Forsyth 1912: Examining the Displacement of the County’s Black Residents | Atlanta History Center

Article Summary:

The Digital Storytelling team at Atlanta History Center is producing a suite of content related to the 1912 lynching of Rob Edwards and the forced migration of Black residents from Forsyth County. In 1912, white residents of the county began terrorizing its Black citizens, lynching one Black man and convicting two others after the sexual assault and murder of a local white resident. As a result, more than 1,000 Black people were forced to flee, leaving behind their homes, property, churches, schools, and cemeteries. The Digital Storytelling team has conducted research into the locations of these residents before and after the 1912 expulsion using census records, marriage licenses, death certificates, draft registrations, and more. The team has found that the Black population of Forsyth County was comprised of 667 Black and 450 Mulatto residents, and that about a quarter of Black households owned property. The team has also found that 105 former Black residents moved to other states as part of the Great Migration.

In 1912, more than 1000 Black people fled racial violence in Forsyth County, GA. Researchers from Atlanta History Center used historical

records ...

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