Hampton National Cemetery

Hampton National Cemetery

After having had so much success at Chalmette National Cemetery in finding many members of the 13^th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, I thought that I would visit another National Cemetery.

I had been looking for my Great Grand-father Samuel for thirty years.  After the Civil War, he went home, fathered another child and disappeared.  The trail went to West Virginia and then ended.  According to county and state records, he had not died in West Virginia.  A few years ago I was shopping at a church yard sale and found one man with a name tag.  It was my maiden name spelled in a different variation.  We chatted.  He was part of a group that did a lot of family history in all its variations.  He suggested to me that he may have died in Virginia at an Old Soldiers Home or General Hospital.  I googled his name and “Virginia.”  And, lo and behold, his name popped up.  He was buried at the National Cemetery in Hampton.  Plot number 5305.

I put information on the back burner for a time.  Recently, I had to make one more trip to New England.  I thought that I would make a slight detour to visit that cemetery.  My GPS was not working.  So, I tried map quest.  That worked OK, but…..

I drove around Hampton, Virginia and could not find the cemetery.  Finally, I placed a call to them.  They gave me excellent directions.  It just so happens that the National Cemetery is smack dab in the middle of the Hampton University campus.  One must stop at the gatehouse and then go through its gates to get to the cemetery.

I was able to find him fairly quickly.  What amazed me is that there were one low government stone and then a tall one, another low, the next one tall…row after row.  I was amazed to find that Sam was buried next to a Viet Nam soldier.  It seemed strange.  It seems that most National cemeteries, people from any given war are sort of buried together.  Another words, American Civil War veterans are in one area, WWI in another, WWII, in another.  But at Hampton, they are all mixed together.

Building in rear part of college campus

There was a smithering of family monuments as well.

I had found one head stone memorial for a Navy man from the ill-fated Scorpion sub at Chalmette.  I was very surprised to find a memorial headstone for a second member of that crew.

This visit sort of brought some sort of closure for me.  I wish I had this information when my Dad was still alive, but it was good to find it now.  Although it gave me one answer, it opened up a can of worms for other questions, which I will pursue.

April 2012

 

After this visit, I went to Virginia OES Grand Chapter.  I sat with Betty at a luncheon.  She mentioned that she and her family were going to put the Memorial Day flags at a cemetery.  She mentioned that she had not done this before, but the Boy Scouts had.  As we yakked a bit more, I discovered that the flags she would be placing were at Hampton National Cemetery.  After he day of doing this duty, she sent me an email with pictures.  She had been the one to place the flag on Sam's grave.  It sent chills up and down my spine.  An OES sister taking care of my biological family.

 

May 2012