Bones buried in Urbanna yard likely Palmers

Couple interred more than a century ago to be reburied; search on for relatives

by Larry Chowning –

The Fairfield Foundation is in search of relatives of Alfred Palmer and Sophronia (Sophie) Sadler Palmer, who lived in Urbanna in the late 1800s and into the early 20th century. The Palmer family owned property on Watling Street from 1841 to 1972.

Back in September 2020, human remains were found in the backyard of Gari Lister and Matt Gobush at their home on Watling Street. They were in the process of having an in-ground swimming pool installed when workers dug up human remains.

They commissioned the Fairfield Foundation to research the matter and it was determined that the two partial skeletons were of a white male and a white female and of the late 1800s origin. There had been a backyard graveyard at the home where Alfred and Sophie had been buried. Their bodies were later exhumed and moved to Christ Church Parish cemetery. The foundation’s analysis determined the female bones are “likely” that of Sophie.

The Fairfield foundation brought in genealogists Lori Jackson Black, Sara Lewis and Joanna Wilson Green to help with the research and to find relatives.

It is believed that the remains of Alfred who died in 1888 and of Sophie in 1906 were exhumed to Christ Church in the 1930s or 1940s but perhaps all of the bones did not make the transfer.

Anyone related to the Palmers in Urbanna and interested in being apart of the burial ceremony of the Palmer remains at Christ Church should contact Dave Brown of the Fairfield Foundation at Fairfield@fairfieldfoundation.org.