Pvt Wilber Barlow

Our Hometown Heroes

Wilber Barlow

No Longer Forgotten

Wilber Barlow was ordered to report to the local Spalding County draft board when he was 25 years old. Born on April 19, 1893, Barlow would serve as a private in the U.S Army for less than three months, before pneumonia claimed his young life on October 23, 1918. He would be among the thousands of young men who joined to serve our country in World War 1, but would die before they even saw a minute of battle.

Wilber’s mother, Parry McCoy Barlow, who lived at RFD 1, Box 79, Griffin, received the dreaded news of her son’s death.

Barlow was black and was not listed on the World War I Monument, forgotten until now.

This changed during the Memorial Day weekend, May 29-30, 2016 as Anderson and other, “Lost and Forgotten,” World War I soldiers were honored with individual plaques and their names on the Veterans Memorial Park “Doughboy” statue. Thanks to efforts of Griffin Archivist Cynthia Barton, the Veterans Military Affairs and Honor our KIA committees, Pvt. Barlow is now remembered as one of Griffin-Spalding’s Hometown Heroes.

An individual plaque honoring Wilber Barlow will be installed in Griffin’s Historic District sponsored by Judge Josh Thacker.