John Smith Cemetery

Directions: This cemetery is in the area called "Santa Clara", and it was John "Virginia" Smith's plantation. From Quincy,
travel east on U.S. Hwy. 90 about 1 mile and turn right on Strong Road. The cemetery is in woods to the left and cannot be
seen or driven to. A small dirt track runs beside a house and disappears behind it. If you walk the track, it is about 1/4
mile to the cemetery, which is marked on the left by surveyor's tape tied to some bushes. Walk straight into the bushes and
about 15 feet in, you will see the grave stones. This is private land but the owners in the past have been very
accommodating about letting family members visit. I visited in summer 2005 and this is what the monuments looked like at
that time. These are obviously not original monuments. I know Smith family members had a restoration project led by Drane
Dupont Smith sometime in the mid-1900's, and this is probably when the new monuments were put up. It is unlikely that they
are in the original places because they are lined up like soldiers, and in family plots, mother and father were usually at
the head, with children at their feet. In this lineup, Lucy Snellings' husband is on the other end of the row from her, and
John H. Smith's two wives are not both beside him. One is at the end of the row beside his sister. It appears that those
who erected the new monuments did not realize the relationships. At least one headstone is missing, probably covered up by the roots of a tree as it fell over. There is a downed tree near a foot stone that has no headstone with it, and the JJS foot stone stands for John J. Snellings, husband of Lucy Snellings.