Dillard Cemetery

 

Locality: Roanoke County                  Temporal Period:                  2nd half 19th century

Realty Map:          27.09-2-28.1/30 or Cultural Affiliation:              Euro-American

                                27.13-4-2

USGS Map:           Roanoke                                                Landform:                              Ridge top

Grid Locus:            D-4                                          Elevation:                              1100 feet

UTM Easting:       591850                                    Aspect:                                  Southeast

UTM Northing:    4133650

 

Site Dimensions:  20 feet by 10 feet 

 

Survey Description: Site consists of a small family cemetery with at least five interments.  Observed interments identified on the basis of five marble headstones and three marble headstone bases.  Graves oriented toward 60 degrees.  All of the headstones have been toppled and displaced.  Most of the headstones are also broken.  Fragments of footstones were found scattered around the site area.  Dense growth of briars hindered site inspection; other graves may be present.  Minimum site size of 10 by 20 feet corresponds to distribution of headstones and bases.  At the time of survey, flagging tape present on trees suggested cemetery boundaries about 30 by 30 feet.  Distribution of footstone fragments around east, south, and west sides of sites approximates this size.  Historic plantings include periwinkle ground cover; other plants include cherry, oak, and hickory trees.  Site was field inspected, photographed, and headstone inscriptions were transcribed and compared to previous site documentation.  Site size was estimated by pacing the horizontal extent of observed graves.

 

Survey Date:         2/98

 

Field Notes:           x Yes    No

Photographs:        x Yes     No

 

Reference(s):         Prillaman, Helen

                                1985        Place Near the Mountains.  Privately printed, Roanoke, Virginia.

 

Roanoke Valley Historical Society

                                1986        Roanoke County Graveyards Through 1920.  Privately printed, RVHS, Roanoke.

 

Works Progress Administration of Virginia, Historical Inventory, Roanoke County, Virginia, Document #235.

 

Additional Comments: Assigned temporal period based on death dates observed on headstones.  Death dates range from 1850 through 1889.  Site is not marked on USGS Roanoke map sheet or on local realty maps.  Cemetery borders a cedar-covered picnic area on the property of Faith Alliance Church.  The picnic area also contains periwinkle.  The distribution of the plantings suggests the cemetery probably extends onto the picnic area.

 

The site was initially surveyed and documented in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration and recorded as the “Dillard Cemetery” in Document #235 of the Historical Inventory of Roanoke County, Virginia. The survey documentation described the cemetery as “unkempt” and listed only the name of Alfred Terrill Dillard, deceased 1853.  A later survey of the cemetery was completed by the RVHS (1986:  110-111).  Their report indicated that “just a few stone remain in a field” and biographical information was documented from inscriptions on the headstones of Alfred Dillard, Elizabeth B. Dillard, and Lelia Jane Dillard.

 

Dillard Cemetery (continued)

A more comprehensive documentation of the cemetery was reported by Helen R. Prillaman in her book Places Near the Mountains (1985:  241-244).  Prillaman reported (1985: 241) “...to the right of the house on

the hillside, that could be clearly seen was the family cemetery.  What remains of it today is behind the Roanoke County Fire Dep. No. 5.  The stones have fallen or been knocked over by cattle grazing in the area.  The two largest stones are broken.  There is a heavy growth of periwinkle that probably covers more graves.”  She documented biographical information from five headstones, and mentioned “there were several footstones, all belonging to the graves listed . . . ” (1985:  242).  The following information, obtained during the 1998 survey, matches the previous documentation of the site.

 

Marker Inscriptions:

 

Alfred T.                                                Mrs. Elizabeth B.                                  Lelia Jane

Dillard                                                    Dillard                                                    Daughter of

Departed this life                                  Departed this life                                  N.B. & M.E. Dillard

March 18, 1853                                     Jan. 6th, 1889                                        Died       

(stone toppled and                              A.D.                                                        July 21, 1881

broken into two pieces)                      (stone toppled and                              Aged

broken into three                                  8 yrs 4 mos 10 das

pieces)                                                   Dearest Lelia, thou hast left us,

And thy loss we deeply feel;

Tis the Lord that has bereft us

Of one we love so well.

(stone displaced and leaning

against a tree trunk)

 

Edith L                                                   Rosa B.

Infant                                                     Infant

Daughter of                                           Daughter of

A.T. & E.B.                                            A.T. & E.B.

Dillard                                                    Dillard

(epitaph not legible;                            Born July

stone displaced, broken                      8, 1849

into two pieces and                             Died Aug.

leaning against a tree)                         19, 1850

(stone displaced and

leaning against a tree)

Dillard Cemetery

 

Locality: Roanoke County                  Temporal Period:                  2nd half 19th century

Realty Map:          27.09-2-28.1/30 or Cultural Affiliation:              Euro-American

                                27.13-4-2

USGS Map:           Roanoke                                                Landform:                              Ridge top

Grid Locus:            D-4                                          Elevation:                              1100 feet

UTM Easting:       591850                                    Aspect:                                  Southeast

UTM Northing:    4133650

 

Site Dimensions:  20 feet by 10 feet 

 

Survey Description: Site consists of a small family cemetery with at least five interments.  Observed interments identified on the basis of five marble headstones and three marble headstone bases.  Graves oriented toward 60 degrees.  All of the headstones have been toppled and displaced.  Most of the headstones are also broken.  Fragments of footstones were found scattered around the site area.  Dense growth of briars hindered site inspection; other graves may be present.  Minimum site size of 10 by 20 feet corresponds to distribution of headstones and bases.  At the time of survey, flagging tape present on trees suggested cemetery boundaries about 30 by 30 feet.  Distribution of footstone fragments around east, south, and west sides of sites approximates this size.  Historic plantings include periwinkle ground cover; other plants include cherry, oak, and hickory trees.  Site was field inspected, photographed, and headstone inscriptions were transcribed and compared to previous site documentation.  Site size was estimated by pacing the horizontal extent of observed graves.

 

Survey Date:         2/98

 

Field Notes:           x Yes    No

Photographs:        x Yes     No

 

Reference(s):         Prillaman, Helen

                                1985        Place Near the Mountains.  Privately printed, Roanoke, Virginia.

 

Roanoke Valley Historical Society

                                1986        Roanoke County Graveyards Through 1920.  Privately printed, RVHS, Roanoke.

 

Works Progress Administration of Virginia, Historical Inventory, Roanoke County, Virginia, Document #235.

 

Additional Comments: Assigned temporal period based on death dates observed on headstones.  Death dates range from 1850 through 1889.  Site is not marked on USGS Roanoke map sheet or on local realty maps.  Cemetery borders a cedar-covered picnic area on the property of Faith Alliance Church.  The picnic area also contains periwinkle.  The distribution of the plantings suggests the cemetery probably extends onto the picnic area.

 

The site was initially surveyed and documented in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration and recorded as the “Dillard Cemetery” in Document #235 of the Historical Inventory of Roanoke County, Virginia. The survey documentation described the cemetery as “unkempt” and listed only the name of Alfred Terrill Dillard, deceased 1853.  A later survey of the cemetery was completed by the RVHS (1986:  110-111).  Their report indicated that “just a few stone remain in a field” and biographical information was documented from inscriptions on the headstones of Alfred Dillard, Elizabeth B. Dillard, and Lelia Jane Dillard.

 

Dillard Cemetery (continued)

A more comprehensive documentation of the cemetery was reported by Helen R. Prillaman in her book Places Near the Mountains (1985:  241-244).  Prillaman reported (1985: 241) “...to the right of the house on

the hillside, that could be clearly seen was the family cemetery.  What remains of it today is behind the Roanoke County Fire Dep. No. 5.  The stones have fallen or been knocked over by cattle grazing in the area.  The two largest stones are broken.  There is a heavy growth of periwinkle that probably covers more graves.”  She documented biographical information from five headstones, and mentioned “there were several footstones, all belonging to the graves listed . . . ” (1985:  242).  The following information, obtained during the 1998 survey, matches the previous documentation of the site.

 

Marker Inscriptions:

 

Alfred T.                                                Mrs. Elizabeth B.                                  Lelia Jane

Dillard                                                    Dillard                                                    Daughter of

Departed this life                                  Departed this life                                  N.B. & M.E. Dillard

March 18, 1853                                     Jan. 6th, 1889                                        Died       

(stone toppled and                              A.D.                                                        July 21, 1881

broken into two pieces)                      (stone toppled and                              Aged

broken into three                                  8 yrs 4 mos 10 das

pieces)                                                   Dearest Lelia, thou hast left us,

And thy loss we deeply feel;

Tis the Lord that has bereft us

Of one we love so well.

(stone displaced and leaning

against a tree trunk)

 

Edith L                                                   Rosa B.

Infant                                                     Infant

Daughter of                                           Daughter of

A.T. & E.B.                                            A.T. & E.B.

Dillard                                                    Dillard

(epitaph not legible;                            Born July

stone displaced, broken                      8, 1849

into two pieces and                             Died Aug.

leaning against a tree)                         19, 1850

(stone displaced and

leaning against a tree)

 

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