Confederate soldiers buried in Fairfield

To the editor:

After reading about Union Soldier James Strong (l8l8-1900) buried in Old Fairfield City Cemetery, I felt your readers would be interested in other Civil War burials.

Few residents know there are five Conferate soldiers buried in our county. This data was from memos made by Mrs. Prill prior to her death in l979.

Three in Abingdon Cemetery:

Preston Orfield 1835-1915

Wm. Y. Gobble 1845-1925

Henry Cuddy 1836-1902

Two in Batavia Cemetery:

Thomas Austin 1837-1875

George B. McNiel 1844-1905

Why did they come to Jefferson County? Two in Abingdon had very distant relatives. The Gobbles that were here by l845 had come from Washington County, Va.

Did all five of them come at the same time and had served in Civil War together?

In the l871 land owner map, none of the five were land owners, none had wills recorded, and only Orfield has estate records.

? Verda Baird, rural Fairfield