THE OLD HILL CEMETERY 1820

JOY GILCHRIST STALNAKER

Daniel Stringer, a very brilliant lawyer from Virginia and Lewis Maxwell, a rich landowner,

purchased from Peter Flesher, a son of Henry Flesher, the original patentee, a part of his 400

acre grant from the CommonWealth of Virginia on the east side of the West Fork River. 

JohnTatters had requested a patent before that, but it was not carried through.  The state of

Virginia recognized Henry Flesher’s request because of his “Squat right”, having built his log

cabin and occupied it.  Other settlers arrived, and soon a village was started around Henry

Flesher’s cabin.  It was first called Flesherville, and later when Lewis County was formed in

1816 a contention arose and in 1818 the name was changed to Weston.

Stringer and Maxwell gave to the town an acre of land at the head of Center Street for a church

and burial ground.  The church was never built. Later the great historian Alexander Scott

Withers,who lived in Weston, bought the Peter Flesher interest.  He reserved a burial lot for

himself and family, just outside the original acre.  Daniel Stringer, who lived to be an old man,

died poor, and was buried on the original acre just below Alexander Scott Withers. His faithful

a companion, his dog, followed the body to the grave, and stayed until the grave was filled.  He

never left except to get water. Food was brought to him, but he ate little and slept lying across

the mound until death took him.  He was buried in his master’s grave,faithful until death.