Year: 1918
Garfield Hairston was born on May 26, 1893, in Martinsville, Virginia, the son of James Thomas Hairston and Mary Hairston.
As a young man he worked as a laborer, part of the steady working life that kept families and communities running through
difficult seasons and lean years.
He died in Roanoke on March 27, 1918, from pneumonia, a harsh and often sudden illness in an era when medical care was limited
and respiratory infections could turn fatal with frightening speed. Garfield’s death came early, at just 24 years old.
Family and local records place him among those associated with Old Lick Cemetery. It is also believed that his grave was later
moved to Coyner Springs in October 1961 during the disinterments connected to construction of Interstate 581.
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