RICHMOND COUNTY, VA - CEMETERIES – Randolph Cemetery ----¤¤¤---- Source: Library of Virginia Digital Collection LVA Titled Files: Survey Report, The Randolph graveyard: 1936 Sep. 24 Research made by J. Archer Evans Cemetery Location: 1 mile east of Richmond, Virginia, .5 mile north of Old Mill Road in Henrico County. Richmond Co., Virginia DATE: (blank) OWNERS: (blank) DESCRIPTION: The only approach to this graveyard is through a modern colored cemetery known as Ever Green Cemetery and owned by a group of progressive colored men of Richmond. This old graveyard is approximately three hundred feet square and is dotted here and there with locust and oak trees. The whole plot is covered over with honeysuckle and bamboo briars and has had no attention for years. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: According to the informant all the original head stones were of wood with a few exceptions, these being at the graves of those buried after the War Between the States. Not a remnant of the old wooden head pieces remains and many of the bodies from the marked graves have been moved to other burial grounds, some having been taken to the vicinity of Lynchburg. In searching through the tangle of honeysuckle and bamboo I noticed that the ground was filled with holes and mounds and asked my informant if all pits and mounds were made by bodies or remains being removed. My informant, a small gentleman with a twinkle in his eye, told me the following story, that he said had been handed down to him. “Many of the graves in this here plot, was here one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty years ago. (1936) There were a lot of people that requested that when they died they wanted to be buried in their very best bib and tucker and all their gold rings, broaches, ear rings and other jewelry placed in the coffin with them. Years later, this story having been handed down from father to son, people had gotten over their superstition regarding graveyards and some braver than the rest, believing that much gold had been buried with the corpses and finding no stones or markers, began to dig all over the place in a hectic effort to locate it.” I then asked him if he had ever heard of any gold or jewels being dug up or recovered. His answer was: “No, Cap, I never did and if you want my opinion of it, I don’t think that any of these fellows ever went deep enough, and as for me, I am perfectly willing that the folks that’s buried there can keep what they have down there and I’ll try to take care of what I have up here.” SOURCES OF INFORMATION: Informant: T. Dowdy and wife, Mill Road, Richmond, Virginia Tombstone Inscriptions Visit by worker. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Joan Renfrow NOTICE: I have no relationship or further information in regards to this family. ___________________________________________________________________