JANUARY 3, 1818
Violet Wilson Davidson was laid to rest at the Rural Hill Burying Ground near Rural Hill, the grand home John and she had spent a lifetime establishing. She was the first family member to be buried at Rural Hill in what would be named the Rural Hill Burying Ground. She is buried alongside Major John, Robert, Margaret, Mary Winslow and Sarah Davidson within a small enclosure that is older than the rock wall surrounding the exterior of the yard.
This outside wall was erected in 1923 by Col. E.L. Baxter Davidson, Major John and Violet’s great-grandson. A monument at the gate states the following:
This wall erected in memory of Major John Davidson, a signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, May 20th, 1775, and his wife Violet Wilson Davidson and their descendants. Erected by Edward Lee Baxter Davidson. Homestead built 1788 and burned 1886.
Inside the front gate you will find the graves of Edward Lee and his wife Sarah May Williams Vosburgh Davidson. The large stone located just inside the gate is a step taken from the original Mecklenburg County Courthouse where General Cornwallis supposedly stood sometime in the past.
The Rural Hill Burying Ground is maintained through the Davidson Family Trust. This trust was started when Sallie Davidson bequeathed an amount of money to be set aside upon her death in 1935 for the purpose of keeping the Rural Hill Burying Ground in good condition. Each year during the Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games a service is held here to touch base with the heritage and history that rest beneath.
Among the stones here you may find several symbols carved. Some of them are listed here:
Rose: symbolizes the prime of life or the brevity of earthly existence
Circle: symbolizes eternal life
D: Short for Davidson
Eagle: symbolizes courage and military service
Cross: symbolizes the Christian faith and resurrection
Scroll Bracket: symbolizes law and/or scriptures
In 2004, through a grant called SAVE OUR HISTORY awarded by The History Channel, students from Hornet’s Elementary School participated in a preservation project of photographing, researching, and documenting each grave marker within the Davidson cemetery.
Once the information was compiled a brochure was printed as part of the Historic Charlotte Walking Tours Series. This brochure is available to visitors when they come to tour Rural Hill. Visitors are welcome during daylight hours. We ask that you enter this hallowed ground with great reverence.
The Davidson Family Burial Ground is owned and maintained by the Davidson Family Trust.
