“From the Archives” — First Burial at Saint Mary Cemetery
Cavan Boa died in August 1798, at the age of 34. His burial on August 21, 1798, was the first recorded burial in Saint Mary Cemetery. Boa was from Cavan County in Ireland and was an American Revolutionary War veteran. He and his wife, Margaret, lived at Washington and Prince Streets, near the Alexandria Lyceum, which is located at 201 South Washington Street. Cavan was a tailor with a menswear shop on Union Street; he is said to have been General George Washington’s tailor. These thought-provoking words are inscribed on Cavan’s tombstone:
“All you that come my grave to see, prepare yourselves to follow me. Repent and turn to God in time, for I was taken in my prime.”
– Kitty Guy, Parish Historian
In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2022. An archive of the features is located here.