The remains of an unidentified woman lie in the cemetery of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia. She is known only as “the female stranger.” The plot is marked by a granite monument that resembles a dining room table.
It bears the inscription: “To the memory of a Female Stranger whose mortal sufferings terminated on the 14th day of October 1816, aged 23 years and 8 months. This stone was placed here by her disconsolate Husband in whose arms she sighed out her latest breath and who, under God, did his utmost even to soothe the cold, dead ear of death.”
Legend has it that a young couple arrived in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1816 on a ship from the West Indies. They then rented a room in Gadsby’s Tavern. They mostly kept to themselves, although the man was seen around town on occasion.
The woman was very sick, so her husband hired a local doctor to help care for her. He stipulated that the doctor must not ask questions about his or his wife’s identities.
Unfortunately, the woman’s health deteriorated quickly, and she succumbed to her illness on October 14, 1816. Her husband borrowed money from a local businessman to have her buried in town. He repaid him with a note from the Bank of England, but it turned out to be a fake.
Once his wife was in the ground and the monument was erected, the man left town and was never seen or heard from again.
There are many theories as to the woman’s identity. The most prevalent one is that she was Theodosia Burr Alston, the daughter of former Vice President Aaron Burr.
In the mid-19th century, several articles discussing the grave were published in newspapers across the country, thrusting the female stranger into the spotlight.
For instance, an article appeared in 1848 about how beautiful the female stranger had been, and even gave a name to her husband: Clermont. It wasn’t clear who the author of the article was, which further added to the mystery.
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In 1886, a paper in Chicago claimed that the woman had died in Gadsby’s Tavern. An 1887 paper in Missouri described the woman dying in her husband’s arms.
The most detailed account came about from a magazine in 1913. The couple reportedly boarded a boat in Nova Scotia and was headed to the Caribbean, but were forced to stop in Alexandria due to the wife’s illness.
Overall, there is no evidence to prove that the couple really existed. Gadsby’s Tavern is still standing, but does not have records dating back to 1816.
It is said that the woman’s spirit haunts Gadsby’s Tavern to this day. Her grave is still intact and can be visited by the public. It continues to be a minor tourist attraction in the area.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
