William Barfield's Burial

     I have spent numerous hours searching for a death certificate for William Barfield, my Great-Great Grandfather. I don't know who his father was and hoped that this document would provide the information. He died in Emanuel County, Georgia in 1924, five years after death certificates became mandatory.  I'd searched for his death certificate in multiple indexes and browsed microfilm records for certificates around that date, but could not find his record.  I started to think that he had died out of state, but a "Card of Thanks" in the local newspaper from his wife indicated that he died a illness at home. Finally, a family reunion provided me with an answer.

     I was talking to Shirley, a granddaughter of William Barfield. She told me this story: William Barfield died at home. His family built a coffin for him, a simple wooden box. They took him down to the Hawhammock Church Cemetery on a horse drawn wagon and had his funeral. They didn't hire a mortician or funeral home, but did things the old fashioned way.  It appears that the family either didn't know about the recently instituted laws requiring death certificates, or else they didn't care.

     So there's no death certificate; I can stop looking. Unfortunately, I'm no closer to finding William's father.