My Inspiring Year Uncovering Forgotten African-American Graves

In Richmond, Virginia, an overgrown cemetery had become a dreary dumpsite. Now a crew of volunteers is making sure these bygone lives don’t get lost to history.

Photos by Brian Palmer

There is a headstone at East End Cemetery for Wendell Ellison’s grandfather, Charles G. Ford, who died in 1960, but not for his grandmother, Fannie. “She was buried on top of him,” Ellison explained. Double burying meant families didn’t need to buy a second plot. It also saved them money on maintenance, a forever responsibility at this now-defunct Richmond, Virginia cemetery.