After years of obscurity the Deaf Priors will be recognized
It brings me great joy to research the roots of Deaf history in my native Cedartown. When I dove into the origins of my alma mater, Georgia School for the Deaf, I was delighted to learn that there was a connection between the Father of Cedartown, Asa Prior, and GSD.
This fall, Georgia School for the Deaf Alumni Association will be hosting several important celebrations. Planning for those events and thinking about how we can leave a mark for future generations, I thought about my research into the Prior Family. And then I remembered …
In the early days of Deaf education, the Deaf world was smaller than it is today, like a small town in rural area. There are many newspaper articles, governmental records, books, and journals about Deaf people and Deaf schools. Reading the disjointed pieces of information, it is easy to develop a web of connections between historical Deaf figures. Patterns start to appear. We see similar triumphs and tribulations appear across the map.
One of those stories occurred close to home. In my column last week, I wrote that Cedar Valley Academy should have been GSD. There are two sides to the stories between John J. Flournoy, Asa Prior, the Deaf Priors, and the state. Curious! More about this in future columns.
We learned something else: Deaf people of that time were often buried without burial markers. We cannot ascertain the burial locations of many well-known Deaf school founders and leaders. Even if they came from rich and famous families, they still did not have markers. It gives the message that they were not as valued as hearing people. Sad, but very common.
The Prior family is a local example. Asa Prior, who founded Cedartown, Georgia, and his wife, Sallie, had 14 children — 9 hearing and 5 Deaf. They were wealthy and well known. There is no doubt Asa loved all his children, even sending his Deaf children away to school to receive the best education. Yet, the graves of all nine hearing Prior siblings have headstones while the five Deaf siblings have none.
It may be tragic that all the hearing Prior siblings have headstones with their names and dates, while the Deaf Prior siblings were denied their own markers. But things are changing. There are small, but growing efforts to document history and fill the gaps in our record.
GSDAA will have a dedication ceremony in honor of the Deaf Priors and erect a large headstone with a short story about them, their names, dates of birth, dates of death, and the locations of their burials. Deaf people who have no markers deserve to be recognized and celebrated just like everyone else.
The five Deaf Prior siblings are listed from the eldest to the youngest with the locations of their burials that will be etched on the new headstone:
Ephraim Witcher Prior, Oct. 3, 1806 — Feb. 14, 1877, Asa Prior Cemetery, Cedartown, Georgia; James Middleton Prior, Nov. 6, 1808 — April 27, 1882, Asa Prior Cemetery, Cedartown, Georgia;
Lucius Augustus Prior, Dec. 10, 1826 — Jan. 9, 1887, Church of Christ Cemetery, Borden Springs, Alabama;
Sarah Ann Abigail Thatcher Prior, Oct. 2, 1828 — Nov. 3, 1904, Friendship Cemetery, Cedartown, Georgia; and
Angeline Antionette (Prior) Potts Payne, July 28, 1831 — Aug. 10, 1901, Friendship Cemetery, Cedartown, Georgia.
Everyone is welcome to the dedication ceremony, to be held on Angeline Prior’s birthday, July 28th, at Asa Prior Cemetery in Cedartown. The program will begin at 11 am. There will be an interpreter provided. Soft drinks will be donated by Coca Cola Bottling Co. in Rome and Krispy Kreme donuts will be donated by Krispy Kreme.
Donations in honor of the Deaf Priors are welcome and will go to GSDAA, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which means your donations are tax deductible. Donations can be mailed to GSDAA, PO Box 76, Cave Spring, GA 30124.
Thanks to the following for making the recognition of Deaf Priors happen: Polk County Historical Society; Georgia School for the Deaf Alumni Association; Polk County Superior Court Clerk; Cogswell Heritage House at the American School for the Deaf; Richard Ferguson, a distant grandson of Asa Prior; Cedartown Parks and Recreation.
Come and celebrate their memory with us!