USCG Training Center Yorktown in York County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Major William Gooch Of This Parish

Dyed October 29, 1655

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025

1. Major William Gooch Of This Parish Marker

Inscription. This stone slab marks the grave of Major William Gooch, a prominent resident of York Parish, who served as a Justice of the Peace and a member of the House of Burgesses from York County. He was also appointed to the Governor's Council shortly before his death in 1655. Gooch was buried under the chancel of the First Parish Church. This is the second eldest legible tombstone inscription to survive in Virginia.

With in this tomb there doth interred lie no shape but substance true nobility it self though young in yeares just twenty-nine yet grac'd with vertues morall and divine The church from him did good participate in counsell rare fit to adorn a state

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is October 29, 1655.

Location. 37° 12.948′ N, 76° 28.751′ W. Marker is in Yorktown, Virginia, in York County. It is in USCG Training Center Yorktown. It is on Perimeter Road 0.4 miles east of Nelson Street, on the right. The marker is on post at USCG Training Center

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Yorktown, across from the Perimeter Road Baseball Field backstop. This is a secured installation and the general public cannot access this location without a credentialed escort. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Yorktown VA 23690, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Archaeological Excavations (a few steps from this marker); Early Settlement Along Wormley's Creek (a few steps from this marker); The Seventeenth-Century Churches of York Parish (a few steps

Major William Gooch Tombstone Cover image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025

2. Major William Gooch Tombstone Cover

from this marker); Yorke Village (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War Trenches (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Revenue Cutter Surveyor (approx. 0.4 miles away); Moore House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Wear Of Centuries (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yorktown.

More about this marker. The right side of the marker is a transcription of the gravestone inscription and does not contain punctuation. The title of the marker and its subtitle given here is also part of the tombstone inscription.

Regarding Major William Gooch Of This Parish. A glass & steel cover structure provides angled horizontal protection for the gravestone and its inscription.

Major William Gooch Tombstone image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025

3. Major William Gooch Tombstone

Second Parish Church Outline image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025

4. Second Parish Church Outline

William Gooch's tombstone is behind the center tree. The 20th century brick wall represents the foundation outline of the Second Parish Church, built on this site in 1667 to include William Gooch's grave. He was originally buried under the First Parish Church on this site.

Virginia Historic Landmark Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025

5. Virginia Historic Landmark Sign

William Gooch's tomb is included in the Virginia Historic Landmark-designated archaeological site.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, March 8, 2025

6. Major William Gooch Tombstone Cover

Rear view of the tombstone and the angle of its protective cover.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 17, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 252 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 17, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.