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Carl Barnes Funeral Home was founded in June of 1932. The founders were Mr. Carl Barnes and his wife Mrs. Maxey Barnes, along with their two sons Titus and Timothy Barnes.

Prior to establishing Carl Barnes Funeral Home, the Barnes family operated a successful grocery store. However, during the Great Depression, there was a significant decline in business. Carl Barnes knew that he would have to seek another source of income for his family. Mr. Carl Barnes, therefore, ventured into the funeral services and thereby established Carl Barnes Funeral Home. The original funeral home was constructed at 743 W. 22nd Street in Houston. The facility was then enlarged in 1937.

During the first year of operation, Carl Barnes Funeral Home handled 37 cases. Case volume increased in 1933 to 61 cases. Thereafter, case volume continued to increase at a rate of approximately (10) cases per year until about 1980.

When the Barnes family established Carl Barnes Funeral Home, the State of Texas did not require a license to conduct funeral services. For purposes of embalming, the Barnes family contracted the services of a trade embalmer. During this period, a trade embalmer was paid a fee of $7.50 ($10.00 if he furnished the embalming fluid). The duties of a trade embalmer, during this period, was quite different than it is today. In the surrounding rural towns of (Hufsmith, Fulshear, Tomball) the trade embalmer would take his portable embalming equipment to the family home of the deceased. The trade embalmer would proceed to embalm the body, using a hand held pump and two bottles. In many of the rural areas, there was no indoor plumbing, therefore the procedure was quite primitive compared to modern day technology. After embalming the body of the deceased, the trade embalmer would cover the body in a blanket (leaving the face exposed). The body would be left in the family home overnight. The next day, funeral home personnel would arrive, dress the body, and take the deceased to the church for the funeral service. There were many cases when the director could not get the casket through the door of smaller or shotgun style houses, and the casket would be take into the family home via an open window.

In 1935 Mr. Titus Barnes enrolled in mortuary school in Chicago, IL. While Mr. Barnes was in school in Chicago, The Texas legislature passed a law that required all funeral directors to become licensed. However, this license did not require a person to attend mortuary school. In order to obtain a license, a person would have to pass a written test with regard to sanitation and the shipping of a body.

When the Barnes’ family began operating Carl Barnes Funeral Home in 1932, their automobile fleet consisted of a five passenger Hudson automobile. When the use of a hearse was required, it was rented from local funeral establishments. However, in 1932 Carl Barnes Funeral Home purchased a used hearse for $400. The funeral home operated this hearse until 1936. In 1936, Mr. Barnes purchased a new Cadillac LaSalle hearse (he traded in the 1933 hearse plus $400 Cash). In 1938 Mr. Barnes purchased a Buick five passenger family car. The funeral Home purchased their first limousine in 1967 (this limousine was blue with a gold top). In 1973 the funeral home purchased a new limousine for $8,900.

Per Mr. Titus Barnes, funeral services in 1932 were conducted in a manner totally dissimilar from the way things currently work. The cost of a funeral service could range from $250 to $500. The majority of funeral services were held on Sunday. Sunday funerals continued to be popular until 1976. Wakes for the deceased were conducted on Saturday nights at the family home. The body of the deceased would be delivered to the family home at approximately 6:00 p.m. The body of the deceased would remain at the family home the entire evening. The next day at approximately one hour before the funeral service, the funeral director would arrive at the family home and take the body of the deceased to the church for the funeral service. The tradition of the home wakes continued until 1965. However, In Chicago, IL. Some home wakes are still conducted.

Funeral services conducted by Carl Barnes funeral Home, increased significantly when Mr. Timothy Barnes returned from military service in 1946, and formed a burial association. The majority of these burial policies were purchased by low income families. The cost to the family was $.30 per month payable during the lifetime of the policy holder. The burial association was sold in 1965 to Mack-Hannah Life.

During the era when Carl Barnes Funeral Home was established, each funeral home was required to operate an ambulance service. The cost to an individual to use this service was $1.50. This service would be used by an individual to go from their home to the hospital or vice-versa.

Mr. Carl Barnes passed away in 1962. At the time of his death, Johnson Funeral Home was the leading Black firm in Houston. In 1963, Carl Barnes Funeral Home increased its volume by 80 cases over Johnson Funeral Home. In 1978 Carl Barnes Funeral Home began putting funeral service notices in the Houston Post Newspaper. Prior to this time, the only funeral notices published in the paper were those of prominent Blacks.

Carl Barnes Funeral Home merged with the Wilson Financial Group in December of 1988. Following the merger, Mr. Titus Barnes continued to remain active as a funeral director until his demise on August 9, 2001. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 ½ years Mrs. Victoria Barnes in 1997. Mr. Timothy Barnes remained active as a funeral director until 2006. He was honored at a ceremony by Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service in 2007 for being the oldest and longest licensed funeral director in the state of Texas, a distinction he maintained until his death on August 19, 2013. He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Helen in 2007.

Carl Barnes grew at one point to become the largest black-owned funeral home volume-wise in the State of Texas.

The current Manager of Carl Barnes Funeral Home is, Houston native, Mr. Ronnie W. Buggs, II. He has been with The Wilson Group since August 2004 and is committed to taking the funeral home to higher heights.

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The History of Carl Barnes Funeral Home

Carl Barnes Funeral Home was founded in June of 1932. The founders were Mr. Carl Barnes and his wife Mrs. Maxey Barnes, along with their two sons Titus and Timothy Barnes.

Prior to establishing Carl Barnes Funeral Home, the Barnes family operated a successful grocery store. However, during the Great Depression, there was a significant decline in business. Carl Barnes knew that he would have to seek another source of income for his family. Mr. Carl Barnes, therefore, ventured into the funeral services and thereby established Carl Barnes Funeral Home. The original funeral home was constructed at 743 W. 22nd Street in Houston. The facility was then enlarged in 1937.

During the first year of operation, Carl Barnes Funeral Home handled 37 cases. Case volume increased in 1933 to 61 cases. Thereafter, case volume continued to increase at a rate of approximately (10) cases per year until about 1980.

When the Barnes family established Carl Barnes Funeral Home, the State of Texas did not require a license to conduct funeral services. For purposes of embalming, the Barnes family contracted the services of a trade embalmer. During this period, a trade embalmer was paid a fee of $7.50 ($10.00 if he furnished the embalming fluid). The duties of a trade embalmer, during this period, was quite different than it is today. In the surrounding rural towns of (Hufsmith, Fulshear, Tomball) the trade embalmer would take his portable embalming equipment to the family home of the deceased. The trade embalmer would proceed to embalm the body, using a hand held pump and two bottles. In many of the rural areas, there was no indoor plumbing, therefore the procedure was quite primitive compared to modern day technology. After embalming the body of the deceased, the trade embalmer would cover the body in a blanket (leaving the face exposed). The body would be left in the family home overnight. The next day, funeral home personnel would arrive, dress the body, and take the deceased to the church for the funeral service. There were many cases when the director could not get the casket through the door of smaller or shotgun style houses, and the casket would be take into the family home via an open window.

In 1935 Mr. Titus Barnes enrolled in mortuary school in Chicago, IL. While Mr. Barnes was in school in Chicago, The Texas legislature passed a law that required all funeral directors to become licensed.

However, this license did not require a person to attend mortuary school. In order to obtain a license, a person would have to pass a written test with regard to sanitation and the shipping of a body.

When the Barnes’ family began operating Carl Barnes Funeral Home in 1932, their automobile fleet consisted of a five passenger Hudson automobile. When the use of a hearse was required, it was rented from local funeral establishments. However, in 1932 Carl Barnes Funeral Home purchased a used hearse for $400. The funeral home operated this hearse until 1936. In 1936, Mr. Barnes purchased a new Cadillac LaSalle hearse (he traded in the 1933 hearse plus $400 Cash). In 1938 Mr. Barnes purchased a Buick five passenger family car. The funeral Home purchased their first limousine in 1967 (this limousine was blue with a gold top). In 1973 the funeral home purchased a new limousine for $8,900.

Per Mr. Titus Barnes, funeral services in 1932 were conducted in a manner totally dissimilar from the way things currently work. The cost of a funeral service could range from $250 to $500. The majority of funeral services were held on Sunday. Sunday funerals continued to be popular until 1976. Wakes for the deceased were conducted on Saturday nights at the family home. The body of the deceased would be delivered to the family home at approximately 6:00 p.m. The body of the deceased would remain at the family home the entire evening. The next day at approximately one hour before the funeral service, the funeral director would arrive at the family home and take the body of the deceased to the church for the funeral service. The tradition of the home wakes continued until 1965. However, In Chicago, IL. Some home wakes are still conducted.

Funeral services conducted by Carl Barnes funeral Home, increased significantly when Mr. Timothy Barnes returned from military service in 1946, and formed a burial association. The majority of these burial policies were purchased by low income families. The cost to the family was $.30 per month payable during the lifetime of the policy holder. The burial association was sold in 1965 to Mack-Hannah Life.

During the era when Carl Barnes Funeral Home was established, each funeral home was required to operate an ambulance service. The cost to an individual to use this service was $1.50. This service would be used by an individual to go from their home to the hospital or vice-versa.

Mr. Carl Barnes passed away in 1962. At the time of his death, Johnson Funeral Home was the leading Black firm in Houston. In 1963, Carl Barnes Funeral Home increased its volume by 80 cases over Johnson Funeral Home. In 1978 Carl Barnes Funeral Home began putting funeral service notices in the Houston Post Newspaper. Prior to this time, the only funeral notices published in the paper were those of prominent Blacks.

Carl Barnes Funeral Home merged with the Wilson Financial Group in December of 1988. Following the merger, Mr. Titus Barnes continued to remain active as a funeral director until his demise on August 9, 2001. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 ½ years Mrs. Victoria Barnes in 1997. Mr. Timothy Barnes remained active as a funeral director until 2006. He was honored at a ceremony by Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service in 2007 for being the oldest and longest licensed funeral director in the state of Texas, a distinction he maintained until his death on August 19, 2013. He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Helen in 2007.

Carl Barnes grew at one point to become the largest black-owned funeral home volume-wise in the State of Texas.

The current Manager of Carl Barnes Funeral Home is, Houston native, Mr. Ronnie W. Buggs, II. He has been with The Wilson Group since August 2004 and is committed to taking the funeral home to higher heights.