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| St. Paul's Cemetery, Alexandria, Virginia |
I love a good mystery. I went to visit The Grave of the Female Stranger in St. Paul's Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia. I actually visited the entire complex of 13 cemeteries over a little over 80 acres, which I will share about later. It is quite a place.
Was she the daughter of Aaron Burr? Probably not but that’s part of the tale. I learned today that while the husband of the mysterious stranger paid for everything- the burial, grave, etc. he did so with with borrowed money from a local businessman whom he repaid with a note from the Bank of England, which actually was forged.
In the mid-19th century, with numerous articles sharing the legend in local newspapers, the grave was a tourist attraction. In my opinion, it still here because here I am.
The inscription:
To the memory of a
FEMALE STRANGER
whose mortal sufferings terminated
on the 14th day of October 1816
Aged 23 years and 8 months
This stone is placed here by her disconsolate
Husband in whose arms she sighed out her
latest breath, and who under God
did his utmost even to soothe the cold
dead ear of death
How loved how valued once avails thee not
To whom related or by whom begot
A heap of dust alone remains of thee
Tis all thou art and all the proud shall be
To him gave all the Prophets witness that
through his name whosoever believeth in
him shall receive remission of sins
Acts. 10th Chap. 43rd verse.
How mysterious! If she died in her husband's arms, why does no one know her name?
ReplyDeleteIt's a good question with lots of guesses but no clear evidence. Some suspect she was the daughter of Aaron Burr who was lost at sea. Aaron Burr was the Vice President when Thomas Jefferson was President and Burr was involved with the duel that fatally killed Hamilton (I'm just assuming that you aren't that familiar with American history :D) Even though he was acquitted for murder, Burr still exiled himself for several years and there are conspiracy theories connected to him too. His daughter was either murdered by pirates or shipwrecked in a storm in 1813 so because of the dates and ages of Burr's daughter and the female stranger, some assumed there was a connection. There have been a few books written about it and I think, from a tourism perspective, the cemetery probably doesn't want to solve the mystery because it still brings in visitors... although we don't actually contribute any money but perhaps the attention brings them a bit of business.
DeleteGripping and gorgeous, deeply mysterious and endlessly special. And, fun fact, her DOD just happens to the very day (albeit nearly two centuries later) when my DH and I tied the knot.
ReplyDeleteAutumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life