While working for the Weed Funeral Home, William Tears had responded to the shortage of cemetery space for the Black community by organizing a consortium of African American leaders to purchase private land in East Austin for a new cemetery and burial association.  In 1893 the Bethany Cemetery was opened under Tears’ supervision.[5]

This is a photograph of the second Tears home, on 12th St., circa 1940.  This is the current location of the King-Tears Funeral Home.

When Mr. Tears died in 1923, William Tears, Jr., took over.  The son moved the funeral home to its current 12^th Street address in 1934.  After the death of William Tears, Jr., in 1941, the founder’s other son, Milton C. Tears assumed ownership until his retirement in 1955.  The Tears Funeral Home was sold to the King family in 1955, becoming King-Tears.  The Tears facility was enlarged at the time of the merger, and King-Tears continues to operate from this 12^th Street location.[6]

1893    William M. Tears, Sr., works with others to found the Bethany Cemetery after Oakwood Cemetery’s “colored section” reached capacity.

1900 or 1901   Tears, Sr., opens his funeral home at 614 East Sixth Street.

1923    Tears, Sr., dies and William Tears, Jr., assumes responsibility for the funeral home.

1932    King Funeral Home founded at 1107 East Sixth Street in a two-story frame house by C.B. King.[7]

1934    Tears moves to current 12^th Street address.

1936    King expands the Sixth Street home and adds a stucco façade.[8]

1941    William Tears, Jr., dies, and his brother, Milton C. Tears takes over the Tears Funeral Home.

1941    C.B. King dies.  His wife and son, Alice and John Q.T. King, continue the family funeral home.

1955    Milton Tears retires and the home merges to become King-Tears Funeral Home at the 12^th Street address.  The original Tears frame structure is replaced with a modern masonry building.

1971    King-Tears is remodeled again at the current 12^th St. address.

1984    Alice T. King Johnson dies, age 93.[9]

The King family was from Memphis, Tennessee. Charles B. King, who had been an insurance executive, originally came to Austin to purchase the funeral home of the late N.W. Rhambo in 1932. But during King’s move to Texas, Rhambo’s widow sold the business to the Fullers, and it became the Fuller Funeral Home on Angelina Street.

The following is from a history of King-Tears written by Dr. King, probably in the 1990s.  The complete document can be found by following this link.

“There were two Black funeral homes in Austin at that time—Tears Funeral Home, organized in 1901 and Rhambo Funeral Home, organized in 1911.”[10]

In spite of Mrs. Rhambo’s reversal—or perhaps because of it—Mr. King decided to complete his family’s move to Austin and open his own funeral home.  He also established a burial association.  The new funeral home was opened at 1107 East Sixth Street in a two-story frame house in 1932.[11] 

As the newest African American funeral home in town, Mr. King worked hard to promote his family business.

“In 1934, the burial association, which was named the Unity Benevolent Association, gave quarts of milk to expectant mothers during the winter months.  This was during the ‘Great Depression.’ In 1935 the burial association put four very large oscillating fans in the ‘Colored Women’s Ward’ at Brackenridge hospital.  In 1936 the burial association gave free ambulance service to any person, anytime of day or night….”[12]

Many funeral homes maintained “burial associations” which provided insurance to cover the cost of funeral services.  Each of the African American mortuaries in Austin during the 1930s had their own association.

“In 1936, the Texas State Legislature passed a law ‘outlawing’ burial associations, thus attempting to force existing burial associations to sell to insurance companies.  Mr. King refused to sell his burial association!  He changed the name from Unity Benevolent Association to Union Welfare Association.  He issued new cards which alluded to the fact that the Association was a ‘charitable association,’ existing to assist in burying indigent people.  Instead of people paying dues each month for a $75, $100, or $150 burial, they made a ‘pledge’ each month to charity.  Mr. King was sued each year by the State Attorney General, from 1936-1940, and won each case.”[13]

The King Funeral Home founder died in 1941, and his widow continued to operate the family business with her son, John Q. Taylor King.  He had just graduated from Fisk University and then mortuary college.  He married the following year; however, he was drafted to fight in the European War in 1942.  His mother operated the funeral home in Austin with the help of many valuable assistants during the war.

After the war, Major General John Q.T. King returned to the family business.  He earned a Ph.D. at the University of Texas in 1957.  He served as a faculty member at Huston-Tillotson for 41 years, including a tenure as the College’s President.  He also served on the boards of his alma mater, Fisk University in Nashville, Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and the Texas Commerce Bank.[14]  

There are extensive oral history interviews with Dr. King available at the Austin History Center[15], the African American Texas Oral History Project[16], and at the Humanities Texas website.[17]

“In 1955, Milton C. Tears, owner of Tears Funeral Home, contacted John Q. Taylor King and advised him that he desired to retire and sell his business, and asked if there was any interest on the part of the King family to purchase the Tears Funeral Home.  The King family had been looking for a new location, as the East 6^th Street location was surrounded by industry…. The East 6^th Street funeral home was sold, the house next to the Tears Funeral Home was purchased for Mrs. King, and the Tears building was remodeled…. The name was changed to King-Tears Mortuary.”[18] 

This photograph from 1965 shows three generations of the King Funeral Home family.  On the front row, Marjon is center, and Stuart is pictured on the right.