New signage located on Devils Bottom Road.
A vibrant flag-waving parade from a small chapel at the crossroads of Mary Ball Highway and Devils Bottom Road to a rediscovered cemetery transformed a quiet November Sunday into a moving celebration of history and service in Virginia’s Northern Neck. More than 100 participants—including church members, community volunteers, and descendants of those interred—came together to honor the lives of World War veterans and their families buried in a long-forgotten burial ground.
The Kilmarnock Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the LDS Church or informally as the Mormons) made a remarkable discovery earlier this year on their chapel property: a forgotten burial ground once belonging to Moreau and Isabella Nickens, African American landowners from the late 19th century. Despite numerous efforts to locate the rumored site, the burial ground had remained hidden beneath decades of dense overgrowth. Its rediscovery came when Branch President Kerry Petersen, determined to try one final time, cut his way through the thicket with a machete. His effort revealed a single tombstone for Dorothy E. Ball, a Nickens descendant, bearing the poignant inscription: “Gone, But Not Forgotten.”
LDS Branch President Kerry Petersen and Margaret “Tina” Webb at the tomb of her grandfather, WWII veteran John Robert Webb. Relatives Shara Khon and Mary Duncan in the background at the tombstone of Dorothy E. Ball.
This find ignited a months-long restoration effort, with church youth and adults painstakingly clearing brush and fallen timber. The discovery grew to include approximately 23 burial sites, including the tombstones of two military veterans: James Carroll Barber, an Army veteran of World War I, and John Robert Webb, a Navy veteran of World War II.
In conjunction with Veterans Day, the church hosted a memorial service on Sunday, November 17, 2024. The event began with a chapel service, featuring prayers, patriotic hymns, and a history of the Nickens family and the cemetery. A public reading of the names of the interred, many of whom had no tombstones, moved attendees to tears. Among the family attendees were two surviving grandchildren, the last of their generation. Margaret “Tina” Webb stood at their veteran grandfather’s restored grave. Dorothy Harrison, a descendant of Dorothy Ball, expressed her heartfelt gratitude in a letter read during the service.
The day’s highlight was a heartfelt parade, with participants waving small American flags to honor the Black veterans who were often denied the public celebrations their White counterparts received upon returning from war. The procession moved from the chapel to the cemetery, where flags were placed on the veterans’ graves in a solemn tribute. Whitney Bean, a talented trumpet player from the local high school, performed Taps as part of the moving rededication ceremony.
The event fostered a sense of community and history, drawing family from as far as Maryland. The service ended with a dedicatory prayer and a luncheon, where neighbors shared stories and forged connections.
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Parade from the chapel to the newly restored burial ground.
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Whitney Bean playing "Taps" for the military veterans.
In a fitting coincidence, the memorial service occurred on the birthday of Dorothy Ball, whose rediscovered tombstone had first revealed the cemetery’s existence. The day was a testament to the enduring legacy of those who rest there and the community’s commitment to honoring their memory.