SAFFER CEMETERY - WordPress.com · 2019. 4. 28. · Conklin Village Project Conklin Cemetery Tour...

Conklin Village Project

SAFFER CEMETERY

Figure 1 Wynne Saffer discussing tombstones, January 2015

Contents Directions: ..................................................................................................................................................... 2

Background ................................................................................................................................................... 2

Known Graves: .............................................................................................................................................. 3

Further Research .......................................................................................................................................... 5

Photos ........................................................................................................................................................... 7

Map and Aerial Photo Study ....................................................................................................................... 10

1853 Map ............................................................................................................................................... 10

Photo of Land in 1937 ........................................................................................................................... 11

Photo of Land in 1957 ........................................................................................................................... 12

Photo of Land in 2002 ........................................................................................................................... 13

Photo of Land in in 2005 ...................................................................................................................... 13

Photo of Land in 2014 ........................................................................................................................... 14

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 16

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Directions:

From the J Michael Lunsford Middle School or the Settle-Dean Cabin, head west on Braddock,

then right on Riding Center Drive, right on Fleming, then left on Longacre. The cemetery is on

the left (west) in a stand of trees.

This site is maintained by the Saffer family and friends. Inside is a bench and many traditional

engraved tombstones, and field stones. African-Americans, members of the Saffer family and

Joseph Conklin are buried here, as well as a former doctor in the Texas Navy. This is also the

traditional western boundary of the village of Conklin.

Figure 2 Map to Saffer Cemetery

Background

Conklin Village was named after Joseph Conklin, an early farmer, post master and store keeper

(see volume one of the Conklin Project for a detailed history).

The land on which the cemetery resides was also once owned by the James family, who

obtained the property in February 1765 and participated in the Revolutionary War, however,

there are no “known graves” related to that conflict.

Saffer Cemetery is also Cemetery #167 on page 5520 of the ADC Street Map for Loudoun, 29th

edition. (Staff 2007). The book, (V Ref 929.50975528. TBL) is marked with pasted tabs on each

page associated with a cemetery. See also Box 4, Folder 5 in the Loudoun County, VA

Cemetery Collection 1990-2004.

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Known Graves:

Combination of research by Wynne Saffer and Larry Roeder

THUD Stone

• Most of the gravestones are unmarked field stones, as was common. One field stone

however stands out. It is marked THU or THUD, depending on the interpretation.

Usually, they are not inscribed, due to the hardness of the material, and often those

using them were illiterate or too poor to use marble and hire a professional cutter. In this

case, someone shaped the rock to have the appearance of a traditional tombstone,

instead of simply chipping edges. Three lines are cut across, much as one might do on

a blackboard. The top line reads THU. The letters are widely spaced. The second line

contains a D, the a box with a cross, then A4/59. The third line simply says 1804. We

do not know who was buried here. One interpretation is that the individual had the

initials T H U, died 1804 and was born April 1759. That comes from interpreting the D

for death and the A for Alpha, as in Alpha and Omega; but these are guesses. See

illustration for THUD Stone.

• The James Family obtained this land in 1765 from Thomas and Mary Humphrey, also

known as Umphre in the deed. One wonders if TH is for Thomas Humphrey and UD for

someone else. Perhaps U stands for Umphre. This needs research.

Conklin Family

• Elizabeth C. Conklin, b. Nov 12, 1850, d. March 7, 1900. • Joseph R. Conklin, b. Sep 23, 1820, d May 9, 1895. • Mary Conklin, b. Dec 20, 1827, d. Mar 28, 1905.

Denny Family

• Frank Denny, 1865-1939. Denny was a single, “mulatto” farmer who lived on Sudley

Road in the Southern Broad Run District of Loudoun (U.S. Census Bureau 1920).

Hibbs Family

• Daniel G. Hibbs, b June 7, 1851, d July 4, 1927. Mr. Hibbs was a white farmer who lived

in the Southern Broad Run District of Loudoun. Living with him in 1920 was the Grimes

family, which likely did most of the farming, due Mr Hibbs’ age and the fact that he was

widow by then. The head of the Grimes family was Walter, foster-son of Mr. Hibbs. Also

living on the Hibbs farms were Paul and Willard Bice, white farm laborers (U.S. Census

Bureau 1920). • Mary Susan, wife of D. G. Hibbs, b. Aug 8, 1853, d. Oct 2, 1906.

James Family

• Thomas and Mary Humphrey sold the land on which the cemetery lies on February 7th,



1765 to David James of Chester County, Pennsylvania. (Deed book D437/436) Another

David B James then sold the land to Horace Adee of New York on April 18, 1861, with

the reservation for an 1/8th acre cemetery “in which my father and others are buried, with

the privilege of hauling stone to fence the same off of the said farm.” Loudoun County

Deed book, 1870, SW 461.

Lambert Family

• Dr. Francis Lambert, b. June 29, 1815 in Georgetown, DC, d. Sep 22, 1891. Dr.

Lambert’s father was from France and his mother from Pennsylvania. In 1890, just prior

to his death, he was still working as a doctor. His son Jefferson Lambert worked as a

mail carrier. One wonders if Jefferson worked at the Conklin Post Office. By 1910, he

was a retail merchant (U.S. Census Bureau 1890) (U.S. Census Bureau 1910). • Lee Jackson, son of Dr. F & M.L. Lambert, b. Sept 13, 1863, d. Sep 24, 1875. • Mary Louiza, wife of Dr. Francis Lambert, d Oct 19, 1877 in the 49th year of her age.

Saffer Family

• Benj F. Saffer, b April 12, 1831, d. June 8, 1903. Benjamin was a farmer who also

served as a private in Company A, 35th Virginia Cavalry, enlisting on September 1, 1862

(Ancestry Staff n.d.) • Carle F. Saffer, d. Sept 17, 1883, d. 3 months and 11 days. • Elizabeth Saffer, b. Feb 13, 1847, d. Oct 20, 1910. Elizabeth was a widow who lived

with her family on a farm in Broad Run. Her father was Jams Byrne, who lived on the

same farm at the age of 84 in 1910. (U.S. Census Bureau 1910) Mary Saffer,

daughter of W.T. and E.V. Saffer, d Nov 25, 1890. • Rachel Saffer, b Nov 2, 1887, d. July 6, 1909. • William Washington Saffer, b. Jan 10, 1792, Loudoun, d Oct 13, 1841, Centreville,

Fairfax County. • William Thomas Saffer, B Dec 21, 1851, d. Nov 26, 1891. William was a white farmer in

1890 (U.S. Census Bureau 1890).

Settle Family

• Nelson Settle, d Apr 26, 1890, aged 81 years, 3 months and 13 days. See discussion of

the Settle family in Volume One of the Conklin Study. Nelson was born about 1810 in

Virginia (U.S. Census Bureau 1880).

• Thomas Settle, d. Mar 13, 1890, aged 86 years, 11 months and 14 days. Thomas and Nelson were brothers. The Settles, a white family, originally owned the

Settle-Dean Cabin (now on Loudoun County Parkway) before willing it in the late 1880s to the Deans, an African-American family formerly enslaved by the Settles. "They lived in the cabin as slaves and continued to live in it as free blacks," said Arlean Hill, a historian from Chaptico, Md. who is related to the Deans and an expert on Loudoun slavery.



Further Research

There are several ways to research cemeteries in Loudoun County. The first step is visit the

Balch Library in Leesburg, Virginia. Although information is available elsewhere, such as at the

Loudoun Museum and in private papers of various historical associations, the best collection of

data is at Balch.

Some sources at Balch are:

1. The electronic cemetery index, which is updated periodically and can be searched by the

last and first name of the deceased.

2. Private and published papers are on the shelves and in miscellaneous files.

3. Especially when the names of the deceased are not known but also for a general

description of old family cemeteries in the county, consider the Loudoun County, VA

Cemetery Collection 1990-2004, which is a set of five boxes of file folders related to the

Committee on Old Cemeteries, Preservation Society of Loudoun County. In 1995

Thomas Balch Library sponsored a project to map, identify, photograph, and transcribe

gravestone inscriptions in Loudoun cemeteries. A committee was created that consisted

of Jeff Ball, Ned Douglass, Mary Fishback, Marty Hiatt, David Via, and Wynne Saffer as

chairman for that purpose. The following year (1996), the committee published a list of

known cemeteries in Loudoun County. The package of files was built on readings that

Aureila Jewell took in the 1940’s, then added to by many people at various times. Thus,

this invaluable listing is comprised of the efforts of many people who worked on their

own time to do the Cemetery Compilation over the course of 35 years, an effort still

under way. The bulk of the work was done by Mary Fishback and Wynne Saffer.

o This is collection (M 017) and is in the archives of the Thomas Balch Library,

Leesburg, VA. Irregularly updated, the files and an associated collection of

photographs is an invaluable source on cemeteries, especially when names of

the deceased are not known. See box 1 for an index to all cemeteries.

o Example: The Brewer Cemetery is described in Box 1, Folder 76.

o Caution: Not all cemeteries are indexed, as is the case of the Dean

(AfricanAmerican) cemetery to the east of Hampton Brewer on the property of the

Michael Lunsford Middle School. Other sources are then required.

4. On the shelves of the Balch library are also two indexes to cemeteries. One is a three

ring binder (V Ref 929.50975528.TBL, called the Loudoun County Cemetery Directory

(Committee on Old Cemeteries 2007). The directory list most of the cemeteries in the

county by name. It also provide the official Cemetery number from the 1990-2004

collection, as well as the map coordinates for the cemetery and page number associated

with ADC Street Map for Loudoun, 29th edition. (Staff 2007) The book, (V Ref

929.50975528. TBL) is marked with pasted tabs on each page associated with a

cemetery.

o Example: The Pangle Cemetery is #153 on Map Page 5520 at coordinates H4.



o Caution: Not all cemeteries are indexed, as is the case of the Dean (African-

American) cemetery to the east of Hampton Brewer on the property of the

Michael Lunsford Middle School. Other sources are then required.



Photos

Figure 3 THUD Stone Photo by Suzanne Fladung

Figure 4 Saffer Cemetery, as seen from Longacre.



Figure 5 Inside of Saffer Cemetery

Figure 6 Tombstone of William Saffer, Born 1792



Figure 7 Frank Denny Tombstone


Conklin Cemetery Tour Project: Saffer Cemetery

Map and Aerial Photo Study

1853 Map

1853 Map shows James property, though no notation on cemetery. It also shows the Loudoun

Branch Rail Road line which ran through present-day South Riding. Perhaps that’s where the

cemetery was, or near by. (Loudoun County Mapping Service 2015)



Photo of Land in 1937

The cemetery is clearly noted in a 1937 Aerial photograph, set far N of Braddock Road and west of what

appears to be a property line or farm road. (Loudoun County Mapping Service 2015)




Property stands out in 1957 Aerial photo. Property line seen in 1937 photo looks like a farm road. There

also may be a simpler farm road running N from Braddock just to the west of the cemetery. (Loudoun

County Mapping Service 2015)




A definite line of trees is to the east of the cemetery and a N/S dirt path is to the

immediate west. (Loudoun County Mapping Service 2015)

Photo of Land in in 2005



By 2005, the cemetery has been marked off and development has begun, as well as the

construction of a road to the immediate East. (Loudoun County Mapping Service 2015)




By 2014, development is complete and the cemetery is clearly set aside by Longacre.

(Loudoun County Mapping Service 2015)



Bibliography Ancestry Staff. "Benjamin F. Saffer in U.S. Soldier Civil War Records and Profiles 1861-1865." Ancestry.com.

n.d. www.ancestry.com (accessed 2 2, 2015).

Committee on Old Cemeteries. Loudoun County Cemetery Directory. Leesburg: Balch Library, 2007.

Loudoun County Mapping Service. "Loudoun County Aerial Archive." Online Mapping Services. 1 21, 2015.

http://logis.loudoun.gov/archive/.

Staff. ADC Street Map for Loudoun, 29th Edition. Alexandria: Alexandria Drafting Company, 2007.

U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Census for Broad Run Loudoun County Virginia. Washington, DC: U.S. Census

Bureau, 1920.

—. U.S. Census for Broad Run Loudoun County Virginia. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau, 1890.



—. U.S. Census for Broadrun, Loudoun County, Virginia. Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 1880.

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