Alberta King was shot and killed on June 30, 1974, at age 69 by Marcus Wayne Chenault, a 23-year-old black man from Ohio, as she sat at the organ of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Martin Luther King. font-size:14px; {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? He supported his brother throughout the movement but never took the limelight away from him. Williams, born September 13, 1904, to Reverend Adam Danial Williams, minister of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jennie Celeste (Parks) Williams. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was born in Atlanta, GA, to Martin Luther King, Sr (affectionately known as "Daddy King") and Alberta King (affectionately known as "Mama King") on January 15, 1929. She was shot and killed in the church by 23-year-old Black Hebrew Israelite Marcus Wayne Chenault six years after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.[1], Alberta Christine Williams was born on September 13, 1904. .header-wrap-top .top-menu .top li a:hover{ } .woocommerce-product-gallery{ opacity: 1 !important; } Try again later. In one letter, he said, Mother Dear, one day Im going to turn this world upside down.. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most recognizable in America, largely due to the civil rights movement and the work they have done in furtherance of it. He was married on June 17, 1950, to Naomi Ruth Barber (born 1932), with whom he had five children: Alveda, Alfred II (d), Derek I, Darlene (d), and Vernon (19602009). 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. 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. Magazines, Digital Nov. 20 In 1945, 24 Nazi leaders went on trial before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany. So yeah, it wasnt a far fetched assumption to think Mrs. Alberta King was the victim of a bigger plot. Mrs. Kings death just six years after her sons was yet another blow to the King family and those who knew them. Shortly after completing school the couple announced their engagement at Ebenezer. On August 19, he died aged 44 from complications from his stroke. There is no doubt that her daughter-in-law, Coretta Scott King, learned much from Mrs. King, a piece Larry to the end. According to testimony from the trial, Chenault, who was seated about 4 feet from the organ, fired his gun at Mrs. King. Take it from his big sister, thats simply not the case.. } Her parents were Reverend Adam Daniel Williams, preacher of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jennie Celeste (Parks) Williams. During his arraignment in court, Chenault blamed his murderous actions on a split personality- a Hebrew he called Servant Jacob. When asked about the shooting, Chenault said Im a Hebrew and was sent here on a mission and its partially accomplished. When Mrs. Kings husband, Martin Luther King, Sr., asked Chenault why he killed her, he replied: Because she was a Christian and all Christians are my enemies. Chenault also claimed that months prior to the shooting, hed determined that Black ministers were a menace to black people and must be killed.. color:#5a5d5a; 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. The Institute cannot give permission to use or reproduce any of the writings, statements, or images of Martin Luther King, Jr. /*margin-digbar*/ Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'kUI3IfzERbF7kCV3YWqw9w',sig:'aUnV9vF6Gc4CiiT85cWAuGCkuG6GIEmOA-qF5_YlZrY=',w:'594px',h:'363px',items:'161992516',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Years ago, when I first learned about Alberta Kings death and the subsequent lack of coverage it gets, my initial assumption was that it was some type of government ordered hit. He was pronounced dead one hour later. About 500 people were in attendance for Sundays service and the short man, wearing a tan suit and thick glasses, went unnoticed as he walked in and blended with the congregation. background:#111; Farris eventually made her way outside. I was wrong.. Rings around his neck. Alberta Christine Williams was born in Atlanta, GA. } 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. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. [1] Officials announced King was "barely alive" when she arrived at the hospital. }); Copyright 2015 . More about the King family name; Sponsored by Ancestry. Add to your scrapbook. All Rights Reserved. As a pastors wife Alberta (called "Bunch" by her husband) followed in her mother's footsteps as a powerful presence in Ebenezer's affairs. Then, he gazed at his wifes white casket and softly added, So, Bunch, Im coming on up home. } Though his lawyers argued he was insane, Chenault was found guilty and sentenced to death. Alberta Williams King was born on September 13 1904, in Atlanta, to Adam Daniel Williams and Jennie Williams. There was no water in his lungs. .navigation .menu > li > a:hover,.navigation ul li a:hover,header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:hover:after,.navigation ul ul.sub-menu a:hover,.smaller .navigation ul li a:hover, .home .smaller .navigation .menu > li > a:hover,.navigation ul .current-menu-item > a, Alberta remained close to King, Jr. throughout her life. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Her death was a shock to the congregation, Atlanta, and others across the nation. In 1963, A. D. King became a leader of the Birmingham campaign, while pastoring at First Baptist Church of Ensley in Birmingham, Alabama. } The sentence was upheld on appeal. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. On July 21, 1969, nine days before his 39th birthday, A. D. King was found dead in the swimming pool at his home. Although Chenaults lawyers pleaded insanitythe young man repeatedly said he was on a mission to kill all Christianshe was given a death sentence. This browser does not support getting your location. 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. She and Michael had three children together Willie Christine, Martin (born Michael), and Alfred Daniel in the Atlanta home where King had grown up. .home header.smaller, header.smaller{ Martin Luther King Sr., mother of Alfred Daniel Williams King I (1930), Willie Christine King Farris (1927), and Rev. The King family later moved to a large yellow brick house three blocks away. The King family later moved to a large yellow brick house three blocks away. In contrast to his peacemaking brother, Martin, A. D.according to his fatherwas a little rough at times and let his toughness build a reputation throughout our neighborhood. p. 126 Less interested in academics than his siblings, A. D. started a family of his own while still a teenager and attended college later in his life. On Sunday June 30 1974, Alberta Christine Williams King played The Lords Prayer on the organ of Ebenezer Baptist, the church where her father, A.D. Williams, her husband, Martin Luther King Sr., and son, Martin Luther King Jr., all had served as pastors. Here he played a key role and was arrested multiple times. Absolutely, he was murdered, Naomi King said. A.D. King who was also a civil rights activist- mysteriously drowned in a pooleven though he was a highly skilled swimmer. Sources . Memorials. .magazine-box header.header-style-one #main-menu-wrapper, Bob Fitch photography archive, Stanford University Libraries. background:#f4c85e; 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. Alberta Williams King, mother of Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta in 1903, the only surviving child of Jennie Celeste Williams and Adam Daniel Williams, pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. Weve got to carry on, King Sr. said, referring to the civil rights fight his sons fought. The Institute cannot give permission to use or reproduce any of the writings, statements, or images of Martin Luther King, Jr. . It seemed like I was watching a scene from a bad movie play out, Christine King Farris, Albertas daughter, would recall in her 2009 memoir Through It All. Martin Luther King Sr. doubles over at the graveside of his wife, Alberta King, shortly after her death in 1974. He said that [he] was a college kid who didnt know anything, Israel told the New York Times a week after Mrs. Kings murder. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. "[4], During this period King continued her studies at Morris Brown College, receiving a BA in 1938. background: #f4c85e; 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." 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. She was a remarkable human being. What is not as widely known is the life and death of Alberta Williams King, the mother of the Rev. n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; fbq('track', 'ViewContent', { Yeah thats a harsh assumption, but given the era she was killed and who she is, its not a far fetched assumption. fbq('init', '213902435871547'); Chenault stated that he shot King because all Christians are my enemies, and claimed that he had decided that black ministers were a menace to black people. He said that [he] was a college kid who didnt know anything,, a week after Mrs. Kings murder. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. color:#fff;} Failed to delete memorial. Theres no question. } Hananiah E. Israel of Cincinnati, who said that he had met the young man and tutored him in his teachings. And he was in his underwear. .home .header .logo h1 a,.home .header .logo p,.header .logo a,.header .logo p,header.smaller .header .logo h1 a{ Although her soft-spoken nature compelled her to avoid the publicity that accompanied her sons international renown, she remained a constant source of strength to the Kingfamily, especially after King, Jr.s assassination. Next to First Road paralleling Jonesboro Road, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9796/alberta-christine-king. Im gonna find out who did it, he told someone on the phone, within hearing distance of his daughter Alveda. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Sadly, the King familys tragedies didnt end there and Alberta Williams King would soon meet the same fate as her son. value: 100, Resend Activation Email. All I had to give him was the key to open his mind.. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. He shot her again. .flex-slider li .caption-content h1{ Alberta would serve as the organizer and president of the Ebenezer Women's Committee from 1950 to 1962. The Kings are firmly against the death penalty, so they pushed to have his death sentence tossed, in exchange for life in prison. Although they enjoyed living in the city, they both decided they wanted to spend some time in a more rural area. 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. Years later Ebenezer dedicated it's new pipe organ in their new sanctuary across the street in honor for her passion for beautiful worship music. In high school Alberta graduated from Spelman Seminary (now Spelman College). King, An Autobiography of Religious Development, 12 September 195022 November 1950, in Papers 1:359363. 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