Mapping Memphis

Mapping Memphis analyzes ways in which urban landscape mirrors a century of social change in Memphis, Tennessee by visualizing geographic data from the early 20th century T. H. Hayes and Sons Funeral Home ledgers.

  The landscape of a city tells a story: the story of where the city was, where it is, and where it can go. “Mapping Memphis” is a geospatial digital humanities project that seeks to critically engage with the ways in which landscape, urban redevelopment, and racial and social history interplay. It does so using a primary source largely underrepresented in digital humanities research: funeral home ledgers. The project engages with data from the ledgers of the T. H. Hayes and Sons Funeral Home, the oldest African-American owned business in Memphis, Tennessee. From 1904-1922, T. H. Hayes and Sons recorded demographic and funereal information for over 4,000 African-American individuals in Memphis. These records include information such as a person’s age, cause of death, and occupation. However, this project focuses on a specific set of demographics in the ledgers: the physical locations recorded in each entry. These key pieces of information for each individual include “Place of Death,” “Funeral Services At,” “Physician’s Residence,” “Internment At,” and “Residence.” When combined, they inadvertently offer a glimpse into African-Americans’ homes, offices, social spaces, and places of worship in early 20th century Memphis.