Truman family burial ground

A site in eastern Henrico County, along Long Bridge Road, has yielded important new discoveries. After the Capital Region Land Conservancy purchased the 40-acre tract in 2020, it commissioned the William & Mary Center for Archaeological Research to assess the property. Archaeologists found projectile points dating to 3,000 BCE indicating an indigenous camp site. The team also found bullets and canister shot from Civil War armies. And they found at least eleven graves related to the Samuel B. Truman family. Truman, a postal driver who died in 1913 from Typhoid fever, features one of the few surviving headstone on the property, and it notes his membership in the Elks fraternal order. Apparently, Truman’s grandfather Abraham Truman had purchased the property in 1874. A story at NBC12 offers useful graphics and research.

The Capital Region Land Conservancy is in contact with Truman’s descendants, at least one of whom visited the site to see his grave. Beyond this fruitful re-connection, the finds are a useful reminder of the many family burial yards spread throughout the region.