Wilburn Hubert Brooks (1870-1941)
Wilburn “Hubbard” Brooks was born in 1870 in South Carolina (per the 1910 U.S. Census) to Alex Brooks of South Carolina and Millie Brooks of Virginia. He spent his life farming the fertile land along the Mulberry River in Jackson County, Georgia. He was known as “Mr. Hue”
Marriages and Children
First Marriage
On July 11, 1894, Hubbard married Effie Tate. They had three sons:
John Otis Brooks (1889–1990)
Grady Brooks (1895– )
Wilburn Hebert Brooks Jr. (1899– )
Effie died in 1899.
Second Marriage
On September 18, 1904, Hubbard married Olive “Livy” Wyatt, widow of Hendricks. The ceremony was performed by local Justice of the Peace John Jackson Wallis (1837–1914). Livy had one son from her first marriage:
Thomas Hendricks Brooks (1892–1955)
Home and Family Life
1910
In Jackson County District 243, between Jefferson and the Mulberry River, Hubbard and Livy lived with stepson Thomas (16), sons Grady (14), John Otis (12), and Hubbard (10). Next door lived Hubbard’s older brother William M. Brooks (1867–1943), wife Sarah Lyles, and their children Herman (4), Annie R. (7), Renay (5), and Arrine (3).
1920
The family resided on the road from Flanigan’s Mill to Mulberry Station, again next to William M. Brooks and family. One house down, Thomas Hendricks Brooks (28) and wife Clara Moore lived with their infant son W.H. Brooks (2 months) and Clara’s mother, Mary Moore (55). Nearby, John Otis Brooks (20) lived with wife Zadie Lue Huntley (16).
1930
Three Brooks households remained in the Randolph District along Winder Road:
• Wilburn Hubert and Livy, with son Hubert Jr (29)
• William M. and Sarah Brooks, with children Arrine (19) and Thurmond (18)
• Thomas and Clara Brooks, with children W.H. (13), Howard (10), Frary (9), P.J. (7), Rilus (4), Alphonso (3), and Lurene (2), as well as grandmother Mary Moore (65)
And
John Otis Brooks and Zadie had moved to a farm in Barrow County’s Pentecost District with their children: Lincoln (9), Lamons , Ruby Nells (7), Lester (5), Geneva (4), Levolia (2), and infant Elgin Lee (2 months).
1940
By 1940, John Otis and Zadie were farming in Walton County and had five additional children: Roger (9), Lamozean (7), Susie Jo (5), Lula Ann (3), and newborn Katrine.
That year, Wilburn Hubert Brooks—now 68—was still farming. He and Livy had a 12-year-old boy boarding in their home. Next door, brother William (70) continued farming alongside his son Thurmond, Thurmond’s wife Ruby, and their sons Arzell (4) and Hollis (1).
Death and Burial
Hubbard Brooks died of pneumonia on Sunday, March 9, 1941, with arterial sclerosis listed as a contributing factor. Dr. Harris signed the death certificate, and Olive Brooks served as the informant.
He was buried on March 11, 1941, in Justice Cemetery, with arrangements handled by W.H. Williams of Monroe, Georgia. His funeral was likely attended by his wife Olive, brother William and Sarah, son John Otis and Zadie, stepson Thomas and Clara, nephew Thurmond, and many of his fifteen grandchildren.
Justice Cemetery and Ownership
At the time of Wilburn Hubert’s burial, the Justice Cemetery was most likely owned by Effie Randolph Flanigan, widow of Allen Monso Flanigan and daughter of Hillard Judge Randolph and Cornelia Jane Moon. Effie, her husband (d. 1909), and their son John Randolph Flanigan (d. 1958) are also buried there. John Randolph Flanigan, great-grandson of Allen and Susan Justice (the cemetery’s original owners), was the last person interred in the cemetery.
According to a grand-niece, Hubert’s grave was once visited regularly by his son John Otis and other family members. Over time, however, those visits ceased when the family was no longer permitted access. The reason remains uncertain—it may have been due to a legal change, property sale, family disputes, or simply a decision influenced by the social climate of the period.
Gum Springs Baptist Church and Cemetery
Only a few miles from Justice Cemetery, Gum Springs Baptist Church sits on land donated by Jean Wood (1931–2017), a descendant of Allen and Susan Justice. Hubert’s brother William M. Brooks and wife Sarah are buried there, as are many members of the Brooks family, including John Otis and Zadie. John Otis also served as a deacon of the church.
Post–World War II Social Climate
Though Wilburn Hubert Brooks died before the end of WWII, his family lived through the turbulent years that followed. In 1945 alone, twelve lynchings of African Americans were recorded in the Deep South.
One of the most notorious incidents occurred on July 25, 1946, when two young married African-American couples were murdered by a White mob near Moore’s Ford Bridge between Monroe and Watkinsville, Georgia. The killings spread deep fear among the local Black community.
By 1947, many members of the Brooks family began leaving the area. Wilburn Hubert’s nephew Thurmond Brooks moved to Shelby, North Carolina, others followed him there and others relocated to Atlanta, New Jersey, and beyond.
