Willcoxon Family Cemetery

Willcoxon Family Cemetery. Who Is Buried Here?. , Rezin Samuel Willcoxon purchased this parcel of land c. 1806. He and his wife, Betsey DeNeale Willcoxon (1780-1845) lived here with their 10 children. Rezin's gravestone (far left) notes his service as a captain of cavalry unit in the 60th Virginia Militia during the War of 18 12. In 2014, the Society for the War of 18 12 in Virginia placed a marker at his gravesite. The open book on Betsey's gravestone (left) symbolizes the book of life and heaven's open door. The burial site of Rezin's second wife, Fanny Halley DeBell Willcoxon (1785-1867), is unknown., In his 1889 will, Albert Willcoxon (Rezin's youngest son) directed the cemetery "be enlarged as a family burying ground." Despite his wishes, the cemetery fell into disuse. His wife, Mary Hunter, Eskridge Willcoxon (1839-1903), is buried in the Fairfax City Cemetery, reflecting the cultural shift away from family cemeteries., The map below identifies the legible gravestones in this cemetery as viewed from the fence. The taller gravestones include Victorian symbols of mourning. The small footstones are carved with the deceased's initials and/or year of burial., 1a , Richard Ratcliffe Farr (1804-1845) , husband and first cousin of Margaret Conn Willcoxon, married c. 1838, 1b , Margaret Conn Willcoxon Farr (1820-1904) , daughter of Rezin and Betsey DeNeale Willcoxon, 2a , Elizabeth "Betsey" DeNeale Willcoxon (1780-1845) , Rezin Willcoxon's first wife, married 1805, 2b , Rezin Samuel Willcoxon (1771-1855), 3 , Margaret Conn Willcoxon (1740-1832) , mother of Rezin Samuel Willcoxon, 4 , Albert Thomas Willcoxon (1829-1889) , - replaced headstone - , son of Rezin and Betsey and owner of c. 1859 Blenheim house and farm, and, Maude (c. 1861, age 6 months) , daughter of Albert and Mary Eskridge Willcoxon (1839-1903). , Are other Willcoxon family members or former property owners buried here? Could enslaved people or Union soldiers be buried here in unmarked graves?, To help answer those questions, specialists conducted a non-invasive Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey and a supplementary electromagnetic induction (EMI) data collection to assess the existence of burials in, around, and behind the fenced cemetery., The data summary "inferred the presence of a maximum of 52 possible and 25 suspicious" burial sites., In the top image, the suspicious and possible gravesites are placed over to a 2019 aerial view of the Willcoxon Cemetery and aligned on top of the current known family gravestones., Further investigation may yield more answers to: Who is Buried in the Willcoxon Cemetery?, [Captions:] , John H. Imlay (left) and William Hanna, Ph.D., (right) conducted a GPR survey in 2004 to detect the presence of gravesites., Ovals on the GPR printout show possible marked burials.