| 1. SUBJECT;
The Old Cemetery".
(PW-294)
2. LOCATION:
To the east
of Route #9, .5 miles from Occoquan, Virginia, taking Route #9 at
Occoquan and going one fourth mile, thence east towards the river
about two hundred feet from any cleared spot to the left of the
river's edge.
3. DATE:
Said to be
over a hundred years old.
4. OWNERS:
This appears
to have been a part of the Champe grant from the Proprietor's Office,
later sold to John Ballandine, and then coming into the hands of
Henry Selecman. There is a record in Deed Book 37, folio 245, recording
the sale of a tract of land here by William Selecman; the estate
of Henry Selecman was sold to Corintha S. Giles; this was In 1887
and the graveyard was reserved. It appears to have been private
property.
5. DESCRIPTION:
It covers a
large area, and there are several lots enclosed by iron fences,
now rusted, and the gates are impossible to open. One lot is surrounded
by a brick wall, but there is not a stone within that has any inscription.
The honeysuckle and periwinkle are so thick that many of the stones
are completely hidden, and it is only by stumbling over them that
they are found. The thick growth and almost semidarkness make it
very difficult to decipher the inscriptions that remain. It is located
on a bluff by the side of the river, and directly opposite the Lorton
Reformatory across the river.
6. HISTORICAL
SIGNIFICANCE:
The following
are the inscriptions that it was possible to read:
1. Bohannon~ (one
large granite stone with nothing but that name.
2. Charles L. Swann,
born February 1st, 1862, died January 8th, 1887. uFrom the end of
the earth will I cry unto thee, where my heart is,that is higher
than I.
In loving remembrance
of my beloved Father and Mother.
3. John Wallace Greg,
born 1810, died 1900.
-----born 1808,
died 1900.
4. In Memory of Rachael,
eife of Andrew Woolchiser born March 21st, 1819, died February 17th,
18--
5. Viola Carter, born
May 1st, 1855, died June 28th, 1887.
'~Gone but not forgotten,
we hope you are at rest as a prayer from her
6. Minnie G. Posey,
died 1878, aged 11 years.
7. In loving remembrance
of John Thomas Turner, Oct. 16th, 1850, May 1911
uDearest loved one
we have laid thee in the peaceful grave's embrace, But thy memory
will be cherished till we see thy Heavenly face"
8. In loving remembrance
of Mary E. --- Wife of Wm., born Feb. 8th, 1828, died March 18th,
1889.
Name chipped off---
Gone home!
"Farewell to thee
our darling Mother dear, life is sad without thee here, May we meet
in Heaven above where all is peace and love".
(The above were three
were taken from stones enclosed by a high iron fence, as one name
was Turner it is probable that they were all of the same family.)
7. ART:
8. SOURCES
OF INFORMATION: Informants:
Mrs. William Lynn,
Occoquan, Virginia.
Mrs.
G. S. Eelecman, Occoquan, Virginia.
Mrs.
F. W. Barnes, Occoquan, Virginia.
INDEX
Bohannon
I Posey, Minnie G. 6
Carter,
Viola 5 Swann, Charlie 2
Greg,
John William 3 Turner, John Thomas 7
Mary E.,
Wife of Wm. 8 Woolchiser, Rachael 4
Research made
by
Susan Rogers
Morton,
Haymarket, Virginia July 22, 1937.
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