Shirley Cemetery - Gainesville, VA - Out of Place Graves on Waymarking.com

In the hustle and bustle of up and coming Gainesville, Virginia, a small family cemetery lies within the build up of a commercial shopping area. This is not an abandoned cemetery, but the graves here are very old. When this cemetery was started, Gainesville was a rural farming area. In the last twenty years, Gainesville, Haymarket area has tripled in size and sprawl. It is the geteway to Interstate 66.
With all the development, thank heavens they saved this cemetery. Major commercial businesses and restaurants surround this little plot of land. A nice grid iron fence keeps the cemetery intact. This cemetery indeed falls in the category of Out of place graves! However, it really isnt! These graves were here before all the sprawl!
This small family cemetery is the final resting place of Richard O. (1802-1857) and Susan (1813-1880) Shirley and possibly several of their six children. 
Richard Shirley was a farmer and tavern keeper who owned approximately 400 acres of land near Gainesville on the Warrenton Turnpike, modern day Route 29.

*2.i Richard O. Shirley*, tavern keeper of Prince William Co VA; born 1802 died 1857; buried at the Shirley Cemetery at Gainesville Prince William Co VA
"Shirley Tavern: "Taverns sprang up to accommodate the travelers. One of these - kept first by Richard Shirley and later by his widow was somewhat the prototype of the modern tourist home in that its guests were restricted to stage passengers and other transients." "Note: the property of this family was just down the road from the 2 battles of Manassas/Bull Run during the Civil War.
"1830 Prince William Co census: Newly married with no children"
"Richard O. Shirley owned the following slaves in 1850 

1. age 37 male mulatto
2. age 25 female black
3. 16 m b
4. 18 f b
5. 6 f b
6. 3 m b
7.1/2 m b"

First Name: Richard O. Last Name: Shirley Born: Not listed Died: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/02/2012 PeterNoG visited it 02/25/2012 WVKiwi visited it

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