Anderson Cemetery
Site Brief:
Founded: 1867
Location: Glen Allen, VA
Additional name(s): None
Affiliate group(s): None
History:
Anderson Cemetery is one of the earliest black cemeteries in the Yellow Tavern area of Henrico County, outside Richmond, VA. William Kennedy, clerk of Mount Olive Baptist Church, formed the Sons of Jacob, a fraternal organization which pledged "to attend to each other in times of sickness and distress and to see each other decently buried after death." This two-acre cemetery continued to serve the community for more than a century and includes the graves of ex-slaves, freeborn blacks, farmers, pastors, business leaders and war veterans. Grave markers provided by families, church aid clubs, fraternal groups and other organizations reflect the strong bonds formed across the community.
The cemetery was maintained by families exclusively. As other cemeteries became available in the 1960s, fewer people were buried in Anderson Cemetery, families stopped visiting and maintaining the site. It became so overgrown it appeared to be simply a forest, and many who lived near it did not know it was a cemetery. Further, all burial records were lost. In April 2016, volunteers from Mount Olive Baptist Church and the community began clearing the land and finding and identifying graves.To date more than 80 graves have been firmly identified, including a World War I veteran, a Korean War veteran, and one of the early pastors of Mount Olive.
BCN Contact Information:
Tony Wharton
bluepeter37@gmail.com