Between 15,000 and 20,000 souls are estimated to rest in Old City Cemetery. A small percentage of that total is listed here by category, with brief biographical notes (see bottom). Most interments took place between 1875 and 1925 when the Cemetery was closed to the general public because of overcrowding. Two-thirds of all those buried were African American.
The diversity of our “residents” is unmatched by any other burial ground in Central Virginia.
OUR RESIDENTS At-A-Glance
Early Townspeople and Settlers of Lynchburg
- Everyone who died in the town of Lynchburg 1806–1824 and almost everyone who died in Lynchburg 1825–1860
- Many “founding fathers and mothers” of Lynchburg and “firsts” (e.g., first Commonwealth’s Attorney)
- Early immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and Italy (most from 1820–1875)
- Most Catholics citizens who died before 1875 (when the first Catholic cemetery in Lynchburg opened)
- Many prominent Methodist church leaders, 1806–1900
African Americans, Both Enslaved and Free
- All of Lynchburg’s enslaved and free black population, 1806–1865
- Most African Americans who died in Lynchburg, 1865–1925
- African American “institution builders” in Reconstruction and Jim Crow Era, 1865–1925 (i.e., people who established first black schools, businesses, churches, etc.)
Outsiders and “Disreputable” Residents
- Strangers who died passing through town (buried in “Potter’s Fields” within the Cemetery)
- Many “colorful characters,” including a large number of sporting women and criminals (or crime victims)
Working Class and Lower Socioeconomic Status Individuals
- Countless tobacco factory laborers, as well as those who worked in the Cotton Mill, Craddock-Terry Shoe Factories, and other local industries
- Tradesmen of all varieties, including blacksmiths, carpenters, gunsmiths, masons, painters, plasterers, saddlers, silversmiths, and tinners
- Thousands of service workers, including domestics, nurses, waiters, porters, maids, cooks, chauffeurs, coachmen, janitors, sextons, and laundresses
- Every indigent or “pauper” resident of Lynchburg from 1806 to present—all buried in various “Potter’s Fields” within OCC
Veterans
- Men who served in the military in every major conflict from the American Revolution to Vietnam (including the Mexican American War and Spanish American War)
- Over 2,200 Confederate soldiers from 14 different states who died during Civil War—all enlisted men, most from out-of-state and outside Central Virginia
Please find individual personalities and brief biographical notes in the accordion menus below: