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May 9 Service – Anderson, South Carolina



From: HK Edgerton
Date: Fri, Mar 27, 2009
To: Michael Graham

My Dear Mother, Mrs. Anna Belle Robinson Edgerton, was born March 24, 1924 in the City of Anderson, South Carolina. She was the daughter of the Honorable John Minor Robinson & Rosa Williams Robinson, and had three siblings; Blossie L. Robinson Cunningham, Rosa T. Robinson Nance and James Robinson. Her husband was the Honorable Rev. Roland Rogers Edgerton of Rutherford County, North Carolina.

Mrs. Edgerton was the proud mother of seven children and numerous grand and great grandchildren. She held numerous dictinctions: Organist and pianist at her church, and at the time of her passing, the only Black woman to ever be given a Confederate State Funeral, and notably there is a Heritage Award presently annually by the North Carolina Order of the Confederate Rose in her name. Mrs. Edgerton passed away on Saturday January 22, 2005. She is buried in the Historic Riverside Cemetery alongside the Honorable CSA Brigadier General Thomas Lanier Clingman, CSA Adjutant General James Green Martin, Thomas Wolfe and a host of other Confederate soldiers.

The Honorable Kirk D. Lyons (The Chief Trial Counselor of the Southern Legal Resource Center) delivered this Eulogy at her burial ceremony: IT IS AN HONOR I DO NOT DESERVE TO BE ALLOWED TO SAY A FEW WORDS REGARDING MRS. ANNA BELLE EDGERTON. I HAVE MET MRS. EDGERTON ON ONLY A FEW OCCASSIONS, TALKED WITH HER ON THE PHONE NUMEROUS TIMES. BUT I HAVE COME TO APPRECIATE THE INCREDIBLE FAMILY THAT HER AND HER HUSBAND RAISED TO ADULTHOOD.

GATHERED HERE TODAY AT THE TABLE OF BROTHERHOOD ARE THE DESCENDANTS OF SLAVES, AND THE DESCENDANTS OF SLAVE OWNERS. MRS. EDGERTON’S BLACK FAMILY IS HERE, MRS. EDGERTON’S WHITE FAMILY IS HERE. MRS. EDGERTON’S FAMILY IS HERE. WE ARE HERE TOGETHER, AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO MOURN THE PASSING OF A GREAT LADY. BUT WE, THE DESCENDANTS OF SLAVES AND THE DESCENDANTS OF SLAVE OWNERS HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER FOR YEARS – IN LARGE PART DUE TO THE WITNESS OF MRS. EDGERTON.

MRS. EDGERTON’S WITNESS WAS A CHRISTIAN WITNESS. A WITNESS OF LOVE AND TOLERATION, OF PRIDE IN FAMILY, AND OF PRIDE IN THE SOUTH, AND LOVE OF THE CHRISTIAN CROSS OF ST. ANDREW THAT SHE INSTILLED IN HER CHILDREN AT AN EARLY AGE.

AND THE FRUIT OF THAT WORK WE SEE HERE TODAY AND WILL CONTINUE TO SEE AS HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN PUBLICLY EXHIBIT A LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING OF SOUTHERN SYMBOLS AND THE SOUTH THAT WILL TRULY BRING CLOSURE TO THE VEXING RACE PROBLEMS OF THIS COUNTRY. A PROBLEM, THE BLAME FOR WHICH HAS BEEN EXCLUSIVELY BLAMED ON THE SOUTH FOR GENERATIONS. MRS. EDGERTON DID NOT LAY THE BLAME THERE. SHE LAID IT WHERE IT BELONGED, ON THE SINFUL HEARTS OF MEN, BLACk & WHITE, NORTH AND SOUTH – AND THE SOLUTION WAS LOVE, TOLERANCE, UNDERSTANDING, ACCEPTANCE AND ESPECIALLY THE SAVING GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST, HER LORD AND MASTER.

MRS. EDGERTON WAS A RARE WOMAN, A GENTLE SOUTHERN FLOWER, WE WILL NOT HER LIKE AGAIN IN THIS LIFETIME.

This was my mother, Commander Graham!

Your brother,

HK


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On Thursday, Mar 26, 2009, Michael Graham wrote:

can you give me some info on your mother so i can include it in press release and programs. she is from anderson i beleive you told me.

mike graham