City of Chesapeake Va Archives Cemeteries....Smith Family Cemetery ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Trinkle Jones March 31, 2008 CEMETERY SURVEY SMITH FAMILY CEMETERY, MOUNT PLEASANT FARM (now Fentress Naval Auxiliary Landing Field), Norfolk Co. (now City of Chesapeake), Virginia Location: Approx. 36 deg, 42' 11.45” N, 76 deg, 07' 06.05” W, 12 ft elevation (Google Earth, 24 Oct 2006) Surveyor: A. Trinkle Jones , 20 Oct 2006 Visited by A. Trinkle Jones of Tempe, AZ, and Sharyn Smith Lynch and Charles Davies Smith (her father) of Chesapeake, VA Directions: From Mount Pleasant Road, enter Fentress NALF by going left at Mount Pleasant Church, right on Bell Page Road, left onto Lockheed Avenue (left through fence at 2500 Lockheed Avenue and straight down to Admin Bldg, i.e. Bldg. #100) to sign in/out and to get permission (right side of bldg. is office; left side with entrance is men's quarters). To reach graveyard, return up drive through fence and right on Lockheed AV back to Bell Page Road, which trends right (parallel to Mount Pleasant Road, but behind church) and pavement ends shortly. Take second right after church from Bell Page onto another dirt road, which is lined with tall deciduous trees. About 100 meters before trees on left end, look on left about 2 m from road edge for wood plank footbridge about 1 m wide (good condition) and past that for large cross monument. Cemetery, about 12-15 m square, is in cultivated (corn) field outlined by concrete post and wire cable fence; however backside cable (E) is down now, and back half of cemetery is overgrown about 5 ft high with dense grass. This heavy spot of vegetation shows on aerials of the area. Front half around visible stones is cleared, and small American flags in fairly good condition are in place beside veterans' graves. We didn't locate any other stones in the tall grass with one pass through it and inspection from the periphery, although some may be there. See my topo map plot, photos, and Cemetery Records Form. [Sharyn has met other relatives here, so get her notes on that. A log book would be good here.] Summary: We located nine markers, including two large multi-name monuments (cross and obelisk). A total of 17 individuals are memorialized, and all but one stone can be read (see Inscriptions and Index below). Two War of 1812 veterans, Peter Land and Mitchell Smith, each are n amed on two stones: 1) a standard-issue Veterans' Administration stone (without birth or death dates) and 2) the large cross. Those two Vets' stones, along with the Vet's stone for John Smith, are located NW of the large cross from left to right (south to north), respectively. With the exception (or not) of the cross, all the stones “face” east, so that may have been the original front entry of the cemetery. Access is now from the road and footbridge to the west. The earliest engraved burial date found is 1816 (Capt. Mitchell Smith); however, his father and Rev. War Vet. John Smith died in 1802. The latest burial date is 1917 (Rosa Bell Francis). Charles D. Smith believes that the cemetery was still “in the family” until Fentress NALF was established in 1940. Detailed Notes and Inscriptions: * Large cross, possibly a secondary marker: West side, upper: Inscription: Capt. Mitchell Smith 1781 - 1816 Wife Olive Woodard 1785 - 1856 Parents of Elizabeth 1807 - 1837 West side, base: Inscription: Capt. Peter Land 1845 Wife Elizabeth Keeling Parents of Edw. C. Land 1808 - 1832 East side, upper: Inscription: DR. JAS. E. BELL 1824 - 1914 HIS WIFE ANN [?Letters for “ANN” appear much lighter than others] DAU. OF ELIZABETH C. FOREMAN AND EDW. C. LAND 1832 - 1910 East side, base: Inscription: HAVE GLORIFIED THEE ON EARTH. Jas. E. Bell, JR. 1865 - 1895 Savage Bell 1796 - 1864 Wife Elizabeth Harmanson Speirs 1797 - 1856 Parents of Dr. Jas. E. Bell Northampton County, Virginia Individual stones: * Inscription: ROSA BELL FRANCIS 1876 - 1917 * Inscription: Capt. Peter Land 8 VA. REG. WAR 1812 * Inscription: Capt. Mitchell Smith 95 VA. MIL. WAR 1812 * Inscription: John Smith VA. MIL. REV. WAR * Large obelisk, pecked area and small depression on tip, i.e. horizontal, area of monument indicate that something was attached there at one time. Located on right/southeast of cross. This may be a secondary marker, as indicated by fragment of footstone for Margaret Smith found adjacent to monument base. West side: Inscription: Sacred to the memory of Margaret Smith. Born Sep. 5, 1819. Died July 7, 1896. “I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.” Note: Footstone fragment found in soil at base of west side of obelisk with initials: M. S. East side: Inscription: Sacred to the memory of Edwin Smith. BORN Sep. 18, 1815. DIED JUNE 3, 1889. ----------- “THE LORD KNOWETH THE DAYS OF THE UPRIGHT AND THEIR INHERITANCE SHALL BE FOR EVER.” [sic] East side, base: SMITH Note: NE corner of base says: “Engraved by Couper, Norfolk, Va.,” probably Couper Marble Works. Individual stones: * Located back R., behind/east of obelisk: Inscription: In memory of Wm. T. Smith Born Oct. 17, 1841. Died Feb. 9, 1882. At Rest. * Located front R., west of obelisk, south of cross: Inscription: Sacred to the memory of M. Louise Beloved daughter of Dr. Jas. E. & A. F. Bell Died Apr. 29, 1880. In the 18 year of her age & in the morning of her christian life. ----------------------------- [italicized epitaph illegible in photo] * Located in vicinity of M. Louise Bell is another marker whose inscription, especially in my photos, is illegible. Index (lists all individuals named on stones, whether buried here or not): BELL,* Ann (aka A. F.) 1832 - 1910 Elizabeth Harmanson Speirs 1797 - 1856 Dr. Jas. E. 1824 - 1914 Jas. E., Jr. 1865 - 1895 M. Louise 1862 - 1880 Savage 1796 - 1864 FOREMAN, Elizabeth C. (mother of Ann Land Bell; Foreman probably is name of 1st husband.) FRANCIS, Rosa Bell 1876 - 1917 KEELING, Elizabeth (see LAND) LAND,* Ann (aka A. F.; see BELL) Capt. Peter 1845 Edw. C. (father of Ann Land Bell) Elizabeth Keeling 1808 - 1832 SMITH, Edwin 1815 - 1889 Elizabeth (aka Elizabeth C. Foreman) 1807 - 1837 Margaret 1819 - 1896 Wm. T. 1841 - 1882 John (Rev. War) Capt. Mitchell 1781 - 1816 Olive Woodard 1785 - 1856 SPEIRS, Elizabeth Harmanson (see BELL) WOODARD, Olive (see SMITH) *Regarding the BELL and LAND family names: Ann Land [Bell] was Elizabeth C. Smith's daughter by her second husband, Edward Cannon Land.