Captain John Linton

Captain John Linton lived during one of the most dangerous and exciting times of our country.  He was first a lieutenant, then a captain of the Loudoun County Virginia Militia during the Revolutionary War.  Evidently he was a hearty individual, moving to Washington County, Kentucky, in 1818.  Why did he make such a move so late in life?  Perhaps it was the thought of new lands – less population to crowd around.  Perhaps it was just the adventure.  We’ll never know for sure.

Just before he died he stepped off a bit of land for a family plot.  That is where he and several others are buried.  About one hundred years later a family member put a fence around the cemetery – by that time it was no longer Linton land.  Now the cemetery is totally abandoned.  The stones are still there – becoming harder to read as each year goes by.  During the summer the grasses grow taller than a man, hiding the cemetery from view.  If you didn’t know it was there you would think it a big clump of grass and trees.

I visit every chance I get.  My progression of pictures of the stones show their deterioration year by year.  Perhaps one day the writing on the stones will become illegible.  Most importantly I don’t want the memory of the Captain to fade away.