About Us

In order to be successful in life, one must have a vision. In order for the vision to become reality, it has to be accompanied by faith and dedication. To test this theory, we need only to reflect on the life of the Late William Harvey Knotts, Sr. 

Harvey was born to the Late Weaver and Willie Spencer Knotts in Anson County in the small town of Pee Dee, NC, a town so small that the graduating class had only four, with him being the lone male. Growing up in Pee Dee, Harvey was known as "the undertaker" because he was called on to bury all the dead animals in the area. Weaver Knotts was a farmer, and his son found himself behind a mule a few times as well. Following in his father's footsteps, however, was not his dream. After finishing high school, he attended the all-Black Atlanta College of Mortuary Science. While his future wife, Nettie Ingram, made plans to attend North Carolina College in Durham, Harvey enlisted in the United States Army as a medic. He was assigned to the morgue.

After finishing his tour of duty Harvey began Phase I of his dream. He worked at a white-owned funeral home in Anson County and became the first Black licensed embalmer and funeral director in that area. In 1948 he hitchhiked a ride to Sanford to work at Anders Funeral Home. In 1953, he and his wife moved up north where they worked and saved before returning to Sanford and purchasing the Anders business from Bob Anders. Knotts Funeral Home was born, and Harvey Knotts vowed to give "kind and considerate service." Over the years he also opened funeral homes in Siler City, Pittsboro, and Chapel Hill.