Spotsylvania County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Cemeteries.....Robinson/Smith Family Cemetery, Church Pond Road ************************************************ 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: Shirley Gragg gragg02@comcast.net January 26, 2011 The Robinson/Smith Family Cemetery is a small family cemetery located on Church Pond Road, Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The Cemetery for many years had a barbed-wire fence around it, but is now enclosed with a green chain link fence. Based on information from Spotsylvania County Real Estate Office, the cemetery had no ‘official’ name – I only heard my Mom call it “the Old Stanley Cemetery”. No signs indicate whether there is one or two cemeteries there. There are two. The only dividing line between the two parcels of land – which are distinctively separate – is several large oak trees. Facing the cemetery, on the right side there are numerous headstones bear the name ‘Stanley’. On the far left side, there are other gravesites, in particular the remains of the Robinson/Smith Family who lived on what is now Smith Station Road, just east of the Massaponax Baptist Church. In the past, only two headstones had marked this part of the cemetery – that of Rosa Lee Taylor [Campbell/Hicks] and her infant son, Lloyd Hicks. For years Mama and I would go out to the cemetery annually to do some cleanup around my two infant sister’s graves and my grandmothers. When Mama passed away, it was years before I could muster the courage to go there again. Finally, in 2010, my husband and I went out there to do some cleaning/clearing of brush and small trees that had cropped up. It was then that I realized I needed to have markers – not headstones, in the traditional sense – but something that would say these people were family, they were loved [thought most of them I never met]. We purchased six markers that inscribed the names, birth and death dates of the following individuals: It is this part of the cemetery that is the resting place of my family as follows: Mary Josephine Robinson [Taylor/Smith/Skinner] Mary Josephine Robinson was b. 8 April 1862 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia on what is now known as Smith Station Road, just east of Massaponax Baptist Church, the oldest child of Joseph Benjamin Robinson and Mary Caroline Fugate. Mary, at age 22, married --- (1) John Taylor, b. abt 1861 and son of James and Jane Taylor,of Stafford, Virginia on 31 December 1884. Mary and John had 2 children, John E., and Rosa Lee. (2) Jacob Smith, b. abt 1861, son of George and Sallie Smith of Caroline County. Mary and Jacob had 8 children - Bennie, b. abt 1889; Mary, b. 1890; Edward, b. 1892; William, b. 1894; Kate, b. 1896; George, b. 1899; Albert, b. 1902, and Catherine 'Rena', Elizabeth b. 1903. The death of Jacob is uncertain; however, indications are that Jacob died before the 1910 census, as Mary J. is a widow. Jacob Smith is also buried in this cemetery, but the exact site is not known. (3) On 31 October 1910, Mary married Clinton Skinner. Nothing is known about this gentleman, except he is also buried in this Family Cemetery, at the foot of Mary Josephine's grave. John E "Johnnie" Robinson Taylor; b. 26 Jan 1880, Spotsylvania County, Virginia; d. – 14 January 1941, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Son of Mary Josephine Robinson and John Taylor Albert Jacob Smith, b. 14 June 1901; d. 10 March, 1939, Richmond, Virginia. Son of Jacob Smith and Mary Josephine Robinson. Temple M. Allen, Sr. (MJ’s son-in-law); b. 1887, King William County, Virginia; d. 16 January 1933, Spotsylvania County, Virginia. was first husband of Catherine (Rena) Elizabeth Smith. He was the father of Julia Frances Allen and Temple M. Allen, Jr. Marian Ann Varker, [my sister], b. 6 September 1942, Fredericksburg, Virginia; d. 21 April, 1945, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Cause of death was complications from measles. Agnes Marie Varker, [my sister], b. 13 August 1941, Fredericksburg, virginia; d. 5 December 1941, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Infant daughter of Murray B. Varker and ‘Rena’ Smith. The following individuals believed to have been buried in the same cemetery; there are many unmarked gravesites. William Taylor 1862 – 1888 – first husband of Mary Josephine Robinson. Annie B. Taylor 1885 – 1885, infant daughter of William and Mary J., and twin to Rosa Lee Taylor Jacob Smith - Birth April 1861, Caroline County, Virginia; Death Bef 27 Apr 1910 [census date] in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Jacob Smith was my grandfather. Found no records on his death because Virginia was not required to keep vital records between 1896 and 1913. Believe Jacob may have died probably earlier 1910, but no indication as to which unmarked grave might be his. Mama believed that Mary J was buried at the foot of Jacob’s grave. Bennie D. Smith 1889 – 1889, infant son of Jacob Smith and Mary Josephine Robinson. Clinton Skinner, third husband of Mary Josephine Robinson; b. abt 1869 in St. Louis, Missouri; died after 1932, probably in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. He is buried at the foot of Mary J,’s grave, but no headstone or marker. Only 2wo existing headstones have long marked the cemetery – Rosa Lee Taylor [Campbell/Hicks], b. 19 August, 1885, Spotsylvania County, Virginia; d. 15 June, 1932, Spotsylvania County, Virginia; Lloyd E Hicks, infant son of Hunter Hicks, Jr. and Rosa Lee Taylor; b. 28 July, 1931; d. 4 August 1931. Shirley Varker Gragg, daughter of Murray Varker and Catherine ‘Rena’ Elizabeth Smith. 24 January 2011.