Page 15 – “The history and background of St. George’s Episcopal Church, Fredericksburg, Virginia.”
The church-yard originally extended from Main Street to Princess Anne Street. At the time of the writing of a historical sketch of the cemetery in 1892, “1752” was the earliest legible date on any marker, but unquestionably burials were made there before that date. In 1756 the cemetery was old enough to arouse sufficient sentimental attachment to cause bodies to be brought a considerable distance to be buried in the “midst of their people.”
That the cemetery was no local affair was evidenced by the tomb of the father of Martha Washington, Colonel John Dandridge of New Kent County, and that· of Carter Beverly of Essex County. 76
Finally, the vestry petitioned the General Assembly for authority to sell the land on Main Street, characterizing the hilly and broken nature of the churchyard as an impediment ‘to the erection of a much-needed new church, and describing the burial ground as full, except on Main Street. In 1772 the request was granted on the condition that an additional burial plot would be purchased elsewhere. The land was sold, but the proceeds were lost during the Revolutionary War and the “further purchase” was never made. In 1774, £100 was levied to pay Colonel Fielding Lewis for a square of lots on which to erect a new church
Page 16
..in Fredericksburg and the following year 10,000 lbs. of tobacco was appropriated as a start on this project, but the war apparently caused its abandonment.
Page 56 William Mead Clark
In 1892 Clark prepared a booklet entitled St. George’s Cemetery: An Historical Sketch which was
published and sold by the Ladies’ Cemetery Guild of St. George’s Church.
Page 116 People buried no gravestone
St.George’s 1892 sketch – Notes
There was a tradition of God’s Acre before `1727
1772 – act of Assembly sell lower part to Caroline unsuitable for graves and look elsewhere Money lost in revolution
1849 – 3rd church – larger than others and formerly buried bodies reinterred under basement floor.
1862 – damage to cemetery- bushes, briars, weeds. Greatest number of graves hidden by undergrowth.
April 6 ,1892 – Ladies formed St. George’s Cemetery Guild to restore cemetery. Raised money
$150 graveyard cleaned, ground rolled and sowed in grass. Trees planted. Tombstones cleaned.
Counted 164 names. Of these 29 graves without stones