Whirty: Linwood Negro League enthusiast raises funds for Waxey Williams grave marker
From SABR member Ryan Whirty at The Press of Atlantic City on July 25, 2015:
When turn-of-the-century baseball player Clarence “Waxey” Williams died in Atlantic City on Sept. 23, 1934, plans were undertaken to ship his body to his hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for burial.
In fact, his New Jersey death certificate originally stated that the Pennsylvania city would be his burial location, said Harrisburg baseball historian Calobe Jackson Jr.
But, as was the case with innumerable numbers of segregation-era African-American players, Williams’ loved ones couldn’t come up with the funding to bring his remains back home, and he was ultimately buried in an unmarked grave in Atlantic City Cemetery in Pleasantville.
On his death certificate, Harrisburg was crossed out and Pleasantville scribbled in its place.
And, for the last 80-plus years, Williams — who was both one of the best African-American catchers of his time and one of the most colorful, and at times controversial, players in the land — has rested in that unmarked grave, forgotten by history, anonymous in death and stripped of dignity by the ages.
Read the full article here: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/phillies/linwood-negro-league-enthusiast-raises-funds-to-mark-player-s/article_e3e28dde-330d-11e5-98a1-47dc08035ec0.html
Originally published: July 27, 2015. Last Updated: July 27, 2015.