is where all three of their children were subsequently born. Read an excerpt from Daddy King here on TIME.com. [12], King and Boykin were rushed to the nearby Grady Memorial Hospital. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. [1], Alberta King was interred at the South-View Cemetery in Atlanta. }h2,.two-grid-layout .post-content h2,.standard-layout .post-title h2{ border-bottom: 1px solid #f4c85e; letter-spacing:0.4px; There is no doubt that her daughter-in-law, Coretta Scott King, learned much from Mrs. King, a piece Larry to the end. Chenault, Jr. a then 23 year old Ohio State dropout, did something eerily reminiscent of the scene from the Malcolm X movie, when one of Xs murderers yelled Get yo hands out of my pocket before killing him. } Trusted by millions of genealogists since 2003. . Literally maybe who walked with kings and queens, but retained the common touch., MLK Jr., an illustrious speaker and orator, was very close to his mother and would often write her when he was out of town. King, Alberta Williams (1903-1974)African-American church organist and mother of Martin Luther King, Jr. Name variations: Mama King. 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. King to Alberta Williams King, October 1948, in Papers 1:161162. li.social-icon ul li a,ul.single-social-icon li a i{ Martin Luther King Jr. and the wife of the Rev. Make sure that the file is a photo. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. .format-quote blockquote, .single .format-quote blockquote, .single blockquote{ Martin Luther King Sr., but he shot Mrs. King instead because she was close to him.. There was a throng of onlookers. He was a good swimmer. } They looked up to see a young black man standing on a pew near the front of the church. Alberta Christine Williams King (September 13, 1904 June 30, 1974) was Martin Luther King, Jr.s mother and the wife of Martin Luther King, Sr. She played a significant role in the affairs of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. In 1926, Alberta Williams, daughter of Reverend Adam Daniels Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, married Martin Luther King, Sr., who had pastored two small churches in Atlanta and was taking courses at Morehouse College. ::selection{ Prior to her marriage Williams was a teacher, however she was forced to quit her job because married women in Georgia were prohibited from teaching. Explore historical records and family tree profiles about Alberta Williams on MyHeritage, the world's family history network. On June 30, 1974, as Alberta played "The Lord's Prayer" during Sunday services at Ebenezer, she was shot along with a deacon of the church by a mentally deranged Marcus Chenault, a twenty-one-year old man from Ohio who claimed that "all Christians are my enemies." As Martin Luther King Jr. recalled, his mother sat him down when he was a young boy and explained concepts like discrimination and segregation. But tragically, Alberta King and Martin Luther King Jr.s similarities didnt stop there. .footer-wrapper li, background:#111; Oops, something didn't work. Alberta Christine Williams King (September 13, 1904:- June 30, 1974) was Martin Luther King Jr.'s mother, married to Martin Luther King Sr. She played a significant role in the affairs of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Then, King turned her focus to her family. In high school Alberta graduated from Spelman Seminary (now Spelman College). P: (650) 723-2092 | F: (650) 723-2093 | kinginstitute@stanford.edu| Campus Map. Her 8 siblings are Joanne Surrette, Bryne McDonell, Allen McDonell (deceased), Linda Blois, Clyde McDonell, Paul McDonell, Patty Smith, and Theresa Boutlier. When I looked in their eyes I saw what is often described as the thousand-yard stare. It was a kind of blankness Id never seen before. } All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. While rocks were being thrown at gathering policemen and the situation escalated, A. D. King climbed on top of a parked car and shouted to the rioters in an attempt to quell their fury: My friends, we have had enough problems tonight. Since 1961, Atlanta magazine, the citys premier general interest publication, has served as the authority on Atlanta, providing its readers with a mix of long-form nonfiction, lively lifestyle coverage, in-depth service journalism, and literary essays, columns, and profiles. @media screen and (max-width: 550px){body,p{ [It was] without question the worst day of my life, Kings daughter Christine King Farris said, according to Atlanta Magazine. [7] Michael Luther King Jr. followed on January 15, 1929, then Alfred Daniel Williams King I, named after his grandfather, on July 30, 1930. }. Because the local school board did not allow married women in the classroom, Williams taught only briefly before her marriage on Thanksgiving Day 1926. The couple married November 1926, on Thanksgiving. During his trial, Chenault was sentenced to death, even though two psychiatrists testified that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and had delusions of grandiosity at the time of the murders. 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