Learned Family Cemetery - Fairfax, Vermont

Family rediscovers resting place of Revolutionary War ancestor.

About 70 descendants of Revolutionary War soldier Joseph Learned gathered at his grave Wednesday, July 4, 2001, at his old farm in Fairfax.

The small, family cemetery had been lost for years, until one of his descendants found it as part of a family history project.
The Learned Family Cemetery is located on the west side of the crest on the Huntville Road on the Heyer Farm. It sits back at the end of a meadow in a clump of fir trees at the base of a 6' high rock ledge near the top of a small knoll and cannot be seen from the road. Even though the stones are very old, they seem to have been protected from the weather by the trees and are in very good condition. I personally surveyed the cemetery and got the names off the stones, except for one which had fallen over. This I (Henry Raymond) did in the summer of 1997. Many thanks to Alan Learned who has done much research on the Learned Family, as well as Frederick Learned who has provided me with the additional information on members of the Learned Family interred in this cemetery.

Learned Family Researchers Alan & Frederick Learned believe this family graveyard is where Joseph LEARNED (b. 12 Apr. 1753, Lebanon, CT) of Hebron, CT, patriarch of their family and a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and his 2nd wife Lydia TREADWAY (b. 18 Oct. 1769, Lebanon, CT) are both buried. Joseph and Lydia lived there until their deaths, Joseph on 18 Oct. 1836 and Lydia on 28 Aug. 1855. All that currently remains of the stone indicating their burial location is an unmarked square plinth stone.

At one time, located on top of this square plinth stone, was an obelisk with the surname LEARNED, carved on its side. An unknown farmer had sought out and tried to present a stone of this description to a distant relative, John Learned, of Cambridge because he had the same name and unfortunately, he not knowing its origin declined to accept it. The LEARNED obelisk stone remains missing. John remembered visiting this graveyard as a child, but had forgotten its location until he and Alan "refound" it in 1996.

It is possible that a middle stone, with names and dates, is nearby but it remains to be found.

Name Rec.
No.		 Born Place Born
Date		 Died
Date		 Died Place
Albert LEARNED 26201 in Fairfax, Vt. 03 Dec 1828 03 Jul
1834		 in Fairfax, Vt.
Alonzo LEARNED 26200 in Fairfax, Vt. 05 Mar 1836 13 Mar 1856 in Fairfax, Vt.
Elizabeth LEARNED 9239 in Fairfax, Vt. 30 Sep 1824 06 Aug 1884 in Fairfax, Vt.
Ellen LEARNED 5444 in Fairfax, Vt. 14 Jun
1844		 27 Jul
1857		 in Fairfax, Vt.
Ellen LEARNED Learned 4809 in Fairfax, Vt. 23 Mar
1865		 ? ?
Emma J. LEARNED 9254 in Fairfax, Vt. 23 Jan 1848 17 Nov 1884 in Fairfax, Vt.
Isaac Newton LEARNED 3098 in Bennington, Vt. 11 Jan
1800		 10 Jul
1877		 in Fairfax, Vt.
*Joseph LEARNED 28129 in Lebanon, Connecticut 12 Apr
1753		 18 Oct
1836		 in Fairfax, Vt.
Malissa ? (Lidda) LEARNED 26202 in Fairfax, Vt. 17 Dec 1831 22 Mar 1846 in Fairfax, Vt.
Lucius A. LEARNED 14055 in Fairfax, Vt. 28 Dec 1837 22 Jan
1915		 in Fairfax, Vt.
Lydia TREADWAY
 Learned 		28130 in Lebanon, Connecticut 18 Oct
1769		 28 Aug
1855		 in Fairfax, Vt.
Elenora Bridgett WASHBURN 320 in Fairfax, Vt. 09 Sep 1801 13 Sep 1884 in Fairfax, Vt.

* Joseph Learned was a Veteran of the Revolutionary War from Hebron, Connecticut