If this tombstone was erected in 1805, then it may be the oldest legible stone in this cemetery, and one of the oldest in this area. (Older stones were often of shale or other impermanent materials.) The cemetery’s Web site tells us that the oldest readable stone is the James Ross stone from 1807, but Father Pitt does not know whether that is because this stone is known to be younger than its inscribed date, or because this stone was simply missed in someone’s survey of the oldest stones in the cemetery. Oak Spring Cemetery is one of the largest early-settler burying grounds in the area, and it does not seem to have been thoroughly surveyed.