This old family graveyard is located on Maidstone Plantation, near Owings, Maryland. One half acre in size, it is located on private property.

The only visible headstones are those found within the fenced in family plots of Thomas J.P. Whittington and the John and Mary Jane Whittington Urquhart families, which are surrounded by wrought iron fences.

One other headstone, that of 13 year old Samuel Whittington, is found about 50 feet away in the woods. His broken headstone shows he was buried there in 1816, nearly 40 years earlier. Undoubtedly, the cemetery includes the graves of many others, including those of his parents and ancestors, as well as previous property owners. Their headstones most likely are fallen and lie beneath the soil and overgrowth or had wooden markers now rotted away.

Sarah Patterson (or Pattison) Whittington bequeathed and dedicated the property as a family graveyard in her will dated June 8, 1855:

"I hereby reserve in perpetuity one half acre of the land herby devised as the family burial ground."

The road where the graveyard is located is only a right-of-way and is not named. The intersection on the main road is Route 260 and Sansbury Rd. You can find the cemetery by continuing west across Route 260 on Sansbury Rd. The graveyard is located on the right side of the road on a hill above the scarp where the road cuts through it. It is difficult to find during the summer because of the thick undergrowth. Care should be taken to watch out for snakes and ticks.

Note that the geographical latitude/longitude location on the map below is only approximate.