Cemetery Ridge Films:
The Maury Family Cemetery at Piedmont

The Maury Family Cemetery is located on what were once the grounds of their homestead Piedmont. The property was split many years ago, and though the University of Virginia now owns much of what was once Piedmont, the cemetery now sits on private property. I have been granted complete access to the cemetery to document and tidy it up.

This will be an evolving page of notes and research from my project.  I lost my first set of notes (unfortunately I stored them on Find A Grave and someone decided they were unnecessary), so hopefully I'll be able to recreate what I had and continue to add to it. Before confirming that this was the Maury Family Cemetery, I'd been calling it Cemetery Ridge Graveyard until I was able to discover its official name, so some of the notes and videos may refer to it as such.

I must thank those who have helped along the way with information and research help, even if was just pointing me in a direction I may not have thought of. Some of those people, in no particular order, are: Senem Ward, Matt Quillon, Richard Nicholas, Brian Nilsson, Dr. Lynn Rainville, Kent Maury, Fay (FDP from Find a Grave), Henry Maury, and Liz Maury.

What I'm looking for:

• Historic/old photographs of the cemetery. I would love to put together a "map" or diagram of who is buried where (eventually for a plaque/sign at the cemetery). 

• What the heck is this? (The cinder blocks are much more recent, but could the bricks have once supported the vault gravestone of Elizabeth Walker Maury? Also, here's a photo of an animal jawbone I found at ground level in the ivy right next to it).

• What happened to the gate? Does it still exist somewhere? Is it buried under some rubble?

Notes:

• The "graves" were moved in about 1988 to Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery in Cismont, VA. The rededication ceremony was held at that cemetery on either Saturday, June 16 or Sunday, June 17, 1990 and was presided over by Rev. Stuart Hanford Henderson. (source: various editions of The Fontaine/Maury Society Newsletters provided by Brian Nilsson). Please note that just the headstones were moved, along with some of the dirt at the cemetery, but that the graves remain in place. (sources: Henry Maury and Liz Maury)

• Brian Nilsson, librarian of the Fontaine/Maury Society website, sent clippings from The Fontaine/Maury Society Newsletter and directed me to Richard Nicholas, author of The Tale of a Black Sheep: Stephen Price Maury. Purchased a copy on Amazon right after he sent me the info, as well as tracked down a copy of the book One American Family: Some Maury Memories, Legends, and Records by Lydia Lowndes Maury Skeels

• Richard Nicholas, author of The Tale of a Black Sheep: Stephen Price Maury, has been quite helpful in many regards. He's confirmed suspicions, provided answers as well as ideas, and connected me with others. 

• Dr. Lynn Rainville, author of Hidden History: African American Cemeteries in Central Virginia (among others), did not visit the Piedmont Cemetery when she was doing research, as she was focused on the other "Maury" cemetery that's likely a slave cemetery (and on UVA Grounds). However, she suggested researching Daily Progress articles as well as UVA Special Collections to see what may be archived. In addition, she wrote, "It was almost 20 years ago when I looked into that site but I vaguely remember some oral history about the exhumations. For example, if you can find the person who headed up UVA Facilities during that time I bet they were involved in the discussions around hiring a firm to move the bodies." Now whether talk of the exhumations were for the Maury or the slave cemetery is unknown. I lean towards the slave cemetery as it's on UVA property. In addition, she wrote, "The story I had always heard was that the Maury family bodies were moved when they widened the road." Where this could absolutely be correct, the cemetery itself is not close enough to the road to have been effected (though perhaps that wasn't known at the time).

• Frederick "Gordon" Tice (1913-2001), Maury Flowers, and Lydia Skeels (1906-1995) were involved in the movement of the cemetery to Grace. (source regarding those involved: The Maury Family Tree: Descendants of Mary Anne Fontaine [1690-1755] and Matthew Maury [1686-1752] complied by Sue Crabtree West-Teague). Note: this states the new location at Grace was dedicated in 1991 which contradicts The Fontaine/Maury Society Newsletter. It also states that it was located "behind a trailer camp and on the verge of collapsing  over a 100 foot road cut on to an express highway," which is not altogether correct. Fontaine Avenue must be what is referred to here, but it's certainly not an express highway (as of right now it's 2-lanes with planned expansion to widen the road in around 2024), and it's not so close to the road that it would collapse over the side (I will take measurements at some point to give an accurate distance from the cemetery wall to the edge of the property/where the cut-in begins). As far as the trailer camp: I have found evidence of one structure that was on this location before it was raised for the current multi-family properties. It was a cottage rather than a trailer. I have been told (Senem Ward) that there were two cottages here before the current structures.

• In February, 2023, Henry Maury and Liz Maury both confirmed that only the headstones where moved. Henry mentioned that some of the dirt was moved as well. Liz corrected some of the data I had on the burials, removing two people (her father Henry Lowndes “Lou” Maury, which she said "His ashes were strewn at sea off the coast of Southern California, near Los Angeles", and Reuben Maury Lowndes who did not exist). Liz also passed along regarding Lydia Lowndes Maury Skeels: "She wrote a second book about the ancestors of our grandmother, Anne Perkins Maury, who arrived in Virginia starting in the 1640’s. Her forebear, Dr. Robert Henderson, is buried in the Northfield cemetery, in Cumberland County.  She also self-published a third book, consisting of family letters."

• I received a copy of a letter Lydia Lowndes Maury Skeels wrote regarding the cemetery from Liz Maury on March 30, 2023. The letter is dated January 28, 1967 and provides a lot of information on the care of the cemetery as well as a list of everyone buried there. Further details coming.

• The caretakers of this cemetery, shortly before the headstones where moved, were not buried here. They are likely William Robert Richards and his wife Charlotte Ellen Carter Bishop (who remarried after William's death). (note: One American Family says the headstone description lists W.R. "Bobby" Richards as sharing the headstone with his wife Charlotte and notes that he's buried "on Monticello Mountain as he wished." Perhaps after she remarried, the headstone was changed. Also notes that these two were "faithful caretakers 1966 on.")

Eventually, I hope to assemble the footage I have from cleaning, as well as other footage regarding the project, into a longer video. I'm not a big narrator with my videos, but this might have to be an exception to actually tell the story. As of February 1, 2022, I have about an hour and a half of footage I have not used in other videos regarding the project. Some is usable, some not... and there's still so much to do and discover.

Likely buried in this cemetery (links point to their entry on Find a Grave at Grace):

1. Anne Henderson Perkins Maury (1874-1963) * +

2. Charles Harper “Charlie” Maury (1854-1859) * +

3. Elizabeth Lewis Maury (1791-1862) * +

4. Elizabeth Walker Maury  (1781-1847) * +

5. Henry Lowndes Maury (1875-1959) * +

6. Jesse Lewis Maury (1811-1904) * +

7. Lucy Jane Price Maury (1827-1923) * +
   here's a photo of her footstone at the Maury Family Cemetery (the only remaining marker in the cemetery and what gave me the first clue)

8. Lydia Ann Maury (1846-1895) * +

9. Matthew Fontaine Maury (?-1878) * +
   here's the location as it looks today of his grave at the Maury Family Cemetery | old photo of the location with the headstone | headstone superimposed over current photo

10. Reuben Maury (1785-1869) $ +

11. Reuben Maury (1848-1923) * +

12. Reuben Maury (1899-1981) #

13. Stephen Price Maury (1850-1941) * +

14. Elizabeth Maury Combs (1874-1957) * +

15. Ann Maury Haynes (1901-1971) * 

16. Thomas Haynes, Jr. (1900-1901) * +

17. Mary Moore Quinn (?-1853) * +
    (note: One American Family notes that this was a family friend and provides two possible stories about her)
    
    

*Listed in The Tale of a Black Sheep and One American Family
$ Listed in One American Family but not The Tale of a Black Sheep (note that the survey was taken in 1979, so it makes sense that burials after that point would not be listed in both books)
# Listed in The Tale of a Black Sheep but not One American Family.
+ Confirmed by January 28, 1967 letter written by Lydia Lowndes Maury Skeels. Note that RM died in 1981, and AMH died in 1971, which was after the letter was written.  Also note that her letter mentions "Mr. Richards" as the caretaker, which I assume is W.R. Bobby Richards, and Charlotte E. Carter Richards must be his wife. Because Mr. Richards was alive at the time, there is no confirmation of his or his wife's burial. Finding living members of their family is probably the best way to figure out this piece of the puzzle.

My original, lost notes had up to 24 potentially buried here, though I think W.R. Richards was on that list, plus the two people Liz Maury corrected me as not buried there, so I'm missing possibly three people. If my memory is correct they may have been unnamed/unmarked children's graves. 

Videos of the Maury Family Cemetery at Piedmont (I recommend clicking on the "Watch on YouTube" button)

Links:

• Find A Grave: Maury Family Cemetery which includes photos of each of the graves I've found definitive evidence of

• YouTube playlist of the videos I've currently released of the Maury Family Cemetery at Piedmont (more are coming)

• Video of the Maury Family Cemetery that's actually an enslaved laborer graveyard (who were owned by the Maury family) discovered on the grounds of the University of Virginia after the sale of the Piedmont land.

• Here's a long video of the very beautiful Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery, which I filmed and put together well before this project. The Maury family section does appear, but was not a main focus. I have returned recently and gotten additional footage and I'm sure I'll visit again before too long.

• Buy The Tale of a Black Sheep: Stephen Price Maury, compiled by Richard Nicholas.