Payton’s Funeral Home

Payton’s Funeral Home was a family-owned African American funeral home established in the early 20th century by Chester Cornelius Payton Sr. in the small town of Dunn, North Carolina. Chester Payton Sr. was born on November 1, 1908, in Craven County, North Carolina. He later married Addie B. Payton, and they had two children: a daughter, Pearlie Mae, born in 1928, and a son, Chester Cornelius Payton Jr., born in 1933. In the early 1950s, 18-year-old Chester Payton Jr. was drafted by the U.S. Army and sent to Korea at the height of the Korean War.

Meanwhile, the family’s funeral home, which doubled as their residence, made headlines in the local newspaper. In September 1951, Labor Day weekend in Harnett County was marred by a plane wreck, multiple automobile accidents, and a shooting. The weekend ended with the death of Mary Roberts on Sunday evening. Her husband, Eugene Roberts, was being held in the Harnett County jail in connection with the shooting. Roberts’ wife died at Dunn Hospital at 1AM Monday after being shot through the stomach. The bullet passed completely through her body. An inquest was called for at Payton’s Funeral Home where her body was taken.

In November 1952, Zollie Brown, a 38-year-old plumber’s helper, was shot to death by his wife, 30-year-old Eula Mae Brown, as he came at her with an open knife. When questioned by the police, she said the shooting was accidental. Eula Mae testified at the inquest conducted at Payton’s Funeral Home that her husband had been cursing and abusing her and started towards her with an open knife, threatening to kill her. She said their 11-year-old daughter, Beulah Mae Brown, pushed her out the kitchen door and handed her the .32 caliber pistol to protect herself. The mother said she did not want the gun and was handing it back to her daughter when it went off. The bullet struck Brown in the left chest, and he fell to the ground mortally wounded. Eula Mae stated that she did not recall pulling the trigger and never intended to kill her husband.

Policeman Aaron Johnson testified that the woman was hysterical when he arrived on the scene. He said he found the gun under a tree, where she told him she threw it, and that he found the open knife by the dead man’s body. The daughter testified and corroborated her mother’s story. Alice Melvin, a neighbor, testified that just before the shooting, the couple’s 6-year-old son, Larry, ran over to her house and told her his daddy was trying to cut his mother. Shortly afterward, she said she heard the gunshot. Policeman John Brockington testified that on the night before the shooting he passed and saw Eula Mae leaving the house and asked her where she was going. She told the officer she was leaving the home before she got in trouble. There was evidence the couple was having trouble for some time. Three years prior, Zollie Brown was given a suspended sentence for hitting his wife over the head with a chair. After hearing testimony from several witnesses, a jury impaneled by Coroner Grover C. Henderson ruled that the death of Zollie Brown was accidental, and Eula Mae Brown was acquitted.

Several years later, in April 1954, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) formed a chapter in Dunn. The organization held a meeting at Payton’s Funeral Home, featuring Charles A. McLean, the assistant field secretary of the NAACP, as the speaker. McLean called for a house-to-house campaign for members and called attention to the power at the ballot box.

Payton’s Funeral Home has been an integral part of the lives of residents of North Carolina for many years. Addie B. Payton died in 1990. Chester Payton, Sr. died in 2003, and so did his daughter Pearlie Mae. Chester Payton, Jr. continued managing Payton’s Funeral Home as the funeral director.

In 2008, a state funeral board inspector visited the funeral home and discovered multiple violations, necessitating the owner’s appearance before the state board for a disciplinary hearing. The board inspector found the funeral establishment did not meet building code requirements and was not in compliance with pricing requirements. Chester Payton, Jr. was placed on probation for one year and required to complete a continuing education course. In compliance with the consent order, he relinquished his funeral establishment and preneed licenses until the facility met code requirements. He constructed an extension at the back of the funeral home, featuring a new casket display and embalming rooms, and subsequently reopened Payton’s Funeral Home. Chester C. Payton, Jr. died in 2021 at the age of 88. Following his death, the facility was largely emptied, except for the embalming room. It still contained equipment, multiple gurneys, numerous chemical bottles, and cremated remains. The property was acquired by Genesis Mortuary in 2024, leading to the establishment of a funeral home.

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