RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — There’s a 2-year-old girl buried in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery who sadly passed from scarlet fever in the mid-1800s. Ever since she was laid to rest, a cast iron statue of a dog has watched over her.
8News decided to take a closer look at these two prolific Hollywood Cemetery residents and the history they share. Along the way, our research uncovered that little Florence Bernardin Rees is in possession of something far rarer than originally anticipated.
The Rees family and Florence’s short life
The Rees family plot is located along Cedar Avenue in Hollywood Cemetery, not too far from its main entrance off Albemarle Street. It sits at the crest of a hill that is often called “Black Dog Hill.”
Multiple members of the Rees family are buried on this plot — including Florence, who died on Feb. 7, 1862, at 2 years, 7 months and 14 days old.
Robert “Bob” Olsen, a retiree with a passion for historical research, was recommended to 8News by Hollywood Cemetery’s Mabel Toney as the man to talk to about the Rees family tree. He provided 8News with several documents he’s uncovered over the years…