In 1931, C. Grainger Kornegay and Saluda Dunbar Kornegay established Kornegay Funeral Home in Camden, South Carolina. Mr. Kornegay met Saluda Dunbar in Columbia while stationed at Ft. Jackson. Mrs. Kornegay was the daughter of John Stewart Dunbar and grand-daughter of James Monroe Van Metre, who had been in the funeral business since 1884. 

Mr. Kornegay, who had worked at Dunbar Funeral Home in Columbia, South Carolina, decided to go home to Goldsborough, North Carolina with his wife to open a funeral home. However, as he was pumping gas in Camden, S.C., someone told him that a funeral home was needed in Camden; he took that advice and opened a funeral home in Camden, S.C. After founding Kornegay Funeral Home in 1931, Mr. and Mrs. Kornegay built and moved into our current location, 1112 Fair Street, Camden in 1939. "Grainger", known affectionally throughout the community, re-enlisted in the Army and left Camden and "Kornegay's", to fight in the European theatre during World War II. During that time, "Sudie" continued operating the funeral home.

Mr. and Mrs. Kornegay built a strong reputation of trust and caring within the Kershaw County community. Their three sons, Caleb Grainger Kornegay, Jr., John Dunbar Kornegay, and George Van Metre Kornegay, continued in their footsteps. 

This generation served their community as both funeral directors and community leaders as did their parents. Grainger was the 1958 Carolina's four-ball champion with steeplechase great Austin Brown. In 1952, Grainger's younger brother John, "Johnny", represented the South Carolina Shrine Bowl team and Camden as an all-star center and middle linebacker. Younger brother George would lead Kershaw County as coroner, the highest elected official in the county. In 1985, Kornegay's opened a second location in the Lugoff-Elgin area at 1139 Highway 1 South , Lugoff, South Carolina. 

Currently, their sons Grainger, Johnny, and Van carry on the family tradition at Kornegay Funeral Home. Kornegay Funeral Home continues to operate by the words of Saluda Dunbar Kornegay, “always do things for others the way you would want them done for yourself.” This is what we have built our reputation on for five generations and is still our philosophy today.