The Stuart Graveyard

The Stuart Graveyard. . This small graveyard has presented a historical mystery. In 1855, Archibald Stuart, the father of General Stuart passed away and was buried in the graveyard before you. In July 1859, his wife, Elizabeth Pannill Stuart sold the property and in so doing, she reserved two small graveyards from the sale. The text of the deed reads: "one in which Wm. Letcher and others are buried, another where A. Stuart is buried." In 1952 Archibald Stuart's remains were exhumed and reinterred next to the grave of his wife in Saltville, Virginia. According to oral tradition there is evidence that two of the Stuart children, Virginia (1835-1842), and an unnamed infant son were buried here and that their graves were enclosed by a brick wall. However, based solely on the text of the 1859 deed it is possible that the deceased Stuart children are the "others" to whom Elizabeth Stuart referred when describing the Letcher graveyard. While it may be reasoned that Elizabeth Stuart would have interred her husband alongside his children, it must be remembered that none of William Letcher's descendants appear to have lived on the property after his death in 1780 until the arrival of the Stuarts in the mid 1820s. This would seem to limit the possibilities of who might be buried in the "other" graves at the Letcher site. Thus, until further conclusive evidence is made available to solve this mystery, this cemetery is respectfully dedicated to the memory or the Stuart family. , This sign is a gift of , James and Tamara Epperson , In Memory of William Forester and Hattie K. Epperson and , Rev. David E. and Valley S. Hill .